Page 68 of His Wicked Secret
“Calais?” Emily breathed. “Why on earth would Audrey go to—” Emily covered her mouth with one hand, eyes widening with fear.
“What is it?”
“She must have gone on a mission—a spy mission, I mean. She’s talked of little else in the last few months.”
“She wants to be a spy, yet she’d been telling everyone about it? Not an excellent way to start her career.” Godric’s biting sarcasm wasn’t lost on his wife.
“She’s only nineteen,” Emily reminded him.
“As are you, and yet you wouldn’t do anything so reckless and foolish.”
Emily shrugged. “Perhaps, but I was forced to grow up much sooner than most girls her age.” She tugged on his arm. “What are you going to do?”
“We’ll have to give Jon whatever aid he needs. Blast. I can only hope he knows more about what’s going on and can fill us in when we arrive.”
“And do what?” Emily asked. “You can’t just drag her back to London, not if she’s working for the Crown.”
“I have no intention of interfering with Audrey’s mission unless such a thing is absolutely necessary. But I have to assume that there is more to this than the letter can convey. We must get to the docks at once.”
“Yes, of course. Let me fetch my bonnet.”
“No, Em darling, you must stay here.” He caught her hands, raising them to his lips so he could brush a soft kiss over her knuckles.
“But—”
“You forget. You are carrying our child. Please, Emily. You may fight me all you like once I’m safely home.” He cupped her face in his hands and pressed a tender kiss upon her lips.
“You’re so lucky you are handsome,” she teased. “I almost always forget I’m mad at you when you look at me like that.”
His lips curved into a crooked grin. “Like what?”
“Like you want to take me to bed. And if you do, I can’t stay mad at you.”
He brushed the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. “When I return, we shall spend aweekin bed.”
Emily leaned into him, and he lost himself in her scent and the feel of her in his arms. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
They moved toward the stairs, but the front door knocker clapped loudly behind them, startling them both. Godric turned to find a young boy standing there holding another letter.
“Urgent message from the ship theLady’s Splendor,” the boy said. “To be delivered to His Grace, that is, the Duke of Essex. You him?”
“Another one?” Godric offered the boy a shilling before taking the letter. He recognized the handwriting as Jonathan’s and hastily read the note.
“It’s Jon. He’s hiding on board the ship, and Audrey doesn’t know he’s there.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?” asked Emily.
“He says he has no clothes or money and that I should hurry up and meet him in Calais. He expects trouble.”
“Oh dear…” Emily turned and rushed to the study ahead of him. When he joined her inside, she had already filled a coin purse for him, lying on the corner of his desk. She was now opening a chest of drawers, pulling out a dirk and a pistol.
He raised a brow. “How did you—?”
“I know where everything of yours is, darling,” she replied. “And I won’t have you leave without being properly prepared.” She waved the weapons. “You’ll need these. Decide what else you will need to prepare. I’ll have clothes packed for both you and Jonathan.”
Godric took them both. “Thank you. I’ll write to Cedric and the others. They should all be in London, except for Ash.”
