Chapter Sixteen
Alex lay on his side, his arm under his head as he studied Patience sleeping alongside him. Making love to her was everything he’d imagined, and more. The sweet, shy girl had turned into a seductive woman. It had probably not been a good idea to take her again during the night, but he would let her be for a couple of days since she might be somewhat sore.
A remarkable side effect of their lovemaking was the night of peaceful sleep he’d had. For the first time in years, he’d not been troubled with visions of war. Although those dreams had subsided slightly since he’d left the military, he’d never slumbered as he had last night. Like a babe.
Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, and her lips moved into a sleepy smile. God, he wanted her again, but he’d just made a promise to himself to allow her body time. Instead, he kissed her softly. “It is time for us to be on the road.”
He hid a groan as she stretched, the blanket covering her nakedness slipping down to reveal her plump breasts. She sucked in a breath and yanked the cover back up, a lovely shade of red rising from the top of the cover to her hairline. He couldn’t help grinning, but in deference to her embarrassment, he did not comment.
“If you will hand me my nightgown, I will rise and dress for the day.”
Alex tossed the nightgown to her and walked to the water bowl on the dresser, washing his face and cleaning his teeth. With Thomas busy supervising their leave-taking, Alex pulled on his clothes and tied his cravat in a loose knot. He turned to Patience who was still abed. By the look on her face, it was apparent she’d been watching him strut around naked. Her breathing was rapid and she had a lovely blush on her face. When she licked her desirable lips, he fought the urge to join her.
No, he could not make love to her again so soon.
He tamped down his lust and said, “Hurry up, sweeting. We will want a bite of breakfast before we leave.”
Patience pulled the nightgown over her head and shimmied into the garment. “Will you send Polly up, please?”
He left the room as quickly as he could, wishing there was a cold lake nearby he could dive into. He found Polly in the common room, speaking to Thomas. “Polly, Her Grace would like you to attend her.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” The woman hurried off as Alex took a quick look around the common room, then walked outside to check the area around the inn. No sign of Loverly. He strode back into the inn and to the private dining room where the innkeeper’s wife awaited him. “Shall I serve breakfast now, Your Grace?” The plump woman with the cheerful smile dipped a curtsy to him.
“Yes. My wife will be joining me in a little bit, but I will have some coffee while I await her.”
Alex sat and sipped his coffee, staring into the cold fireplace. Once the early summer months arrived, most inns stopped providing fire for their guests, but there was still a slight chill in the air.
His thoughts wandered to London, where they would arrive today. He would have to visit with the War Department as soon as they returned. He would also contact Hawk, Cam, and Templeton and warn them to be aware that Loverly was following him. He was concerned for Patience, and had to make sure once they arrived in Town that she was never alone when she left the house.
It would not be easy to do that and not have her ask questions. She was not an addlepated woman. His attention snapped to Patience as she entered the room. Her hair had been braided and wrapped around her head. Her blue traveling suit had been brushed and her boots shined. She looked the epitome of a lovely aristocratic woman.
He stood and pulled out her chair as the innkeeper’s wife carried in a tray loaded down with eggs, rolls, butter, fruit, and kippers. Once the food was placed on the dining table, he and Patience began their meal.
“I will need a few moments to use the facilities before we leave.” Patience wiped her mouth with her napkin and placed it alongside her plate.
“I will see you outside. I am going to check on the horses.”
Once again as he exited the building he looked for Loverly, but saw nothing amiss. Since the traitor had been riding a horse, chances were he was already in London. It was quite possible he’d ascertained their destination and no longer felt the need to track them.
With all his concerns, Alex was anxious to get on the road and finish the journey. Traveling was always troublesome at best, what with difficult, muddy roads, highwaymen, and the chance of breaking down along the way. With the added worry of Loverly tailing them, he would not relax until he had Patience inside four sturdy walls.
Just as he thought those words, she appeared from the door of the inn and joined him. “I am ready.”
Alex opened the door and assisted his wife in. He gave John Coachman instructions and climbed in after her. With a tap on the ceiling, the carriage began to move forward, to London, and the issue he had to deal with there.
Hopefully, it would be resolved quickly.
…
The outside of the War Department building at Horse Guards stood dark and gloomy in the cloudy, rainy day. He entered the building and shook the water from his great coat. His appointment with the commander in chief of the Forces was in less than five minutes. He hurried up the steps, turned right, and entered the chief’s office.
