A Code of the Heart (The Code Breakers Series Book 3) (7 page)

“Let me check her out before you make further contact. What’s her name?” Cord asked.

“All I got was Bev, before Ash started the ruckus.” Brinsley tried to keep the antagonism out of his voice. Ash’s reasons were sound, but next time he’d like to have some warning before all hell broke loose.

Rathbourne gave him a look of appreciation. “That’s good. Bev witnessed the fight?”

“I assume so, but I only had time to fend off attacks then catch up with Ash. I never reconnected with her.”

“Nicely played.” Rathbourne nodded.

Brinsley’s chest eased. The two highly respected men didn’t intimidate him, but their approval meant a lot to him.

“Do you think Bev could be working both sides?”

“Most likely, but she was very accommodating when I threw the French part at her.”

Ash snorted. “Yes, she did look very accommodating.”

Brinsley felt uncertain about how to react to this new camaraderie from Ash.

“Another reason for Ash, on the verge of marriage, not to be on site in this operation,” Rathbourne said.

Ash chuckled. “Lady Henrietta had a lot of difficulty accepting Cord’s relationship with one of his female informants.”

Rathbourne ran his fingers through his thick shock of dark hair, a nervous habit that Brinsley was starting to recognize. “Yes, it is one of the many pitfalls of our work.”

Rathbourne gave Ash a piercing, black look that would send anyone into hiding, but Ash was unaffected. “I guess that’s one way of describing the circles Lady Henrietta had you running in.”

“This is the problem of having friends working for you. They forget their rank.” Rathbourne shook his head.

This comment made Ash laugh even louder.

Rathbourne ignored Ash and focused on Brinsley. “Now that you’ve been accepted into Lady Henrietta’s and Lady Gwyneth’s circle, you’ll have to be very circumspect about this mission, especially around my sister. She is always looking for adventure. She believes spying runs in the blood.”

Brinsley raised an eyebrow. “Will do, sir.”

Ash grew serious. “Gwyneth will not be involved in any further missions. Her involvement in the Christmas party was a total fluke. If I hadn’t been poisoned, she never would’ve been involved.”

Rathbourne grunted. “Spoken like a man who hasn’t been married yet.”

“I’m certain marriage to me will be enough of an adventure for Gwyneth.” Ash took a large gulp of his drink.

“Damn, Ash. I don’t want to hear this about my sister. Rathbourne held up his glass. “Top me off.”

“Sorry old man.” Ash stood and poured brandy into Rathbourne’s empty glass.

“Brinsley, what were your impressions of
Ship’s Aground
?”

Brinsley sat up in his chair. “I agree with Lord Ashworth.”

Ash turned in his seat and looked at Brinsley. “You don’t have to ‘lord’ me after the Christmas party and now our brawl. Call me Ash.”

Brinsley nodded. “There are French there amongst the workers. During the brawl, you could hear the French cussing. I didn’t see any money being exchanged during my brief stint in the tavern.” Brinsley took a sip of brandy. “But how do we know the French haven’t already infiltrated the Navy yard?”

“I’ve had a man inside the shipyard since the project started.” Rathbourne shuffled the papers on his desk. “Nothing suspicious has been reported.”

“You sly dog, Cord,” Ash said.

“I wasn’t going to wait on the Navy to tell me when they wanted our involvement.” Lord Rathbourne stood. “Brinsley, I’ll expect regular updates on the business at
Ship’s Aground.
You can report to Ash, and when it’s necessary, we’ll speak.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll begin my surveillance tonight.”

“The secret weapon will be ready for testing in one week’s time.” Lord Rathbourne walked toward the expansive windows looking out over the garden. “Now it’s time to play cricket. I’ve promised Edward that you’ll play as well, Brinsley. It seems Edward is quite impressed with your size. He’s convinced that with you and Miss Amelia on his side, he’ll be able to beat us old men.”

Ash draped his arm over the back of the chair in an insolent manner. “Cord, you can’t actually be worried that we could be beaten by a child and a woman?”

From his seat, Brinsley could see that young Edward and his tutor were setting up the wickets. He had pretended that he didn’t anticipate this morning. The idea of participating with this group, doing something ordinary, was beyond imagination. He had endured four years since he’d been rejected by society for his supposed scandalous behavior toward his brother’s fiancée. Disgraced, he had been ostracized by society until his work as an agent brought him into Lord Rathbourne’s circle.

