Page 66 of His Wicked Secret
Sean crossed his arms. “Jon, I know you, and more importantly I know her. You didn’t do anything to upset her. She didn’t leave because of something you did. She left to board a ship for France with Avery Russell.”
Jonathan paused in the middle of tying his cravat. “What? Why?”
“Her mission. She’s sailing to France within the hour. You have to go after her.”
“France?” His heart stilled. How had he forgotten all that Horatia had said? He’d been so focused on sleeping with Audrey last night that he hadn’t stopped to think logically, and afterward all thoughts had drained away.
“Last night she instructed the staff to pack a trunk for her and to call a coach in the morning to take her to the docks.”
“Was all that before I arrived?” A flutter of foolish hope stirred in his chest. She hadn’t left because of him, but some misguided sense of duty?
“Yes.” Sean looked grim, but Jonathan smiled.Beforewas a beautiful word.Beforemeant that what she’d wanted to tell him last night hadn’t been to refuse to marry him, but that she was leaving in the morning for a mission. If there was one thing he knew about Audrey it was that she wouldn’t let a thing like a marriage proposal stop her from whatever schemes she was in the midst of.
“What ship is she bound for?”
“TheLady’s Splendor.”
“Excellent.” Jonathan took a moment to think about his next step, but it seemed that moment was too long for Hartley.
“Well don’t just stand there!” Sean snapped. “Go find her!”
“Right. Send a message to my brother at once. Inform him of what’s happened. With luck, he can use one of Ashton’s ships to chase after us. And send a message to Lonsdale and Rochester. They were supposed to find Avery last night while I came here. Make sure everyone in the League knows to make haste to get to Calais.”
Sean winced. “You’d better not blow anything up this time.”
Jonathan snorted, but there was little humor in it. The last time he’d gone after someone on a ship it had ended with him and his friends jumping overboard just before it exploded.
“I do not plan on it. If the winds are favorable, we could all be on French soil by nightfall.”
“Bring her home safe,” Sean said, shaking hands with Jonathan before he rushed off.
Jonathan moved quickly, calling for a hackney once he was outside and giving the driver instructions to get him to the Pool of London, where he could reach the docks.
It took several long minutes of shouting at the dock master to finally find where theLady’s Splendorwas moored. It wasn’t a large vessel, but rather a smaller swifter-looking vessel than the large cargo ships that dwarfed it. The creak and groan of wooden masts and the flutter of canvas sails mixed with the shouts of dockworkers and sailors. Jonathan carefully dodged men who were busy carrying trucks and supplies aboard. He reached the top of the gangplank, where he found a young officer supervising the loading.
“Good morning.” He nodded at the young man. “Do you have any passenger berths left?”
“We do. Just a few. It’s two guineas to travel. And I’ll need to see your papers.”
Jonathan handed the lad two guineas and proffered a set of documents, including his passport, which he’d retrieved from his study before leaving. Ashton had trained him to always keep papers giving him the right to travel with him.
“Cabin four, sir. You have any trunks?” The young man glanced around, expecting to see a footman with a traveling case.
“I do not. How many of the passengers do you have on board?”
“A few gentlemen and one lady.” The officer’s face reddened. “A rather pretty one.”
“Well then, that should make the voyage intriguing.” He grinned at the lad and passed him by. He went below deck, hastily checking the gilded numbers hanging on the cabin doors. When he finally found his berth, he slipped inside and closed the door.
He would have to stay out of sight as much as possible. If Audrey suspected he was on board, he honestly had no idea what she would do. Or what he should do. If traveling to France and playing the spy meant this much to her, then he would let her go, but he would not let her go alone. He would be a shadow, one that protected her from any danger, but she could never know.
He faced his cabin and was surprised to find spacious accommodations, which were illuminated by a window that faced the deck. There were rows of compartments on each side of the cabin that could hold his belongings—had he thought to bring any. The bunk was clean, with white bed linens. The bed was shielded with green blockade curtains. He pushed them aside and sat down, feeling the ship roll beneath him. Not too bad. He was fortunate he did not fall prey to seasickness easily.
Retrieving his pocket watch, he noted he still had half an hour before the ship was set to sail. He penned a hasty note using the stationery of a small desk in the corner and carefully peered out of his cabin. A few sailors and a gentleman passenger walked by, but once they were gone all seemed to be clear. He went back up on the deck and found the young officer who had greeted him.
“Would you have a cabin boy see that this is delivered to the Duke of Essex at the ascribed address?” He handed over the note and a few shillings.
“Of course.” The officer put his fingers to his lips and let out a piercing whistle. A quick-footed boy ran up and snatched the letter and shillings in a flash and was off. Jonathan returned to his cabin and lay down upon the bed, closing his eyes. It would be a long day hiding here in his cabin until they reached France. Hopefully Godric would get his note and bring a few days’ worth of clothing and money. He was not at all prepared to fend for himself alone in France. His French was rusty and limited mostly to discussions that were best saved for bedroom activities. That was the problem with a French courtesan tutoring a man in bed.
