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“Yes.”
“You will stay right here? You will not move?”
She shook her head. “I’ll be right here. You should go now.”
“There’s time yet.”
“Yes, but I can practically feel you bouncing up and down. You want to go. Here, take your coat and—”
“No. I’ll be warm enough moving around.” He slid out from under the cart before she could object. “I’ll be back as soon as I spot them.”
She nodded. “Be careful.”
“I will.” He stepped back, studied the makeshift shelter he’d made then seemed to nod to himself. Then he bent back down, leaned in, and kissed her. “I’ll be back.”
A moment later he was gone. He moved quickly and quietly and within moments, the air about her had stilled and it was as though he had never been there. But she could still feel thewarmth of his body where he’d sat, and her body still tingled from the pleasure he’d given her.
She supposed it was natural for a man and woman who were attracted to each other to take advantage of a situation like this. No one at the palace would question what happened between them. She was a widow and didn’t need a chaperone. But Emily couldn’t help question what had happened. Had Will merely taken advantage of a situation, or did he feel something for her? He obviously found her attractive, and that was immensely flattering, but was there anything deeper?
For her part, she was on a slippery precipice and scrambling not to fall. He was everything she liked in a man and didn’t know she wanted. He was charming and he made her smile, but he could be serious as well. He was resourceful and decisive. He made her feel protected and safe, but he didn’t treat her like a child. And he didn’t talk to her like she was a child, as so many other men spoke to women. He was interested in her opinions and her thoughts. They had shared interests. He was obviously a man who had strong relationships and loved his friends and family.
But the way he kissed her. The way he touched her. She closed her eyes. Well, that connection was something that she hadn’t expected or ever thought she would feel with another man.
Yes, there were many reasons to stop fighting that fall.
And yet she couldn’t let go. There was something he wasn’t telling her. He was skilled at hiding it, but there were loose threads she thought might just unravel if she kept pulling them. He’d thought she might be a traitor. She supposed everyone was under suspicion now, but he had tried to question her. And the way he’d reacted when they’d been attacked. He had not panicked. He had seemed to know just what to do. She looked up. He’d led them to safety and found her a shelter.
Interesting that a man who had supposedly been lolling about the Continent seeking pleasure the past few years would be so capable in a crisis. Most gentlemen she knew would have cowered or been at a loss for what to do. But Willoughby Galloway had rescued her, taken cover, and shot at their attackers. Didn’t a response like that require training? Had he been in the military?
She wasn’t certain how long had passed, but she noticed the rain had stopped and the late afternoon sun slanted through the trees. She hugged the coat closer, trying to keep warm, and waited.
WILL MOVED QUICKLY. Without an injured woman by his side, he retraced his steps easily. He saw no sign they had been followed into the wooded area. That eased his mind considerably. He didn’t have to worry about Innishfree finding Emily and harming her while he was away.
He sought cover at the hedgerow that offered a view of the road and watched for a long time. No conveyances passed, and there was no sign of the queen’s coach or the dead coachman who’d been lying on the road. Either a traveler had come by and taken the body to a magistrate or the cutthroats had moved it.
He also saw no sign of the separatists. If they were hiding in the trees on the far side of the road, waiting for another opportunity to strike, they were very good at concealment. But if he were in their place, he would not see any point in staying here. They must know now that the queen was not in the coach. She certainly wouldn’t come to this place with her guard. And they would be outnumbered and outgunned if they tried to attack when the guard arrived.
Undoubtedly, they were on their way back to London. But this wasn’t the end. They would try again. The problem was itcould be months. Now that the palace was on alert, they would want to wait until everyone’s guard had dropped. If Will wanted to sabotage their efforts, he needed to find out who was helping them. He needed to expose the traitor and turn them over to Palmerston. Only then could they root out the separatists and keep the queen safe.
Will cocked his head as he heard the distant sound of thunder. But, as he’d hoped, it wasn’t thunder. It was a large group of horses moving his way along the road.
The queen’s guard had come, as he’d known they would.
He stepped cautiously out from the hedgerow and stayed low as he made his way across the field. No one moved in the far woods, and he was able to make it to the ditch at the side of the road and crouch down until he spotted the first of the guard approaching. Then Will waved a hand and climbed up to the road, waiting as the guard slowed and stopped.
Fortunately, the man in charge of the guard was quick-witted. When Will explained, the guard understood immediately what had happened and what needed to be done. He sent several men with Will to find Lady Averley. As Will led them back to her, he tried to decide how to move forward. He had hoped she wouldn’t remember his questions about the separatists, but she had and she’d been clever enough to understand what his goal had been. She knew he wondered if she had been in league with the separatists. That meant she had an idea he might not be who he said he was.
He'd had to make a choice in that moment, and he’d chosen the one duty demanded. He’d lied. But had he lied because of duty or because he knew if he told the truth he’d lose her? He wanted her too much to lose her.
The question now was whether he was compromised. She had suspicions about him, and he had mixed emotions about her. It was more than wanting to take her to bed. If this was justlust, he might feel badly about having to expose her for a traitor, but he would do it.
But he had feelings for her. He cared about her.
And he did not think she was the separatists’ contact inside the palace.
But did he think that because he wanted her to be innocent or because it was true?
And if he recused himself from the mission now, would Baron be able to find another saboteur to take his place before the queen’s life was endangered again?
