Page 22 of A Game of Hazard

“I’m afraid I can look at no one but you, my darling. And I confess, I have no interest in Lady Osbourne at this precise moment. Is she wearing her usual black? I used to think it made her look like a crow.”

Alex chuckled. “It did rather, yes. And no. She is out in full regalia tonight, and I believe the woman sitting beside her—who looks like she’s been chewing lemons—is her cousin, Lady Octavia Sewell.”

“Both rarely seen in the company of their husbands, I surmise?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“I imagine the cousins have to take their pleasure where they can. They’re not as fortunate as you—they don’t have a tall, handsome, regimental captain following adoringly in their footsteps.”

She loved him when he was in a teasing mood. The truth was that she loved him in any mood.

These last few weeks had been more thrilling, more exciting than anything she had ever dreamed of. And once they were married, she knew there was even more to look forward to.

“I suppose this is the last time I’ll be seeing you in regimentals.” The sigh in her voice was genuine.

“Indeed. Once I’ve resigned my commission, I’ll no longer be entitled to wear them.”

Her gaze snagged on the tantalizing buttons of his waistcoat. Maybe if they could slip away at some point…

She shook her head to rid it of such lascivious thoughts. “Your sisters appear to be enjoying themselves.”

“Yes. It was generous of Lady Osbourne to invite them considering they are just the sisters of a soon-to-be country innkeeper. Who knows? They might even meet their future husbands tonight. I have every hope they’ll make happy marriages, though I doubt they’ll ever achieve the ecstasy I plan for us.”

Alex was flushing again. Feeling interested eyes upon her, she quickly changed the direction of the conversation.

“What have you been doing since we last met?” Giles had been away from Bath for the past few days and his absence had been agonizing. There was a tension about him now that both alarmed and thrilled her—she sensed he was bursting with news, but what could it be?

“I don’t want to damage your opinion of me but I must confess to having been underhand.”

What could he possibly have done that was dishonest? It wasn’t in his nature. Or was it?

“It would take something terribly unpleasant to shake my good opinion of you.” No—that was a lie. She couldn’t imagine anything that would alter her love for Giles.

His eyes danced with mischief. “With the assistance of Lady Osbourne and her butler, George Prowse has been lured into the open. The butler arranged a liaison with him at one of the local coaching inns and got the man so intoxicated, he was unable to escape when my men arrived. The reward has been duly claimed and distributed.”

So—Prowse had been taken. This was not the best news—what if he were to expose her and Mama? Alex shuddered and all the gaiety leached out of her.

Giles squeezed her hand. “I know what you’re thinking, my love, but be assured—he won’t be revealing any secrets to the authorities. They were foolish enough to allow him to escape. Unfortunately, his freedom didn’t last long—he was taken up by a press gang.”

This was all so confusing! She shook her head, and almost trod on Giles’s foot. He steered her back into the rhythm of the dance with expert skill. There was a distinct smirk on his face.

“Shall we say that both the escape and the press gang were engineered by myself? I have a contact in the Navy who owes me a favor and I called that favor in. George Prowse will not set foot upon England’s shores for some time.”

That was something, at least. “But he could still denounce us. Couldn’t he?”

Giles’s hand pressed against her waist, and he brought her closer to him. “He’ll be too afraid to open his mouth—the Navy’s not fond of smugglers. Besides—I requested that he be taken as far away from these shores as possible. He’s been warned that if he sets foot in this country again, he’ll go straight to the gallows. Harsh, I know, but one cannot use half-measures against such a fellow.”

The music came to an end, but Alex wasn’t ready to relinquish Giles’s company. When he returned her to their party, she complained of a headache and requested that he escort her home. Mama was enjoying herself far too much to offer to chaperone her, and Alex made sure to slip away before anyone else could be found to accompany them.

Perfect! If this was the last time that she was going to see Captain Harewood in his uniform, she meant to make the most of it. He had no objection to her ruse and tucked her hand under his elbow with proprietorial pride.

They emerged onto the street, where a bright moon reflected off the cobblestones. The lamps had been lit, and many of the houses sported their own flambeaux, cheerfully dispelling the autumn chill. A few people still strolled about, most of them simply talking and enjoying the evening while the link boys hung about the street corners, chattering loudly.

As she and Giles were about to ascend the steps to her front door, Alex noticed a gentleman hurrying along the street—and felt a stir of recognition. The man was smartly-clad, mostly in black, and wearing an old-fashioned tricorn hat. His pockets bulged, and from the corner of one of them dangled the tail end of a tape measure.

Giles doffed his hat and bade the man a good evening. The fellow stared at him, then looked at Alex, and his jaw dropped. His eyes rolled back into his head until only the whites were visible, and she started forward, afraid he was about to fall. The man blinked, let out a thin cry, and broke into a run, teetering past them and waving his hands in the air in apparent terror.

She glanced up at Giles. A smile was spreading slowly across his face.