Marrying Christopher (2 page)

“Very little when I consider your safety.” He trailed his fingers down the side of her face. “No amount would be too much to keep you safe.”

Grace took his hand, her gaze softening, and held it to her lips as they looked at one another.

“Well, then.” Christopher cleared his throat uncomfortably.
Such ardor from two of the most sensible and levelheaded people I know. May I never fall victim to such wiles.
“In summary, Crayton will attempt to meet up with the shipment of opium, Merlow and his crew will detain him, and then Crayton will be on his way to the Continent, where he shall be pressed into service for La Royale.”

“You intend to send him to
France
?” Helen said.

Grace clapped her hands. “How perfectly delightful.”

“Pressing him into service for England would not gain us much,” Nicholas said. “He has too many important ‘friends,’ despite his thievery on our own waters. It would only be a matter of time before he was released— and more dangerous than ever.”

“But in the French navy, Crayton would be the lowest of the low,” Christopher explained. “He has pirated in their waters, too, and many a Frenchman has been his victim.”

“You don’t think they’ll kill him, do you?” Helen asked, sounding rather alarmed.

“If we’re lucky,” Nicholas said, earning frowns from both women.

“It’s doubtful they will harm him too much,” Christopher said, though he silently agreed with Nicholas’s assessment. “Crayton will be worth more alive, strong and able as he is.”

“There is the risk of ransom,” Samuel said. “If the French learn who he is, might they not write to the king and request payment for Crayton’s release? After all, he was knighted for his
service
to the crown.”

“I have thought of that already.” Christopher felt inordinately pleased that their dialogue was going so well.
This just may work.
“More than a dozen years have passed since he was knighted, and during that time he has somewhat fallen out of favor with those who brought him to power. In addition, he has incurred the wrath of many others. While you have all been off enjoying your wedding trips, I have been busy traveling to London and beyond, speaking to seamen and captains, listening carefully in taverns, and discovering just how many enemies Crayton truly has.”

“And risking your own foolish neck,” Samuel muttered.

“Better mine than yours.” Christopher grinned. “I daresay Helen favors you more.”

Helen sat on the edge of her seat, a distressed look upon her face, evident by the wrinkling of her pert nose. “I should be distraught if anything were to happen to either of you— to anyone in this room.”

“No harm is going to befall any of us,” Nicholas said. “Christopher has planned this most thoroughly.”

“Indeed, I have,” Christopher said. “Happily, the number of Crayton’s enemies likely equals or exceeds that of his obligated allies. Even the crown itself has tired of him in recent years. His talents are not valued as much now as they once were. We are at peace with both France and America; the continual need for men to be pressed into service has greatly diminished.”

“Pirating among his own has become a nuisance rather than a benefit. If he is removed, no one will mourn his absence,” Nicholas concluded.

“You have been busy,” Grace said, eyeing Christopher suspiciously.

He shrugged. “I may have learned a few tricks from solicitors, given all the time I spent in court awaiting news of our inheritance.”

“Not to mention what you learned while skulking about in pubs all the years you had to chase your father down.” Samuel had unfastened the top button of his waistcoat and was beginning to roll up his shirtsleeves, a sure indication that he was ready to go to work.

“There was that too,” Christopher admitted with a half grin. “Well?” he asked. “Are we all in agreement?”

“What is there to agree to?” Samuel asked, his voice wary. “It sounds very much as if the cogs are already in motion.”

“They can yet be halted,” Christopher said. “We must all be in agreement before we proceed. Because if any part of the plan goes wrong, if just one person involved sways loyalty, we could all be in great danger.”

For the first time since the discussion had begun, Nicholas exhibited signs of discomfort, tugging on his cravat and avoiding eye contact with anyone, especially Samuel.

“Those you’ve hired know the origins of this plot?” Samuel asked. “They know we are behind it?”

Christopher shook his head. “I have been careful to avoid any use of your name or Nicholas’s. But a few know who
I
am. And that puts us all in danger.”

“We are all already in danger and have been for some months,” Helen said. “I, for one, would like to be able to roam about the garden with Beth as we used to.”

Christopher knew she dearly missed these excursions with Samuel’s four-year-old daughter— just one of the many reasons they had to proceed.

“The constant need for a guard at the gate, these weekly reports—” Helen waved her hand toward Nicholas. “They are wearying. I think Christopher is right to do this. We must act instead of waiting and watching for Crayton to.”

“Well said.” Christopher sent her an approving smile. A year ago Helen would never have been so bold. “All in favor?”

Grace spoke first. “I agree with Helen.”

“And it is a foolish man who disagrees with his wife,” Nicholas said, sharing a rather sultry look— one Christopher wished he had not seen— with Grace.

“Let us proceed,” Samuel said, “and pray all goes as you have outlined.”

“But if it does not…” Grace glanced at each of them as the long-assumed burden of worry and responsibility flashed in the depths of her eyes. As eldest, she had spent her life looking out for her younger siblings.

“Then you shall all have to join me on my journey to America.” Christopher reached into his pocket and retrieved the ticket he had purchased just two days earlier, deciding that now was as good a time as any to share news of his imminent departure. “I intend to leave as soon as this business with Crayton is completed. The ship I am traveling on leaves from Liverpool the fourth of September, and I have it from the captain himself that there are still plenty of cabins available.”

Christopher laid his fork across his plate and set his serviette upon the breakfast table as four pairs of eyes followed his every move. The dining room had never been so silent, and he wished little Beth had been allowed to join them this morning. She certainly would not have been as solemn as the others in the room.

