No secret drawer, no incriminating correspondence, and the seal in place on the desk.

  He didn’t try to pry open the one locked drawer. No need to alert anyone. The estate’s current ledgers sat on the corner of the desk. Scanning the entries, Sebastian found nothing out of the ordinary for running a large estate. There were large sums for brandy and lace, possibly a code for the French spies. More likely this indicated that the earl, like all the wealthy aristocrats, enjoyed the French niceties despite the embargo.

  After fifteen minutes, Sebastian was forced to conclude that the search had been futile. It was time to return to Ella before Malden or the earl questioned her about his absence.

  Heightened awareness prickling along his spine from the eerie silence, he crossed the room to make his escape. He partially opened the door and checked both ways. He had timed his search so that none of the servants were present in this section of the estate. They were busy in the dining area, laying out the cold dinner for the guests who would return soon.

  He shrugged his shoulders and rolled his head, forcing his tense posture into relaxation. He then slowed his pace and walked nonchalantly toward the front door. Hiding in plain sight was always the best option. The search hadn’t been a total waste of his time. The seal hadn’t been stolen, which meant the earl and his son would remain under suspicion.

  Spotting Sebastian, the butler rushed to open the front door. Free of the house, Sebastian increased his pace and moved quickly across the manicured gardens, anxious to return to Ella. Sebastian doubted the earl was involved with treason, but the idea of his son was quite conceivable. And if it was Malden’s man down on the beach and he reported to Malden that he had witnessed Ella and Sebastian close to the caves, Ella could be in danger.

  Servants lit lanterns in the garden to guide the guests now that dusk was falling. The hairs on his neck bristled in awareness as he entered the woods. The waning sunlight cast dark, eerie shapes on the path.

  He rushed to the clearing ahead, needing reassurance that Ella was safe. Malden gripped Ella’s arm as she struggled to pull away.

  Fury blasted through Sebastian like a boiler about to blow. He prayed to God that Malden was the traitor, giving Sebastian a reason to kill the bastard.

  Were in the hell was Aunt Euphemia? How had Malden coerced Ella into leaving the festivities? Had he threatened her?

  “Let go of her. Now. Or I’ll kill you.”

  Malden’s face suffused with red blotches as he released Ella. “Ella and I, as old friends, were just catching up.”

  Ella quickly moved toward him. “Sebastian, was it bad news about your estate?”

  Sebastian took a slow, deep breath and willed himself not to act. Malden wasn’t suspicious of Ella, and he hadn’t hurt her. Otherwise she wouldn’t be calm and able to keep up their charade. “A fire in one of my tenant’s homes. Nothing for you to worry about.”

  Malden bowed and turned to leave, smart enough to perceive that Sebastian’s civility hung by a mere thread. Only Sebastian’s vital assignment kept him from striking out at the despicable weakling.

  “Malden, if I find you intruding upon Miss Evans’s attention again, I will call you out.” Sebastian’s hands clenched into fists.

  “Let me remind you that you’re a guest of my father. And I will not tolerate threats.”

  Malden was as weak as Sebastian had expected. No man of honor would have evoked his father’s name as a defense against a challenge.

  “Lord Grosvenor, there is no need for a fuss over a simple meeting between two old friends. My conversation with Lord Malden was quite finished.” Ella laced her arm through Sebastian’s. “Shall we return to the estate? The evening air has chilled.”

  “Of course, my darling.” He led her back through the woods.

  “Did he harm you?”

  She shook her head.

  “Then we will discuss when we’re out of Malden’s earshot why you blatantly disobeyed my direct order.”

  Ella’s quick intake of breath and the shudder rippling through her body signaled she wasn’t as collected as she initially appeared. “He threatened to make a scene. I had no choice. I didn’t want to call attention to the fact that I wasn’t in your company. He wanted me to become his mistress.”

  “He what?” Sebastian halted to look at her. The light played on her beautiful face, a face that already was beloved to him. Unshed tears had gathered in her eyes.

