My Lord Rogue (6 page)

Percy lowered her veil and
reached for her wrap.
He draped it around her
shivering
shoulders.
She accepted
the cloak
numbly
, knowing without doubt the chill
she experienced
wasn’t from the cold, but from a more costly ache.
Even though
Lucien was gone,
Simon was still a married man.
And yet, he was somewhere in the theater watching her — biding his time
until he could get her alone and thoroughly trample her defenses
.
Damn him!
I simply cannot allow it.

She bowed her head to shield her face and spied o
pera glasses
nearby
.
She’d come to
inform
Percy
,
Admiral Nelson was in danger. There was no need to warn Simon. Percy would.
Their
one
chance at successfully protecting Nelson
lay
in
appearing
un
prepared
to the enemy
.
She needed Simon to be immune to her personally in order for Lucien’s plan to work.
Simon had
too much emotionally invested in Nelson’s Tea to put his position, his commission with Nelson
,
at risk for her sake
.
There could be no distractions.
Whatever happened, she
couldn’t allow
business to interfere with pleasure
. She wasn’t worth it.
She would never be worth such a dear cost.

Simon
had a higher calling
—
England
.

She had
but
one
mission left
.
Without Lucien, her days of intelligence were at an end
, a fact that threatened her sense of empowerment
.
Straightening her spine, Gillian
gathered
what little
courage
she had left
.
“I’ll
do as you say
on one condition
.” She
cast him
her most dazzling smile
, hiding her deceit
, for she had no intention of accompanying Percy to his townhouse.
“You mention nothing of my whereabouts to
Danbury
.”

Percy
nodded warily. “He’ll ask.”

“
That is not
your
concern
.”

“But it is. You’ve put me in a precarious situation, baroness.”

“I am sorry. Truly I am. But I lean on you now in my desperate hour.”

She picked up the
opera glasses and
settled
them
on
the bridge of her nose
then
,
blinking
back
a lone tear
so she could see through the lens
,
focused
on the
theatrical
scene
o
n the stage
.
Once
the prickles on her skin subside
d
, she
allowed herself a quick scan of
the boxes
.
There were no abnormalities in the patrons’ positions, nothing awkward or out of place to warn of impending danger.
A
panoramic view
of the
opposite side of the theat
e
r
opened before her eyes
.
Almost by instinct, her fingers directed the lens
to locate
and focus on
Simon
.
She found him.
He
stood
with his back
against the wall,
hand on his cane,
knee bent,
his
agile
body tilted toward the exit
, ever on
guard
.
Was he waiting on Admiral Nelson
to arrive
,
or was he up to something more wicked
—
such as
planning to block
her
e
xit
?

The gall!
Featherheaded d
elight rushed
through her veins
at the prospect
,
nonetheless
.
Her heart hitched as
Simon’s
dark brown hair
fell across his forehead and down, grazing the top of his starched cravat, his hat brim
accentuating
the
stern
impalement of his
eyes
as they
focused on
her
.
“Liar,” he mouthed
with lips she wanted to taste once more
.

In faith, h
e knew her too well.
It took every ounce of her control not to drop the opera glasses onto the carpeted floor, which of course would cause a scene with the telltale thump.

Percy
touched her shoulder
and
remarked slyly
,
“You are giving yourself away, m’dear.”

“
Am I?
”
she mouthed breathlessly.

“Quite, I’m afraid.”

T
he
lead
actress
in
Deaf and Dumb
stopped mid-aria. The orchest
ra followed
, violins screeching to a halt
. The
dumbfounded,
curious
crowd
turned in their seats to
follow the actors’ stares
,
which centered on the
narrow
opening of the amphitheat
e
r.

There
, in
military splendor
,
stood
the gallant
Admiral Nelson
, his face animated with confidence
,
Lady Emma Hamilton
decorat
ing
his
left
arm.

“
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the canno
n’s mouth. And then the justice…
”

~
William Shakespeare’s
All The World
’
s a Stage

Good God
!
They
had waited too long
!
Admiral Nelson had arrived
.

The very thought of failing
—
Lucien, Nelson, England
—
plummeted
Gillian’s
spirits.
She’d promised
to
do everything within her power to save this
great
man
.
Perhaps
Simon
was
right
. She w
as
a
liar
. S
he’d failed miserably to obey her vows
, to forget Simon,
and
to
follow her instincts
to prevent Lucien from traveling to France
. If she had, Lucien
would
still be alive. But if Lucien had
n’
t gone to France, they might have never
unraveled
Fouché’s threat against Nelson
.

What did it matter now?
I
f lying to Simon, to
Percy, to herself meant sparing the
admiral
’s life
, she
c
ould
and would
bear
the truth of what she’d become. I
ncluding
the consequences
—
being chased down by
the
assassins hovering secretly near.

A sense of momentary panic swept through Gillian
.
Her knees shook.
Beneath her mourning garb,
a thrill of frightened anticipation touched her spine and
an
oppressive
maddening
heat t
ook
hold
until i
nstinct kicked in and she
moved into action.

“Go,
” she
turned and
ordered
Percy, only to
discover
he’d
already
left the box
.

S
he was alone.
Nelson was in plain sight.
Percy
would need
a diversion
in order to warn Simon and his men before it was too late.
Until then,
Nelson
would have
to be warned.
Her heart
thumped wildly
as she
gazed down at
England’s finest
hero.
An unethical idea
hammered between
her ears
like a war drum
. What would happen if Nelson was murdered
in front of
the
ton
or
in front of
the
ha
pless
, expectant
Prinny
?

