Bride for a Night(124)

“Harry, you lead the way.”

“But…” The younger man bit off his protest and glared at Gabriel. “I suppose that you assume I deserve to be shot like a stray dog?”

Gabriel heaved an exasperated sigh. “What I assume is that you know the shortest route out of the cellars and to a side door.”

“Oh.” With an awkward shrug, Harry turned to cross the stone floor, heading past the towering shelves of dusty wine bottles. “This way.”

Gabriel shifted to press the pistol to Jacques’s back even as he glanced at his friend.

“Hugo, if you would escort Mademoiselle Reynard?”

Hugo nodded, reaching to grasp Sophia’s arm. “Of course.”

“Non,” Jacques growled. “She remains here.”

Gabriel shook his head. “I will release her once we have reached the yacht. Until then I intend to keep her close at hand.”

“So much for the famed chivalry of English noblemen.”

“Perhaps I would have more chivalry if you had not kidnapped my wife.”

With a nod toward Talia he watched as she quickly crossed the floor and climbed the narrow flight of stairs closely followed by Hugo and Sophia. Then, giving the Frenchman a shove forward, they made their way out of the cellars and into the kitchens.

Casting a swift glance about the silent room to make certain there were no lurking servants hidden among the worn tables and piles of firewood, Gabriel walked to where his companions were clustered about the entrance to the side alley.

“Stand aside,” he requested in a low voice, pulling open the door and jerking Jacques through the opening and onto the narrow porch. There was a shuffle of movement as several uniformed guards stepped into the light of the flickering torches, their curious expressions hardening to anger as Gabriel lifted the pistol to press it to Jacques’s temple in an unspoken threat. “Tell them to place their weapons on the ground and to step away from the carriage,” he ordered the Frenchman, the edge in his voice warning that he would pull the trigger if necessary.

Jacques stiffened, as if considering a ridiculous act of heroism. Then, sanity returned, and he spoke in rapid French, commanding the guards to lower their weapons and to retreat to the back garden.

Reluctantly, the men bent down to place their pistols on the ground, although Gabriel was not stupid enough to believe they did not have several weapons still hidden beneath their uniforms. Straightening, they hesitated until Jacques offered a faint nod. Only then did they back toward the gate leading to the garden.

“Harry, if you would be so good as to gather the weapons?” he said, leading Jacques down the steps.

His brother brushed past him, collecting the pistols off the ground. Keeping one, he handed another to Hugo and dumped the others in a nearby rain barrel.

Hugo joined Gabriel with his hand still clenched around Sophia’s arm.

“Do you want her inside the carriage?” he demanded.

Gabriel glanced toward the shiny vehicle that was still hitched to the pair of restless bays.

“Yes, I will need you and Harry up top to make certain there are no unpleasant surprises.”

Moving forward Hugo pulled open the door to the carriage and lifted a stoic Sophia onto the leather bench seat before turning to assist Talia. Once the women were settled, Hugo stood aside as Jacques crawled into the carriage muttering his desire to see the entire British Empire fall into the sea.

Gabriel moved forward to join the others as Harry climbed into the seat on top of the carriage.

“I will handle the ribbons,” he announced.