Wonderland By Night (Heroic Rogues Series) (25 page)

His uncle studied Gabe closely as he rubbed his chin. “Tell me, Gabriel, why are you so willing to protect the enemy’s daughter? If Patriotism is what you feel strongly about, you probably loathe the duke as well as his brother, Oliver Townshend.”

“Indeed, I do, Uncle. But as much as I cannot stand—nor trust—these men, I want to protect Emmie—uh, I mean Lady Sarah and her companion. Unfortunately, I have another motive in mind while keeping them protected.”

“Let me guess.” Henry grinned. “You want to woo Lady Sarah?”

Gabe rolled his eyes. “Actually, I want to ask her questions about her uncle. The more I know about that man and what he has planned, the more I can assist my fellow comrades.”

“Now
that
sounds more like the nephew I know.”

Chuckling, Gabe turned his horse and continued their ride. He didn’t wish to further the conversation by going into more detail, especially when it came to Lady Sarah and Emmie. For certain, his uncle would be able to see how smitten Gabe had become with Emmie already. And until he could figure out this infatuation himself, he didn’t want to discuss it with anyone.

Chapter Eleven

Gabe hurried through the house after he’d finished his morning ride. Talking to Emiline was top priority—even before eating the meal. He checked in the library, in the sitting rooms, even peeked outside the windows to see if she was by the stables. As each minute passed, he grew more anxious to see her. He didn’t know why. It wasn’t urgent that he speak to her right now, yet determination ran through his body and he knew he wouldn’t be able to think straight unless he could see her right away.

He sprinted up the stairs and toward Lady Sarah’s room. Before reaching the door, it opened and out walked Emiline. A sigh of relief sprang to his mouth and whooshed out his lips.

She closed the door and turned, then stopped quickly as a surprised gasp sprang from her throat. “Good morning, Mr. Lawrence.”

He leaned against the wall and stared at her. She was back to wearing the ugly gray dress instead of the fancy one she wore yesterday. At least her hair wasn’t wound tight in a bun. Seeing her outfitted this way made him remember her true station in life. Her beauty and grace told him she shouldn’t be a servant. Unfortunately, he couldn’t change that. “Would you and Lady Sarah like to accompany me on a picnic today?”

Her smile widened and a sparkle touched her big, brown eyes. “That would be most pleasing, Mr. Lawrence.”

He leaned closer and whispered, “Have you forgotten my name, my sweet Emmie?”

Her smile softened. “No, I just wanted to keep some kind of decorum while we were in the house as to not bring suspicions upon us.”

“I see what you mean.” He straightened. “I thought we might discuss our forthcoming venture to Salem in a few days.”

Happiness blossomed on her cheeks, and even her eyes lit up like stars. “I cannot believe this is actually happening.”

“I have already spoken to my uncle and he agreed taking you and Lady Sarah to Salem for a few weeks was a splendid idea.”

Her joyful expression changed to one of panic and she took a quick glance up and down the hall. “Your Uncle knows why we are going?”

He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “No. All I told my uncle was that we needed to take Lady Sarah and her companion somewhere else for now since some strange men came asking about her the day we were gone.”

“Do you know who those men were?”

“I have my suspicions, but I don’t know why they would come asking for Lady Sarah.”

“Do you suppose it’s because of her uncle?”

Gabe shrugged. “That is what confuses me. If her uncle or her father would have sent them, they would have stayed until Lady Sarah returned home with my aunt and uncle.”

She rubbed her forehead. “Indeed, this is very confusing.”

“But not to worry. I’m certain my uncle will figure out what is going on.”

“I sincerely hope so.”

“Good.”
 
Without being able to resist, he reached out and caressed her cheek softly. If this was the only way he could touch her right now, he’d take it. “We shall have our picnic at noon. I will escort you both.”

“And we will be happy to have had the opportunity to be in your good graces, Mr. Lawrence.”

Chuckling, he removed his hand. “Have a pleasant morning and I will talk to you later.”
 
After giving her a wink, he turned and headed back down the hall to the grand stairs.

Visions of her smile and her laugh occupied his mind throughout the morning as he tried to keep himself busy. He wrote a missive to his friend Rufus, to locate as many members of his crew and gather in Salem as soon as possible. Gabe needed them there in case
Billingsford
and his men showed up.

Once the letter was written and sent with a courier, Gabe didn’t know how to pass the time until the moment when he would get Emmie and take her—and Lady Sarah, of course—to the designated spot on his uncle’s estate where he had the servants prepare a picnic spot. He couldn’t stop thinking about Emmie and how gallant he felt while in her company. It pleased him to see her face light up when he did gentlemanly things for her. And he took delight in the way her face turned soft and her amazing brown eyes ignited with passion when he kissed her.

In a way, he wished he wasn’t so intrigued with this woman. He couldn’t think straight, and in his line of work, that wasn’t a good thing. Sometimes he wished he could give his heart to her, but his life was so complicated, he couldn’t bring her in to his traitorous—and most dangerous—way of living.

