CHAPTER 23

C HAPTER 23

C ade added a spoonful of honey to Tamsyn’s tea, then handed her the cup before sitting in one of the Windsor chairs. He was trying to create a sense of normalcy, but he recognized that the energy between them had changed. Tam wasn’t meeting his gaze. Her disposition was usually steady and positive, but now she was experiencing emotional turmoil, and it was his fault.

He hated that he was the cause of her pain. Under other circumstances, he could have wrapped an arm around her shoulders to offer comfort, but not now. For years he’d buried his desire for her, and he’d never planned to reveal his feelings. But now that she’d discovered his passionate dreams about her, change was inevitable.

Perhaps change was good. The thought of losing Tam’s friendship was terrifying, but he wanted more. The fact that she hadn’t run screaming gave him some hope. Tamsyn had a flexible mind, and perhaps in time she could come to think of him as a lover, not a brother. He hoped to God that could happen.

For now, he must be casual and matter of fact, as if nothing had changed. “How did you manage to break me free of Chateau Bastien? I think you said you were helped by the network of gifted people.”

“Yes, Rhys’s list led me to Madame LeBlanc, who made everything possible. She’s the sister of the former master of Chateau Bastien, and she grew up there. She showed me the entrance to the cave path that leads up to the fortress. She also owns the estate next door, which includes this cottage.” Tam’s expression turned fierce. “Though I would have found a way no matter what.”

“Even at my most confused, I felt you and your determination in my mind.” He frowned. “After my fight with Claude Bastien, I think you said he might be my half brother? It’s a horrible thought. What made you think that?”

“Madame LeBlanc again. Officially she’s Claude’s aunt, and she has fond memories of him as a child even though she’s certain he isn’t blood kin. That’s why she asked that he not be killed if possible.”

“I thought you spoke from a general desire to avoid unnecessary violence, which I agree with, though I might have made an exception in Bastien’s case.” Cade thought back to their escape. “Why does Madame LeBlanc believe he isn’t actually her nephew?”

“Apparently, Claude Bastien’s mother was young and beautiful and wild. She would leave the fortress by the cave path to meet lovers more to her taste than her husband. She liked rough common men like sailors and smugglers.”

Cade exhaled roughly. “Men like my father, the smuggler Jago Evans?”

Tam nodded. “Exactly. You and Claude Bastien resemble each other physically, and when I touched him, I sensed a blood kinship.”

“What an appalling thought!” Tea wasn’t strong enough to deal with such a revelation. Cade set his cup down and began to pace around the living space. “What did you do to Bastien before we left? You said you were making him less dangerous.”

“He was filled with anger and a desire to destroy,” she said slowly. “He hates gifted people even though he’s one himself. He wants to use his gifts to annihilate the enemy.”

“Meaning Englishmen?”

“Yes, but you in particular.” Tamsyn frowned as she thought. “Searching someone’s mind is a very imprecise process, but I think that when Claude was a boy, a servant told him who his father was. Later he had Jago investigated and learned about you and Bran. He resented you for finding a family that accepted and loved you.”

“If he thinks my early years were more pleasant than his, he didn’t learn enough,” Cade said dryly. “Strange to have a mortal enemy you didn’t know existed. What did you do to his mind?”

“I tried to remove the anger,” Tam said. “I don’t know how well I succeeded because I didn’t have much time, but I think I reduced at least some of his rage. Better for him and for us.”

“A pity you didn’t have enough time to persuade him to beat his sword into a plowshare so he would become a peaceful farmer with no desire to destroy Britain.”

Tam shook her head. “I don’t know if that would be possible, but I wouldn’t have changed him that much even if I could. He has a right to serve his country just as we do.”

Cade paused in his pacing and gazed out a window. There was a glimpse of the sea through the trees that surrounded the cottage. On the other side of that water was England. Home. “Given how much aid Madame LeBlanc gave you, it was right to honor her request not to kill Bastien. Why did she do so much for us? Was it a desire to help others who are gifted?”

Tamsyn shook her head. “That’s part of the reason, but more important is that she wants us to take her young grandson to England and to help him become established.”

Cade turned back to Tamsyn, who was no longer avoiding his eyes. “Is he a child?”