  “If he weren’t a suspect, I’d kill him right now.”

  She wiped a tear that now fell on her cheek. “You think Algy is helping the French? He is an English lord.”

  “That means nothing if he needs money for his gambling debts. Or he wants to thwart his father’s authority over him by acquiring money and power of his own. I’ve seen a lot of corrupt men.”

  Rathbourne had men looking into Malden’s finances. But the sudden intercepted French letter had sent Sebastian rushing to Southend-on-Sea with incomplete information.

  “He did say his father would have cut him off from his fortune if he married me. He plans to marry Lady Ethel and have me as his mistress. How could he think so lowly of me?” Ella’s voice cracked as the tears gushed.

  “Come here, darling. I’m sorry he’s turned into such a blackguard.” Sebastian encircled his arms around her to hold her tight. He’d do anything to not have her suffer. This assignment was a blasted nightmare. He never felt more frustrated in keeping up his cover when all he wanted was to protect and love Ella…and kill Malden…in that order.

  “I loved him for so long. How could I be such a fool?”

  “You weren’t a fool. You’re a loving woman. He took advantage of your trusting nature.” He ran his hand up and down her spine in comforting circles.

  Sebastian leaned forward to kiss Ella when movement along the path caught his eye. A tall, lean man had reached the top of the hill. He scanned the area before pulling off his black cap and tucking it into his jacket. It was the same man from the caves. He had been down on the beach during the festivities, most likely meeting with the French.

  “What is it, Sebastian?” Ella asked.

  He put his finger to her lips and whispered as he led Ella to hide behind a tree. “The man from yesterday just came up from the beach path. I must follow him.”

  Elation rippled through Sebastian with his success in finally finding a possible link to the earl’s household and the smuggling ring. The predator in him was excited by the hunt. Except for one problem. What to do about Ella? He couldn’t leave her alone, unguarded, but he hesitated to send her back to face Malden alone.

  Ella stood on tiptoe and whispered to Sebastian, “What should I do?”

  His quarry entered the woods. Sebastian would lose him if he didn’t make haste. He pulled Ella behind him. “Stay behind me and don’t make a sound. He is headed to the estate.”

  Ella nodded.

  Sebastian pulled out his knife from his boot and slid it under the waistband of his breeches. He heard Ella’s quiet but audible gasp.

  “I won’t allow him to hurt you. If he discovers us, we’ll act as we did on the beach, two lovers seeking time alone.”

  “Yes, Sebastian. Brilliant suggestion.”

  He couldn’t stop himself from smiling at this audacious woman who didn’t hesitate for a second to join him in chasing a spy.

  Sebastian hurried along the path through the woods, glad that Ella was an outdoors woman who could keep up and wouldn’t fall over the tree roots. She scurried silently as directed. He monitored her constantly, aware of the possible danger.

  Sebastian spotted the man as they cleared the woods. Their quarry strolled through the gardens as if he had all the time in the world, calling no attention to his earlier activities. The man was dressed in dark clothes that appeared by their cut to belong to a tradesman, not a gentleman, and had closely cropped, dark hair. He could be one of the hundred servants on their night off or one of the local guests. He took the path to the front of the mansion, which more likely meant he was a guest since a servant would enter through the designated back entrance.

  Sebastian and Ella followed his trail on the path next to the mansion around to the front. They watched him enter the front door from their hidden viewpoint on the side of the mansion.

  “Wait here.”

  Sebastian ran to the door once he heard it close. He didn’t want Ella to be part of a confrontation with the man. He took off in a sprint up the steps to catch him before the villain disappeared in the vast mansion. The butler wasn’t at the door, probably supervising the servants before the return of the guests. The massive hallway was empty.

  The intruder had disappeared into one of the many stairwells or hidden passages. He could be hiding anywhere in the forty or so rooms. Sebastian searched the two hallways leading to the servants’ quarters with no result. Sebastian cursed under his breath before heading to bring Ella inside.

