Seaswept Abandon (The McClellans Series, Book 2) Author's Cut Edition Page 38

  "Not well," she said, thinking of the scar on her knee.

  "Why?"

  "If you hear a search party coming for you, climb a tree and stay put until they pass. I doubt anyone will think to look for you overhead."

  "I can do that."

  "Of course you can," said Jericho encouragingly. "And when you get to Hemmings, seek out Tom Jenkins at the inn. He will see that you get to my London home without mishap. I will join you when all is finished here." He searched her face to make certain she understood and then straightened and left Rae's chamber as silently as he had entered it.

  Rae stared at the door long after Jericho locked it behind him, wondering at the sense of loss she felt upon his departure. What a burden she had come to be she thought sadly. It occurred to her that he did not smile anymore, and that it had been forever since she had heard him laugh with genuine amusement. If she had made him happy once, it was true no longer. Her willfulness had not aided their cause, rather it had added to their problems. She was a yoke about his neck, a weight that he could do without. Yes, she would leave for Hemmings tomorrow night, but perhaps there was one last thing she could give him before she went. The least he deserved for all his effort on her behalf was Stanhope. Her hand went to her throat as if touching the green stones that usually lay there. She could give nothing of herself, but she could give him Stanhope.

  * * *

  Rahab took her usual seat at Jericho's back before the beginning of the play, smoothing the folds of her gold satin gown over her lap and studiously avoiding the sharp and faintly hungry eyes of Charles Newbrough. Throughout the day he had been more forthright in his attentions than he had been recently, and Rae took pleasure in snubbing him, knowing if she had done otherwise she would have aroused suspicion. She could practically hear the thoughts of revenge forming in his mind as he considered he would best her in the end. It would not have been easy to pretend ignorance if she hadn't been prepared to leave. Under the circumstances, it was difficult not to gloat.

  Nigel looked comfortable and relaxed as he sat down to play, but Rae knew his unconcerned air for the act it was. While she was dressing he had once again come into her room and reminded her of what he required. Even if she had not overheard him talking with Newbrough the night before, she would have known then that he had changed his mind about permitting Jericho to win. She pretended ignorance, assured him she would go on as she had from the beginning, and attended to her toilette as if she had come to enjoy her role as Nigel's mistress. It was not until Nigel was out of the room that she filed the clasp on the emerald necklace.

  Rahab took a glass of champagne from the passing footman's tray and sipped it with what she hoped was nonchalance. She smiled faintly as the drink slipped smoothly down her throat. She would have given almost anything to get her hands on Esther's jug liquor. That heady brew was guaranteed to calm her brittle nerves and quell the uneasy excitement that made her heart thump alarmingly in her breast. It was only as the duke began to deal the first hand of cards that a blessed numbness stole over her and she gave herself up to the task she planned.

  As he had done with nearly every hand, Jericho made it easy for Rae to view his cards, and Rae dutifully fingered her necklace for the duke. Nigel won the first four games with ease, and Jericho congratulated him on his skill at the break. Rae schooled her features not to show her disgust as Nigel accepted the praise as if it were his due, but decided at that moment she would not put off ridding herself of the hateful necklace.

  It was during the first game of the second match that she managed to give a surreptitious tug, breaking the flimsy clasp. The necklace slid to the floor before she could catch it, and she apologized prettily for the noisy interruption of the play.

  Lord Lesley gallantly offered to replace it around Rae's neck but found the clasp would not hold. After some fumbling on his part Rae took the necklace from him and held it in her lap. The angle made it impossible for Nigel to see the stones, and Rae felt immense pleasure as white lines of tension appeared at the corners of the duke's mouth. She hid her satisfaction by smiling at him nervously as if to assure him this turn of events was not her fault. She studiously avoided Jericho's speculative gaze.

  The next four games were split evenly between Nigel and Jericho, and at the break Rae excused herself from the room. Nigel caught up with her at the bottom of the stairs.

