“We’re here!” Ella surprised everyone with her announcement from the doorway as the two entered, out of breath from their race across the heath.

“And we brought the constable!” This from Vivi, who was followed by the portly county constable, who had to pause to take great, heaving breaths and regain his composure before grabbing hold of Sewell and, with the help of the baron, removing him from the room.

Taking in the scene, Ella wrinkled her nose. “Drat. We missed the excitement!”

“It appears we did,” Vivi agreed, disappointment in her tone.

“Ah, well. Next time!” Ella brightened.

Alex smiled as the duke and Will began to scold her friends, causing Gavin to lean down and whisper in her ear, “I am happy to see you smiling again.”

She turned to him. “I remain vexed with you, my lord. I cannot believe you did not tell me about Montgrave!”

“Alex, I will not argue with you. You can be angry if you need to be, but I almost lost you today and there are other things I would prefer to do than spar.”

“For example?” Alex asked.

“For example.” He wrapped his arms around her again, and her heart began to pound as he continued, “I’d prefer to remind myself that you are safe. And that you are mine.”

She smiled up at him. “I am yours, my lord. As much as you are mine.”

He clasped her to him, holding her tightly until a throat cleared from across the room, and Alex and Gavin remembered that they had an audience.

“Blackmoor,” the duke said, his casual tone belying his intent gaze, “perhaps you would like to explain exactly why your arms are wrapped around my daughter?”

twenty-four

Later that evening, Stafford Manor quieted as the guests took to their beds, and Ella, Vivi, and Alex curled up together on a wide, cozy chaise in the manor library where, for the first time that day, they were able to discuss the events of the afternoon. They had returned to the house just in time to change and welcome the first unsuspecting guests to the party and had spent the rest of the day and evening entertaining and pretending not to wish they were somewhere else.

Somewhere else, in this case, was with the duke, Blackmoor, Will, and the Marquess of Langford, who had holed themselves up in the manor study for the rest of the afternoon and much of the evening, poring through the documents that the former earl had secreted away in A History of Essex. They were still there now, hours later and, as exhausted as she was, Alex refused to go to sleep without hearing their findings. Ella and Vivi, equally curious, had agreed to keep her company.

Alex yawned broadly, relaxing into the seat. “It’s hard to believe that everyone who arrived today was completely unaware of what had gone on all morning!”

Vivi stretched, then assumed a similar position on the couch, leaning her head against Alex’s shoulder. “It’s true. Your mother covered up the missing men extremely well. I just wish she could have covered up our sneaking in a nap. I thought I was going to fall asleep at the supper table this evening.”

Ella lay down, placing her head on Alex’s lap and saying, “A nap sounds wonderful! I think I’ll take one right now…wake me when there is news?”

Alex smiled wearily and placed one hand on Ella’s shoulder and the other on Vivi’s knee, saying, “If nothing else, today taught me that you are the most wonderful friends a girl could ask for. Thank you for ignoring my instructions not to tell my parents about my heading to the hall. I don’t know that we would have succeeded in capturing Gavin’s uncle without my father, the baron, and Will.”

At that moment, the door to the library opened and Will entered, looking surprised to find the trio. “I assumed you’d all be asleep!”

Alex straightened and said, “What happened? Are you through?”

“For the time being, yes,” he replied. “There’s much work to be done, but the earl left remarkably detailed logs of all the illegal activities taking place on Sewell land over the months leading up to his death—he thought someone was smuggling weapons to the French, then information as the war quieted. It appears that the earl had suspected the culprit was Lucian, but only very close to the date of his death.”

“Why did he not tell anyone?” Vivi asked, “He was so close to our fathers—they were like brothers to him. They could have helped.”

“Pride,” Will replied. “Desire to protect his family name. Perhaps even a misguided belief that he could protect his brother.”

“What about Sewell’s partners?” Ella asked.

“There is enough evidence to incriminate several wealthy En glishmen and a few Frenchmen who have clearly been meeting with Sewell to exchange money for information. We received word from the constable that Sewell has already given up the names of a half dozen of his partners in the hope that he will receive a less severe punishment.”

“No matter what he admits, he’s still a traitor and a murderer,” Vivi said, sounding very much like her father’s daughter. “It’s difficult to be lenient with such crimes.”

“Indeed,” Will said, relaxing into the large leather chair across from them. “Now, little sister,” he said, allowing a teasing tone to enter his voice, “would you care to explain what exactly has happened between you and Blackmoor in the last few weeks?”

Alex leveled him with a frank look. “Not particularly.”

“Come now! It’s obvious you are…enamored of each other.”