Audrey hastily threw on the breeches and white shirt, packing her hair tight under her cap. Her hands trembled, but she ignored the fear rolling through her as best she could. There wasn’t time to break down, not if she was going to get through this night alive. Then she ran to the fireplace and smudged her fingers with ash and hastily rubbed them on her cheeks.

She had learned a number of tricks in the last few months. People did not naturally like to look at dirty people, and if they were looking for the woman who’d arrived at the tavern, dirty would be the last quality they’d use to describe her. Outside she could hear an awful commotion as the soldiers prepared to storm the inn.

Jonathan was down there, her Jonathan, doing everything he could to give her time to escape. She still didn’t know how he’d found her or how he’d gotten to her just in time. The man had the uncanny ability to show up when she needed him most.

Like a man in love…

Her heart stilled. He’d finally told her he loved her on the day they might both die. The selfish bastard. Her nose burned as she fought off her tears again.

Pull yourself together! Falling apart now won’t do anyone any good.

Well, she wasn’t going to let him and Avery get marched off to the gallows that easily. Not if she could find a way to save them. Not even the entire French army was going to stop her from finally getting married.

I am Audrey Sheridan. I do not follow the rules. I shatter them.

She rushed to the window and shoved it open. The curtains billowed as a strong sea breeze pushed into the room. The sounds from the crowds below strangely helped give her focus. She gripped the ledge of the slanted roof. The inn wasn’t connected to the building beside it the way many others were.

There was a loud bang, and the building shook. Had they used a canon on them? No, that would be ridiculous. But the sound was far too loud for mere gunfire.

Soon the sounds outside changed. Was that…laughing? She saw the backs of two armed men leave the alley, heading for the front of the tavern. There was a good chance she could drop down unnoticed now and hide until she could blend into the crowds.

Fortunately, no one outside was looking at her window. The few people she could see were focused on the front door. She climbed out, gripping the windowsill until she was certain she wouldn’t fall.

She eased down from the ledge until she hung by her fingertips, then dropped, landing in a crouch. She popped back up with her fists raised. She crept along the wall of the inn, then froze as she saw the scene unfolding at the front door.

Laughs and jeers spread among both the soldiers and the crowd as Avery and a large woman in a hideous puce-colored dress with far too much lace were dragged out of the—

Wait, that’s Jonathan!

Audrey held her breath, and then she let it out when she saw that he was alive, but dazed. And dressed as a woman. The reasons why were obvious, but it did not make the scene any less bizarre to witness.

Thank heavens they are both alive, she thought as she blended into the back of the crowd. And she would find a way to keep it that way. Yes, she’d made a promise to run and wait for the League at the port, but honestly, Jonathan should know better than to think she’d keep her word in a situation as dire as this. She would do what she had to do.

She followed their progress by tailing them through the crowd, who were also following along, enjoying the show. Audrey checked for the slender blade she’d tucked into her boots as a reassurance, but she wished she had gotten her hands on a pistol instead, just in case she needed something a little more intimidating.

Avery and Jonathan were bound with rope now, their wrists tied in front of them and forced to march behind the soldiers. Audrey tugged on the sleeve of one of the older men and spoke to him in her best French, as boyishly as she could manage.

“Where do you think they are taking them?”

“The cliffs. I expect they’ll try to intimidate them into a confession before taking them to prison…if they even bother. The last time they caught a spy, he was shot on the bluff and shoved into the sea.”

“Which way?” she asked.

The man pointed to a cliff in the distance. “Don’t go there looking for a show, boy. The soldiers have been drinking tonight, and they may try to use you for target practice.”

She thanked him for the warning and said she wouldn’t. She went back into town briefly, then ducked into an alley, turning back around and following the soldiers at a safe distance.

The men marched along a winding path toward the cliffs, taking turns to jerk either Jonathan or Avery forward, causing them to fall before they could stumble back to their feet. It happened to Jonathan more since he still had that dress on. Once they reached the cliffs, Audrey saw to her horror that she couldn’t follow them all the way to the bluff unnoticed. It was far too open. Taking cover behind a small cluster of boulders, she watched and waited, holding her breath. She would have to think of a plan to save them, and by the looks of the soldiers circling the two prisoners, she didn’t have long.

Godric strode down the gangplank and hit the docks just as the moon rose above the horizon. The rest of the League followed behind - Ashton, Lucien, Cedric, and Charles. They had said little during their trip across the Channel. They were well armed and ready to take down anyone who stood in their way.

“Where do you think we will find Jonathan?” Godric asked Ashton once they were off the ship. Ashton had ordered his captain to wait for them, and if necessary, be ready to get back out to sea immediately.

