“Evangeline is my wife,” said Gus, his voice laced with menace.
There was an audible gasp from the men who had come with Vincent. Insulting a man’s family in such a way clearly didn’t sit well with them.
Claude pushed Captain Grey forward, following him off the yacht and onto dry land. “I thought you said she had been giving her favors to all the men on the estate. Now it turns out she is married,” said Claude.
“And what happened to her being kidnapped?” asked another member of the gang.
Evangeline sensed a crack in the united front of Vincent’s men. “We will leave France and never return. You can have what is left of Château-de-La-Roche. My cousin, Louis, will not likely want it. Along with that, you now have the smuggling trade you took from us. All of this will make killing my husband pointless,” she said.
“Your husband was an enemy agent during the war. He worked against our country. As did you and your family,” Vincent sneered.
She shook her head. “We were smugglers. Forced into it after we had our home and livelihood taken from us. We only ever shifted contraband such as brandy and English lace. None of my family were traitors. That’s why Armand offered to work with you. He knew what it was to lose everything.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Evangeline caught the look on Claude’s face.
“Vincent, you never said anything about the old man offering to work with us. You said he was a stubborn fool who had told you we could all go to the devil.”
Evangeline fought back tears. She had never understood Vincent’s reasons for refusing such an offer. If she was going to die, then at least it would be with the truth finally out in the open. Turning from Vincent, she faced his men.
Armand, though your voice is now silent, I will speak for you.
“My uncle knew how hard life had been for you all since the end of the war. That many of you had sustained injuries that would never see you able to secure gainful employment. He wasn’t a saint, but he didn’t do what Vincent says he did.”
The click of a rifle being cocked had Evangeline swallowing deeply. Any moment now she fully expected Vincent to train the weapon back on her and fire.
“What about how he blew the château up? He grabbed the torch and set it to the gunpowder,” said Vincent.
“But we were the ones who brought a lit flame into his home. You were going to threaten to burn his house down,” replied Claude.
“Shut up!” bellowed Vincent.
Evangeline turned her head, catching Gus’s gaze. He was standing still, wisely letting Vincent and Claude battle it out.
To her surprise, Vincent lowered the rifle. He pointed a finger in her direction. “That schemingsalopeconned us out of our last shipment of brandy. Then she burned the stuff we had to buy to replace it. And she destroyed my farmhouse. Don’t defend her!”
“I am not defending her. But don’t you think there has been enough senseless destruction and death already? All of us are tired of constant battle. The war is over, and yet we are still fighting,” replied Claude.
A distinct murmur of approval rippled through the Lamballe gang. Vincent was losing the argument.
Agitated, he lifted the rifle and aimed it at Gus’s chest—at his heart. “Once this Englishman is dead, his widowed bitch will come with me. I am in charge, and I will be the one who decides when there has been enough blood . . .”
The rest of his manic speech fell to the ground, along with Vincent’s lifeless body.
Evangeline gasped. Claude lowered his pistol and faced the rest of the gang. “If there is any one of you who disagrees with what I just did, feel free to put a shot in me. But if you want to live a better life, then you might just want to listen to my proposal.”
As Claude stepped forward, Captain Grey quickly raced back up the gangplank and along the deck. He lifted the hatch which covered the stairs leading to the lower deck. Within seconds, the rest of theNight Wind’screw appeared.
Gus held up his hand, signaling for them to stay on board. Evangeline moved to his side, slipping her fingers into his. Her husband gave her hand a gentle squeeze. They were not out of the woods yet, but they had hope.
To her surprise, Claude didn’t address Gus. Instead, his gaze settled on her. “The smuggling operation which has been run out of Château-de-La-Roche has a reputation for being one of the best. That is why Vincent wanted to take it. But I think he forgot that a major part of its success has always been the people behind it.”
Evangeline blinked back tears. It was cold comfort to know that someone had seen the value that she and her uncle had contributed. If only Armand had been able to convince Vincent of that not-so-insignificant fact. But none of it mattered anymore.
“Armand is dead. And I am going to live in England. You are welcome to the ruins of the château,” she replied.
“Why not stay? Come back to the château. Continue running the smuggling trade. The Lamballe gang can provide the labor to rebuild the house and also help with the cargo,” said Claude.
“And in return?” asked Gus. There was an unmistakable note of distrust in his voice. These men had been threatening the La Roche family for months.