Gillian
gazed about the audience, scanning for signs of danger
, anyone, anything suspicious
.
Nothing appeared o
ut of the ordinary
—
yet
.
B
ut her instincts sharpened
.
O
rdinary was
just an
illusion aiding the enemy’s cause
. I
f they weren’t quick enough to
foil attempts
on
Nelson
’s life
, all would be lost.

Nelson
stood erect, poised on the
balls
of his feet. Did he suspect
imminent
danger? Or was that a normal tell for a man accustomed to
being on guard
?
He was surrounded
by three
aides du camp
,
an unprecedented numb
er
for a man of his rank
,
widely rumored to be compensation for
the loss of his right arm
.
Nelson
basked in the sea of
acclamations
echoing
throughout
the crowded amphitheat
e
r
.
C
alm in action
,
unreadable, he exhibited a
military
illusion
to the public
eye
.
Simon
had
once told her n
o one who served England
was ever
at ease.
If that was the case, she
doubted
Nelson
was now.

Nelson
turned, inclining
his head
. He gazed down at Lady Hamilton and
smiled,
an act
that
revealed a generous, jovial nature
existed between them
. The gesture
tugged
Gillian’s
heart
strings
.
Lady Hamilton
held
Nelson’s
complete regard over and above any scandal
their
illicit affair
had
produced.
Might that have been hers and Simon’s fate if Simon hadn’t convinced her to leave London with Lucien?

A knot of unwelcome tension grip
p
ed her tighter as another horrifying thought struck her.
W
hat if
the secret service’s
target wasn’t Nelson
at
all
, but
the woman
Nelson
loved?
She could think of no
better way to dissect a man’s spirit than to take what he cherished most
.
That horrible realization made Gillian feel as if
her maid Cora had
cinched
her corset too tight
. Lady Hamilton was the
mother of
Admiral Nelson’s child.
Was it possible t
hat
the
young baby,
Horatia
, would end up parentless if
Gillian
didn’t do something and
fast?

No
!
The
horrid thought struck her almost blind.

She couldn’t
allow Nelson or his lady love to linger too long in
public
. Lucien hadn’t said whether or not Napoleon’s
secret service
planned to attack before or
after the opera. S
omehow s
he knew
the enemy
would
strike
inside Drury Lane. No matter
who
m
the intended target
was
,
the outcome would be the same
—
blood, death,
ruin
.

If the
loss of his right arm and
the loss of
sight in his right eye had not succeeded in disarming
Admiral Nelson
’s spirit
, would watching
the woman he loved die in his arms
?

She had only one way to warn Nelson.
It involved the greatest role of her career, one that would draw out Nelson’s would-be murderers or ruin a
dearly loved and thoroughly
maligned woman’s image
— Fanny Nisbit Nelson
.

The
crowd erupted into applause before a
hush
settled throughout
the amphitheat
e
r
. Anticipation of another kind filled the air
.
Would Nelson take the time to speak publicly?
Gillian had
no time to lose
. She
leaned over the balcony
in a most
improper
manner
, completely aware of the
social
repercussions
sure to
follow
for the woman Britains genuinely labeled the right Lady Nelson
.
It couldn’t be helped.
Nothing but saving Nelson mattered.

“
Nelson and Bront
e
,” she
shouted most unladylike
above the din
.
Yelling
in public went against
the
ton’s
strict social guidelines, but
her behavior
would
trigger Nelson’s
immediate safeguards
.

Tell
number one:
The admiral
signed every corresponde
nce
Nelson and Bronte.

People
privy to dealing
with him professionally and personally knew this.
The general public did not.

“
A gallant sight you are with
a
deadly
blade so close to your side,
”
she added when he afforded her his attention.

Tell number two
:
Prepare for battle.

A jaw-dropping hush overtook the crowd.
Gillian
was
non-p
l
u
sed
by how happy that made her.
She’d gotten
Nelson’s
attention, as well as
Simon
’s
,
who
scowled
and signaled
for Nelson’s aides to encircle the admiral
.
Percy appeared and whispered in
Simon’s
ear
. Simon then set about organizing his guards and disappeared from view
.
Gillian turned her attention
on the admiral
.
Would
he understand her warnings
like Simon had
?
She prayed fervently
he would
.

Without missing a beat,
Nelson
said
, “Better here than with you, eh,
Fanny
?”

“It is
Lady
Nelson to all who know me here.”
A cheer rose up in the crowd at her ribald dialogue. Emboldened, she said,
“
And i
f you value your life
,
dear husband,
you will unsheathe your blade
.”
Release Lady Hamilton.

Tell number three
:
You are in danger.

Gillian
swallowed
a
bitter lump
rising in her throat
.
What a public spectacle she
’d
raised for the admiral. The off-chance that Fanny would be
in the same establishment as Nelson and his mistress
brought
public
embarrassment and
ridicule on
said
Lady Hamilton
, not to mention Fanny
, who preferred country living to city life
.
T
he two warring women couldn’t be more different. Would
Fanny ever forgive her for behaving so shamefully in her name?

“Fanny, you know I never go anywhere without my blade.”

“
Are you certain?
Though I may have
pined
for
it, I would
never
knife you in the back
, my
lord
.
Unlike some,” she added,
nodding to Lady Hamilton,
hoping he would understand
.

Tell
number four
.
You have my word on that.

“A vicar’s daughter
and disgruntled wife’s
pledge
?
”
Nelson curled his upper lip emphatically. “To be sure
,
there is no doing anything without trying
it first
.”

“
Deceitful man
!” She raised her gloved fist
and shook it
. “Your
vanity, your
love of glory, country
…
prestige
will get
the better of you.”