Page 36 of Jaxon (Gentlemen of War #4)

Amelia

“Miss Amelia,” Jesse appeared in the bedchamber and called out. “Please, take a seat.”

I remained at the back window, unable to pull myself away. Aside from Peter’s death, this last hour had been the most difficult I had ever endured. “I cannot.”

“I am certain Mr. Jack is fine. They had a decent plan.”

I chewed on my thumbnail and glanced out again. “What if he is injured?” My eyes darted around the back. The torch flames were beginning to fade, two had already extinguished. “What if they can’t find their way home?” I twisted the sash at my waist.

“Jaxon is strong,” Henri mumbled in French. “Believe me, he has often bested me.”

I knew they were trying to placate my fears but, until I saw him standing and breathing before me, nothing would work.

I circled around and stepped to the door. Ennis stood up, placing a gentle hand on my arm. “Not again, Miss. Please don’t keep trying to go outside. Mr. Jack implored us to keep you safe.”

“I just need to see what is going on. I can’t see a thing back here.”

Ennis pursed his lips and looked over at Jesse who nodded. “Fine,” Ennis relented. “I will take you to the front windows. We can wait for them downstairs.”

I clapped my hands together and kissed him gratefully on the cheek. This surprised him, surprised us both truthfully, for I never would have done that at home.

Jesse and Ennis led the way as we descended the stairs with one lamp. The great room was eerily quiet. I had never seen the room so empty and cold—not even a fire blazed in the hearth. We went to the window and, while I was thankful the clouds had shifted enough to allow moonlight in, darkness prevailed. I stared out, my eyes sharpening and adjusting to any unnatural movement.

A figure near the river moved. Not a tree, nor a branch—a person.

I stared harder. “Look,” I said.

Both men peered out the window with me. The person took several steps and stopped.

“It’s Lord Jaxon,” Jesse said.

My eyes flashed to his for confirmation. He kept staring. “Yes, I’m certain—”

I didn’t wait for him to finish his sentence and rushed to the front door, flinging it open.

“Miss Amelia!” Ennis shouted.

“Wait for us!” Jesse added, and I believed they followed me.

I ran as fast as my feet might carry me in the man’s direction, but noises to my left transpired from the woods, drowning my movements and captured his attention first. Voices and footsteps thundered toward Jack. I wobbled to a stop, recognizing the first man to greet Jack in a hug was Lord Zachary.

“Zach!” Jack shouted. “You’re alive!”

“So are you!” he said.

My heart shuddered within my chest at their exchange. What happened to make each one think the worst?

Jesse and Ennis caught up to me and the three of us stared as more men appeared, including two men in restraints, and two additional strange men wielding guns at the offenders.

I recognized the next person to embrace Jack was Lord Lucas, then the third man from St Pancras Church in April, the one I believed Jack referred to as Lord Devon or Hunter. Claude and Diggs stepped through the tree line last. Diggs held a bloody fabric to the side of his head.

Lord Zachary patted Jack on the back. “Yes, once Hunter and Luke appeared, we set a trap for the other men hovering outside of the clearing. At the time, we did not know there were only two. We led them to believe that I was mortally wounded and, when they captured Diggs and Claude, they believed that they were victorious.”

“I was most relieved to see Hunter myself,” Jack admitted.

“They were a bit of a surprise… a well-timed surprise!” Zachary said through a faint laugh. “I believed they were a day behind, but they arrived along with these two Bow Runners,” he gestured to the two unknown men, then continued, “Daniel King and Charles Frank.”

Lord Lucas inserted, “We followed Groves and his men from the village through the woods, keeping to the riverbank so the sounds of the water muffled our movements. Once they stopped in the clearing, we found Claude and Diggs watching them and came up with the other plan.”

Jack smiled. “Astonishing. Thank you, gentlemen.” He dipped his head.

Though I was only steps away, I remained unseen and felt oddly out of place. From the looks of all the men, they had been through a harrowing night, not one of them appeared without injury.

Jack rubbed his neck. “Are Groves and Brady the only two that survived?”

“Yes,” Lord Lucas responded. “The others are dead,”

The third man, Lord Devon, stepped forward. “What of O’Keefe, Jax?”

Jack turned toward the river and shook his head. “He’s gone.”

My heart pounded as I counted the men, thankful that none of ours were missing.

“Lord Jaxon?” One of the runners turned his attention to Jack. “Do you have a place to keep the prisoners for the night? We will return with them to Bow Street tomorrow.”

“Yes.” Jack briefly looked around. “Jesse, Ennis, will you show the men to the cellar? They will not escape from there but keep them bound. We can take turns tonight keeping watch.”

Jack stared at the two men who flanked my sides, then his eyes fell upon me and, for a brief moment, it seemed as if he hadn’t registered who he was staring at.

A full heartbeat passed between us until he pushed past his friends, rushing over and taking me fully in his arms. I wrapped mine around his neck as he tightened the hold.

“Amelia,” he breathed into my ear. The reality of him standing here soothed my fears. This was the only place I wished to be.

I nestled my cheek against his neck. “You’re safe!”

His hand brushed against my hair. “And you.”

I drew back long enough to inspect him for obvious injuries. My eyes roamed the cut on his lip, the bruises on his cheekbone and brow, and widened at the mixture of blood and dirt. “You’re wounded!”

