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“ I cannae believe I’m about to meet the Duke of Exingham,” Cassian growled dismally as he helped Gabby out of Sir Dickie’s borrowed carriage, which had made the trip in relative ease. “Three days ago I thought ye a puir secretary and now?—”

Hunter, who’d ridden with them—acting as chaperone, much to Cassian’s dismay—now bounced impatiently on the balls of his feet. “Ye ken she’s a world-class veterinarian and I’m a bare-knuckled boxer. Come on, Cass, we’re still the same people.”

Cassian wasn’t sure he liked that sobriquet, but glanced at the other man. “A boxer, really? Suits ye better than doctor.”

“Fook,” muttered Hunter impatiently. “ Anything suits me better than doctor . Are ye ready? I want to see Aunt Sophia.”

Smiling softly, Gabby slid her arm through Cassian’s. “She will be waiting for us in the foyer. Likely with Lizzie and Bear—they are thirteen now—in tow. Lizzie is the one Hunter really wants to see.” She lowered her voice, although her brother had already bounded ahead. “They are adorably close.”

“Gabby, I…”

Cassian wasn’t certain what he’d intended to say, but she squeezed his arm, ensuring her pace up the steps was slow enough to match his careful tread. “Three days ago you knew me, Cassian Grey. What has changed?”

“I kenned ye to be kind and brave and bold and loving.”

She tugged him to a stop at the top of the stairs so she could smile at him. “And I am still me. ”

Damnit, but she was right. “Christ, I love ye,” he groaned, bending to claim her lips.

Which is why he was kissing Gabby passionately, his hand on her arse, when the door was thrown open by the Duke of Exingham himself who growled, “Stop mauling my bloody niece, for fook’s sake.”

Not the best first impression.

But Gabby saved him by laughing and throwing herself into her uncle’s arms. “Uncle Rourke, you are just as handsome as ever! How is your leg? What is for dinner? Where are the children?”

“Gabs! Gabs!” A lad about Gus’s age barreled into her, and she was laughing as she hugged him right back.

“Barrett Lindsay, you are even taller than when I saw you at Eastertime! What in heavens is Aunt Sophia feeding you? ”

“I’m taller than Lizzie now, Gabs, look!” The lad pushed himself up on his toes, then whooped when he saw her brother. “Hunter! Look, look! Look how tall I am now!” he called as he ran to where the tall man was spinning a giggling little girl.

Chuckling fondly, Gabby gestured for Cassian to join them in the foyer. “Uncle Rourke, this is Cassian Grey, heir to Sir Richard Biggenpans of Inverlochy Castle?—”

“And yer fiancé ?” Her uncle growled. “That had better be what all that tongue-wrestling meant.”

Oh God. Cassian wondered if he could fake an earthquake and throw himself off the front steps. Could he unattach his foot and toss it, cause a distraction?

Buck up. The man might be a duke, but he’s only concerned about his niece.

So, taking a deep breath, Cassian limped forward, offering the other man his hand. The Duke took it and his handshake was firm, despite the silver at his temples and the lines around his eyes.

“Welcome to Exingham, Mr. Grey. What’s wrong with yer leg?”

Ah. The Duke wasn’t subtle, was he? Taking a deep breath, Cassian confessed, “It was blown off in my last mission for the Crown. A mission which ruined me—but Gabby and yer brother Bull believe they can clear my name.”

The other man, who had been studying him without expression, finally released his hand with a firm nod. “I ken a thing or two about that.” He shot his niece a glare. “Although I would’ve thought ye smarter than getting involved with a spy . ”

There had to be a story there, because Gabby merely grinned and slid her arm through Cassian’s. “The heart does not choose , Uncle Rourke, you know that. And Cassian is an ex -spy. When Bull arrives, he will help us clear Cassian’s name and then?—”

“And then he’ll marry ye?” growled her uncle.

Cassian couldn’t help his surprised chuckle. Well, if the man didn’t want to adhere to social niceties, neither would he. “If Gabby will have me, I’d be the luckiest man alive.”

“Aye, ye would.” The Duke nodded firmly. “And if she wants to marry ye, ye will .”

This time Cassian’s laugh was more of a bark, and he tipped his head to smirk down at her. “Yer uncle isnae subtle. Would ye marry me, Gabby?”

She grinned cheekily. “Let us see what Bull has to say when he gets here?—”

“He’s here.” At the Duke’s announcement, both Cassian and Gabby’s gazes whipped round to him.

The other man jerked his head toward a large archway.

“Yer aunt is plying the Princess with tea and Bull is pacing impatiently. Likely nicking small valuables to distract himself, or keep in practice, or whatever.”

“Oh, dear,” murmured Gabby, at the same time Cassian blurted, “ Princess ?”

