Page 70 of After the Spy Seduces

He stopped rowing and reached into the sleeve of his jacket. His fingers fumbled for a moment beneath the fabric. Then he pulled out a small scabbard that had been buckled around his forearm. He slipped the knife out of its sheath to show it to her. The blade flashed in the sunlight.

He handed it to her. “To protect yourself.”

She hesitated, then took it in her trembling hand and held it awkwardly. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Stab people with it.” When her gaze darted up to his in shock, he gestured toward her legs. “Until then, keep it hidden up your skirt.”

“Up myskirt?”

“It won’t be seen there.” He leaned toward her, his face deadly serious. “And if any man ventures beneath your skirt and finds it, then the bastard deserves to be stabbed.”

A thrill coursed through her that he would be so possessive of her. “Except you?”

He answered with a wolfish grin that made her toes curl, and she longed to have him inside her again, once more making love to her.

Taking up the oars, he went back to rowing. They were only a dozen strokes now from drifting to the end of the pier.

He commented toward the docks with a preoccupied shake of his head, “I can’t guarantee how everything will play out for your brother.”

Her foolish heart skipped. The happiness that had warmed through her only moments before now seeped away like the water dripping from the oars every time he lifted them above the surface.

“I don’t know when he’ll return home,” he continued. “Or if.” He glanced over his shoulder, as if to gauge the remaining distance to the docks. “If the French discover that he double-crossed them, they’ll kill him for it.”

She blinked hard and turned her face away.Please, God, don’t let them find out what he’s done.

“There are too many players in the mix now to be certain about anything, too many agencies and operatives who all have a stake in this.” He paused, a hesitation before the oars dipped back into the water. “Did he say anything to you about any of them?”

“No.”

He pinned her with a glance. “Would you tell me if he did?”

She eased out a long sigh and let her hand skim the water along the side of the rowboat. “He said that Meri was safe and that he would see us at home again soon. That was all. He didn’t say when or who he was working with.”

“Thank you,” he said quietly, acknowledging the trust she now placed in him.

“I have no more secrets from you.” After last night, none at all. But she feared that he did. “You’re still determined to arrest Garrett, then, aren’t you?”

He looked away toward the mouth of the bay and the sea beyond. His face turned inscrutable. “No,” he answered quietly. “I’m giving up the hunt for your brother. Whitehall and the French can sort him out between themselves.”

Her breath hitched. If he was no longer pursuing Garrett, then… “Then why do I need this knife?” Her questions lingered on the salty air between them, implying so much more about the future than a simple coach ride home. “Won’t you be there beside me to protect me?”

“No.” His shoulders flexed as he dug the oars deep into the water, then he lay back nearly horizontal as he gave them a fierce pull. “I’m remaining in Bradwell.”

She grabbed his knee and stopped him mid-row. “Why?”

“There are things that have to be settled here.”

Wariness tingled down her spine. “What things?”

His answering silence struck icy dread inside her chest, and her fingers tightened on his leg. Desperate for answers, she searched his face, but he only returned her gaze with a stony expression.

“More secrets,” she answered herself, releasing his knee and sitting back. Betrayal turned bitter on her tongue, and just when she’d begun to think they could fully trust each other.

He blew out a harsh breath and let go of the oars, his forearms resting across his knees as he leaned toward her. They were momentarily set adrift in the rowboat, to bob gently on the water. “Whitehall is going to declare me a rogue agent.”

“What does that mean?” The fear licking at her toes made her fear his answer.

“That I am beyond the Home Office’s control. That I am using the Crown’s assets for my own gains, damaging communication networks, and jeopardizing operations.” He paused. “That I need to be stopped. At all costs.”