“I expect he would be—” Ashton froze and focused on the activity on the docks. Sailors were shouting, and there was a tempo to the crowds that made Godric uneasy. Ashton seemed to share his concern. He went to a man and asked him something Godric couldn’t hear. By the time the League had joined him, his face had gone pale.

“Everyone is talking about English spies. Two men have been arrested and…” He hesitated.

“Say it.” Godric’s heart pounded. He knew this was bad, but he was uncertain as to how bad it could be.

“It seems the locals are divided as to whether they will even live to see trial.”

“Good God,” Lucien muttered.

“Two men, you say? Not a woman?” Cedric asked.

“No, they said two men. Though…” He spoke with the man again to clear up something. “It seems one was dressed as a woman?”

The men of the League all look puzzled by this, except for Lucien, who worked out puzzles as a daily routine. “Of course.”

Ashton thanked the man, and the League quickly left the docks, moving deeper into the port. Fortunately, Ashton had paid well for his privileges at many ports, which included benefits such as a minimum of interference from local bureaucracy.

“What about Audrey?” Cedric asked once they were clear.

“I suspect she escaped,” said Lucien. “That’s why one of the men chose to dress as a woman, to confuse the soldiers and give her time to get away. I wonder who?”

“It’s hardly important right now,” said Ashton.

“Probably not. It’s more a matter of curiosity. Avery may have had to disguise himself before in his line of work. But if Jonathan caught up with them… Yes, I could see him taking Audrey’s place. Or trying to.”

“So you believe Avery is with Jon then?” Charles asked.

“It’s the most likely scenario,” Lucien said. He sighed heavily. “Ever since he began this line of work, I’ve worried a day like this would come.”

They halted when they reached a blacksmith shop and pounded on the door, calling out for the man to answer. An older man appeared, muttering about poor manners.

Ashton fished out his coin purse. “How much for eight horses?”

“Eight?” The blacksmith stared at Ashton. “Eight, monsieur?”

“Eight,” Ashton repeated.

The five of them soon acquired their new rides. Cedric, Lucien, and Charles helped saddle the horses, and they took off down the road, with Ashton and Godric taking the lead.

Stay alive, brother. No matter what they do to you, stay alive.

Godric didn’t want to think about what would happen if he lost his brother. They’d only just begun to know each other as siblings and no longer as gentleman and servant. Jonathan had lived in Godric’s shadow his entire life, and it was a matter that still filled him with a secret guilt.

I have so much to make right with him. I can’t let him down.

The League rode like wraiths down the road, with only moonlight to guide them. As they passed through the village, Ashton asked some locals for more information. His French was so flawless that in the dim light from the windows they assumed the group to be of French nobility rather than English.

When he had the information he wanted, he nodded to the others and pointed to a nearby cliff. “That way,” he said in French. They rode off again, making all haste. The sight of a distant fire ahead of them was a good sign. That had to be them.

As they closed in, they heard the crack of distant gunshots echo down the road. Godric shouted, “Come on!”

He smacked the reins on his horse’s flanks and leaned down, taking off ahead of the others. Cedric was right behind him, shouting Audrey’s name like a battle cry.

“English scum!” One of the soldiers smashed the butt of his rifle into Avery’s face. “Where’s the woman?”

Avery grunted and spat blood onto the ground. “She’s right over there.” He was lying on his side, hands still tied together in front of him.

They had started their interrogation on Avery first and were clearly enjoying causing him pain. Some passed a bottle around and joked as it went on.

“Your joke has grown old, English dog. The man who warned us about you would not have mistaken that man for a woman.”

“Are you sure? She is rather fetching in that dress.”

The soldier kicked Avery in the stomach, and Jonathan shouted for them to stop. “You’ll kill him. Shouldn’t he get a trial first?”

The soldiers all turned toward him, laughing. One man, the captain, stepped forward, his cold eyes settling on Jonathan.

“Perhaps. Perhaps no. But that gives me the idea.” His English was about as bad as Jonathan’s French. He turned and pulled out a saber and placed the blade’s edge underneath Avery’s chin. The bright moonlight illuminated the blade, making the silver metal glint dangerously.

“Whoever tells me about the woman first will get to have a trial,” the captain said in French, slowly enough for Jonathan to understand. He glanced between Avery and Jonathan. “The other… Who can say?”

Avery gave a slight shake of his head. Jonathan stared at him for a long second and then cleared his throat. He nodded at the captain.

“I’ll talk, but only to you.”

“No!” Avery shouted, struggling to his knees. “Don’t you dare—”

“Silence!” The soldier kicked Avery in the face. Avery crumpled back to the ground, groaning in pain.