The Duke of Exingham twitched a brow at his niece, which Cassian was beginning to realize was the equivalent of a shout from this man. “Ye really do keep yer patrons’ identities a secret, eh? ”

“Bull’s Crown contact is a…princess?” Cassian was shocked, aye, but more importantly… hope bubbled in his chest.

And Gabby, of course, realized it. She squeezed his arm again and smiled softly. “Her Royal Highness, the Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne, daughter to the empress of a quarter of the known world. I assume she is of high-enough ranking?”

Holy Regal Shite .

The Princess Louise was the only one of the Queen’s daughters—the first princess in centuries, actually!

—who’d been allowed to marry a British man.

Nay, a Scottish man, the one who was supposed to very shortly become the Duke of Argyll.

More importantly, she’d always been a force for women’s rights and an advocate for equality…

And Cassian had heard the other rumors.

Rumors that the princess was the head of a ring of informants to rival the Secret Service. Rumors about the good she did for her country both at home and abroad when her husband had been the Governor General of Canada, which justified her mother’s complete faith in her.

Rumors that could save Cassian.

“Aye…” Cassian slowly grinned as he realized how neatly Gabby had solved his impossible problem. “Aye, she’ll do.”

The Duke held up a hand. “Do ye want to refresh yerself after yer journey?”

Cassian glanced down at Gabby once more, and she shook her head in response to his unasked question. He met her uncle’s eyes once more .

“Nay, Yer Grace. I think we’d both…just like to have this over with.” If I can convince the Princess that I’m no traitor… “So we can start planning our future.”

Something softened around the Duke’s eyes, but otherwise his expression did not change as he jerked his head toward the doorway once more. “They’ve been waiting for ye. Send out my wife so she can fuss over Hunter, will ye?”

And then he moved away, walking—Cassian was intrigued to spot—with a slight limp.

“Are ye ready?” murmured Gabby.

“No’ even close,” he admitted with a slight huff of laughter. “But I meant it. I dinnae ken why Princess Louise is here, but if she can help me…”

He was the one to tug Gabby toward the doorway, which he discovered opened into an ornate sitting room.

“Gabs!” cried a man who’d been pacing in front of the hearth. “Thank f—thank God ye made it!”

As he hurried toward them, Cassian had to assume this was Bull Lindsay, her so-called uncle, who looked no older than Cassian himself. How many years had she said there were between them—four? Five? The man had coloring similar to Hunter’s and swiftly enveloped Gabby in an embrace.

“I’m so glad ye’re safe,” he murmured against her hair.

“I was never unsafe,” she told him primly. “As you would know if you had bothered to read my letters.”

“I read yer letters,” he grumbled, loosing her to turn to Cassian. “I just needed to see it for myself. ”

“Bull, this is Cassian.”

“Our traitor,” Bull said with a nod and a twinkle of amusement in his eyes, as he thrust out his hand for a shake. “Who turned out no’ to be a traitor at all, thank fook.”

Cassian’s eyes narrowed as he shook the other man’s hand. “I am loyal to Britain…but I just could no’ tell my supervisors the full story.”

“Aye, well, I think we’ve solved that problem.” Bull’s fingers tapped out a rhythm against his thigh as he jerked his head toward the two women sitting on a settee near the window, watching them. “Ye ken who that is?”

Cassian nodded stiffly. “I dinnae ken why she’s here, though.”

“The Princess Louise keeps herself busy running a network of informants. She’s in nae way—I cannae make this clear enough—nae way affiliated with Her Majesty’s Secret Service. But yer superiors in the Service often… rely on her national and international insights, shall we say?”

Fook .

A daughter of the queen, running such a ring? No one would suspect. The fact that Cassian was being allowed to know this was almost stunning. “And she’s yer patron?”

“Aye, for many cases,” Bull agreed with a nod. “This one in particular. She couldn’t trust the service to investigate ye fully, in case the traitorous rot went deeper than just yer team, so she gave the case?—”

“My men were no’ traitors either,” Cassian growled, hackles rising. “They were good men who deserve recognition and gratitude for the sacrifice they?— ”

Gabby squeezed his arm again. “We know that now, Cassian,” she murmured. She turned a hopeful glance at her uncle. “May I stay, Bull?”

The other man eyed the pair of them in amusement. “I cannae see how I could stop ye. This is yer case, and ye deserve to see it to the end. I just wish…”

When he trailed off, Gabby prodded, “Wish what?”

Bull’s smile bloomed and he pulled her into another hug. “I just need to stop losing all my best detectives to their suspects.” He sent a grin Cassian’s way. “Welcome to the family, Cass.”

Another one of Gabby’s relatives who shortened his name? Aye, but also another one who has accepted ye, merely based on her approval and love of ye . Aye, he was a lucky man indeed.