Captain Jones's Temptation - Audrey Harrison Page 0,30

that case, I shall be.” Samuel glanced at Matthew. He had turned away from the exchange, which caused Samuel to smile. Matthew was a good sort. Samuel took Esther’s face in his hands and kissed her lips gently. “A kiss for luck, my lady,” he said quietly. “Be safe.”

“I will,” Esther whispered.

She leaned in slightly, and Samuel could not resist giving her another, deeper, more possessive kiss. Breaking the contact, he smiled into her eyes. “I must go.”

Esther nodded, unable to speak. She had been angered, fascinated and attracted to him until now, but now she admitted that she was three-quarters of the way to falling in love with him, and she might not see him again after today. That she would never have been able to pursue any sort of relationship with him had not prevented her feelings developing. Now, faced with who knew what kind of separation, she could not ignore what she felt.

Samuel left the room; almost at the same time, Lydia returned downstairs. Esther accepted the offered cloak and turned to Matthew, her cheeks pink with embarrassment over what he should think of her behaviour, but she was practical enough to realise that now was not the time to ponder over such trivialities.

Matthew nodded to the three of them and led the way out to the kitchen. The moment Esther saw Cook, she ran to her and, embracing her, said quickly, “Get yourself to safety.”

“Do not worry. We are going to block ourselves in the basement once you have gone, and when enough time has passed, we shall escape out of the tunnel ourselves if we need to,” Cook assured her.

“Good. I hope to see you soon,” Esther said.

“I will be here waiting for your return.”

Matthew opened the door to the basement, and the group went into the darkness, all following the lantern Matthew held above his head.

Isabella whimpered when starting down the stairs, but Esther and Lydia started chattering nonsense to the child to take her mind off what was happening.

Esther helped Matthew move the large set of shelves that hid the doorway. A footman had followed them and would replace the shelves once they had gone. A lot of work had been undertaken to give the appearance of the shelves being full and heavy, when in reality most of the boxes and containers were empty.

Once they were in the tunnel, Esther and Lydia exchanged a look. This was a real and terrifying situation. None of them knew if they would be caught the moment the trapdoor was opened in the stable block.

Reaching out, Esther squeezed Lydia’s arm in reassurance. She was not sure whether it was for her own benefit or that of her friend, but both set their shoulders and followed Matthew, still speaking calmly to Isabella.

When Matthew came to a halt, he turned and put his finger over his lips. Handing the lamp to Esther, he took a gun out of his waistband and handed that to her too. “Just in case,” he whispered, priming the gun.

Esther swallowed. She had not lied when admitting that she had never shot a gun, but she understood why Matthew had given it to her. He was trying to give them every opportunity to escape if he should be killed on entering the stables. She could only hope her shaking hands would not set the gun off early.

Taking another gun from his waistband, Matthew stepped up the half-dozen steps at the end of the tunnel and slowly pushed the trapdoor above his head. The door did not give the slightest creak; Esther realised that the two men had thought of everything in their planning of the escape.

Keeping hold of the door, Matthew slowly raised himself above the edge of the opening.

“Captain Dunn?” came an urgent whisper from somewhere near the opening.

“Aye, who are you?”

“Bell, sir. Everything is ready. It’s safe to come out,” the carriage driver said.

Matthew let out a breath of relief. The first hurdle was over. He climbed quickly out of the tunnel, then helped the three clamber out, smiling at Isabella. “Aren’t we on a fine adventure? It isn’t over yet, I promise you. Do you like travelling as fast as the wind?”

“Can you travel that fast?” Isabella asked, successfully distracted.

“The coach in which you are going to be riding will feel as though it is,” Matthew said. “You are being a good girl.” He turned to the stable hand. “Are our men on the lane?”

“Yes, sir. You’ll only pass staff loyal to