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think?”
    Both Jane and Agatha sat tight-lipped until the carriage
came to a halt in front of the family’s home in Bath. Jane felt her stomach
churn. She knew she would have to tell the women about Captain Argyle’s place
in this, but now was not the time.

Chapter Three
    A frown fell upon Roderick’s lips as he sank into
the leather chair located in the study of his Bath mansion. Biting back an
oath, he tossed the recently delivered missive from Whitehall onto the large
mahogany desk in front of him and shifted his gray gaze to the blue silk ribbon
resting near his ink well.
    His jaw clenched as he picked up the delicate strip of
material and slid it through his fingers. The subtle scent of rosewater drifted
to his nostrils.
    His heart gave a sudden twist. Devil take it. His wife had
forgotten the ribbon last night after their argument. He regretted having hurt
her. He had never meant to cause her pain. But the last month had become a
balancing act. He would not have her die on his watch. A baby would kill her.
    “Roderick,” Jared asked. “What do you think?”
    Roderick turned toward his friend Lord Stonebridge. “I am
shocked, to put it mildly. I thought we had put the war behind us.” His
expression turned dark as he raised his face to the sunlight that poured
through the windows.
    Roderick narrowed his gray eyes on the fanning of dust
particles floating in the air. The heat of the day did nothing to warm the
chilling memories that churned in his head. Cannon shots boomed across the
fields. Smoke filled his nostrils. Men fell one after the other as shots were
fired.
    “We were at war,” Jared said as if he knew what Roderick was
thinking. “Whitehall needed us for those missions.”
    Roderick let out a frustrated sigh as he rose and leaned
against the marbled mantel. “I thought it was over. Done. I have no desire to
revisit any of it.”
    His chest tightened at the very thought of his reconnaissance
assignments. Guilt pierced his heart as he recalled the lies. The secrets. The
taking of a life to secure his. Even the woman he loved had died. He had failed
to protect her. There was no question that she had not listened to him, but it had
been his fault when she had been caught behind enemy lines.
    The horrible memories only reinforced his resolve to never
give in again. He would not plead. He would not beg. He was a duke now. He could
control his emotions and to devil with what people thought. He would wield his
power, no matter what the consequences, even if it meant losing his wife’s
love. He had a duty to fulfill. A duty to his family. And now, with this latest
news, a duty to England. Jane would have to come to terms with his decisions.
He would keep her safe, even if their marriage had to suffer.
    Beyond the double doors, a little girl’s voice sounded,
snapping him out of his memories. Gabby, Jared’s daughter, was playing with her
dog Nigel. The laughter of the little six-year-old tugged at his heartstrings.
Though not of his blood, the girl was part of his family now. She was another
person who could be hurt if he didn’t answer the call to travel to France. He
didn’t need the enemy coming here. And Jane. By Jove, she could be caught in
the line of fire too.
    He could not hide his irritation as he turned toward his
friend. “After all these years, something like this pops up? I thought this
nightmare with Napoleon was behind us.”
    Jared grimaced. “I thought so too. To add to that, Lord Dunston
would have been working with us, but the man just lost his wife last night.”
    Roderick’s brows dipped in concern. “I didn’t know. How did
she die?”
    “Childbirth. They lost her and the baby.”
    Roderick scowled. That made two of his friends’ wives who
had died in childbirth the past four months. His lips thinned as he stared at
the empty hearth. Another reason to keep Jane safe. He would not lose her. She
had lost five babies in the last four years. The next time it could be her