“I thank you for breakfast, Samuel— and for your hospitality these many months.” Christopher cleared his throat, uncomfortably aware of the constriction building within. “It is time. I should go.” The servant hovering behind him pulled his chair back, and he stood.

“You should
not
go.” Helen’s voice elevated to an unnatural pitch, and a quick glance her direction confirmed that the tears, which had been threatening all morning, had at last spilled over and were now streaming from her eyes. Grace reached over and took her hand.

“We must allow your brother to direct his own life,” Samuel said firmly but not unkindly. He put his arm around Helen, supporting her as she rose from her chair. “You will always be welcome here, Christopher. Our home is yours.”

“I know. And I thank you.” For a fraction of a second, Christopher wished he could avail his brothers-in-law of their generosity. Parting with Grace and Helen was not going to be easy for him either. But the pull he felt to America’s shores grew stronger daily and could not be ignored.

He turned, quickly exiting the dining room and entering the foyer as a great hiccupping sob reached his ears.

Grace. Oh no.
He’d expected tears from Helen, but he’d hoped Grace would maintain control of her emotions this morning. The chorus of sobs following behind him indicated his hopes were in vain. Christopher crossed the foyer and stepped outside into the crisp morning air before stopping, hoping the coolness might do them all a bit of good and somehow soothe the bitterness of his departure.

He waited on the top step, then turned and shook hands with Nicholas, then Samuel, as they arrived. Grace and Helen stood beside them, hugging each other and crying.

“I cannot thank either of you enough,” Christopher said to his brothers-in-law, his throat swelling once more as he fought the tide of his own emotions. “I could not have chosen better men for my sisters.”

“I thought you did choose us,” Samuel drawled with a half smile.

Christopher clasped his arm. “Too right. So I did.” He grinned and sent Samuel a silent thanks for his attempt at lightheartedness.

“Take care,” Nicholas said. “And be sure to write often, or Grace shall insist upon being shipped off after you to monitor your welfare.”

“Oh no,” Christopher said with mock seriousness. “She is your responsibility now. Do not dare let her anywhere near a dock or a ship.”

“I do not intend to.” Nicholas nodded once more, then stepped backward, retreating over the threshold and into the foyer, along with Samuel, so that Christopher might say his farewells to Grace and Helen in private.

He wasn’t certain whether or not he felt grateful for this courtesy. His sisters would need their husbands to comfort them, and he needed to keep his own emotions in check— a feat made more difficult without the worry of acting a ninny in front of the other men.

“You
had
best write often and tell us of your adventures.” Grace clasped his right hand tightly in her own as Helen claimed his left.

Christopher glanced over his shoulder at Harrison, their driver, who stood beside the Sutherland landau. Harrison merely shrugged, as if to say,
Good luck getting them to let you go now.

Instead of fighting his sisters’ grasps, Christopher stepped nearer so that the three stood closely. “It is you who must take care, Grace. And you must be sure to write as soon as you are safely delivered of your child.”

Her eyes widened. “How did you know? We have not spoken of it in front of you. I did not wish to worry you or cause you to delay your trip.”

At her words, Christopher knew his sisters would let him go, but he also knew they believed his journey was merely a lark, a young man’s adventure, from which he would soon return. They could not have been more wrong. He intended to settle in America and make a life for himself there.

“It was impossible
not
to notice your condition,” Christopher said, earning a scowl from Grace as she glanced down and pressed a hand to her still-flat stomach.

“You don’t
appear
different,” he clarified. “But for the past month Nicholas has been treating you like a fragile china doll. He does not even allow you to walk up the stairs by yourself. What else was I to think?”

“I see.” Grace pursed her lips, but Christopher knew she was pleased with his assessment of her husband’s attentiveness.

“And you, Helen—” Christopher turned his gaze upon his younger sister, who thankfully had stopped her sniffling during his exchange with Grace. “I hope you feel better soon. I’ve not any experience with women who are increasing, but Samuel tells me the illness usually passes after a month or two.”

Helen and Grace gasped at the same time.

“When were you going to tell me?” Grace demanded.

“I only just realized myself this week.” Helen’s eyes narrowed at Christopher. “Samuel told you?”

Christopher chuckled. “Do not scold him for confirming what I had already guessed. The sounds from your chamber each morning and your lack of appetite at breakfast made your condition rather obvious.”

“Oh, dear.” Helen blushed prettily as her hand flew to her cheek. Christopher squeezed her other hand gently.

“You will need to take extra care of your husband during this time as well.”

“I know.” A fresh set of tears escaped Helen’s eyes. “He is so frightened of losing me.”

As well he should be.
Christopher attempted to push aside the fear
he
felt for each of his sisters. When he’d realized Grace was expecting, he had considered delaying his departure until she was safely delivered and he had met his niece or nephew. But the weather would be poor that time of year, and he would likely have had to wait a few months more.
And it would only be harder to leave.
His sisters had their lives, and it was time to go in search of his.

“And how do you feel about a child of your own?” Christopher asked Helen gently, hoping to coax her from her sorrow.

“Beth is like my own,” she said. “But, oh, I am ever so happy.” She smiled through her tears. “A child, Christopher— I shall soon have a child!”

He laughed. “Well, let us hope that’s what it is.” At this Helen released him, wrenching her hand from his in mock anger, then flung herself into his arms and sobbed upon his shoulder. Grace followed suit, and the lapels of Christopher’s coat were soon wet with their tears.

Just as he began to feel desperate, Nicholas and Samuel reappeared in the doorway. They came up behind their wives and gently pulled them away, Samuel turning Helen into his embrace, and Nicholas kissing Grace’s forehead, then wrapping his arm about her.