  * * *

  Sebastian turned the corner to find Ella pacing and muttering.

  “Sebastian, thank God, you’re alright.” She rushed into his arms and held tight. “Did you find him?”

  Emotions stuck in his throat, making it hard to speak. No one worried about him, a man who prided himself on his independence. Not until Ella.

  “By the time I entered the house, he had vanished.” Sebastian steeled himself to not react to the soft curves pressed against him.

  “But surely the butler could identify him.”

  “The servants are all busy getting ready for the returning guests. The butler wasn’t at the front door. With over forty rooms, it’d be impossible to find him.”

  “Why can’t you question the butler? He knows all the servants.”

  “Remember, this is a secret mission. How do you think the earl would react if he thought that I was investigating him and his household? He’d most likely get the king involved while our spy ring relocated.”

  “I didn’t realize that you were here to investigate the earl.”

  He could hear the hurt in her voice. “We intercepted a letter from the French smuggling ring, closed with the earl’s seal.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me? Or why didn’t Lord Rathbourne include me? I’m discreet and can keep a secret.”

  He twirled one of her silky curls between his fingers, trying to resist kissing her. “Because we all believed you might still be in love with Malden.”

  The flush started at the top of her face and spread to her magnificent décolletage, which was well displayed to him at his height above her. Despite his best effort, his body tightened into arousal.

  “I haven’t cared about Algy for a very long time.”

  “I know, but I couldn’t risk it.” He tucked the curl behind her ear, taking his time to slowly trace the sensitive whirl.

  Ella leaned toward his touch, her eyes softening.

  “How did you know that I didn’t care about Algy? Did Gwyneth tell you?”

  “I knew because of this.” He rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip as he closed the space between them.

  Ella’s breath hitched. Her bright eyes darkened, and her lids grew heavy.

  He teased her mouth with his tongue, outlining the corners of her plump lips. She opened to him, welcoming him. He explored her mouth as he backed her against the wall. With one hand braced beside her head, he tucked her voluptuous body close to his.

  He cupped her face in his free hand and leaned into her to feel her softness against his hardness. Need surged through him at the sensation of the perfect fit of her womanly body. Her hands fisted in his coat.

  He needed to slow down or he would take her here, right now. He trailed kisses along her jaw, beneath the sensitive spot below her ear. She gasped and sank her fingers into his hair. Her lips moved over his in feverish hunger.

  Delving into her sweet mouth, he thrust his tongue in and out to demonstrate what he wanted, what he needed.

  She pulled on his tongue, sucking it into her mouth. And he lost all traces of civility. He cupped her breasts into his hands, feeling the weight of her soft, pendulous mounds. Ella moaned and threw her head back against the wall.

  He ran his finger around tightened nipples growing erect with his touch. Ella squirmed as he teased each one. He needed his mouth on the peaks now. He flicked his finger into the top of her bodice to lower the flimsy covering when he heard voices coming from the garden.

  “My God, Ella. We have to stop.”

  With her eyes closed, her breathing choppy with need, her skin flushed, she was the most sensual woman he beheld. And how lost to reason he had become by this woman.

  He kissed her on the forehead, on her eyelids, on the tip of her pert nose, trying to regain control of his need to ravage her. “People are coming, darling.”

  Her eyes popped open. “What?”

  He pressed her to his chest, wrapping her in his arms. He could feel her shaking from unsated needs. He coasted his hand up and down her back.

  “I had planned to court you properly. Everything you deserve from a gentleman.” And suddenly Sebastian realized he was behaving like Malden, kissing her, groping her for anyone to discover them. Ella’s reputation would be ruined. Overtaken with his need for her, he didn’t consider the repercussions or her feelings.

  He released her from his arms and stepped back. “I’ve behaved badly, Ella. I won’t let this happen again.”

  Ella leaned back to look up at him, her cheeks hot with color, her eyes bright. A broad grin crossed her face. “Sebastian, I want you to behave badly. In fact, you must promise me you’ll always behave badly. But only with me.”

