His plan was simple. Evangeline and himself would hurry to the church, get married, and leave France on the evening tide. He didn’t want to linger in Binic one minute longer than necessary.
Captain Grey screwed up his face. “We cannot leave harbor until late. We’ve had problems with a crack in the main mast. Ever since we got into port, the crew have been working to fix it. They have tarred, wrapped, and painted it twice already. The final cable is being served and parceled right now. It will take another couple of hours at least before the work is finished.”
No one in their right mind would attempt to cross the English Channel in a yacht with a partly repaired mast. The perils of the sea were greater than a hundred heavily armed smugglers.
Gus raised an eyebrow at Evangeline. “Which means, we have time if you are ready to go through with this.”
“And what exactly is this?”
He bent and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Get married. I want you to be Madame Jones when you set foot on the boat.”
“What an excellent idea.”
They bid a grateful goodbye to Alain and Madame Rufus who were keen to carry on with their journey to the abbey in Tréguidel.
Captain Grey waited with Gus and Evangeline until the milk cart had disappeared from sight. He pulled his cap from his head and bowed to Evangeline. “I am sorry about Armand. We heard of his passing not long after we arrived.”
“Thank you,” she replied.
News travelled fast. Which to Gus was a worry in itself.
“It would be wise if you stayed out of sight as much as possible before we sail this evening. Marec’s men have put a rumor about town that Evangeline La Roche was kidnapped by an Englishman. There is even a ten-franc bounty on your head,” said Captain Grey.
“Ten francs? I thought I was worth at least fifty,” replied Gus.
“For that sort of money, I would turn you in myself,” said Evangeline. Captain Grey shot a sly grin in her direction.
With the wig gone, and not wearing his tricorne hat, Gus could only hope he might be a little less recognizable to the locals.
Evangeline pointed to the back of the building. “What is this place?”
Captain Grey moved away. “Perhaps I should head back to the yacht and leave you two to talk.”
Gus nodded. He was reluctant to have this conversation right now, but Evangeline deserved to know the truth of his past before she signed the marriage certificate. “Go to the boat, pick the crewman with the cleanest shirt, and quickly bring him with you to the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Bon-Voyage. We will need two witnesses for a wedding. In the meantime, I shall see if I can find a priest.”
“Right.” The captain ran for the street.
Gus took a hold of Evangeline’s hand and drew her to him. He was not about to lie to her and then stand in front of a priest and say his vows. Only the truth would do. “For obvious reasons I have kept a number of things from you. One of them being that while I was an agent for the British crown during the war between our countries, we used to use this place as a safe house. I’ve sailed the waters around these parts and Northern Spain for a long time.”
Her eyes narrowed as she met his gaze. “How long did you watch the château before you decided that we were the right people to approach for a smuggling operation?”
This was going to require a delicate touch. “Quite some time.”
“How long?” she pressed.
He sifted through his memories, trying to recall the exact time frame. “We had been settled on Château-de-La-Roche for about six months before we finally approached you. Before that, we watched the estate on and off for over a year.”
“You spied on us.”
If the mistrust which dripped from Evangeline’s lips was any indication, she wasn’t taking this at all well.
Do it. Just tell her everything. She won’t forgive you if you keep it a secret.
“Stephen and George did the reconnaissance work on the land; I was the one checking the coast. I used to watch you, Evangeline. When you went down to the beach behind the château, I would be hiding in the low shrubs along the top of the cove. It made my day whenever you stepped out onto the sand and the wind tussled your beautiful fair hair.”
In Gus’s mind, his observation of Evangeline had always been quite romantic, but now it just sounded odd and more than a little unsettling. He screwed up his face, unsure of what else he should say, fearful of adding fuel to the flame. “Does it help if I say I am sorry?” he ventured.
“No. And at some point, I intend to punish you for it. But what we need right now is for you to organize a hasty wedding, and for me to find somewhere to change. My fair hair is in need of attention.”
