Charming a Spy (22 page)

“You are smarter than you look,” Rafe said running his hand along her cheek. She swatted it away.

“Yes, Katherine, I was a few more carriage rides away from getting my sister hitched to the duke until you came along,” he said.

“You will never get away with this. Lord Stamwell will hunt you down and kill you,” Kat bluffed. Unfortunately, they both knew he was currently off hunting for her brother.

“The beauty of my plan, my darling, is Stamwell won’t find me, at least not until it’s too late. It will be several days, if not weeks before he returns from France with Luke. That’s when he’ll find my note telling him I have taken you to America. He will then gladly pay your ransom price to bring you back home and I will finally have my money.”

“Perhaps Stamwell won’t return soon enough, but my aunt will realize I’m gone and send the authorities after you.”

“Silly girl. Of course she’ll notice you’re gone, but she’ll have no idea where to. Even if she somehow puzzles it out, who will come after you? Do you think Scotland Yard takes cross-continental voyages?”

“Will you let me go once the duke pays your price?”

“Perhaps. Although if gambling teaches you anything, it’s to have a bargaining chip ready, just in case you get into dire straits. If for some reason they do find me, they’ll never hurt me as long as I have you. Plus, I can think of several uses for you on a long, lonely journey,” Rafe said, putting his hand around Kat’s waist and pulling her close.

Kat pushed against his chest, “I would never touch you, Rafe Grier.”

“Don’t pretend to be so prudish. I know very well the things you did with Stamwell, you tart.”

“Excuse me?”

“That’s right, Ms. Dubois. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. A man doesn’t look at a woman like that unless he’s taken possession of her. And what is good enough for the duke, will certainly do for me.”

“I would rather die than be with you.” Kat spat on him.

“Very well. If it comes to that, I suppose I can simply feed you to the sharks.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Wouldn’t I?” Rafe grabbed Kat by the wrist and pulled her to the stairs going below deck.

‡

P
ennington and a
half dozen other soldiers greeted Geoff’s ship.

“A welcoming committee. How did you know we’d be back now?” Geoff asked Pennington, a joking smile on his face. Pennington’s expression made it disappear.

“We didn’t. We’re here because Katherine Dubois was kidnapped by Rafe Grier.”

“My sister?” Luke asked at the same time Geoff said, “What do you mean kidnapped?”

Pennington explained how Stamwell’s well-trained butler suspected there was something suspicious about the note being delivered in the middle of the night to the duke’s townhouse. Knowing the duke’s actual line of work, the butler thought it might be important, and since he didn’t know when Stamwell might return, he sent it on to Pennington who rallied the small army who stood before them now.

“We’re about to go rescue her, Your Grace. That’s the ship she’s on,” Pennington said, pointing to the horizon. Geoff squinted and could barely make out a tiny dot. Please God, don’t let her be on that dot. It was too far away. They didn’t have a chance in hell of catching the boat.

“How do you know she’s on that ship?” Geoff asked, unwilling to believe the woman he loved was now in the clutches of a madman renegade. And it was his fault.

“We looked at all of the dock logs and that ship was the only one with a record of a woman on board. Supposedly a merchant’s wife,” Pennington answered.

“He better not touch her, or I swear I will cut his throat,” Geoff said. Luke watched with questioning eyes, understanding, perhaps there was something more to Stamwell’s relationship with his sister. “Not now, Luke. First, let’s get her back,” Geoff said.

Hours later, somewhere in the English Channel

A marine layer
came up that night, surrounding the freighter in a dense fog, making the other vessel’s approach invisible. The dinghy cut through the water silently, gliding up next to the side of the merchant ship.

The small boat only had enough room for Geoff and Luke. Pennington and the other men waited on the cutter they’d used to catch the merchant boat in the middle of the night. If Geoff’s plan worked, they wouldn’t need them.

Please God, let his plan work
. He’d spent the last interminable hours imagining every possible outcome, including one in which he failed. He would lose Katherine forever. The thought made him insane with fear, sick to his stomach. He couldn’t fail.

Once he found Katherine, and he would find her, he would tell her the truth. She may never be able to forgive him for lying about his intentions in the beginning, but he had to take a chance because he didn’t want to live another day without her.

Geoff didn’t know when it happened, but he’d fallen deeply in love with Katherine. He needed her. She was the only person who’d ever made him want to be himself. Kat knew him, the real Geoff, and not the Duke of Stamwell he put on as an undercover act. With Katherine, he’d been Geoff. That’s all she’d ever asked of him.

Now he had to get her out of this alive, or die trying.

Pennington threw a rope ladder attached to a grappling hook over the ship’s tall side. It caught and held steady. He nodded silently to Geoff and Luke, giving them the go-ahead. They quietly climbed the ship’s hull. At one point, the wind kicked up and blew the ladder, slamming them against the side of the planking. It made enough noise to wake the dead.

They made it to the top and Geoff realized why no one came to inspect the noise. No sailors were on deck. It must be dinner time. Geoff sent up a silent prayer that Katherine was stowed away somewhere safe from the lecherous hands of sailors.

Geoff and Luke scurried across the deck. They found the stairs leading below where sleeping quarters would be. With a wordless agreement, they nodded, withdrew their pistols and descended the steps. Geoff took the lead, slowly and quietly down the wooden hallway.

A woman’s cry was coming from one of the rooms. For a moment, Geoff’s heart stopped beating. It had to be Katherine.

“Get off of me, you pig,” Katherine yelled.

