A few moments later Abby was dumped unceremoniously beside her. Madelaine opened her mouth to thank Grey, but he cut her off. “Don’t speak, Madelaine. I’ve my temper under control for the moment, but one wrong word from you might make me lose it, and I’ll not be responsible for what I do to you after that.”
She clamped her mouth closed at his ominous words and then ate and drank without speaking. She was almost positive that he’d lied to her too, but blast the brutish man, without proof she dare not risk what he might do.
Madelaine awoke to darkness like she’d never seen. She blinked, confused about where she was. Grey’s voice floated to her. She froze as the memories flooded her and made her shake. Cold air licked her bare face and hands but something heavy covered her body, offering a little warmth. She ran her fingertips over the fine material and when she got to the hard buttons, she stilled, a lump forming in her throat. When had Grey covered her with his coat? The small gesture of kindness filled her with hope that perhaps he really did care about her, and made her cringe that she should care at all.
Immediately, she moved to sit up and realized she could. She glanced at her hands and feet. Grey or Lord Gravenhurst had untied her while she slept. But which man had taken pity on her? Her foolish heart wanted to think it was Grey.
Glancing around, she located Abby asleep on the other side of the clearing. Clever. Even if Madelaine wanted to escape, they knew she’d never leave Abby and to get to her friend, she’d have to cross right in front of Grey. She was as good as stuck, unless she wanted to add Abby to the list of people she had betrayed. If she couldn’t escape, then she planned to learn as much as she could. She strained to hear what the men were saying but only caught snatches of the conversation.
Inching her body along the dirt, she moved a bit closer and froze when Lord Gravenhurst stood. She squeezed her eyes shut and feigned sleep taking care to breathe deeply.
“So you didn’t recognize the man either?” Grey asked.
“No. The woods were thick where we were. The trees and underbrush blocked most light. But even in the shadow of darkness, I could tell his face was not right.”
“Yes.” Grey’s voice held a note of curiosity. “The outline of his jaw and cheek was a misshapen mess.”
“I’ll tell you one thing for sure,” Lord Gravenhurst said. “The man isn’t French. Whoever they’re working with, it’s not the French.”
Grey spoke like a man who knew all about the king’s spies. Her throat constricted as she waited for them to speak again.
“I got that much from his accent,” Grey replied. “Why the hell are you here?”
Madelaine slowly opened her eyes and stared into the dark. She wished she could see their faces.
“You’re damn lucky I am,” Lord Gravenhurst said. “If it wasn’t for me, you’d be dead.”
Grey scoffed. “By the time you came to help me, I already had the man on the run.”
“Ah, yes. He was running to get into better position to shoot you again.”
“Did my brother send you to check up on me and make sure I was doing my job?”
Madelaine dug her fingers into the dirt. Every word Grey spoke crushed her anew. He was a spy. He had to be. What was his job? Seduce and destroy? Her heart thumped heavily.
“I’ve lost contact with your brother,” Lord Gravenhurst said. “That’s why I came to you. To see if he’d changed his mind and followed you.”
“When did you lose contact?” Concern filled Grey’s tone.
“I sent a carrier pigeon to tell Ashdon my lead had come up empty, and when I got no response back as to what to do next, I went back to the castle and tower. He was neither place, so I thought he might have come to find you.”
“I haven’t heard from him either. Maybe he’s waiting for me in Kew. I sent a message to him before I left the inn telling him I was going to Lancashire to get Madelaine and bring her to Kew to stand before the king.”
A cry threatened to escape her. She bit down on her cheek and pressed her face into the dirt with horror. He’d never intended to help her. He’d used her and lied to her. He was no better than she was. He was worse.
And to think guilt had been her constant companion since the moment she’d decided to help her father. A big part of that guilt had been because she was betraying Grey. Blast him. He’d never loved her. Her mind shrank away from the truth. She’d thought she’d met a man who really loved her for who she was, or had been, but it was a lie. Her breathing picked up speed, until fear of alerting the men that she was awake forced her to bite her lip. She bit hard until the blood came, and she was able to control her breathing once again.
“Shall I go with you to Kew?” Lord Gravenhurst asked.
“No. Go to my parents’ home—that is…I mean Edward’s, now. If he’s not there, meet me at the tower. I suspect once the king speaks with Madelaine, that’s where he’ll send her. I’ll take her there and then we can either search together for my brother, or if we’ve heard from him, we’ll set out to find whoever it is they’re working with.”
“Do you think she’ll tell you?”
“I mean to try to get the information out of her.” Grey sounded tired and reluctant. Or maybe she just wished that was the way he sounded. She didn’t know what was real and what was false anymore.
“Seduction again, is it?” Lord Gravenhurst’s voice was with filled restrained laughter.
She couldn’t decide who disgusted her more—Lord Gravenhurst or Grey. Grey won since he’d broken her heart.
