Sangay nodded, eyes wide as he surveyed the three large men. He turned to Del. “So they are to be my bodyguards?”
Recollecting that in India, people of high rank often had bodyguards as a mark of status, Del smiled. “Exactly. Just like a maharajah, you’ll have your very own bodyguards.”
Sangay was clearly beyond delighted.
“And,” Gervase said, “just like all those who have bodyguards, when in a dangerous situation, you must do exactly as your bodyguards tell you.”
Round-eyed, Sangay nodded eagerly. “Oh, yes, sahib. I will do exactly as you and my other two bodyguard-sahibs say.”
Gervase inclined his head, endeavoring to keep his lips reasonably straight.
“Good.” Del reclaimed the stage. “Now you should go downstairs with the others. There’s nothing more you need to do today. Cobby will wake you in the morning when it’s time to leave. He’ll have the scroll-holder for you to take.”
“Yes, sahib.” Abruptly assuming a serious mien, Sangay wriggled down from the chair, then bowed solemnly to Del, then Devil, and lastly the other three men.
Then, his smile blooming anew, he hurried to join Cobby.
Grinning himself, with a neat bow for the company, Cobby led the boy from the room. Sligo followed, closing the door.
Del had been watching Deliah. She was still frowning slightly.
He was trying to predict why, what part of their plan failed to meet with feminine approval, but just as she raised her gaze to his face, the first gong for dinner echoed through the house.
Gyles stepped in. With a charming smile, he gave her his hand to rise, and, with a wink over her head for Del, bowed her out of the door.
Demon walked into the dining room just as they were preparing to address the main course. He grinned, paused to drop a kiss on his wife’s upturned cheek, then slid into the chair beside her. Helping himself from the platter of roast beef Webster immediately offered, Demon informed them, “It was very dirty riding, but the sky looks to be clear of snow. Temperatures are up. The roads will be passable and people will be on the move as usual tomorrow.”
“Excellent.” Devil smiled. “So our plan can go ahead.”
“What did Wolverstone say?” Del asked.
Demon grinned wolfishly. “Short and sweet. By all means proceed, then we’re to come on to Elveden with whatever prey we manage to trap. He’ll be waiting.”
Del felt satisfied expectation bloom in his chest. A familiar feeling, one he’d often experienced on learning he’d see action soon. “Any word on the other three couriers?”
“Yes, and no,” Demon replied. “You’ll be the first to reach Elveden, but another of your comrades, Hamilton, has landed in England. He’s in Surrey at a safe house there.”
“Probably Trentham’s estate,” Gervase said.
Demon nodded, swallowed. “That was the name.” He looked at Del. “Now that Royce knows you’re about to land on his doorstep, he’s sent word to Hamilton and his escort to come on. According to Trentham, Hamilton has a Miss Ensworth with him.”
Del choked, coughed, then managed to wheeze, “The governor’s niece? How the deuce did she come to be with Hamilton?”
Demon shrugged. “Royce doesn’t know the details. Sounds an interesting tale. Apparently she’s been with him since Aden. He came up through Alexandria, then Marseille to Boulogne, where apparently they ran into quite a bit of action, but eventually they got to Dover, where two of your crew”-Demon nodded to Gervase and Tony-“nabbed them and whisked them into hiding.”
“Hamilton’s a good man,” Del said. “Any word of the other two?”
“Not that Royce mentioned,” Demon replied. “I took it to mean he hasn’t yet heard.”
After dinner, the men gathered in the billiard room.
Devil looked up as Vane, the last to join them, came in and closed the door. “How are we situated?”
Vane gave him a wry grin. “We’re safe enough for the moment. They’ve got their heads together, doubtless planning an early morning jaunt.”
Del had been wondering if Deliah might attempt such a thing. Now he looked his horror. “Not all of them?”
Devil just looked at him as all the others with wives nodded. “Every last one, which brings us to what we need to plan now. How to stop them.”
“We only need to delay them for a few hours,” Richard pointed out. “Long enough to make sure they can’t reach the cathedral in time.”
“We could lock them in their rooms,” Demon suggested.
“Alathea can pick locks,” Gabriel said.
“So can Francesca, I think,” Gyles put in. “Whatever we do has to hobble all of them, and effectively, or those who get loose will release the rest.”
“What about blocking their access to transport-in this case, horses?” Lucifer suggested. “Order the stable staff to sleep in. The ladies can’t follow us if they can’t get beasts saddled or horses put to.”
Demon humphed. “Flick can saddle anything with four feet. And she’s perfectly capable of organizing the others to put horses to gigs.”
“Catriona can, too,” Richard said. “Forget that tack.”
They all thought. Hard. Some of their suggestions were wildly fanciful. By and large, all were impractical.
Devil drummed his fingers on the billiard table. “We only need to stop them from following us and arriving early morning, before or during the action. It would be useful, in fact, if they arrived at Ely after the excitement, say by ten or so. That way we could go on to Elveden all together-an inclusion to salvage some hope of our continuing felicitous matrimonial existence.”
There was silence for a moment, then Vane admitted, “That’s a serious consideration. No need to court unnecessary retribution by excluding them from sharing whatever triumph we reap.”
“What we need,” Gyles stated, his gaze locking with Devil’s, “is to stop them from leaving their beds before dawn.”
Lucifer waggled his brows. “Surely we can manage that.”
Gabriel snorted. “Sadly, determination can overcome a great deal. We can’t rely on exhaustion to accomplish what we need. We have to have something more certain.”
“Indeed.” Devil’s tone was decisive. “And as we’ve just demonstrated, when it comes down to it, there really is only one way.”
Fourteen
December 18
Somersham Place, Cambridgeshire
Later that evening, Del made his way to Deliah’s bedchamber, Devil’s strategy for dealing with the pending problem posed by the ladies wishing to join them circling in his brain.
It was, by any measure, an outrageous proposition, yet it would work, and he couldn’t think of anything else that might.
Every male linked with one of the aforesaid ladies had sworn to do their part. Only Tony and Gervase were excused. Yet while all the others-being married to their respective ladies-were in a sound position to weather the resultant and inevitable storm, he stood on significantly less firm footing.
Unless he took steps to shore up his position before he put Devil’s plan into action, he would risk losing all. Losing her. That was not something he wished to contemplate. It was certainly not a situation he would accept.
Ergo, it was now imperative that he take the necessary steps-to offer for her and secure her, and through that gain the right to protect her at all costs. Once she’d agreed to be his, she couldn’t argue with him doing everything-and anything-necessary to protect her.
She might try, but then it would be she standing on shaky ground.
Reaching her door, he paused, conscious at some deeper, rarely stirred level that, aside from all else, it was somehow now fundamentally important for him to know she was unquestionably his-declared to be his-and that she was safe. He needed her to somehow balance him; she was now essential to the framework of the life he wanted to live.