“I’ll take this one and speak with him.” The captain hauled Jonathan to his feet, gripping him by the arm and dragging him toward a tall cluster of boulders a dozen or so yards away. He kicked Jonathan in the back of the legs, and Jonathan fell to his knees. Then the barrel of a pistol was jammed between his ribs.

“Tell me where the woman is.”

He stalled, trying to think. “She…”

A dark form leapt from the shadows and sank a blade into the man’s chest.

“She is right here.”

The captain stumbled back, his pistol clutched in his hands, and fired as he fell to the ground. The shadow yelped in pain. Jonathan winced. He knew that silhouette better than he knew himself, even with trousers on.

“Audrey!” Jonathan crawled over to her. She was clutching her stomach, doubled over in pain.

“I…I didn’t think…he’d get a shot off.”

“It’s all right. Breathe for me, sweetheart. We’ll get through this.” He searched for the blade, and when he found it he pulled it out of the soldier’s chest. He cut the rope off his wrists and tossed the bindings away. Then he moved Audrey back behind the rocks, listening to hear if any more soldiers were coming.

“Captain, what happened? Have you killed him?” one of the French gendarmes called out, slurring his words a little.

Jonathan cursed under his breath and responded as best he could. “Oui!”

He heard the man laugh and lifted himself up to peer around the edge of the rocks. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but he soon realized that one of the soldiers had his rifle leveled at Avery’s chest.

Jonathan barreled into the group of armed guards and tackled the man taking aim, knocking him to the ground. He got in one solid punch before he was dragged off by other soldiers, then pinned to the ground.

“Hold him down!” a guard shouted.

This was it. He was going to die, and Audrey might die of her wound.

The grass beneath his hands was cold and slippery with sea spray. He lifted his head, viewing the horizon in the moonlit waters of the Channel. A fair enough sight, but he wished that his last sight would instead have been Audrey’s face.

We were supposed to grow old together, with grandbabes all around us. It was not supposed to end like this.

The soldier he’d struck now stood before him, blocking his view.

“Looks like nobody gets a trial today,” he said. He raised the butt of his rifle and struck Jonathan in the head.

Audrey’s face filled his mind. Flashes of memory from the last year played in rapid succession. Her brown eyes narrowed with anger as he carried her to bed. Those full lips curved in a tempting smile as she baited the hook to fish. Her sultry, hungry gaze reflected back at him through a mirror in the Midnight Garden. The way she’d whispered his name as he made love to her.

“How could I not love a man like you?”

A rumble of thunder caused a stir in the French gendarmes.

“Horses are coming!” a man shouted. “Horses are coming!”

Jonathan saw a number of horses charge up into their midst like a small cavalry. Godric was at the lead, a pistol in his hand. And then everything went black.

“Jonathan. Jonathan! Wake up, brother.”

Jonathan swam back into consciousness, now surrounded by friends instead of enemies. The bluff was quiet except for the panting of the men.

“What…? What happened? The soldiers?”

“Most ran off,” said Godric. “I believe they had been drinking heavily, and our charge made our numbers seem far greater than they actually were. We have a little time before they gather their wits and regroup. Can you move?”

Jonathan sat upright. “I believe so.”

“And what the devil are you wearing?”

Jonathan smiled. “This damn disguise didn’t do me any favors.”

“Disguise? You look like you escaped one of the old armoires from the attic and the wardrobe attacked you as you left.”

He plucked at the mud-soaked lace. He wondered how ladies ever kept their gowns clean.

Charles and Ashton were a few yards away, tending to Avery. Cedric seemed to be searching for someone. But who?

“Good. Then perhaps you can settle a debate as to how you ended up in a dress?”

“Well, the soldiers were coming and…” Jonathan shot to his feet. “Audrey…? Audrey!”

He heard her call from the rock outcrop. “Over here. Is it safe to come out?”

Jonathan hobbled over and found Audrey behind it, leaning against a boulder, smiling, despite her pale face.

“My God, woman. I thought I’d lost you.”

“You didn’t. I’m right where you left me.” She eyed his terrible gown. “Puce and lace really don’t do your coloring justice. But I bet you’d look smashing in green.”

He hugged her tenderly, chuckling at her ability to tease him at a time like this.

“Ahhh!” Her cry of pain made him release her. Terror gripped him as he studied her pain-filled eyes.

“Your wound…” he started.

“Audrey?” Cedric hurried over, gripping Audrey’s face gently, kissing her forehead. “You’re all right! Thank God you’re all right.”

