weapon against him replayed in his mind until hot bile pushed into his throat.
My God, she’s afraid of being touched. He smacked the window frame with his hand, barely managing to keep the nausea at bay and his fury leashed.
If she only would have listened to him. His nails bit deeper into the wood.
Before he had left on his first mission, she had confessed her desire to find the Frenchman who had killed her parents. In his youth, he had lacked delicacy and tried to convince her to abandon such a hare-brained notion. She had ignored his pleas, as he would have hers had their roles been reversed. To complicate the situation, years of learning intelligence gathering techniques and self-defense training had fed her savage need for revenge, blinding her to the realities of war.
If only they hadn’t thought teaching Danforth’s little sister how to pick a lock or how to incapacitate a man twice her size was great fun.
In the beginning, none of them knew why Somerton was teaching them such unique skills. Only later did they learn that their mentor had tested them, followed their progress to see what talents he could mold and sharpen. Only later did they learn they had become weapons.
And Cora had become Somerton’s secret weapon.
Guy pulled in a deep breath. Valère had taken much more than her innocence. He had stolen her confidence and plunged her into a well of fear by exploiting all her vulnerabilities. She no longer viewed the world through invincible eyes.
“Are you unwell, my lord?” Dinks asked.
He straightened, startled that he had not heard the maid’s approach.
“I have been better, Dinks.”
“I’m right sorry to hear that, sir.” She stopped in front of him. “Would you like one of my special tonics to help calm your nerves? It involves a wee bit of brandy.”
He smiled. Dinks’s concoctions always included a dram of the amber liquid. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”
He studied Cora’s door again. “Has Cora spoken to you about her captivity?”
The maid stood silent for a moment, a faraway look in her eyes. “No, my lord.”
He stared at the maid, measuring the veracity of her words. Even if Cora had confided in Dinks, the older woman would never disclose any information without Cora’s consent. “I suppose it’s still too early.”
“I’m not sure she will ever speak of it, my lord,” Dinks confided. “Miss Cora’s a private person and can be overly protective of those she loves.”
Guy nodded, remembering Cora’s refusal to share the details of her imprisonment yesterday morning. Truth be told, he came here today to coax more information from her.
There was a time when Cora would have shared everything with him. Over the last few years, though, their bond had frayed like the ends of a ship’s flag left too long in the sea breeze. He missed their connection and had come to her chamber in the hopes of reestablishing it. She needed someone to lean on, and he wanted to be that person.
“It’s up to us to change her mind, then,” he said, coming to a decision. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning. Please have a breakfast tray for two sent to her room by eight.”
Dinks sent him a gap-toothed smile. “That’s the way to slay her demons, my lord.” Dinks patted her ample hips. “Food’s always been dear to my heart.”
He winked at the audacious maid and then cast a final look toward Cora’s door. “She needs your assistance, Dinks. She’s too damn stubborn to admit it, though.”
“The little mite’s having a bad time of it this morning, is she?”
“Yes, and my clumsy efforts didn’t help matters any.”
“I’ll give her a spot of laudanum to take the edge off,” Dinks said. “She’ll fight me some, thinking she’ll become dependent on the opiate like her mum and those cowardly society ladies, but I’d as soon cut off my right hand than allow my little mite to wither away like that.” Dinks’s eyes widened. “Pardon me, sir. I should
My God, she’s afraid of being touched. He smacked the window frame with his hand, barely managing to keep the nausea at bay and his fury leashed.
If she only would have listened to him. His nails bit deeper into the wood.
Before he had left on his first mission, she had confessed her desire to find the Frenchman who had killed her parents. In his youth, he had lacked delicacy and tried to convince her to abandon such a hare-brained notion. She had ignored his pleas, as he would have hers had their roles been reversed. To complicate the situation, years of learning intelligence gathering techniques and self-defense training had fed her savage need for revenge, blinding her to the realities of war.
If only they hadn’t thought teaching Danforth’s little sister how to pick a lock or how to incapacitate a man twice her size was great fun.
In the beginning, none of them knew why Somerton was teaching them such unique skills. Only later did they learn that their mentor had tested them, followed their progress to see what talents he could mold and sharpen. Only later did they learn they had become weapons.
And Cora had become Somerton’s secret weapon.
Guy pulled in a deep breath. Valère had taken much more than her innocence. He had stolen her confidence and plunged her into a well of fear by exploiting all her vulnerabilities. She no longer viewed the world through invincible eyes.
“Are you unwell, my lord?” Dinks asked.
He straightened, startled that he had not heard the maid’s approach.
“I have been better, Dinks.”
“I’m right sorry to hear that, sir.” She stopped in front of him. “Would you like one of my special tonics to help calm your nerves? It involves a wee bit of brandy.”
He smiled. Dinks’s concoctions always included a dram of the amber liquid. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”
He studied Cora’s door again. “Has Cora spoken to you about her captivity?”
The maid stood silent for a moment, a faraway look in her eyes. “No, my lord.”
He stared at the maid, measuring the veracity of her words. Even if Cora had confided in Dinks, the older woman would never disclose any information without Cora’s consent. “I suppose it’s still too early.”
“I’m not sure she will ever speak of it, my lord,” Dinks confided. “Miss Cora’s a private person and can be overly protective of those she loves.”
Guy nodded, remembering Cora’s refusal to share the details of her imprisonment yesterday morning. Truth be told, he came here today to coax more information from her.
There was a time when Cora would have shared everything with him. Over the last few years, though, their bond had frayed like the ends of a ship’s flag left too long in the sea breeze. He missed their connection and had come to her chamber in the hopes of reestablishing it. She needed someone to lean on, and he wanted to be that person.
“It’s up to us to change her mind, then,” he said, coming to a decision. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning. Please have a breakfast tray for two sent to her room by eight.”
Dinks sent him a gap-toothed smile. “That’s the way to slay her demons, my lord.” Dinks patted her ample hips. “Food’s always been dear to my heart.”
He winked at the audacious maid and then cast a final look toward Cora’s door. “She needs your assistance, Dinks. She’s too damn stubborn to admit it, though.”
“The little mite’s having a bad time of it this morning, is she?”
“Yes, and my clumsy efforts didn’t help matters any.”
“I’ll give her a spot of laudanum to take the edge off,” Dinks said. “She’ll fight me some, thinking she’ll become dependent on the opiate like her mum and those cowardly society ladies, but I’d as soon cut off my right hand than allow my little mite to wither away like that.” Dinks’s eyes widened. “Pardon me, sir. I should
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