Jonathan stretched out, feeling at ease for the first time in as long as he could remember. A smile spread across his lips, and it had everything to do with last night. Finally bedding Audrey and telling her they were to be married had been a dream he’d never thought possible. Yet it had happened, and she hadn’t said no. Every moment of last night had been a victory a year in the making. He rolled onto his side, but when he reached for Audrey she was gone.

What in the blazes?

He sat up, brushed his hair out of his eyes, and realized with a sinking feeling that the room was empty. Had she simply stepped out for a moment? Seen to her needs? Yes, that was possible.

“Audrey?” he called out. Only silence answered him. He glanced around the room; not a piece of clothing was left. Not even a note this time.

His little sprite had run out on him. Shame cut through him, and he had trouble swallowing past the pain.

Did I do something wrong last night? Did I push her too far and too fast? What if she hadn’t been ready to make love last night and now regretted her actions? She was brave enough to pretend, but he hoped to God she hadn’t been.

Whatever I did, it upset her, and now she’s run. I’ve destroyed my chances with her…again.

Every dream he had hung his hopes upon in the last year quivered like dew on blades of grass, ready to drop to the earth and sink into oblivion. The emptiness in his chest nearly choked him. He closed his eyes for a minute, forcing himself to breathe deeply.

I wanted to give you everything, Audrey, but you didn’t want me.

He slipped out of bed and gathered his clothes, his hands shaking as he collected each button torn from his waistcoat the night before.

For the first time in his life he truly knew shame and humiliation, and he’d grown up as a bloody servant in his own house. He’d hurt her or upset her, and he’d lost her. He was increasingly convinced that he had presumed too much, pressured her too much, and for that he felt nothing but regret. So much for being a gentleman. He’d apparently been a bastard last night, only he’d just not seen it.

Jonathan pulled on his boots. He was ready to leave and never come back when the door opened and Sean Hartley, first footman of the Sheridan household, entered.

“Thank God you’re still here,” Sean said.

“Not for long,” Jonathan growled. He and Sean were old friends and had never stood on ceremony, even after Jonathan was elevated to the status of gentleman. A status he no longer felt he deserved.

“You have to go after her,” Sean said.

“I most certainly will not. Whatever I’ve done has upset her, and I fear that I deserve whatever scorn she has for me right now. If she wanted to see me, she would have stayed here.”

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. Before was a beautiful word. Before meant 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?”

“The Lady’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 the Lady’s Splendor was 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.

At last the ship cast off and sailed out to sea. Most ships left Dover to make a hasty trip to Calais, but for some reason Avery was taking Audrey through London. It would add hours, possibly even a day to their journey if the winds weren’t fair.

He started to drift off. The sound of the waves lapping against the wooden hull and the shouts of men on the rigging preparing the sails were oddly comforting. He wasn’t sure how much later it was when he woke to the sound of two voices in the hall.

“Pretty little bird, that one,” a gruff voice said with a laugh. “I’d give anything to ruffle her feathers.”

Another man laughed. “I’d do a bit more, eh?”

“Maybe we can…if we can get her alone in her cabin when those other gents are gone.” The first man’s voice lowered to a gruff whisper.

“You’re not worried about them?”

“Eh, she wouldn’t say nuffin if she knew what was good for her.”

They were talking about Audrey, they had to be. Jonathan shoved the curtain back from his bunk and stood, listening at the door, but their voices grew more distant. He cracked the door open and focused on the two sailors, both burly fellows who had no doubt lived their whole lives on the sea. He needed to keep an eye on those two. He closed the door again as new voices came down the hall.

Audrey’s voice came through the crack he’d left in the door. “Avery, I don’t know if I feel comfortable posing as Mr. Sheffield’s wife.”

What the devil?

“I understand.” Avery’s voice was gentle, but it didn’t offer Jonathan any reassurance. “But we must go forward with this. There is no turning back. Sheffield is a decent fellow, I assure you. You have a separate room, and he won’t do anything untoward.”

“Do you vouch for him?”

“As a professional, yes. I’ve never known him to act outside his orders.”

“Very well. I think I’ll retire to my cabin,” Audrey said. “The waves are a bit…” The boat rolled and dipped as it hit a swell. “A bit much for my constitution.”

“Get some rest. We’ll likely be on board for at least several hours, possibly a day if the winds aren’t fair.”

Audrey made a noise as though she were ill. Jonathan heard her booted feet as she ran past his room, and then a door slammed down the hall.

His poor little sprite, the would-be spy, was seasick. He wanted to go to her, to render some form of comfort, but he restrained himself. He had made a promise to be her shadow. He wouldn’t go barging in when she needed to stand alone. She was proving something, not to him or her brother, but to herself.

I will let her face this task alone, at least the parts that do not put her in mortal danger.

He slumped against the door with an inward curse as the boat dipped again. It was going to be a long day for both of them.

Godric St. Laurent entered his home after having had a pleasant walk with his wife. Emily was a few feet ahead of him and had already removed her bonnet, handing it to a footman. Godric removed his hat and did the same.

“An urgent letter for you, Your Grace.” The footman slipped a letter into his hand. Godric broke the wax seal and read.

“What is it?” Emily leaned against his body, placing one hand on his arm.

“A letter from Sean Hartley.”

“The Sheridans’ first footman?”

Godric nodded and read the letter aloud.

Your Grace,

A thousand pardons for the directness of this letter, but I am sending it to you at Mr. St. Laurent’s urgent request. He is sailing aboard the packet ship the Lady’s Splendor out from London. He is following Miss Sheridan, who I fear may be in peril. Mr. St. Laurent has requested that you and Lord Lennox pursue him posthaste. He expects to arrive in Calais by nightfall, weather permitting. He says Lucien, Charles, and Cedric are all in London and must come as well.

Your humble servant,

Mr. Hartley

“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 a week in 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 the Lady’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.”

“Someone say my name?” Ashton stood in the doorway like a magician had conjured him, his eyes glinting with amusement.

“Thank God you’re here.” Emily rushed over to hug the tall baron.

Ashton patted Emily’s back and looked over at Godric, waiting for someone to explain. “Rosalind and I arrived early, and I came to see if you wished to have dinner with us, but it seems something else must take priority.”

“Audrey has run off to France with Avery, and Jonathan has gone after her.”

“Avery? What the devil is she…?”

“He is sailing to Calais, hiding aboard their ship.”

Ashton frowned. “Hiding?”

“Not from the crew, from Audrey.”

“This is all terribly confusing.” Ashton glanced between them, baffled.

“I’ll explain while we pack. Do you have any vessels that get us to Calais in a hurry?”

Ashton’s lips twisted into a grin. “You have to ask? I have a cutter that flies like the wind itself. She only just returned yesterday. We could leave in two hours.”

“Excellent.” Godric nodded to his friend. If there was one thing the League could do well, it was rally to a friend’s assistance, or in this case, a brother’s.

Lord, Jonathan. You need to marry this woman if only so she’ll stop getting into trouble.