Audrey winced as she chuckled. “I could be better, I suppose.” Cedric let go of her, and she looked around at the men gathering around her. “You’re…all so sweet. I…” She took a few shaky steps and then collapsed.

“Audrey!” Jonathan screamed.

“She’s wounded.” Cedric cradled her, his palm coated with blood as he touched her side. “What happened?”

Jonathan lifted her up. “She was shot when she killed the captain. We have to get back to town.”

“We shouldn’t move her,” Cedric argued, eyes wide with fear.

“It’s not safe here,” said Godric. “Drunk or not, those soldiers will soon return.”

Ashton spoke up. “I have a surgeon aboard my ship. If anyone can save her, he can.”

Cedric insisted on taking her. Jonathan carried Audrey in his arms and waited for her brother to mount his horse. Once he had, Jonathan passed Audrey up to him, and he took off. Jonathan quickly stripped off his dress, reduced to the light trousers and shirt he wore underneath, and mounted one of the spare horses the League had brought. The others followed as fast as they could.

It took nearly a quarter of an hour to return to Calais and board their ship. Ashton ordered the captain to sail immediately and kept a watchful eye for any trouble from the port. If the gendarmes sounded the alarm, the French naval ships in the port could still attack them.

Jonathan went below to find the ship’s surgeon, a gray-haired man named Lewis. Audrey was already there, lying flat cot in the infirmary. Her white shirt had been ripped open. Cedric couldn’t watch while the doctor finished his examination.

“She was shot?” Dr. Lewis asked.

“Yes. By a pistol, close range,” Jonathan added.

The doctor bent over, carefully raising her chemise to just underneath her breasts and examined the wound. Blood oozed in a deep gash along her stomach, and he probed it carefully. Then he felt under her back and grimaced.

“It appears to be a graze.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” asked Jonathan.

“Don’t confuse a graze with a scratch,” the doctor warned. “I mean that the wound does not seem to have hit any organs, and the bullet did not embed itself in her, but the cut is still deep. She has lost some blood.”

“Will she live?” asked Cedric.”

“Once I clean the wound and stitch it back up, she may recover. I suggest you both wait outside.”

Godric and Jonathan shared a look. “We’re staying.”

“I was being polite,” the doctor growled. “Outside, both of you. I need peace and space to work.”

Jonathan gave Audrey’s limp hand a final squeeze before the pair exited the infirmary. Cedric leaned against the wall, but after a moment he slid down and covered his face with his hands. Jonathan stared at the wooden wall across from him, unseeing. He felt numb, numb from pain, numb from fear. Numb from the knowledge that he could lose the only woman he had ever dared to love.

“This is my fault,” Cedric said. Jonathan was shocked to see tears staining his face.

“It isn’t your fault,” Jonathan said. “It’s mine. Avery and I tried to get her to safety, but she came after us. I should have known she wouldn’t listen to me.”

Cedric shook his head. “I never should’ve scared off those men who came to court her. I drove her to her rebellious nature. If I hadn’t interfered, she might be happily married to some quiet, kind fellow, making plans for motherhood and attending balls.”

Jonathan didn’t want to picture that, at least not her with another man, but if it meant she would be alive and safe, he would’ve given anything to reverse time and give her that quiet, happy life.

But he knew Audrey. She wasn’t destined for a quiet life. She was a woman who wanted to fight, to earn her place in life, and to make a difference. He realized now how foolish he’d been in his own idealized visions of their married life together. Audrey would never settle for a quiet, uneventful life. She was a fighter, a petite Amazon. That would never change.

And he realized, despite nearly dying at the hands of those French soldiers, that he wanted to be beside her every moment on every adventure. He’d always had a wild side, but ever since he’d become a gentleman he’d done his best to repress it, thinking foolishly that Audrey needed a man who was settled to calm her down. What she truly needed was a man who would be with her on each grand step forward in her life, not holding her back.

“Audrey would never marry a quiet, sensible man,” Jonathan said. He rested his elbows on his bent knees and let his head fall back against the door.

“I suppose you’re right. From the day she was born, I knew she was meant for greater things. She wasn’t like me or Horatia. She had stars in her eyes and dreams so big they didn’t seem possible.” A wry smile curled Cedric’s lips. “I should have known she was serious about this spy business.”

“I knew she was serious, but I never thought she would leave, not after…”

“After what?” Cedric asked.

Jonathan blew out a breath and summoned the courage. He was going to marry Audrey if she survived this, and damn anyone who got in his way.

“After she accepted my marriage proposal.” He waited, wondering if Cedric would erupt with fury. For months, everyone in the League had told him that Cedric approved of the match, but Cedric’s overprotectiveness and impossible standards when it came to his sisters’ happiness were legendary.