Exactly at noon, Gabe was in the front of the house with Georgia’s buggy, ready to pick up the ladies for their picnic. As he jumped down from the vehicle, the two women were exiting the house. Lady Sarah looked exceptionally pretty this afternoon, wearing a pink dress with bell-shaped sleeves. And her hair curled with ringlets with matching ribbons woven throughout. Unfortunately, Emiline was not as lovely. The baggy gray dress did nothing for her complexion. He would have liked to tell her to change, but that was not his place. She was, after all, still a lady’s companion and didn’t take orders from him.

He met them at the bottom of the steps and offered his elbow to Lady Sarah and then the other elbow to Emiline. The duke’s daughter took his arm, but Emiline did not. She followed behind like a good servant, which aggravated him to death. Even when Gabe was helping Lady Sarah in the buggy, Emiline climbed in the back seat by herself. Irritation crawled over him. More than anything he wanted her to sit by him. He wanted to accidentally bump her arm or her leg as they traveled in the buggy. Instead of inviting her to sit up front with him and Lady Sarah, he bit his lip and didn’t say a thing about the inconvenience.

There was not much conversation as they traveled to the area he had planned for their picnic. He’d asked Lady Sarah about her trip to Manchester. She droned on and on, which made the ride almost boring because of her constant chatter. Perhaps he should have aimed his questions at Emmie instead.

Once they arrived at the picnic spot. The servants had constructed a few tents for shade, which was necessary to help block the sunlight. Gabe stopped the horses then turned and jumped down. He noticed right away that Emiline was moving to climb down, so he hurried over to help her out first.

Emiline’s eyes widened, and thankfully, she didn’t argue. Instead, she placed her hands on his shoulders as he held her by the waist and lifted her down. His heartbeat quickened from their closeness. Before she stepped away, their gazed locked and a tender smile graced her face. His smile stretched wider and he winked.

Gabe stepped away from Emmie, turned and helped Lady Sarah down. She smiled at him, too, but he didn’t feel the same stirring within his chest as he had with Emiline.

When Lady Sarah was down, he moved to retrieve the blanket and food basket, but Emmie had already picked them up and was walking toward a shady tree. Grumbling under his breath, he strode toward her in large steps.

“Emiline, please allow me take those from you.” He snatched them out of her hands without waiting for a reply.

“That’s not necessary. I can do it.”

Gabe glared at her, hoping his eyes communicated his irritation. “I’m quite sure you can, but I would like to take them, nonetheless.”

She shrugged then folded her arms smartly across her chest.

His heart softened from her frustration, but it was the spark of defiance in her eyes that made he want to laugh. He refrained. “Thank you, Miss Emmie, for you compliance.” She rolled her eyes, and he tried hard not to laugh.

Gabe laid the blanket out and helped Lady Sarah to sit. “I’m certainly glad you agreed to come with me today. The weather is quite nice, and being in the company with such enchanting women only makes the day brighter.”

Anna giggled. “Thank you, Mr. Lawrence.”

The only reaction Gabe received from Emiline was an arched eyebrow.

Emiline started setting out the food, so he quickly moved to help her. Once again, he received one of her irritating glares. This time, he tried to ignore it.

Gabe prepared Lady Sarah’s plate and noticed Emmie was preparing another. With her expression of indifference, she handed him the plate. He threw her a disapproving glare again, but her reply was just to shrug.

As Gabe handed Lady Sarah her plate, he asked, “Did Emiline tell you that I was going to help her locate her mother during our trip to Salem?”

Anna nodded as she nibbled on her slice of cheese. “Yes.”

“Well, I have been up all night thinking, and I just might have a plan.”

Emiline sat forward, the annoyance gone from her expression. “Please tell.”

He explained his worries about the unknown men who had come to the house to get Lady Sarah, and why their trip to Salem must be kept a secret from the servants—except the ones traveling with them. He told the women how he had suggested to his uncle Salem as the location where they’d stay until Gabe could find out about those strange men. Both ladies nodded in agreement.

Emiline chewed on a roll, then swallowed. “Mr. Lawrence, do you think we—Lady Sarah, especially—are in danger?”

“At this point, I don’t want to overlook anything. Lady Sarah’s uncle is not a popular man around these parts. It’s hard to know who of Mr. Hampton’s friends and associates could be traitors.”

Emmie glanced at Lady Sarah, then met Gabe’s gaze again. “Has your uncle told you about the mobs in Boston that wanted to do us harm?”

Gabe nodded. “Yes, but I don’t believe the men who came the other day are from the same mob.”

“I pray they are not.”

“My hopes are that while in Salem, we can keep Lady Sarah out of the public’s eyes, and not be in fear of those men coming for her.” He took his gaze off Emmie to peek at Sarah, who surprisingly, sat eating her food, appearing nonchalant about this whole thing. Confusion settled in his mind. Why wouldn’t she be worried about the strange men? She should show a
little
interest, shouldn’t’ she? Exasperation gathered in his gut, and he couldn’t believe how separated she was from this conversation.