Page 13 of The Rogue’s Embrace

He was surprised at how much English Maria could speak. Lisandro had been expecting to play translator for her, but not long after she'd taken a seat at the long, well-worn dining table, she was holding her own in a conversation with Augustus Jones.

"I love the coast along the Cantabrian Sea; it so beautiful. And, of course, your delightful village of Villabona. The wines in that part of Spain are magnificent," he said.

Gus placed a hand on Maria's arm, and Harry gave Lisandro a look. Augustus Trajan Jones had a silver tongue to rival even Casanova. His list of female admirers was long and illustrious.

Lisandro and Harry were standing side by side next to the fire, warming themselves. It might have been autumn in England, but it was much colder than Spain. Why anyone voluntarily lived in this chilly country was beyond him.

Harry's wife, Alice, had kindly provided Maria with a fashionable warm gown and shawl, along with woolen stockings and a small case containing ribbons and a hairbrush. Lisandro was pleased to know that people who had never even met Maria were still keen to make her feel cared for and comfortable.

The door to the main room opened and Stephen stepped through, followed by young Toby. The boy always seemed to be trailing close behind his guardian. They quickly started clearing plates and cups away.

When the table was free of breakfast dishes, Stephen turned to his young protégé. "Toby, make your introductions," he said.

The boy slipped the cap from his head and came to stand in front of where Maria sat. He bowed low. Lisandro turned away, stifling a laugh as Toby counted to three a little too loudly before standing upright.

"Do . . ."

Toby faltered, then glanced at Stephen. A patch of red appeared on each of his cheeks.

"Do?a Maria. Remember to curl your tongue like we practiced,"

said Stephen.

Toby tried again. "Don . . . ia Mari . . . a. I am Toby," he said.

A smiling, Maria held out her hand. "It is an honor to meet you, Toby. I understand you played an important part in my rescue last night."

The boy's eyes went wide, as did his smile. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet. "I saw you throw the food out the window. And I watched the dog eat it and fall asleep. I was the one who found you."

Maria beckoned him forward. She kissed him softly on the cheek. "You did a wonderful job, Toby. I cannot begin to thank you enough for being so brave. When I get back to Spain, I promise to send you a reward."

He immediately shook his head. "No. Your rescue was enough, Do?a Maria."

She glanced over at Lisandro, a questioning expression on her face.

"Sir Stephen is teaching Toby to be a gentleman. And a good man does not always seek payment for his gallant deeds,"

he explained.

Toby shifted uneasily on his feet once more. His constant fidgeting was evidence that he would rather be anywhere else than there. Stephen placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Go and have some breakfast. And when you are finished, make sure you take some nice crispy bacon down to your new dog. Off you go. Good lad."

The boy let out an audible sigh of relief and headed toward the kitchen.

When he was gone, Maria turned to Stephen. "Is he your son?"

"No. When I went to finalize my late father's personal matters a little while ago, I found Toby at the old estate. I brought him back to London with me,"

replied Stephen.

By-blows and bastards were not the sort of thing one discussed in front of a gently bred noblewoman. There were enough familiar features shared between Toby and Stephen for Lisandro to have come to the conclusion that they were likely half-brothers. From what he had discerned of Maria, she was no fool, and would probably also put two and two together.

Stephen pulled up a chair and took his place at the head of the table. Harry and Lisandro moved away from the fire. While Harry sat on the opposite side of him, Lisandro seated himself next to Maria.

"Now, we know the three in the house are dead. What we don't know is if there is anyone else in London who was directly involved in the kidnapping,"

Lisandro said.

Maria sat forward. "What about the woman? The one who used to feed me."

Harry cleared his throat. "She received a visit from me late last night, and I took her back to the house in Queen Anne Street. Suffice to say, after having seen her accomplices, she decided to leave town and visit family in the country. I don't expect she will return any time soon."

Maria's cheeks went a horrible gray. Lisandro shot Harry a disapproving look. Did you really need to tell her that? I am sure death is not the sort of thing she is used to discussing over her morning coffee.