“Oh, I’m confident we will win. We’ve experience on our side.” Ash looked right at Brinsley.

Another challenge thrown down by Ash—but, of course, he didn’t know that Brinsley and his brother grew up playing cricket, and with his size and strength, he made a damn good bowler.

Lord Rathbourne looked at Brinsley, his eyebrows raised. “I’m aware of your strength in fights, but you’ll need to show us your speed.”

Lord Rathbourne believed his size slowed him down. Well, wouldn’t his superior be surprised?

Ash leered at Brinsley. “I admire Edward for his choice of teammates, another brilliant Harcourt in the making. Brinsley is an unknown factor, but Edward has decided his size will be in his favor. The teammate I’d want is Miss Amelia. Never seen a better wicket keeper. If she weren’t a woman…”

Brinsley moved uncomfortably in his seat. He wasn’t sure what upset him more—the idea that Ash wanted Amelia on his team or the way Ash said she was a woman. Brinsley was damn glad she was a woman. Happier than he should be by far.

Ash now looked at him as if he could read every one of his lustful thoughts.

“I suppose we’ll have to see how the game goes.” Brinsley wasn’t a man prone to bragging. He was a man of action, and he was confident that he could beat Lord Rathbourne and Ash. He wasn’t sure if they were egging him on to prove his worth or if it was the basic male need to compete.

Lord Rathbourne waved his hand in dismissal. “You both go ahead. I’ve more work to finish before I can join you.”

Brinsley and Ash stood together.

“I’ve told Gwyneth that I’d wait for her once she was finished with Amelia,” Ash said.

Brinsley hated the way his heart accelerated at the sound of her name, more so knowing that she was already in the house.

“I’ll go out and help young Edward with the setup.”

Ash walked out with him. “You’re a good man to have around, Brinsley.” With that, Ash turned and headed down the hall to the morning room where the ladies were working. Brinsley wished he could go in search of Amelia, but it was a lot safer to help Edward.

Chapter Seven

Brinsley took a deep breath, savoring the crisp January afternoon air. Anticipating the sight of Miss Amelia Bonnington playing cricket in breeches, his heart thumped against his chest and his body thrummed with nervous energy.

He rounded the corner to find Amelia squatting in front of the wicket. She had her back to him so he was able to enjoy the enticing view. She hadn’t worn breeches, but he wasn’t disappointed. The muslin, pulled tightly against her rounded derriere, revealed enough to send a blast of heat through his body as if he were a billowing furnace.

He couldn’t stop staring. Unaware of his presence, she shifted her weight. He moaned aloud from the lust licking along his spine. He had never before experienced any woman who could fire him up in an instant. And he was definitely up.

Gus, who had been quietly chewing on a stick, was the first to spot him or hear his moan. Had he really moaned aloud? The dog dropped his stick and raced toward him.

Edward, oblivious to his dog, but just as eager, ran over too. “This is capital. We can practice before the others arrive.”

Amelia quickly turned and stood with Edward’s greeting. Her skirt was divided like a riding garment, but the thin fabric made it looked like she wore undergarments. The sunlight was behind her revealing the outline of her long, shapely legs through the translucent, white fabric. His heart beat erratically and his breaths came in short bursts. This innocent woman would be the death of him.

“Lord Brinsley.” Her voice was as formal as if they were meeting in the drawing room, as if she was totally unaware that her choice of dress did nothing to hide her lithe body and lovely legs.

He forced himself to divert his gaze and look up at her face. “Miss Amelia.” He bowed carefully.

“Oh, my goodness.” Her eyes were wide with shock.

God, had she noticed his uncontrollable physical reaction to her state of dishabille.

“Your face.” Had his out of control fantasies shown on his face?

“It must hurt.” Her soft voice was filled with concern.

What the hell?

As she got close enough for him to see the blue speckles in her violet eyes, her brows knotted together. “You were in a fight?”

Her disapproval suddenly turned sunny into cold and lonely. He wasn’t able to disclose his mission. And why should he care what she thought of him. She had already pronounced that he wasn’t worthy husband material.

“I was in a tavern brawl.”

He had expected her to respond with disgust, but instead her face and lips softened in understanding, as if she knew him better than he did himself. “I’m sorry.”

