Pain. Audrey couldn’t seem to focus on anything else. Images flickered through her mind, fragments of memories, and she struggled to catch the pieces. A ship sailing to France, a quiet inn, soldiers, an explosion, a moonlit cliff, a drawn knife, a shot in the dark…and then pain. So much pain.

And then something else. Something greater.

“Please, my love, come back to me.”

That voice.

It was as though she was trapped in a place between breaths, a world of memories and sensations.

Flashing green eyes, soft curved lips, a soft chuckle intended only for her.

Air filled her lungs in a gasp.

The glimmer of light upon water, the splash of fish in the pond, the rocking of a boat. Another deep kiss to satisfy centuries of longing.

A slow breath escaped her lips.

“I love you.”

Those words were forever carved into her heart. They could never be unsaid. But now she was suddenly too afraid to face the man she’d said them to.

“Her breathing has evened out.” A different voice spoke somewhere above her, and her muscles tensed. And then…

“She squeezed my hand.” Jonathan. With the name came all the memories of what had happened. The men, the soldiers, attacking from the shadows to save the man she loved, collapsing from pain, and being swallowed up by darkness.

“It could be muscle spasms. It’s best not to get your hopes up.” The other voice spoke again.

She prickled at his tone, wanting to tell the man she was fine.

But I’m not. Everything hurts, and I can’t seem to open my eyes.

“We’re almost home, Audrey. The winds of the Channel were fair, just as I promised.”

Jonathan’s voice was close, and the press of his lips to her forehead sent a shiver of relief through her. He was safe. She had protected him, just as he had protected her. The way that she hoped they would always protect each other.

She slipped away again, her mind drifting as her body succumbed to exhaustion.

When she next woke, her eyelids flickered, and she noticed the world had become still. There was no more rocking. It took a long while to find the strength to open her eyes fully. When she did, she realized she was in her bed at Cedric’s townhouse with Jonathan in bed beside her, though he lay atop the covers, fully clothed.

Had it all been a strange and terrifying dream? Had she even gone to France? A terrible pain throbbed in her side, and a moan escaped her. The pain reminded her it most certainly hadn’t been a dream.

Jonathan was asleep on the bed, both of his hands holding on to one of hers. Lines of worry were etched on his face, even in sleep, as if his concern had followed him even into his dreams. She wished she could wipe them away.

She suddenly felt foolish for ever having left him. She had put so much weight on proving herself and making a difference that she forgot there were more than enough battles to fight at home in London. The rights of women, for one. She would turn her eye to those issues and leave the spycraft to others.

Well, except perhaps when absolutely necessary.

She lay there for several long minutes, studying Jonathan’s face, down to the faint hint of freckles on his nose and cheeks gained from the hours he spent working in the gardens at the Essex estate. He had worked so hard in life and only now was having a chance to enjoy it. And she’d almost gotten him killed. She vowed right then not to cause him any more trouble.

No serious trouble, at any rate.

At least, nothing Jonathan couldn’t handle.

She didn’t want his life to get boring, after all.

She whispered his name and had the pleasure of seeing him wake up, to see how his eyes shone like twin jade pools in relief. They had told one another that they loved each other back at the inn; she hadn’t forgotten that. But would anything be different between them now after their confessions?

His face shone with a love that filled her with joy. “Thank God. I was so worried you would never wake.”

She couldn’t resist teasing him. “Yet here I am.” She felt giddy and a little nervous.

A tentative smile formed on his lips. “That you are. How do you feel?”

“Utterly wretched and wonderful at the same time.”

Jonathan laughed. “The wretched part is a good sign. Dr. Lewis warned that if you felt no pain that we would likely lose you. But pain is a good thing. It means your body is fighting to stay alive.”

“Well, you did say I am a fighter.” She tilted her head, batting her lashes in a way she knew favored her eyes.

“You’d better stop that,” Jonathan warned. “I want to kiss you bad enough as it is, and I can’t. You’ve had a serious wound.”

She pouted. “It was only a gunshot. A few kisses wouldn’t hurt.”

Jonathan rolled his eyes. “Only a gunshot? Listen to me, woman, you will be still and focus on getting better, because we have a wedding to plan.”

They were the words she had longed to hear. Her eyes began to mist. “A wedding?”

“Yes. Unless I have completely misinterpreted everything that has passed between us, you love me as much as I love you, and you had every intention of saying yes to my proposal when you returned from France. Well, you have returned from France, have you not? If I am mistaken in anything I have just said, you’d best tell me now before it’s too late.” There was an earnestness in his tone that made it clear he was afraid she’d try to take the words back.

She tried to keep from laughing. “You’re sure you’re ready to be leg-shackled to a woman like me?”

“I don’t think you could be shackled to anyone or anything, Audrey. That’s what I love about you.” And then he very gently kissed her, so softly that it felt like the most wonderful dream. When their lips finally parted, she stroked his chin.

“How is Cedric? He must be frantic.”

“He is. All of us are. The entire League rushed to your aid, Lady Society.”

“Oh dear… You didn’t tell them about that, did you?”

“I’m afraid the secret is out, though it wasn’t my doing.”

She sighed. “Are they furious with me?”

Jonathan chuckled. “Furious? No, but a few feathers were ruffled. Speaking of which, Charles demands to know how you learned about the swans.”

“The swans?” she asked.

“Yes. You made reference to the incident in your column long before general gossip made the rounds.”

“I was there, of course. Vauxhall is not exactly a private place. I hid on the back of the boat and followed him at a safe distance once he and his mistress went out onto the lake.”

“Good Lord, I suppose you’ve always been a spy in your own fashion. I daresay you had quite an eyeful.”

She smiled wickedly. “Oh, I did. And when I’m feeling better, I should very much like to try a few of the positions I saw. Minus the swans, of course.” She saw a deep blush radiate from Jonathan at that.

“Being married to you will never be dull, I expect.” He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss on the back of her knuckles.

“I would certainly hope not.” Audrey stretched a little to yawn, but she couldn’t hide the jolt of pain it caused.

“Rest, please,” said Jonathan. “I need you to get better.”

“Only if you stay with me.” She closed her eyes, exhaustion slowly carrying her back to the land of dreams.

“Of course,” said Jonathan. “I’ll never leave.”