A Regency Gentleman's Passion: Valiant Soldier, Beautiful Enemy / A Not So Respectable Gentleman?

“Is she here?” Emmaline broke in. “May we speak to her?”

Landon looked at her with kindness. “She is not here.”

Emmaline averted her gaze, disappointed tears stinging her eyes.

“Madame.” Landon’s voice was soothing. “She will return later this day.”

There was a knock on the parlour door and the butler entered with a tray with a carafe, glasses and tea things. “Brought both, Captain,” Reilly said. He bowed out.

“Sit, now,” Landon said. “Gabe, I suspect you would rather have the brandy.”

“Indeed.”

Landon told them about meeting his wife during the battle of Waterloo and again when the war was over. They’d been married only a few weeks. “I cannot say if Marian knows Edwin’s whereabouts or not.”

They all fell into silence; Emmaline sipped her tea while the men drank brandy.

Alan drained his glass and set it on the table. “I have an idea, but I need time to work on it. You both must come for dinner tonight at eight.”

“Your wife will not mind?” Emmaline asked.

“Not at all.” His expression turned proud. “She is an exceptional woman. She will assist you if she can.” He smiled. “And she will enjoy having you as our guests for dinner.”

Enjoy it? Emmaline could not imagine that a lord’s niece who owned such grand things would enjoy dining with a shop girl. There was no égalité in England, it was said. But, then, the English did not use the guillotine; that was to their credit.

The rope, however, could be equally as lethal.

When she and Gabriel left and were seated in another hackney coach, she asked him, “Are you certain I should attend the dinner?”

He looked puzzled. “Why would you not?”

“I work in a lace shop.”

He shrugged. “What does that matter? This is about locating Edwin’s whereabouts.”

She sighed. He did not understand.

He walked her to the door of her hotel. “I will have a coach here at seven-thirty.” He bowed and walked away.

Emmaline descended the stairs and entered the hall of her hotel just as the clock sounded quarter past seven. If she had stayed one more minute in her room, she’d have perished from nerves. Once more she looked down at her dress and smoothed the skirt. Ladies dressed formally for dinner, she’d heard, but she had nothing like that to wear. Except for the dress she’d worn while travelling, Emmaline only had one more dress that Gabriel had not seen, a rather plain walking dress, but it was a pretty deep-rose colour. She’d quickly embellished the neckline with a lace ruff and added a peek of lace at the cuffs. She hoped it would be enough.

Gabriel was already waiting and stared at her as she crossed the hall to meet him at the door.

“Is my dress acceptable?” she asked him.

“Yes.” His gaze flicked over her again. “It is acceptable.” His voice was rough.

His reaction did not much relieve her mind.

A hackney coach waited on the street and Gabriel escorted her to it. The sky was still light and the evening as fine as ones they had shared in Brussels, but his company, much as she desired it, lowered her spirits.

As he assisted her into the coach, she set her chin. She must accept these difficult and confusing feelings about Gabriel for Claude’s sake. And she must remain hopeful. This night she would meet Edwin Tranville’s cousin and they would discover where to find him. Once Tranville was warned, they could work on finding Claude.

Claude would give up this foolish plan of vengeance for her. He must!

Her thoughts filled the time it took the coach to take them back to Bryanston Street, which was a good thing, because Gabriel did not speak to her.

He looked very handsome in his uniform, with dress trousers and shoes instead of boots. He was freshly shaved and, sitting so close, she could see some pink scrapes on his cheek. She wished she could soothe them with her fingers.

She sighed.

“What is it?” Gabriel asked her.

She nearly jumped. “I did not speak.”

“You sighed.” His voice was low. “Were you thinking of Claude?”

“No.”

He gave her answer no heed. “I suspect Mrs Landon will know how to locate Edwin, if that is what concerns you.”