  All the frustration, hunger, and love combusted into a hot core in Sebastian’s chest. He burst into unexpected laughter. “You’re the most remarkable woman, Miss Ella Evans. May I have the honor of marrying you so we can behave badly together?”

  Ella dropped her gaze and her voice. “Yes, my lord.”

  Sebastian hated her hesitancy. He lifted her chin with one finger, gazing into her wide eyes. “I love you. I promise never to hurt or betray you. And I plan to marry you before we act on our marriage vows. I want you to never doubt my vow to love and honor you.”

  Ella threw herself against him and held him tightly. “I’ve always known you were a man of your word. I love you, Sebastian.”

  With the voices growing closer, Sebastian offered Ella his arm. “We need to leave.”

  He didn’t share that anyone who saw her tumbled hair, her heated cheeks, and her swollen lips would know what they had been up to. He couldn’t wait to return to London so he could begin his courtship to speed the arrival of their wedding day. It would be a long summer.

  “How do you plan to find the man from the beach? We only have one more day and then the ball before we leave Southend-on-Sea.”

  Sebastian was fully aware of the timeline as his frustration mounted hour by hour. “I’m planning on making an unannounced appearance tomorrow morning in the earl’s study to have a little chat with the earl’s man of business.”

  Ella stopped on the gravel walkway to the front door. “You think our man could be the earl’s secretary?”

  “I highly doubt it since he resides in Watford, not here, but he is in the perfect position to be connected with our man.”

  “But if you ask him about the man, he might get suspicious.”

  Sebastian raised his eyebrows. “Exactly what I’m betting on.”

  Chapter Nine

  Ella hastened down the hallway to the earl’s study to share her good news with Sebastian. Hopefully, he was finished with his “accidental” meeting with the earl’s man of business.

  Ella couldn’t contain her excitement. She knew the identity of the mystery man. It had been so easily discovered without raising any suspicion. Ella had quizzed her maid this morning over her hot chocolate about the attractive men in service. Her maid was a young, flighty woman who enjoyed flirting and liked to gossip. Usually Ella discouraged such behavior in the young woman, but today Ella was grateful for Margaret and her flirty ways.

  Margaret quickly identified Mr. Gerard, who served as the earl’s valet when the earl travelled to Southend-on-Sea. Margaret had described him as an “unattractive man who put on airs because it was known in the hall that he was the earl’s bastard son.”

  Mr. Gerard was using his position to help the French.

  Ella was proud of her detecting skills and couldn’t wait to share the news with Sebastian. And hopefully also share a few more of his seductive kisses. Who could have imagined that Ella could be transformed into a swooning type of woman? Only with the right man. And Sebastian was the right man. He was everything she could ever imagine as a hero.

  Ella wondered what Sebastian, as his majesty’s agent, would do to capture the valet. Fear flashed through her. What if… Nothing could happen to Sebastian. He was strong and capable. Her favorite passage from the book of Matthew—“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself”—calmed her mind. She wouldn’t worry about Sebastian and his safety. Today she would enjoy triumph with the man who promised to love and honor her.

  The door to the library was partially open. Exhilaration bubbled through her. Ella peered through the crack since she didn’t hear Sebastian’s voice and wished to not interact with the earl.

  Mr. Gerard, the valet, was bent over the earl’s desk working on a paper. Ella froze, her galloping heartbeat resounding in her ears. She didn’t think she made a sound, but the man suddenly turned and spotted her.

  He picked up the papers off the desk and tucked them into his jacket. “May I help you?” His stride was fast and long as he moved toward her. “Are you looking for the earl, my lady?”

  Her heart stopped and was now caught in her throat, making it impossible to speak. “I…”

  She could smell the same overpowering musk scent that both the earl and Algy wore.

  His beady eyes narrowed as he inspected her from head to toe. “You’re the woman from the beach.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9