Page 19 of Assisting Lord Richmond
“And have you fall asleep on your feet? That won’t do. We shan’t be long, I promise.” Ellen knew she ought to keep her maid close, but she couldn’t drag the poor dear any further even though she herself was desperately curious to see more of the gardens.
“Your maid was right,” Hugh said even as he escorted her away. “We shouldn’t leave her behind.”
“Just for a few minutes, Hugh,” Ellen cajoled. “There’s still so much I haven’t seen. And she’s too tired to enjoy it.”
They made their way down one of the walks, hearing music being played somewhere in the distance. Ellen started to question the wisdom of her choice to insist upon the adventure as the air seemed to grow more dangerous. But then they came across a small pavilion with musicians and dancers and she was once again swept up into delight. As the entertainment came to a close, she could sense Hugh’s gaze fixed upon her, and she turned her face toward his with a grin.
His lips connected with hers in a sudden rush of heat and sensation. For a moment Ellen felt as though she were riding a heady wave of emotion before the reality of her situation insisted upon being felt. Wrenching herself out of the arms she couldn’t even remember stepping into, Ellen fought the tears that wanted to spill in reaction to the tumult within her.
“How dare you? It’s just like the last time. You will kiss me senseless and then leave me to pick up the pieces.” She would have slapped him except that he grabbed her hands before she could.
“Ellen, my dear, I swear it to you. I never meant you an insult.”
“It doesn’t matter, Hugh. Take me home. And I do beg of you to finish this business as quickly as you can.”
She spoke barely a word to him the rest of the night.
Chapter Ten
Hugh didn’t see Ellen again for three days. But he didn’t sit around moping. He had allowed himself to get far too comfortable with the life of doting betrothed and hadn’t concluded the business he had come up to Town for in the first place. He couldn’t face her while she was still in danger. It was good he was getting out of active duty. Hugh had very quickly gotten soft in the head.
In those three days much had been accomplished. The Home Office had been able to move around various agents and associates within the country and abroad in order to stir up enough activity that Gilbert and Shawn’s actions hopefully went unnoticed.
Hugh had spent time with the two men and was relieved to see how well they got on despite their very different stations in life. He wasn’t there to wave them off, just in case he was still under observation, but Gilbert Northcott left London early one morning with Shawn by his side as companion, translator, and assistant. It had been a grey day and Hugh had paced for hours vacillating between worrying about what he might have set his friend up for and jealousy that his old friend would be just beginning the adventures he could no longer enjoy. But the fact was that Viscount Richmond could not be an active spy. So he focused on his relief that he had been able to pass the assignment to someone he trusted so well.
Further relief was felt when word was received that various arrests had been made. Foreign agents on British soil were no longer running free. And the mysterious woman who had approached Hugh that fateful night had disappeared quite promptly back to wherever she had come from, or rather, they were reasonably confident she was no longer in England. Hugh had done his best to describe her to Gilbert in order for him to remain on alert.
“You’re beginning to sound like a nursemaid, Hugh,” Gilbert had complained just before taking his leave. “You trusted me enough to ask me to do this, now trust me to do it.”
Hugh had laughed and slapped his old friend on the arm in lieu of expressing any other feelings. The matter was now closed.
But Hugh didn’t want it to end. Not the matters with Ellen at the very least. So, he talked it over with Lord Chamberlain.
“I’m being the daftest man in all Creation, aren’t I, my lord?”
“I don’t see it that way, son,” the older man countered in his steady, unperturbed way. “You’ve had quite a bit of turmoil in the past six months. You’ve quite earned the right to feeling a bit confused.”
“But that’s just it. I’m not confused. I have accepted that my life as a true agent is over, although I must say I appreciate your offer of allowing me to do a few little errands for you from time to time,” he inserted with a nod and a grin. “But I find myself actually looking forward to returning to Richmond and settling in as Viscount.”
“So what seems to be the trouble then, son?” Lord Chamberlain’s brow furrowed, but his eyes twinkled, making Hugh think he just wanted to hear him admit to the truth.
“I don’t want to do it without Lady Ellen.”
“What’s to say you have to?”
“The fact is that I don’t think she’ll forgive me.”
“Have you asked her to? Because if you haven’t, then I might have to agree with you about the daftness.”
Hugh laughed as the older man had intended, but his heart wasn’t really in it. He hadn’t yet asked her. He had every intention of doing so even though he held little hope that she would actually grant her forgiveness. She believed he had played fast and loose with her feelings even though that had been the farthest thing from his intentions.
After shaking Lord Chamberlain’s hand, Hugh walked away from Whitehall, perhaps for the last time, but there was a lightness to his step that hadn’t been there for a long time. He tried not to allow his hopes to climb, but it seemed he couldn’t help himself.
When he banged the knocker at Ellen’s family’s London townhouse, Hugh was surprised to feel such nerves fluttering in his midsection as he had never felt before. Not even on his most dangerous missions had he been quite this anxious for success. His smile felt a touch grim as a footman opened to him.
“I will see if Lady Ellen is receiving this afternoon, if you’ll just wait in the receiving room, my lord.”
Hugh strode toward the usual room where Ellen received him praying fervently that he wouldn’t be kept waiting long.