"Good. She should be grateful you didn't shoot her as well. I would have—given half the chance,"

replied Maria. She met Lisandro's gaze, and he was the one to blink. Maria de Elizondo was fast changing his opinion of her. Perhaps she hadn't lived such a sheltered life after all. "Lisandro, you are mistaken if you think I have not seen violence. Or that my life has not been without tragedy."

To his ever-growing worry, she then turned her attention to Gus. "Mister Jones, I take it your trips to Spain over the years were not simply to take in the vista. I know the English were heavily involved in my country during the war, and I don't just mean in the battles of the Peninsular conflict. May I be frank with you?"

A clearly uncomfortable Gus gave a nod.

"Did you and your friends act as spies? Agents of the British Crown?"

"Hmm. I don't think I can in all honesty tell you too much of what we did during the war against Napoleon."

He glanced toward Lisandro. "And when I say we, I include the Duke of Tolosa in that group."

Maria barely flinched at the revelation, giving Lisandro even more cause for concern. How much did this woman know about his wartime activities?

"Perhaps Maria and I could discuss Spanish domestic politics at another time,"

he ventured. Please take the hint. This is dangerous ground you are treading on, Maria.

She gifted him with a smile. "Of course."

A collective sigh rippled around the gathering. When Gus produced a satchel from under the table and began to pull out various pieces of paper, the knot of tension in Lisandro's neck lessened.

"Since we don't know who else is involved in this kidnapping, I think it is too risky to bring my yacht up the Thames. There may well be people in London, dangerous people, who are on the lookout for any sign of Maria being taken out of England. My recommendation is that the boat sails from its usual port of Portsmouth instead," said Gus.

Not for the first time in his life, Lisandro gave a silent prayer of thanks that his smuggler friend owned a private yacht. Smaller boats were handy for slipping in and out of countries, especially when one didn't want to have to deal with the authorities or the pesky issue of import duties.

"Agreed. If we go from Portsmouth around to Bilbao and then overland, I think that will give us the best chance of remaining undetected for as long as possible,"

replied Lisandro.

Maria slowly turned her head and met his gaze. From the tight set of her jaw and lips, she wasn't as sure as she'd seemed only a minute ago. "Do you really think there are others who would risk trying to kidnap me once more?"

The moment had come to tell Maria a little more of what had happened while she was in the hands of her captors. Lisandro didn't want to frighten her, but she had to know what they would be facing on the long and dangerous road home.

"There were men involved in your capture in Spain, and they remain at large. I met several of them in Zarautz, which is why we won't risk trying to sail into that port. The matter of the ransom is also still yet to be settled," he said.

"So, my father never paid it? I wasn't sure if the masked man was telling the truth when he made mention of the money. In my few moments of clarity, I had wondered if this was payback for something my father had done rather than just a simple kidnapping,"

she replied.

Stephen leaned forward, hands folded, and frowned. "What do you mean?"

Lisandro held up one hand. "Wait, let's keep to the topic of discussion. Maria, your family did hand over a significant ransom, but instead of you being returned to them, a second demand for money was made. The kidnappers wanted another two hundred and fifty thousand pesos."

"Increíble! Demente!"

she cried.

He couldn't disagree. It was a huge sum of money. Something beyond the means of most noble families, though perhaps not the Elizondo clan.

"Now you understand why Diego came to see me. His concern, of course, being that even if your family paid the second ransom, there was no guarantee it would secure your release. And that was before any of us knew you had been taken to England,"

he replied.

Maria shot to her feet. "My family do not know I am here?!"

Lisandro rose and stood next to her. "I sent word to your brother just before I sailed. I trust that he will have told your parents something of your whereabouts."

"But not your involvement or why he chose you,"

she replied.

"Likely no. When Diego came to Castle Tolosa, it was without your father's knowledge."

"Because of our feud?"

Maria said, but her tone was heavy with mistrust.

"Or was there another reason?"

You are clever, Maria. And I appreciate an intelligent woman.

"Your father seems to have concerns about who he could trust at Castle Villabona."

A look of shock appeared on Maria's face, but to her credit she kept silent.

I promise that in time we will find out who the traitors are in your father's house.

This deed will not go unpunished.