“I’m fine.” He smiled. “I assure you.” Then his face seemed to recall some type of terror while he stroked his thumb against my cheek. “I feared O’Keefe had shot you. I cannot tell you how relieved I am to see you whole and safe.”

I responded with a gentle kiss, bold and unapologetic.

When I withdrew, I peered behind Jack only to see his friends’ bewildered faces. “Oh!” I gasped. For one brief moment, I had lost myself in our own little world.

Everyone stared at us silently… except Lord Zachary, who had the same mischievous grin on his face as when Jack and I walked out of the study earlier today. I lowered my arms from Jack’s neck, but he refused to let go of me entirely, retaining his hold on my hand.

“Forgive me,” I said, smiling shyly in the direction of the men.

“Miss Amelia?” Lucas took a couple steps forward and bowed.

I responded with a curtsy. “Lord Lucas, hello.”

“H—how are you here?” he gaped. “What am I missing?” He looked to the other men for answers, then his eyes brightened. “Wait, you are the travelers who were stranded here? Zachary spoke of protecting additional unintended guests.”

I blushed. “Yes, we would not even be here if it weren’t for Jack, Diggs, and O’—” My words cut off when I realized that even though O’Keefe had been part of that rescue, saying his name now only reminded us of his deception.

Jack wound one arm around my waist as if he didn’t care what the others might think, his hand gently caressing my back. “You promise O’Keefe didn’t harm you?” he asked.

“I promise,” I assured, smiling, lost in his eyes once more. Pulling my gaze away, I studied the men, searching for gunshot wounds. “We heard a myriad of gunshots and I’ve never been so frightened in my life, not knowing if any of you had been injured… or worse.”

“Yes,” Ennis grumbled. “She tried to leave the room a half dozen times.”

“I was worried,” I whispered.

Jack leaned in, brushing his lips against my cheek before he reached my ear. “I appreciate that, love.”

“Love?” I whispered back.

Jack arched a brow. “By all means.” He drew me closer to him.

Jesse cleared his throat. “Pardon us, my lord.” And gestured for the runners to follow him and Ennis inside.

“Look at us all,” Zachary said, as he smiled and waved a hand around the remaining group while speaking in French. “We appear as though we never left the peninsula. A battered collection of soldiers.” He turned to Claude. “And you, one of us. Fighting alongside the Brits.”

The men laughed and Claude followed suit. With a shake of his finger, he declared, “You forget, ami, Jaxon, I mean, André, first fought alongside me …” He laughed out loud. “Long before this.”

My breath caught in my throat. André? That’s a French name. I stiffened and glanced up at Jack. What did Claude mean by that? A flash of panic appeared in his expression. I turned to Claude speaking in his language. “What are you saying? How were you and Jack on the same side?” Although he understood some English, I didn’t want him to mistake my question.

“For Napoleon,” he confirmed. Then he went stock still, his eyes flashing over to Jack, and suddenly the air shifted in the small space and squeezed my lungs.

“Amelia…” Jack whispered.

I pulled away from him and took a step backward. “This cannot be true,” I mumbled. Placing my palm against my forehead, I felt a light layer of perspiration building. “O’Keefe was right.”

“What does that mean?” Jack countered.

“He said I didn’t know you very well, that you had secrets.”

Jack tried to reach for my hands, but I pulled them behind me. “You do know me, Amelia.” His tone was laced with a plea, “ You know me.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, keeping my distance. “When did you fight for Napoleon, Jack?”

In the corner of my eye, the men that remained looked uncomfortable. Claude and Diggs slipped away. Only Lord Devon, Lord Lucas, and Lord Zachary remained, each motionless in their stance.

“Was it Waterloo? Did you fight against the British at Waterloo?” I needed Jack to say it out loud. My voice remained steady yet eerily low. I offered no cries or hysterics.

“Amelia, I told you there was more to the story, and indeed, there is, but please, let’s first go inside and you and I can speak privately about this.”

“Tell me now.” My chin quirked upward. Then my voice faltered as a small rasp followed and I strained out the next word. “Please?”

Jack appeared broken. “I’m so sorry, Amelia. When the Dupont’s found me and took me in, I had no memory of my past, not even my own name or from whence I came. But what I hadn’t told you was…” He took a deep breath. “W—when they joined the fight alongside Napoleon, I—”

“—fought for the French.” My words came out so slowly and hauntingly that he cringed.

“Yes.”

“At Waterloo.”

“Yes.”

“Did you kill anyone?”

The air in his cheeks slowly blew out his lips before he answered.

I waited. I would wait forever if necessary. I needed to know.

“Yes.”

The silence around us expanded, worse than I had imagined it would be. I wanted to scream, stomp my feet, or even slap him, but I could not get my limbs to do anything. It was as if a paralyzing numbness enveloped me. I looked him in the eyes one last time and turned around, walking back toward the house almost trancelike.

I heard rustling behind me. “No, Jaxon,” Lord Lucas said to him. “Let her go, mate. Her brother was killed at Waterloo.”

“I know.”

Those were the last words I heard as I fled to the lodge door and upstairs to my bedchamber, throwing myself on the bed. This time I made no attempt to stop the tears from coming.

The overwhelming feeling of loss shattered me—loss of my brother, loss of myself, and loss of Jack, for I could not possibly love the man who could have killed my brother.