  "I hope you are on your way to repair that necklace," he said.

  "That is exactly what I am going to do," she assured him, praying all the while that he would not ask to examine it "Though I believe you can win without my help."

  The duke was not immune to having his own opinion bolstered. "I believe I can also. But I would rather there not be the slightest doubt as to the outcome. Secure that jewelry any way you can." She turned to go, but Nigel placed a hand on her bare shoulder. "Have I mentioned that you are looking exceptionally beautiful this evening? There is a certain glow about you that I had not noticed before."

  Coolly she said, "Please remove your hand from my shoulder."

  "As you wish, m'dear." His hand slid from her shoulder to her breast and he did not retract it until he felt her shudder. He tapped her nose with a slender forefinger. "Repair that necklace."

  Rae gave the duke's order all the attention she considered it deserved once she was in her room. She tossed the necklace toward the bed, and when it narrowly missed landing on the coverlet and skidded instead under the four poster she did not give a thought to retrieving it.

  Pitching the necklace aside was the last motion Rae wasted as she prepared to leave Linfield. In a matter of minutes she had completely undone the hours she had spent readying to meet the duke's guests. She removed her gown and filmy undergarments and replaced them with the uniform she had worn in the duke's service. Her wig was added to the pile of discarded clothes and she scrubbed her face free of lip and cheek rouge. She caught sight of herself in the mirror as she slipped the pelisse about her shoulders and decided it was unlikely that any of the duke's friends would recognize her. To her own eyes she looked unremarkable, and she paused long enough to give thanks for an appearance that to her own way of thinking was nondescript and every bit common. In her anxiousness to flee she could be forgiven for this delusion, but the man who saw her slip from her chamber and hurry toward the servants' stairs thought she had a look of rare loveliness about her.

  When she disappeared from his sight, Stephens decided Linfield was darker than it had been in months, but that he would pray for her safe flight. No one, least of all Rae, deserved what Nigel Lynne had planned for her. Turning on his heel he went to the library to inform his employer that Rahab was still experiencing some difficulty with her attire but promised to join him at the next break.

  As the play was ready to resume, Nigel had to be satisfied with his butler's report and was forced to rely on his own considerable skill. He chafed at the slowness of Jericho's play, for it seemed to him that his opponent had been quicker in his deliberations in the past, yet Nigel recognized that his own playing was more thoughtful without Rae's presence to guide him.

  Jericho felt Rae's absence more keenly than the duke, though he was just as careful not to show it. He knew she had set a different course for herself as soon as she had managed to be rid of the necklace. He understood immediately that she was giving him back his chance to win Stanhope. There was nothing for it but to prolong the play and hope Rae had the good sense to leave. If she dared return to the library with a bare throat Nigel would make her answer for it.

  Jericho concentrated on the cards as they fell, making a mental note of the contents of each trick. It would have been the utmost foolishness not to take advantage of the opening Rae had left him. Although Nigel played his hand well, there was a certain recklessness in his manner that Jericho took pleasure reining in. It was obvious to Jericho that Nigel was still relying on Rae's return to give him an edge. By the end of the next round Jericho had recouped his earlier loss to the duke, and only three hund
red pounds remained in Nigel's coffers.

  Jericho anticipated the duke would go in search of Rae himself when the break came, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it from happening. Far from looking anxious when Nigel left the room, he gave every appearance of enjoying himself immensely as he chatted genially with Lord Evans. His expression did not flicker when Nigel returned to the library and took Newbrough away, though he could well imagine the gist of the conversation taking place in the hallway. He was certain now that Rae was no longer in the house, and he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

  It was but a momentary respite because the duke's announcement upon reentering the library would have knocked Jericho to his knees had he been standing.

  "Gentlemen," Nigel addressed them calmly. "I wish to call an end to this evening's play and begin a game of a different nature. It has been customary to hold the hunt on the last day of our festivities, but our lovely hostess has convinced me of the pleasures and challenge of a night pursuit."

