She closed her eyes as the cool sea salt air kissed her face. If she had to choose a place on earth to spend her last minutes of existence, it would be here.
Gus came to her side, slipping his hat from his head. “I had forgotten about this place. It is magical.”
Opening her eyes, she turned to him. Her gaze fell on his face. On those warm brown eyes. Gus wasn’t a handsome man in the traditional sense of the word. His charm lay beyond such mundane things as appearances.
“Forgive me, Gus. I am grateful that you are here. And I think you are right. Talking won’t likely get you anywhere with my uncle. I would be grateful if you could do what you can to help him, but please don’t put yourself in danger. None of this is worth it.”
He slipped an arm around her shoulder. “This is your home. No one has the right to take it from you. Your family has protected this holy chapel for many years. Men like Vincent Marec don’t deserve to set foot in here.”
“No, but he will. I can feel it in my bones. We are going to lose this place.”
There was nothing Evangeline could do to stop the inevitable. She could only pray that somewhere within the ranks of Marec’s followers was a man capable of understanding the precious beauty of the chapel. Someone who would become its new guardian.
She lay her head against Gus’s chest, relieved that at least some things hadn’t changed. He had answered her prayers and come to France. “I have missed you, Augustus Trajan Jones. I spent many hours here after you had left, praying that you would live.”
That you would come back.
“I survived because people like you and Stephen cared. And because Captain Grey is handy with a heated knife.”
He pointed to the simple gold cross which sat on the altar. “And I believe I was spared so that I could return here. I can’t quite put it into words, but I have a feeling that my task here is more than just about dealing with the problem of Vincent Marec.”
Chapter Seven
After leaving the chapel, they made their way down to the sandy beach of the nearby cove. It was a small area, only big enough to bring a small rowboat ashore, hence the need to build the jetty in the river on the other side of the hill.
The walk from the chapel gave Evangeline precious time in which to muster her bravery. She stepped onto the sand and faced the sea, too scared to look at Gus who followed close behind. “What did you mean when you said you came back to France for me?”
A hard male body pressed against her back. She closed her eyes as her imagination took over. Many nights she had lain awake in her bed and thought of Gus. Of what being with him would be like.
“I spent weeks recuperating at Monsale House. The Duke of Monsale is not one for idle chatter, so there were many hours when I was alone. During that time, I thought about you. Of what I might have missed had that bullet pierced my heart.”
“And what did you think you would have missed?”
Strong arms spun her around to face him.
His hands were placed either side of her face, and he leaned in. Her gaze settled on his lips. On the soft smile which sat on them.
“This.”
Gus pressed his lips to hers. His kiss was tentative at first, and she sensed he was waiting for her response. To see whether he had read her wrong.
He hadn’t.
Her lips parted, and Gus deepened the kiss. Their tongues met and danced over one another in strong, passionate strokes.
Everything else in the world disappeared. It was just the two of them. Even the noise of the crashing waves on the nearby rocks fell to a dim, almost imperceptible whisper.
When Gus speared his fingers through her hair, Evangeline silently congratulated herself for her impetuous ways. Braids be damned, this was how a woman wanted a man to hold her as he kissed her senseless.
He really has come for me.
Chapter Eight
It was close on midnight before Armand finally returned to Château-de-La-Roche. While he was polite with his greetings, Gus was immediately struck by the evasive and strange way his friend behaved. Evangeline bore the brunt of her uncle’s temper.
Armand pointed a finger angrily at her. “Did you ask him to come here to undermine me? Is that it? You think me a simpleton unable to defend my own home?”
“No. I just thought he could help. He is a friend,” she replied.
