The mention of Vincent brought back the words of the stable boy. Of what had been said about Evangeline. He was about to raise the subject, when she suddenly put her hands over her face and let out a low, heart-rending keen.
“He’s dead. Armand is dead. I can’t believe it has truly happened,” she sobbed.
Gus wrapped his arms around Evangeline. Her whole body shook as she wept for her uncle.
He knew exactly what was happening. She had been on the run for two days. Adrenaline had kept her going. Now as they sat in the quiet still of a country lane, things had finally caught up with Evangeline. She had stopped, and her world had come crashing down.
Gus had lived through war. Had known men to continue fighting long after the battle was over, their minds unable to accept the truth of what their eyes beheld. Even the rogues of the road had suffered these dreadful moments. The pain which came when reality and the mind finally fused in the heat of realization was shattering to the soul.
“I’m sorry, Evangeline. I wish I had been there to talk him out of it. To have been standing beside him when Marec arrived.”
Against his chest, her head moved back and forth. She pulled away, and he met her reddened eyes. “When I told him, Vincent was approaching, he barely batted an eye. He knew he was coming yesterday. Armand was trying to protect both of us. That’s why he sent you to Binic. He wanted you to be far away when the showdown with Marec occurred.”
He must have sent word for Marec to come and take the château. It was all prearranged. But why?
No one would ever fully understand why Armand had destroyed the château. Had it been for the sake of his honor? Or to exact revenge? The dead couldn’t answer for their actions. Armand had taken his whys and wherefores with him to the grave.
She wiped her tears away, and softly sighed. “What do you honestly think of our chances of making it to Binic alive? Vincent has never been one for doing things by halves. Or at least not when he can help it.”
Gus looked away, searching for the right words. There was an old connection still existing between Evangeline and Vincent. It was something he hadn’t realized until now. He didn’t understand it, nor did he like it. But he had to know the truth.
“You are truly afraid of Vincent Marec. What is it with you and him?”
Jealousy burned in his stomach. He hated himself for feeling this way when she was still so fragile over Armand.
I am a cad of the worst kind.
She sat back, drawing her knees up. “He is a mistake that keeps coming back to haunt me.” Lifting her head, she met his gaze. The pain in her eyes said it all, and Gus’s heart sank.
“Years ago, before you and I met, Vincent and I were close for a brief time. I broke it off, and he has never forgiven me. He is not a man accustomed to having women tell him ‘no’, especially after they have . . .” Her voice cut off with a choked sob.
A flash of primal rage sparked in Gus’s brain. Every nerve in his body was set to explode.
Gus got to his feet. He was in need of a walk. As he headed toward the trees, he reached into his coat pocket and let his fingers settle on the trigger of his pistol.
Fury simmered just below boiling point. Vincent Marec might well be on the hunt for them, but at that moment, he should consider himself fortunate not to have located his quarry. If Gus ever saw Vincent again, he was going to kill him.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Evangeline wasn’t surprised by Gus’s reaction. He could read the meaning in her words. She and Vincent had been lovers. And while their affair had been brief, and most definitely not sweet, the fact that she had been with another man was more than likely giving the Englishman reason to rethink his marriage proposal.
She sat waiting for Gus to return. While her injured ankle did hurt, she could have got up and followed him. Common sense told her to stay put.
If his offer is rescinded, then so be it. I won’t be judged by anyone.
And if that was the case, and Gus no longer wished to make her his wife, then she should be grateful. A man who could think poorly of a woman for her past mistakes was not a man she would want to be bound to for the rest of her life.
By the time Gus finally made his way back to where she sat, Evangeline had made up her mind. And she had the basis of a plan. She would go with him to Binic, then find a ship to take her farther up the coast toward Le Havre. In time, she would make her own way to Paris and her cousin, Louis. Problem solved; marriage obligations averted.
He approached, wearing a determined expression on his face. In his hand were the hat and wig. Whatever he was about to say, she could tell it was going to be serious and honest. All the pretenses of his smuggler personae had been put aside.
He set his things on the ground then went down on bended knee. Evangeline braced herself for what was to come.
“I have had a think,” he said.
“So have I,” she replied. Rather than have them both suffer through the awkwardness of Gus withdrawing his offer of marriage, it made sense for her to release him from his obligations. To restate her position of the previous day.
“I thought we agreed that I was in charge of this mission. One of the benefits of being the leader is that I get to speak first. Well, some of the time, at least.”