  Even as he pretended bewilderment, Jericho felt a chill race down his spine. "I must protest," he drawled. "Can't say that I like the idea of prolonging the inevitable racing to the hounds."

  The murmurs of interest that had accompanied Nigel's announcement gave way to amusement at Jericho's innocence.

  "You misunderstand," Evans told him. "There are no hounds in this hunt, and the fox is of the two-legged variety. Who is it to be this time, Nigel? Did I miss casting my vote?"

  Nigel smiled thinly. "I've taken the liberty of choosing this hunt's vixen."

  "Who?" asked Lesley. "I hope it ain't Georgina. Don't think I'll take part if it is. Heard she has the pox."

  "Not Georgina. Miss Rahab McClellan."

  Jericho wondered if his face mirrored the eagerness of the men around him. Newbrough, who had finally rejoined them, was the only man who looked unhappy at the prospect of hunting for Rahab, and Jericho realized it was because there were no longer any guarantees that he would be the one to find her. "I can see everyone is anxious to be underway," he said, "but I wish someone would explain what the deuce is going on."

  Lord Lesley explained in very explicit terms the game that was about to begin, and Jericho was torn between landing him a facer or thanking him for delaying the start with his ribald recitation of the rules.

  Then Nigel spoke. "There are only two things I would like to add to Lesley's account. I have decided that in order to make the hunt more sporting, Rae will not wear the collar, and I have given her no boundaries. She will be a difficult quarry to corner." He smiled again, but it did not touch his cold eyes. "However, I have complete faith in your ability to bring her in, and because you are my closest friends and Lord Adams is a new acquaintance, you may have a start on the others. If you'll excuse me, I'll attend to my other guests now."

  "Damn!" Evans said in the tone of a man who could not believe his good fortune. "What a piece of luck this is!"

  Standing, Lesley laughed and spoke to the others. "He's been torturing himself trying to think of a way to assure Miss McClellan's victory in the voting. I take it you're ready to put your mind to the task of catching her, eh, Evans?"

  "Like this." He snapped his fingers. "Are you coming, Adams? Don't force yourself, man. The fewer of us, the better chance I'll have."

  Jericho laughed as he was expected to. "No, I'm coming. I've never fancied a hunt before. But this? This is something else again."

  * * *

  Rae, mindful of Jericho's directives, kept to the left side of the road where the protection was better. Even having no idea that Stephens had seen her leave or that he had lied to give her more time, she was beginning to feel confident that she was well beyond the reach of the duke and any search party he might send. Occasionally she glanced toward the moonlit road and wondered if she dared walk along its edge, thinking she could make better time if she were not hampered by the darkness of the wood. In the end caution asserted itself and she kept to her path, looking beyond the overhanging branches for the candlelit windows in Hemmings that would mean her safety.

  Jericho parted ways with Lesley and the other hunters soon after mounting. It appeared they were of the opinion that Rahab had entered into this game willingly, and they were going to look for her on the grounds first. Newbrough was the only rider who set off for the main gate, and Jericho held back, circling round so that it would not seem obvious he was following. Still within earshot of the house, he heard the high-spirited, slightly drunken laughter of the guests who were now making their way to the stables in search of horses for the hunt. Jericho did not know if Nigel was among them, but he felt sure he must be. Too often in the past the duke had found that others failed to bring him what he wanted. Nigel was not likely to leave the trapping of Rahab to the drunken pursuits of his friends.

  Jericho and Newbrough made the same mistake in following Rae: both underestimated the time she had been gone from Linfield. They both left the road too early in search of her trail, and Newbrough compounded his error by choosing to cut into the woods on the right where the going was easier for his horse. Unfortunately it was a case of two wrongs making a right, for when he realized Rae had not come that way he shot back onto the road and down to the left, well ahead of Jericho now.