A young soldier stood at attention near the inner door. Another soldier sat at the desk in the center of the room. The man jumped up as Alex entered. “Good morning, Your Grace. The Commander is awaiting you.”
Alex nodded and followed the soldier into the inner sanctum of the commander in chief, where major decisions, involving life and death situations, were made. The chief stood and offered a slight bow. “Your Grace, thank you for coming.”
A slight smile teased Alex’s lips. “That sounds remarkably humorous coming from you, Commander.”
The man waved to the seat in front of his desk, and Alex settled in.
“Bad business, this Loverly thing. I wished the man had done us all a favor and killed himself. We’ve managed to keep things as quiet as possible in deference to his daughter. However, the last we heard she has disappeared. I hate to think what her life would be like if she were here in London.”
Alex leaned back and rested his booted foot on his opposite knee. “I’m afraid the Loverly thing has hit close to home for me.”
The commander’s eyebrows rose. “Indeed?”
“As you know, I have just returned from my estate, where my wedding recently took place.”
“Felicitations, Your Grace.”
Alex nodded his acknowledgment. “Both at the church on my wedding day, and at one of the inns where my wife and I stopped on our way to London, Loverly made an appearance.”
The commander’s jaw dropped. “We have been searching for the man here in London. We’ve scoured all his usual haunts, former friends’ homes, and have a twenty-four-hour watch on his townhouse, which is now under the control of the Crown.”
“Somehow, he found a horse and managed to travel all the way to Bedfordshire, and back again.” Alex leaned forward. “What concerns me are his intentions. He obviously wants to contact me, but my major worry is my wife. I wouldn’t put it past Loverly to involve her in some plan to get what he wants.”
The commander pounded his desk with his fist. “The man is a dunderhead. He should save the House of Lords an extensive trial and a public execution, and take care of the business himself.” He let out a breath and shook his head. “There is absolutely no honor in the man.”
Alex shrugged. “It has been my experience that traitors have little honor.”
The commander nodded. “Yes. You are right. So, what are your suggestions?”
“I will put guards with my wife at all times and wait for him to contact me. Now that we are all back in London, I imagine it will be soon.”
“You know what to do if you encounter him?” The unspoken message was clear. If the man wasn’t willing to kill himself, it would be done for him.
Alex stiffened. “I am no longer in His Majesty’s service.”
“I am authorizing you as a citizen of the Crown.”
But he was not just a citizen, he was a duke. Only the Prince Regent himself could authorize such an act. Alex pushed it to the back of his mind. “What if I merely bring him in? Those were my orders when I was sent to America to rout him out.”
“We wanted him on British soil to question him. Learn his contacts.”
His taste for the brutal life he’d left behind had ceased. How could he kill a man in cold blood and then return to his wife and make love to her? That Alex was no more. He must be gone to move on with his life, assume his new role. He stood. “I have other business to attend to. I will keep you apprised of the situation.”
The commander stood and extended his hand. Alex accepted the handshake and left the room.
Holding a glass of brandy in his hand, Alex stared out the window of his study. It was well past midnight, and the sliver of a moon cast only a slight glow on the garden outside the window. Two days had passed since his meeting with the commander in chief. Two days of constantly watching his surroundings, two days of having footmen follow Patience, while trying not to alert her to the danger she might be in. He took a sip and jumped at a flash of something reflected in the window.
“So we meet again, Your Grace.” Loverly stood in the middle of the room, a pistol pointed at Alex’s chest.
He cursed his foolishness in not being prepared. His pistol was in his middle desk drawer, nice and safe. But then, he’d never expected Loverly to appear in his house, either. “How did you get in?”
“Ah, Your Grace. That is my secret, is it not? All I can say is you might be a bit more circumspect when you hire your help.” He moved farther into the office and waved the pistol. “Put the glass down. We don’t want any weapons in your hands now, do we?
“I must tell you how impressed I am with your change in importance. To think I was captured and dragged back from my new life by a duke. One would think that gives me an entirely new status, yes?”
“Why are you here, Loverly? I want you out of my house and out of my life.” He looked around the room, trying to see what he could use to surprise the man and possibly relieve him of his weapon.
“Ah yes. What is it I want from the new Duke of Bedford?” He pointed with his pistol to the two chairs in front of the dark fireplace. “Perhaps we should sit and have a conversation, Your Grace.”