Edward hurried over after abandoning his task with the wickets and had a very different reaction to news of the fight. “Wow, I’d like to see what you did to the other fellow. You flattened him, didn’t you?”

“That’s enough, Edward.” Amelia treated Edward as if he were her younger brother. She appeared very comfortable in her role as older sister.

“Is this the new fashion for women cricketers?” He couldn’t stop himself from staring at her legs. “You look ready to play cricket.” What a pile of… She looked ready for a long hard tumble.

She smiled sunnily, which only made matters worse. Her eyes sparkled with amusement, tantalizing him, robbing him of conscious thought. “This is a gown I’ve designed to help my movement in the game. With long skirts gowns and petticoats, how could I be expected to play my position as wicket keeper?”

The idea of “her position” fired his carnal thoughts. The only position he could think of was her under him. He would’ve laughed if every muscle in his body weren’t tightened and primed. He adjusted his jacket, trying to conceal his reaction. He couldn’t stop staring at her outfit. He had never seen a respectable lady in such a get-up. He had seen many women in various stages of undress, but Amelia in this costume caught his blood on fire.

“Sir, with you on our team we can’t lose.” Edward looked up at him in awe.

At least he could still impress children. “Well, I’d hope so since I have it on the best authority that Miss Amelia is the finest wicket keeper in all of England.”

Amelia’s soft lips curved into a self-deprecating smirk. “Edward has a very generous opinion of my skills.”

“Ash also spoke highly of your skills. He believes if you weren’t a woman, you’d be one of the best.”

She laughed and dismissed Ash’s compliment with a wave of her graceful hand. “Fiddlesticks. I’m a wicket keeper. Is shouldn’t matter that I’m a woman.”

Her laughter shot straight through him, ratcheting his readiness. It mattered to him greatly that she was a woman.

Edward grabbed the ball. “Amelia, can we get back to practice? Lord Brinsley can help me with my bowling.”

She continued to smile. “If that is amenable to Lord Brinsley.”

She was different today, not fighting him as if he were the enemy and not rejecting the obvious attraction between them. “If we are to be teammates then I think you both should call me Derrick. My close friends all call me Derrick.”

He watched her color change instantaneously from porcelain white to rosy pink. When he had been desperate for her, he asked her to call him Derrick. Her breathlessness when she uttered his name was imprinted in his brain. If he had to suffer endless torment, then she might as well suffer a little too. Not exactly the behavior of a gentleman, but she didn’t think of him as a gentleman anyway.

Edward, his blond curls ruffled by the wind, handed Brinsley the ball. The young boy’s enthusiasm was hard to ignore. “Before everyone arrives, can we get to my bowling?” Edward kicked at the grass, not looking at him. Gus waited next to the boy on full alert. “I’d rather not practice in front of everyone else.”

“I’d be happy to help you.” A cricket bowl thrown over-the-shoulder, with a complete straight arm, required strength and agility. Brinsley could understand why Edward, at such a young age, might be self-conscious. But with hard work, Edward would make a fine bowler someday. By the fierce, burning light in Edward’s face, the boy wouldn’t want to hear that he had to wait until he was older. “I find the trickiest part of the bowl is keeping the arm straight in the release.”

Edward looked at him as if his words were the Holy Grail. “Will you watch me bowl to Amelia?”

Amelia smiled at Edward and went to pick up the bat. She planted her legs in a wide stance and got into position with the bat held at the ready. Her splayed and bent posture was perfect for flexibility, but it wasn’t the flexibility of a striker that Brinsley envisioned. She looked up and smiled widely at Edward. “I’m ready.”

With a face locked in concentration, Edward stood behind the bowling crease. He wound up, lunged forward, and threw the ball. His timing was jerky as he franticly struggled to cover the distance between the bowling crease and the popping crease. And, of course, his ultimate goal was to throw the ball really fast.

Amelia swung the bat athletically and gracefully. He’d never be able to play cricket again without envisioning Amelia, her skirt swishing around her legs, totally absorbed in trying to hit the ball. Edward’s bowl went wide making it impossible for her to connect.

Amelia scurried to pick up the ball and walk it back to Edward. “You got nervous in front of Lord Brinsley. Shall we give it another go?”

Crestfallen at his poor performance, Edward shook his head. “I’m horrible as a bowler.”