  Newbrough went forward about two hundred yards before began to reconsider Nigel's advice to search along the road to Hemmings. Had he been sent on a fool's errand? He considered turning back but then chose to press on in spite of his doubts. He was rewarded by the sight of a ribbon of lace fluttering at the thorny end of a briar bush. He reined in his horse and leaned over to examine the bit of material. He could not be certain it belonged to Rahab, but it gave him hope. Grinning, he took the piece of lace and tucked it in a buttonhole, then pushed ahead.

  Rahab did not know how Newbrough missed the shaking branches above his head, for she had expected her trembling to alert him to her presence. Having no idea how much farther Newbrough would go before he realized he had lost her, she was afraid to move from her perch and afraid not to. It was the most accursed piece of luck that in her haste to climb the tree she had torn her slip on the bush. She caught her breath on a sob and nearly wondered aloud how long it had been since she had done something right. Her damning thoughts were interrupted by the approach of another rider, and Rae was frozen into stillness this time. She hugged the slender tree trunk, too weary to tremble any longer.

  For a moment she ceased to hear anything except the chumming of her own heart, but gradually she became aware of the rustle of leaves as the horse trampled them underfoot. Then there was another sound, totally unexpected, yet infinitely welcome. Anyone else could be forgiven for thinking Jericho's whistle was merely a tuneless ditty, but Rae knew "Yankee Doodle" when she heard it.

  She feared calling out to him, thinking it might attract Newbrough, so she waited for him to come within her sight. It was the most terrible sort of waiting she had ever endured, and her eagerness as she spied his silhouette was almost her undoing. It was only as she opened her mouth to speak his name that she heard another rider coming up behind Jericho. Her gasp could not be entirely stifled, but if Jericho heard it he gave no sign. His attention was all for the newcomer, and she saw him turn his horse to greet the rider.

  "I'm rather surprised to find you here, Adams," Nigel said.

  "I hope so," Jericho answered, his voice amused. "Else I might be threatened by that pistol in your hand."

  Nigel looked down at the weapon as if he had forgotten he carried it. He smiled good-naturedly as he tucked it in the waistband of his breeches. "It doesn't pay to go into these woods without protection. I'm sorry I frightened you."

  "I didn't say I was frightened," said Jericho. "I am not without my own resources." Jericho saw the duke's head tilt to one side and knew he was trying to make out where the weapon was secured. Jericho was not about to tell Nigel his steel blade was resting comfortably in a sheath fitted inside his riding boots. "But tell me, dare I hope your presence
here means I may be close to Miss McClellan?"

  "I was going to ask you the same. I would have thought you'd stay with Lesley and Evans."

  "I might have if I hadn't seen Newbrough going in this direction. I recalled you talked to him before announcing the hunt. I supposed he was privy to information not given to the rest of us."

  "That was observant of you. I take it you wish to best him in this as you have in everything else."

  Jericho laughed. "Are you conceding that I've won the last of his notes? I warn you I am anxious to play for Stanhope once I have them in hand."

  "As anxious as you are to have my mistress in your bed?"

  "Now there's a question to encourage a man to think. I'll grant you she's a fair one, but I admit to wanting her because Newbrough wants her more."

  "I thought as much."

  "I know you did; that's why I don't mind telling you. And you, have you come to secure her for yourself, or are you doing Newbrough's work?" Jericho intended for Nigel to take exception to his words, and he was not disappointed.

  "I work for no man," he said coldly.

  "Then it is friendship that prompts you to claim for the earl what he cannot claim himself."

  Nigel did not comment directly. "What is your interest?"

  "It is self-interest, I assure you. If I find your mistress, I want her for myself. I cannot say that I like the idea of you taking her from me only to pass her along to Newbrough. In this instance, I would not find it sporting."

  Nigel heard the underlying threat in his guest's soft voice. "You would call me out?"

  "I cannot say I would proceed that formally if you were to cross me."

  Surprisingly, Nigel laughed. "Damn, but there is something I like about you, Adams. There's an uncivilized element that I never thought I could admire, but I find it suits you well."