The Lady's Second-Chance Suitor by Scott, Regina (christmas read aloud txt) 📗

she had been listeningtoo. “What shall we do?”

“Nothing,” Mrs. Denby answered, glancing between him andHester. “You heard the man. If we do not allow them to have their way, someonemay be hurt.”

The words stabbed him. Was this what it meant to be theviscount? To look the other way while evil triumphed because doing otherwisemight be inconvenient? Yet, it wasn’t just his inconvenience. He must think ofHester, Elizabeth, and the others.

“Mrs. Denby is correct,” he made himself say. “Much as Iwould like to see these smugglers caught, we will remain in this room untilwe’re certain they’ve gone.”

Elizabeth’s frown said she was disappointed in him. He wasdisappointed in himself.

Donner went further. “You may have to wait, my lord,” hesaid, pushing out of the chair, “but I made no such promise. This is what we’vebeen expecting. I intend to act.”

Elizabeth turned her frown on him. “William? What are youtalking about?”

Rob shook his head at the intelligence agent, but Donner wasapparently too caught up in the opportunity to pay him any regard.

“Forgive me, Miss Peverell,” the intelligence agent said,snatching up the spyglass from where she had positioned it on the table next tothe sofa. “I’m an intelligence agent for the War Office. I asked your brotherto play along with the smugglers so we could capture their leader.”

Now Hester was frowning, but at Rob. “Play along? You can’thave been aiding these people.”

“No,” Rob assured her. “I offered Captain St. Claire the useof my pier, but no one’s approached it until now.”

“I find myself confused,” Elizabeth said, in a tone thatmade Rob fight a shiver. “Was this the reason you found it necessary to visitthe Lodge so frequently, Mr. Donner?”

Donner must not have noticed she’d stopped using his firstname, for he positioned the spyglass at his eye as if he had far more importantmatters to attend to. “Of course.”

“I knew it!” Elizabeth jumped to her feet and pointed afinger at Rob. “I knew he was up to something, and this proves it. I told youhe was interesting.”

Rob couldn’t help his chuckle. “Yes, you did. I’m glad tohear that was the extent of your involvement with the fellow.”

She glanced toward Donner, who remained oblivious. “Ibelieve it was. A shame, actually. He isn’t very goodat his job if I could ferret him out that easily.” She approached Donner andpried the spyglass from his fingers.

Donner stared at her. “What are you doing?”

“Returning this to someone who knows what he’s about,”Elizabeth told him. She brought the spyglass to Rob and handed it to him, thenreturned to her seat on the sofa, smile pleased.

Rob rose and went to join Donner by the window. Theintelligence agent alternated between frowning and glancing at Elizabeth asreproachfully as a pup denied his favorite toy.

“I did advise you she would not take well to yourattentions,” Rob reminded him, raising the glass to his eye.

“Yes, well, you appear to have been right,” Donner allowed.He squared his shoulders. “What do you see?”

Rob counted the men crossing his lawn. “Most of the sailors seemto have stayed at the pier or perhaps formed a chain up to the headland. Twowagons and their horses have appeared. I don’t want to know how the inside ofmy shed looks if they’ve been holed up in it all night.”

He felt Donner brush past as if to peer out the windowhimself. “Tubs—that’s brandy. And those boxes are probably lace.” His voicetrembled with outrage.

Rob lowered the spyglass. “If that’s the extent of theirperfidy, Donner, be glad for it.”

“It won’t be.” Donner turned from the view. “You heardChalder. They intend to take information to France, likely information onEngland’s defenses. We could lose the war from this very pier!”

Protests rang out around them.

“No!” Mrs. Denby cried.

“Not while I live,” Lord Featherstone declared.

“Rob, you cannot allow it,” Elizabeth insisted.

Rob looked to Hester. She was watching him. Waiting. Wantinghim to be that steady, dependable fellow she, his sister, and his staff and histenants needed, the fellow he’d worked so hard to become.

The person he would never be.

“Forgive me, Hester,” he said. “I know what is expected ofme, but I can’t sit here and watch England’s secrets go to France. If I canmake the difference, I must act.”

She rose and came around the sofa, and he steeled himselffor her arguments, her pleas. She lay a hand on his arm and looked up into hiseyes, her gaze determined.

“I understand, Rob. You have a responsibility not only toyour family but to England.”

One simple statement, and she wiped his slate clean. He drewin a breath, feeling as if it were the first he’dtaken since his father had died. “Thank you. I promise you, whatever I do, Iwill protect you and the others.”

She squeezed his arm. “I have the utmost faith in you. But,whatever you do, you will not be alone. I will be at your side.”

Chapter Eighteen

Ears tuned for any movement, Hester creptdown the corridor with Rob and Mr. Donner. She’d had no time to question herdecision. Even Rob hadn’t argued overly much, as if he’d seen what this meantto her. They all knew time was of the essence. This fellow Chalder might claimhe and the smugglers would leave after unloading their cargo, but what was tosay they wouldn’t take a hostage with them to prevent the rest from telling theauthorities? She had to protect her mother, Elizabeth, and the others.

Especially Rob.

She glanced at him now. His eyes were narrowed, his face setin hard lines. Their goal was to escape the house and then determine what mightbe done. She slipped her hand into his and was rewarded with a smile.

They had just reached the landing when a gruff voice called,“Ho! Where do you think you’re going?”

A tall, muscular fellow, black beard flecked with greycurling down to the middle of his chest, had come out of a room on the oppositewing, cutlass in one hand. Striped trousers flapping, he moved toward them, armup and at the ready. She and the others froze.

Mr. Donner leaned closer to her and Rob. “I’ll distract him.You run.”

Rob nodded, but Hester eyed the space between the smugglerand