My Lord Rogue (16 page)

Seaton
’s
riotous laughter filled the room.
He
tilted his head
as if
contemplating the prudence of answering, of
the intelligence of their unusual
alliance
. He
winked. “
You’ve heard of me?”
he asked, rolling his shoulders back
with cocksure arrogance
.

Nelson
glared
at Simon.
“Six members of that family have already cost my navy
gigantic losses
.”

Seaton
’s brow quirked, a lop-sided grin illuminated his face as he
quickly
replied
,
“You’re mistaken
,
Admiral
.”

Langford pushed forward. “
How dare you
—”

“Ah,” Nelson said,
stretching out
his hand to fend off
the determined aide
. “
War is beyond England’s shores
,
not in it
.” The
admiral
turned back
to Seaton. “
A
m I mistaken?”

“Seven
,” Seaton said, with a covetous grin.

“Seven what?”

“There are seven of
us
.
”

“Your seven against an entire fle
et
?”
Nelson
shot
Langford
a knowing look
and
then
smiled.

Langford’s lips tightened
.
Had
the two men
run in before?

“The French and Spanish are undermanne
d,” Garrick offered
.
“
Now
that we don’t have to worry about you
.”

Silence.

“I say
,
it’s a good thing we’re on the same side.”

L
aughter
chased the rafters
.
Nelson turned
his
impressed
gaze on
the
two men
to
Seaton’s
right
.

“
My men, Admiral.
Andrew
Moore and
Damien
Randall
, a most unruly looking pair
, but no truer pirates will you find
.
”

Nelson inspected the men.
“
I daresay
your contributions
will come in
quite
handy.”

The crowd thinned as
Collins,
Whitbread, Russell, Milford, Holt, Walden,
Ch
apman,
and
Hamlet
were introduced.
Admiral Nelson
shook
each man’s hand
. After a moment of contemplative silence, he
asked
,
“Where is
Fanny
? I half-expected her
to advance on me with Fordyce’s sermons
.”

