way. He could pick up Genalynn’s horse, Harbinger, at the inn where he’d left him when riding to London. The horse was sturdy and would serve him well for the last leg of his ride.
Gideon hoped the sergeant in charge had a good head on his shoulders. He’d been told to keep his men outside of Clovelly and contact Genalynn first. He’d been told to heed Genalynn’s advice and do his own scouting before he approached the viscount or The Dolphin. But some of these soldiers were itching for battle. Having spent the last decade fighting Napoleon, these recent years of sitting idle could not have been easy on these battle-hardened men.
He shook off the thought.
These men had been under Joshua Brayden’s command. They were disciplined soldiers and would not behave foolishly. He was looking for reasons to worry. Would it always be like this now? Worrying over Genalynn whenever they were apart? She’d already proven herself quite capable. Love was turning him into an old woman.
But she remained in his thoughts to the point of distraction.
Was she safe?
Chapter 12
A week had passed since Genalynn had last seen Gideon. To her relief, Throck had fallen back into his daily routine, no longer angry as he had been the day Gideon rode away. She had never been afraid of her companion before or ever felt the need to lock herself in her bedchamber to protect herself from him.
That first night had been the worst, she’d hardly slept for fear she might find him hovering over her bed, his big, beefy hands circling her throat and pressing down on her windpipe. Some people lost all reason when jealous or enraged. If I can’t have you, no one will. It had been known to happen before, these crimes of passion.
“Throck,” she said as they sat in the kitchen having breakfast, “The Dolphin sailed into harbor last night. Uncle Randall will have his weapons loaded today. I don’t know what we can do to slow them down until the king’s men arrive to arrest them.”
Even now, she dared not mention Gideon’s name for fear of stirring his anger. And despite her belief that Gideon would return to marry her, how could she be sure? Not that she doubted Gideon. Despite her inexperience, she felt his sincerity in her heart. He loved her. But he was also in service to the Crown, and if he was ordered on another mission, what choice would he have but to obey?
“I can burn the ship.”
She put a hand on his arm as he was about to shovel more eggs into his mouth. “No, it’s far too dangerous. I don’t want you getting hurt. Besides, how can you do this in broad daylight with an entire crew crawling all over the docks, carrying supplies and cargo onto the ship? And what if men are trapped in the fire? We can’t kill anyone.”
He slipped out of her touch. “Men kill all the time.”
“That isn’t so. We couldn’t survive as a society if all we did was go to war against each other.”
He took another bite of his eggs and said nothing.
She rose with a sigh. “I’m going to walk into town. I won’t be gone long. May as well keep to my usual outings. I don’t want my uncle suspecting anything.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“Thank you, Throck. I’d like your company.” It was the truth, despite the tension still lingering between them. Not only was she used to having him around as a friend, he was also her protector. With her uncle about to get his shipment off to the Irish rebels, he would soon turn his attention to getting rid of her. Not by any dastardly means, but he’d likely found a way to profit off marrying her to one of his blackguard friends.
If not for Throck being vigilant, she’d be easy prey for her uncle if he chose to act now.
The sun shone across the flower-dotted meadow and a light sea breeze kept them comfortable despite the sun beating down on them as they made the walk into town. A few white clouds floated like butterflies across the blue sky. The town and its harbor were visible in the distance. Genalynn recognized The Dolphin, it was the largest vessel in the harbor which mostly accommodated smaller fishing boats.
To her dismay, her uncle and a few of his men were just riding back from town. There was nowhere she or Throck could hide to avoid them. “Genalynn, my dear. Have