“You finally asked her?” Cedric snorted. “About bloody time.”

“You’re not upset? I was worried after you and Lucien…”

“You aren’t Lucien. You don’t have the history with women that he does. And Audrey is not like Horatia. Horatia has a sweet heart and a tough exterior. She needed my protection, even though she didn’t know it. I had to make sure the man who won her heart was worthy of it.” He paused, his brown eyes steady as he looked at Jonathan. “But I never worried about Audrey. Yes, she shall always be my sweet kitten, but inside, she is made of steel. She never needed my protection. Whatever man she chose for herself, he would be the right man. And…I suppose I just didn’t want her to grow up too fast.” His lips twitched. “But her instincts were true. The moment she chose you, whatever small worries I had about her future, I let go because I know you are the one for her.”

“I must admit, I never felt worthy of her,” Jonathan confessed.

“Nor should you,” Cedric said, allowing himself a small grin. “But does any man when it comes to the woman he loves? I’ll never be worthy of Anne or the ground she walks upon. We are but mortal men who dare to love goddesses.”

Jonathan smiled and thought of Audrey being a goddess. She would no doubt have agreed.

“You’re the right man, Jon. Trust your heart and you will see.”

They fell into a still silence, the kind that comes after a violent storm, as though he knew that he was now facing the darkest hour of his life. And if he survived, if she survived, nothing else would ever be as terrible as this.

One by one, the remaining members of the League came down and sat upon the floor beside them. Godric, Lucien, Ashton, Avery, and Charles all kept vigil as they waited and prayed and hoped.

Godric sat shoulder to shoulder with his brother and laid a hand on Jonathan’s knee in a brotherly show of support.

“How did this happen?” Cedric asked quietly. All eyes turned to Avery.

“We were betrayed. The man we were supposed to be working with, Daniel Sheffield, was seen leaving the gendarmes before they began to muster.”

“But why?” Jonathan asked.

“I can only assume he was under orders,” said Avery. “I have worked with Sheffield before. The man is a professional, and as far as I know he holds no ill will toward me. I also fear I was not the intended target.”

“Audrey…” Cedric growled. “But why? She was just a child playing at an adult’s game.”

“She was assigned because it was believed she would be good at acquiring information within the French court. Many aristocrats would have opened up to her because of her looks, charm, and fashion. And she is quite cunning at the art of conversation.”

Ashton stroked his chin. “I know you cannot share much of your business with us, Avery, but if Sheffield holds you and Audrey no ill will, then whoever gave him his orders must. Who does Sheffield answer to?”

Avery was silent for a long moment.

“Come now,” said Godric. “This could be a matter of life and death.”

Avery sighed. “Sheffield reports to Sir Hugo Waverly.”

“No,” Charles whispered. Every man turned to him. His face became ashen as he lifted his head, his gaze leaving the floor. “He’s involved with the Foreign Office? That’s not possible.”

“All too possible,” Godric said.

“He’s the man who runs the Foreign Office,” Avery said. “There’s a public face, a man people know out in society to deal with matters of diplomacy. But Hugo is in charge of the agents in the field.”

“We knew he was back,” Ashton reminded everyone. “And he’s made his intentions toward us clear.”

“What do you mean, back?” asked Avery.

“One of my sources told me some time ago that Hugo had returned from France,” said Ashton. “Back when Godric and Emily were married.”

“To the best of my knowledge, Hugo hasn’t left England in years,” said Avery. “He’s far too busy to be far from his office for long.”

Godric frowned. “So all that time we thought he was overseas, he was right under our noses in London?”

“Plotting,” said Ashton. “Watching. Waiting. No doubt my source was fed the information of Hugo’s return to act as some kind of declaration. His way of letting us know he was coming for us.”

“All of the signs were there,” said Cedric. “It’s time we end this. There is no other way. Hugo must be stopped once and for all.”

“Good God,” Lucien muttered. “How the devil does one fight a spymaster?”

“The only way we can,” said Ashton. “We must play the game better than he does.” Jonathan could see the chess pieces moving about on Ashton’s mental board. The League of Rogues and Waverly were about to play the most deadly game the world had ever seen. But that was tomorrow’s concern. Once they returned home, they would find a way to stop Waverly. But for Jonathan, right now, Hugo was the most distant thing from his mind.

Be strong for me, my heart. He set the silent thought free upon the air, hoping that Audrey would somehow hear it. If there was anyone in the world who was stubborn enough to stay alive, it was his little sprite.

Please, my love, come back to me.