“No, he’s twenty and his name is Andre Jameson,” she replied. “His father was a Scottish engineer who worked for an Indian rajah. After his father died, his mother brought him back to France. Madame LeBlanc says he’s more British than French and he’s in danger of being arrested as a Briton. Claude Bastien wants that to happen because his cousin is another of the people he hates.”

Cade’s brows arched. “No wonder Madame was willing to help you thwart Claude! So we escort young Andre to Britain and take him into the Tribe of Tremayne? I’m glad we can help her that way. Does she know Rhys and Gwyn?”

“Yes.” Tam gave a swift smile. “I suspect that Rhys and Gwyn know every gifted person in Britain and France!”

He decided to voice something he’d long wondered about. “Why do we all call Lord and Lady Tremayne by their first names? Even you and your birth brother and sister, who are legitimate children, call them Gwyn and Rhys rather than Mother or Father. It’s shockingly informal.”

Tam looked thoughtful. “I asked Gwyn about that once. She said it was a way to remove the differences between members of the Tribe. Birth children or foster, legitimate or not, we all call the parents of our Tribe by their first names. As the oldest birth child and the heiress to the earldom of Tremayne, I’m entitled to the courtesy title of Lady Tamsyn, but I almost never use it because that would draw a line between me and my siblings. I want to be one of the Tribe—an equal, in no way superior. Does that make sense to you?”

He blinked. It was so very Tamsyn. “Perfect sense, and I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of that myself. As the bastard child of a smuggler, I’m at the bottom of the usual social hierarchy, but I don’t feel that way when I’m among Tremaynes.” He sighed. “At least, not usually. But I’m very aware that someday you’ll be the Countess Tremayne in your own right, and I’ll still be the bastard son of a Cornish smuggler.”

She scowled at him. “You are the oldest son, a vital part of the Tribe. We all look up to you not just because of what you do for the Home Office, but because of who you are. We are equals and don’t you forget it!”

“I never forget who we are, Lady Tamsyn,” he said quietly. “That’s why I never intended to let you know how I feel about you.”

She swallowed hard, then sipped her cooling tea. “Well, that cat is well and truly out of the bag and racing about the cottage, ricocheting around the furniture, and knocking things over,”

He laughed. “Like every kitten a Tremayne ever rescued from the street and brought home!”

Her face lit up. “Remember Smokey the Destroyer? He was the champion at knocking things over.”

He gave an answering smile. “Who could forget Smokey?”

“Or Basil the Bear, always formally dressed in black and white, who marched in the front door and laid claim to Rhys.”

Cade laughed. “As the lead tomcat in Mayfair, he immediately recognized that Rhys was the lead male in the Tribe of Tremayne.”

“And he’s been leaving black and white cat hairs all over Rhys ever since,” Tamsyn said fondly.

Remembering their shared history was good, Cade thought. He could see her becoming more relaxed.

Her smile faded. “I’ll be so glad to be home again. We haven’t actually been in France all that long, but it feels like months.”

“So much has happened.” He began moving restlessly around the room again. “I wonder how long we’ll have to wait before we can leave.”

“Not long, I think.”

There was a crisp knock on the door. “You might want to conceal yourself,” Tam said quietly as she rose to respond.

He nodded and stepped into the bedroom area, out of sight of the front door. He heard Tamsyn’s footsteps as she crossed the room, a faint squeal as the door opened. “Madame LeBlanc! I’m so glad to see you. Come in. Your cottage has been most welcoming.”

“I heard that your assault on Chateau Bastien was successful,” a warm French voice said. “Is your brother concealed somewhere about here?”

Taking that as his cue, Cade stepped out of the bedroom and saw the elegant older woman who had entered the cottage. She wore a riding habit and had an air of command. He gave her a low bow. “Tamsyn has told me how much you did to help free me. I am eternally in your debt.”

“I’m glad I was in a position to help. I assume Lady Tamsyn has told you how you will be repaying that debt.” The Frenchwoman studied his face. “There is a definite resemblance between you and Claude.”

“I find that alarming, and I gather he does also,” Cade said dryly.

“You are both very forceful young men,” she said thoughtfully. “But you work in more positive ways than Claude. Perhaps that comes from growing up Tremayne.”

