“I read your note. The passage from Shakespeare.”
“How?” His eyes seemed to clear as the grogginess of sleep wore off. “What are you doing here?”
She waved a hand. “I came with Alex, I mean the Earl of Selbourne. It was a horrible muddle. A man named De´charne´ abducted us because Alex is a spy.” None of that seemed to matter now that she was with John. She squeezed his hand again.
“Good God, Lucia!”
She blinked. “What?”
He scowled at her. “What were you doing with Selbourne? Why were you put in danger?”
“We were searching for you, of course! We were worried because you’d disappeared, and Father asked Alex to find you.”
“How does that involve you?” He raised a hand before she could answer. “Never mind. I forgot for a moment who I was talking to.”
She smiled. “And you—Mr. Dashing Spy—have no right to throw stones. What were you thinking, joining the Foreign Office, running off to Paris? Or do I even need ask?”
John glanced quickly at the door, and the color seemed to drain from his already pale face. Lucia clutched his hand tighter. “What is it?”
“I’d give anything to have kept that knowledge from you. It’s dangerous. You shouldn’t even be here.” His grip on her hand was firm, and some of her fear subsided. Perhaps John was stronger than she’d first thought.
“There’s nothing to worry about, John,” she said. “Alex is here, and he’ll get all of us out of France safely.”
John stared at her hard. “Why do you keep calling him Alex?”
She felt the heat rise to her cheeks. “I meant Lord Selbourne.”
“You two have grown very close.” His eyes were like a hawk’s, watching his prey for any vulnerability.
“Not really,” she stammered, looking down. She was doomed now. John would figure everything out; he always did. They were too close to keep anything from each other for long. John grasped Lucia’s wrist.
“What’s happened?”
She stared at the cloak she wore—Alex’s cloak— but John shook her arm. When she looked up at him, her eyes told him everything, and he shouted, “Goddamned bastard! I’ll kill that rake!” He scrambled to sit up, and she tried to subdue him.
“John, it’s not like that.”
“The hell it’s not! Are you telling me he hasn’t bedded you?”
She wanted to lie, but it was no use. He’d know. She bit her lip and looked away.
“Are you getting married? Has he proposed?” John’s voice was stony.
“No,” she whispered.
“I’m going to kill him. Where is he?” John was struggling to sit up again, and this time Lucia had to physically push him down.
“Stop it. This is as much my fault as his.”
“Your fault?” John roared, and she winced. “How is this your fault?”
She threw his hand down. “I don’t know! It just happened, John! I—I can’t explain it.”
“I can. He seduced you.”
“No!” She shook her head vehemently, but John ignored her.
“Does Dandridge know? Did you break off the engagement?”