Heat throbbed through
Simon
. “
Your wife — er,
widow?
How to explain—”

~~~
~

The moment Gillian had waited for
¯ revealing her decision to stand by Simon’s side and join Nelson’s Tea
— had come
.
Her heart
beat out a drum roll as she stood concealed behind
Forsyth and Douglas. Her agreement to stay and help build Nelson’s Tea hadn’t been announced
or explained.
But
the men
who’d surrounded her before being introduced to Admiral Nelson
behaved as
if the matter had already been settled. She had
proven herself
resourceful, unbreakable under pressure, worthy of their trust and admiration, and they’d given it freely from the moment
she’d entered the dining room
.
One by one,
Percy chief among them,
they
’d
enveloped
her
until she’d been encircled, questioned,
and
asked to amaze
them
with
her harrowing tale of survival
, not to mention detailing
the skills Lucien had taught her.
Each man had congratulated her and given his thanks, a matter that wore on her spirit
,
for
their success
had been at the cost of her husband, Lucien
’s life
.

Simon and Melville had interrupted
the
sheltered conclave
when they entered the dining room.
Not wanting
her presence
known
just yet
, she’d
allowed herself to be swallowed whole by her
protective screen of adoring fans.

Her cue had finally arrived.

“There is no need to explain, Lord Danbury.
I am perfectly capable of doing that myself.
”

Forsyth and Douglas
parted
,
allowing
Gillian
to
walk toward
the
astounded admiral
.
She smiled hesitantly then her gaze drifted to
Simon. He stood with his
jaw slacken
ed
.
Is he as surprised as I am
?
H
ad
he
expected
me
to abandon him
?
The very
idea he’d entertain the notion
filled her with
mild
hysteria
. Lucien’s death was a raw
wound, but not in the way a lover would mourn. She felt little guilt
in not having consummated her vows with Lucien. Their
agreement
had been
more binding
than any spiritual coupling
and yet so un
like the way she was drawn to Simon, yearned to be held by him, touched
by him
, kissed by him
, never to be parted
.
She felt no guilt.
Her husband
had always
understood w
ho pulled her heartstrings. H
e’d used that knowledge to empower her, train her, mold her to be an equal partner so that one day, when the time was right, she
would be ready to
stand by Simon’s side.

Gillian
swallowed her pride
.
That day had come.

She walked
closer
with agonizing slowness
, trying to control the shudder that weakened her knees
.
Once more she meant to dazzle the admiral
, prove to him she’d never meant any disrespect
.
“Where is
Lady
Hamilton?
Has she recovered?”
she asked in her guise as Nelson’s wife.

She’d dressed
in an almond round gown with sheer gossamer sleeves, a sleeveless burgundy Spencer laced below her
breasts
,
her black hair parted down the middle
,
taking great care to keep her appearance
simply fashioned.
The goal wasn’t to draw attention to herself but
to
fit in
, if that was possible in a room full of males
.
She’d failed miserably if Simon’s expression was any indication.
Did he like what he saw? Or was he remembering how she looked dripping wet? She had no way of knowing
,
as he quickly recovered and the desire flickering momentarily in his eyes was gone.

Her heart hammered foolishly as
Nelson bowed low over
the ruffled lace on
her
extended hand. She curtsied
.
He rose and cocked his brow a fraction
.
“She’s recovered quite
nicely, thanks to you,
my dear
Fanny
.”

Gillian
relaxed a little and
tried
to hide her amusement
at the ridiculous turn of events that had brought her before Admiral Nelson, one of the greatest tacticians of all time
.
I
n the rarest of seconds
,
Nelson’s
laughter
sent unexpected warmth surging through her
.
“I do regret the hysterics, Admiral.
But I was—
”

“No. No. No,” Nelson
assured,
all but shout
ing with glee
. “
Think on it no more. I daresay
my dear wife
would have done the same if your roles had been reversed.” His lips thinned
and
he leaned forward conspiratorially, as if he hated what he was about to say
. “
She
can do no wrong
in the public’s eyes
— or mine
.”

Gillian
smiled. Sadly, that was true.
Lady Nelson
comported herself with dignity. She
was highly respected
by the
ton
, though she wanted no part of it
. But
what would
Lady
Fanny Nisbet Nelson
think of
Gillian
sullying the woman’s good name by causing a scene, even in the event of saving her husband’s life?

Had she really done the things she’d been highly praised
for
doing?
Though it had only been one day, that woman seemed a lifetime away.
Was she still the same woman who’d fled the
gens d’armes
? Could she do it again? Did she want to? Yes.
Yes, a thousand times yes.
That was why she hadn’t
abandoned
Simon. That was why she was
t
here. She couldn’t bear to be parted from him again, even if
it meant loving Simon from afar — or nearby.
God help
me
!

The shock of her emotions hit her full force as
Goodayle announced dinner.
Simon was close, so male, his touch so bracing that she craved it unlike anything she’d ever craved before. And yet it was
Nelson
who
offered
Gillian
his arm
, regretfully cutting off any chance that Simon might have done so
. With a slant
ed
gaze directed at Simon, she accepted, easing her hand over Nelson’s
arm as
the entourage
head
ed
to
the table.

T
he admiral
’s
top
aides
took their places near their charge
.
Simon sought a chair near Melville’s at the
opposite
end of the table.
For proprieties sake, did he feel a need to put as much distance between them as possible?

“No. No,” Nelson
decree
d. “You, my lord, will sit beside me
and our dearest baroness
.
Make way, lads. Move aside. Take your place down by Melville.”

“Aye, my lord,” Langford and the other two men said in unison.

Simon’s voice sounded hoarse. “Of course.” He
nodded, peering around the table briskly, receiving a wink from Percy
,
as chair’s scraped the fl
oor and a shuffling game began
,
and then
stiffly
took his seat.

Nelson
patted Gillian’s hand. “Your experience must have been harrowing, my dear.
I pity you that
ordeal
.
”

She
sat straighter
and pursed her lips,
perversely determined not to cry in front of these men
. “No more harrowing than what you’ve endured, my lord.”

The admiral’s eyes glimmered brilliantly in the candlelight, revealing a hint of empathy
that he knew more than either of them would
say
. He guided Gillian next to Simon, pulled out her chair, and quite
chivalrously
aided her to sit.
A heady
thrumming heat surged through her veins
,
and her heart beat erratically
at
being so near to the man she loved
but couldn’t have
.
She was so close, keenly aware of Simon’s virility, the broad palms of his hand, the delicate thread connecting their hearts
, an invisible rope tightening with each expended breath
. She’d waited so long to be at Simon’s side. She’d do anything to remain there — including wait for his love to deepen and intensify.

Nelson
leaned over
to
his right to
speak to Percy.

Simon
grasped the opportunity to
lean close
r
, his gaze raking over her bosom appreciatively before capturing hers with unrelenting boldness.
“
I was beginning to lose hope.
Are you happy with your choice?”

Gillian lowered her head
lest anyone see the desire blazing through her.
“My lord rogue, you gave me no choice.”

“Didn’t I?”
he huskily asked. Slowly, seductively, he lowered his hand and
touched
her thigh.

Heat jolted through her
at the slightest hint of his touch
.
She fought the overwhelming urge to lean toward him, to bring her lips achingly close to his. Instead, she moved her hand over his, allowing him to intertwine their fingers.

“I will never leav
e you,” she voiced breathlessly, trying unsuccessfully to steady the dizzying current
s
racing through her
.
“No matter what occurs.”

“
That remains to be seen. But
w
ill you ever forgive me?”

He’d convinced her to marry
Lucien
rather than wait for him or become his mistress. He’d
wanted her to have a stable home, a man who’d keep her safe
from harm
.
But safety had not been part of Gillian’s plan. No. She’d come to terms with their separation, learned everything she could to exist and survive in Simon’s world. She
was meant for espionage
and
secrets
. His one true match
in every way
,
she was capable of handling
danger, exhibiting talents
no other woman had or ever would
have
.
Even better? She rather enjoyed adventurous games. And that’s what Nelson’s Tea intended to do — play wicked, exciting, dangerous games.

“No.” Struck by the
brilliant
sadness reflected in his eyes, she added, “You are already forgiven.”

His smile sent shivers of delight through her
. “One day,” he said with a conspiratorial wink, “I will have you.”

A chiming sound, f
ork tapping against crystal, broke them apart.
Before them, the
table glistened with sugared fruits, candlelight, and white china. Goodayle and several servants
moved about the
assemblage
to place steaming bowls of turtle soup before them.

“Baroness
,” Nelson said with a formal nod
.
“Lord Danbury and
Lord
Melville.
Marquess and fellow members of Nelson’s Tea.
Bef
ore dinner is served
,
I would have a toast.”