Bobbi Smith - Captive Pride

Geoffrey Radcliffe stared at his servant, his expression one of outrage. “What do you mean, Kincade’s managed to elude your man twice?”

“I’m sorry, my lord,” Bartley was apologetic. “The best I can figure is that he’s aware of the surveillance.”

“How could that be?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that he disappeared from the Red Lion the night of the disturbance at Griffin’s Wharf. The man watching him didn’t even realize he’d gone until he saw him returning late that night.”

“And?”

“He disappeared yesterday for several hours.”

“You have no idea where he went?”

“No, m’lord. I’m sorry.”

“Well you should be!” Geoffrey raged as he imagined Kincade sharing Eve’s bed, tasting of her passion. “I expected competence, Bartley!”

“I know.” He was suitably humble. “I do have some new information on his brother, if that’s of any consolation to you.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Young Matthew Kincade is deeply involved with the dissidents.”

“He is, is he?” Geoffrey’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he considered how he could use the information.

“Yes. I don’t have positive identification on this, but my sources are reasonably certain that he was one of the ‘Indians’ at Griffin’s Wharf.”

“I see… And that’s the same night that Noah Kincade was gone from the inn, correct?”

“Yes, Lord Radcliffe.”

“Did your informants indicate that Noah Kincade might have been one of the ‘Indians,’ too?”

“No. There was nothing said about that possibility.”

Bartley’s answer was not the one Geoffrey had wanted to hear, and his mood grew black. “Have the surveillance continued,” he told him abruptly.

“Yes, m’lord.”

“That will be all, Bartley,” he dismissed.

When the servant had gone, Geoffrey settled back in his chair to ponder all he’d just learned. He had been seeing Eve regularly, yet he still did not trust her completely. She had capitulated to his way of thinking much too quickly for him to believe the validity of her professed change toward Kincade. Perhaps Eve was still interested in the other man and had warned him to take care when coming to see her. That possibility bore consideration.

The other possibility-that of Kincade being involved with the rebels in some illegal way and its resulting ramifications-would certain spell disaster for the arrogant nobleman, if only he could prove it. Geoffrey swore under his breath at his lack of vital information.

Tonight at the Winthrop’s he would observe Kincade carefully and perhaps discover the real truth behind his “secretive” activities.

“CC, darling, whatever is the matter with you tonight?” Caroline asked sharply as she noticed her friend’s lack of interest in their discussion.

“Yes, CC. Is something wrong?” Marianna pursued. The Winthrop’s ball was certainly among the high points of the social season, and yet CC seemed to be distracted, as if her thoughts were elsewhere.

“Nothing’s wrong,” CC answered quickly, annoyed that she had let her disquiet show. “Why do you ask?”

“You seem rather vague this evening. It’s almost like you’re here, but your thoughts aren’t,” Margaret observed. “I noticed John isn’t here yet. Is he coming later?”

“I wouldn’t know,” she replied flatly.

“CC! You’re not telling us that you’ve thrown John over?”

“No, I’m not telling you that. You seemed to have guessed it all by yourselves,” CC snapped.

Her friends looked genuinely perplexed by her manner.

“CC, we hadn’t meant to pry. It’s just so unusual for you to be so…oh, I don’t know…quiet, I suppose.” Marianna tried to make amends.

Instantly contrite for revealing too much of her own inner turmoil, CC turned a warm smile on the three women who’d been her closest friends for as long as she could remember. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so sharp with you.”

“It’s perfectly all right, dear,” Caroline assured her. “We all have our days.”

“Indeed we do,” Margaret agreed, and then urged, “But tell us. What happened with John? You two had been so close for so long.”

“I know.” CC knew it would do no good to try to avoid telling them the truth, for one way or the other they would eventually find out. “I care for John very much, but he wanted to get married. I’m just not ready for marriage yet.”

“You could have done far worse,” Marianna said.

“That’s true, Marianna, but I don’t love John,” she said with very real conviction. As much as she thought of John and had tried to love him, Noah Kincade was the only man who would ever hold her heart.

“I suppose we might as well drop the subject then,” Caroline sighed, “although I was hoping for a spring wedding for the two of you.”

“You’re just going to have to wait a little longer,” CC replied, making an effort to keep her tone teasing.

Margaret, who’d been keeping an eagle eye on the entry way to check on late arrivals, broke into the conversation in hushed tones. “Look! There’s Eve… And, well, my goodness…tonight she’s with Lord Radcliffe! The way things had gone at your ball, CC, I would have expected her to show up with Lord Kincade.”

All eyes turned in the widow’s direction and watched her grand entrance into the ballroom.

“My goodness, she certainly does spread her favors around, doesn’t she?” Caroline put in sarcastically as she gazed disdainfully in Eve’s direction, critically assessing the other woman’s low-cut, stylish gown of deep rose silk.

“I wish the woman would make up her mind!” Margaret sniped. “But, of course, as long as she’s dallying with both of the Englishmen, the rest of our men are safe. I doubt she has time for more than two…”

“I hadn’t thought she could best her last gown for outrageousness, but she certainly gives it a try with that one,” Caroline supplied, noting how dangerously close Eve’s bosom came to being fully exposed.

“I hope she doesn’t sneeze or bend over,” Margaret added, giving the others a quick, mocking smile, and laughter rippled softly through their midst. “Of course, it might just be the highlight of the evening if she did.”

CC watched Eve with Radcliffe and was greatly relieved to discover that she had not come with Noah. A knot of apprehension tightened in her stomach, though, as she regarded the slender beauty, her hair powdered and piled high in another stunning design, her hips swaying suggestively in her full-skirted gown. There was no doubt about Eve’s attractiveness, and just because the other woman hadn’t come with Noah didn’t mean she wouldn’t make a play for him once he arrived.

Nervously anticipating seeing Noah again, CC kept her eyes trained on the hall and wondered when he would finally get there. She knew it was going to be difficult approaching him. She had ended her involvement with him and had hoped never to speak with him again. Yet she knew she had to make the sacrifice for the sake of the revolution.

“Oh, look…” Marianna spoke up. “Lord Kincade’s finally arrived, and he’s come alone. Do you suppose he asked Eve and she turned him down for Geoffrey?”

“Hardly,” CC remarked. “There’s no comparison between them.”

“Do I detect a note of interest in Lord Kincade on your part?” Caroline was quick to note her defense of the handsome Englishman.

“No,” she denied. “I just find Geoffrey totally obnoxious.”

“Ah, the lesser of two evils, CC?” Margaret questioned.

“Something like that.” CC’s reply was vague.

The subject was dropped, yet the other women couldn’t help but notice that CC was watching Noah Kincade’s every move. And indeed she was. He looked so magnificently attractive in his black velvet coat, dark breeches, and snowy white ruffled shirt and cravat that she couldn’t tear her gaze away. She found it difficult to believe that she had actually shared Noah’s passion, and she knew in that moment that she would never stop loving him. CC had hoped that by staying away from him her feelings for him would lessen, but now she knew her love for him was for all time and would never cease. Her going to him for the cause would not be a sacrifice of her body, but a sacrifice of her soul, for it would devastate her to love him again and then have to be parted from him.