“I think you’re right. I’ve been very fortunate,” he agreed.

Madame LeBlanc’s gaze shifted to Tamsyn. “You are said to be an expert in emotional healing. Did you do something to Claude before you left the chateau?”

“I tried to make him less angry,” Tam said. “I don’t know how successful I was.”

“Even though we are at a distance, I sense a change in him,” the older woman said softly. “I hope that lasts.” Her gaze returned to Cade. “I’m glad you didn’t kill Claude. You must have wanted to after the way he treated you.”

“Yes,” Cade said honestly. “But Tamsyn said not to, and I always do what she tells me to do.”

Tamsyn chuckled. “Only if it’s what you want to do anyhow.”

They exchanged a smile. They always listened to each other, then did whatever they thought best.

Turning serious, Tam said, “We wish to return to England as soon as possible. Is your grandson ready to leave? Going to a new country takes courage.”

“Andre feels the danger around him and he is tired of living in hiding,” Madame LeBlanc said. “I will bring him to you tomorrow as darkness is falling. I’ll also bring another horse so we can ride to meet the smugglers. They’ll take the three of you across the channel tomorrow night.”

“A quarter moon. Just enough light to guide us safely,” Cade said.

Madame LeBlanc nodded. “Exactly.”

“We’ll take good care of Andre,” Tamsyn promised.

“If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t be able to let him go,” the older woman said starkly. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening. It will be best if you stay inside the cottage until it’s time to leave. If you need some amusement, there are books in French and English in the bottom of the cabinet in the kitchen area.”

“I like the idea of doing very little for a while!” Tamsyn said fervently.

“Rest while you can,” Madame LeBlanc said as she opened the door. “There is a long war ahead of us all.”

“She’s right,” Cade said soberly after the older woman was gone. “I also like the idea of resting.” He covered a yawn, then turned to the ladder that led upward. “Time to see how comfortable the sleeping loft is.”

Yawning was contagious. As soon as Cade disappeared into the loft, Tamsyn headed to the bedroom. She and Cade had been on the move ever since leaving Bran and Merryn’s wedding to head straight to France. She had a lot of lost sleep to catch up on.

* * *

Tamsyn was used to being busy, but spending a quiet day in the cottage turned out to be surprisingly pleasant. She awoke refreshed in midafternoon and considered what they might have for supper. After studying their supplies, she decided on a pot of hearty potato-leek soup. Chopping the vegetables was very soothing.

She kept thinking of Cade’s shocking revelation about his feelings for her, but his behavior hadn’t changed so she was starting to relax. Perhaps his declaration of love had been a result of his captivity and his gratitude at being rescued. He was probably regretting what he’d said.

Her reaction when he’d kissed her, thinking she was his wife, had just been surprise. No need to keep thinking about how it had felt....

She was slicing the stale bread for toasting when Cade swung down the ladder from the loft. His smooth, controlled action caught her attention. He moved beautifully, all elegant male strength, and once again, he seemed to shine with a golden light.

She blinked and the golden light disappeared. Had it been only a brief splash of late-afternoon sunlight that had shafted through the window at the front of the cottage? Now the light was gone, and he was his normal self again, handsome, rumpled, and in need of a shave.

“Something smells very good,” he said. “I’ll go tend to your horse. Then what can I do?”

“We’re having humble but delicious potato-leek soup,” she said. “You can open another bottle of white wine and pour it, then toast the bread with cheese.”

He went out to take care of the horse, then returned and started toasting the bread and cheese. They’d often shared a kitchen, and they fell easily into the routines of cooking and eating.

Tamsyn poured the soup into two bowls and they both sat down to their simple meal. “I’m enjoying a day of doing nothing. How about you?”

He chuckled. “So am I, though by tomorrow afternoon I’ll probably start pacing around restlessly.”

“So will I,” she admitted. “But now—soup!”

They had a leisurely meal with seconds and, for Cade, thirds on the soup. As they sipped wine, they talked casually about the past and what the future might hold. They both agreed that the renewed war was likely to be long.

The pleasant evening was like any number they’d shared in the past. But she knew in her bones that her future back in England would be different from her life in the past.