“What are you going to do about it? Where’s your precious duke now?” Rafe’s voice echoed out into the hallway. Geoff’s blood boiled. He was right here and was about to show Rafe what happened to men who took the woman he loved.

Geoff raised his pistol and then knocked on the door and used his best Cockney accent to say, “Guvnah, I’ve brought yer fine whiskey.”

There was a pause while Rafe tried to puzzle out what the man was saying. “Go away, I didn’t order any whiskey.”

“’Tis a gift from yer Captain, milord. He’s wundering if ye wouldna be interested in a game o cards,” Geoff added, hoping the man’s fondness for gambling would pull him away.

Rafe opened the door wide enough to see who was in the hallway. Before he could fully grasp the situation, Geoff kicked open the door. The force sent Rafe careening back towards the opposite wall of the tiny cabin. While the culprit was trying to right himself, Geoff grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and forced him to the ground, his knee in Rafe’s back.

“Geoff,” Katherine cried. Then “Luke. Oh my God, Luke! “I can’t believe you’re alive. You’re here,” Katherine said, throwing herself into her brother’s arms.

“Kat. I’ve missed you so much,” Luke said, picking her up and twirling her around in a tight spin.

“Are you okay? I can’t believe it. I don’t understand…” Katherine started.

“Ah, sorry to interrupt, but do you think I could get a little assistance here?” Geoff asked, trying to sound calm as he attempted to keep Rafe wrestled to the ground. He didn’t want to disturb the tearful reunions, but they were still in a lot of danger.

“Oh, right,” Luke said, setting Katherine down and helping Geoff restrain Rafe.

“Here,” Katherine said, picking up a length of rope from the bed and tossing it to Geoff. He felt queasy thinking about why there was a rope on the bed and what Rafe intended to do with it. If they had arrived a few minutes later… he dug his heel deeper into Rafe’s back.

“Owww,” Rafe yelped in pain. Geoff grabbed a handkerchief out of his pocket and shoved it into Rafe’s mouth.

“There will be plenty of time for talking later,” Geoff said. “For now, let’s get off this God-forsaken boat before the crew finishes dinner.”

‡

G
eoff pulled Rafe
to his feet, still bound and gagged. He quickly concocted a plan.

“Katherine, you need to take Rafe’s arm and make it appear that you’re going for a stroll around the deck with your husband. Rafe, I’m going to take the handkerchief out of your mouth. Luke and I both will be five steps behind you with our pistols concealed, but drawn. If you say a single word, I swear to God, I will shoot,” Geoff said. “Do you understand?”

Rafe murmured from underneath the handkerchief. Geoff took the fabric out of his prisoner’s mouth to hear his response. “Go to hell, Stamwell,” Rafe snarled.

Without thinking Geoff raised his gun to Rafe’s temple. “Very well then.”

“Stop,” Luke cried. Geoff didn’t lower the gun or take his finger off the trigger, but he turned to look at Luke. “If anyone wants Rafe dead, it’s me. But he doesn’t deserve to get off easily,” Luke said. “I want him to spend eternity rotting in prison, wondering if he’ll ever see the sky or his sister again, like I did,” he said, looking at Katherine. Tears flooded her eyes. Dammit. Geoff wanted to kill the bastard. He’d put Luke in prison. He’d caused Kat unfathomable pain. But it was Luke’s justice to mete out and he was right. Death would be too quick and painless. Rafe deserved much worse. He slowly lowered his gun.

“Fine,” Geoff said. “He lives for now. But if you try anything I won’t stop again,” he said to Rafe and he meant it.

They left the tiny room and headed in the direction of the deck. Katherine walked arm in arm with Rafe as instructed. Geoff knew she must be terrified, clutching onto the man who kidnapped and tried to take advantage of her. But Katherine didn’t show any fear. Her gait was steady with her back held straight and her head high. His brave Katherine.

At the top of the stairs, they realized their luck had run out and dinner must be over. The sailors were huddled into a group on deck, cheering and shouting. Geoff couldn’t understand what they were saying, but as they drew nearer, he could see they were watching two of the men locked in a fierce arm-wrestling battle. Perfect. Great distraction.

Rafe was swiveling his head side to side, trying to make eye contact with any of the sailors as they passed, but they were so enthralled with the match, they didn’t notice the foursome. They were just steps away from freedom.

As they approached the side of the ship where the ladder led to their dinghy, Rafe tripped, on purpose, falling onto the ship deck with an enormous
thump
. The crew turned to look for the cause of the noise and Rafe took the opportunity. He shouted. “Smugglers. They’re trying to kidnap us. Help.”

The sailors ran towards the escaping group. Geoff turned to Katherine and yelled, “Get to the boat below.” Then he turned and started shooting his pistol into the mob of men coming towards them. Luke was also shooting and they managed to scatter the sailors for a few precious seconds while they took cover.

Geoff turned back to Katherine to see if she’d made it into the boat. When he looked down, the dinghy was empty, but there were two circles of white foam on the water. A moment later he saw Rafe bob to the surface, but no sign of Katherine. “Climb down to the dinghy,” he yelled to Luke as he heard a bullet whizz past. Without hesitation, Geoff dove overboard.

The frigid water momentarily stole his breath and paralyzed his limbs. So this was how it would end. He would freeze to death, buried by the freezing waves of the channel. His final mission. Geoff’s last thought was remembering Katherine in the dim light of her bedroom, pulling her night rail over her head. Katherine. He had to save Katherine.