"Damn," she muttered. She squeezed her eyes shut and looked up again.

Nothing. She still felt awful.

"You're reading too much into this," she told her­self. "You've never had even an ounce of feminine intuition in your entire life. You don't even know if your own husband loves you. Don't you think a woman with intuition would know at least that?"

More than anything, she wanted to hop on a horse and ride to Blake and James's rescue. Except that they probably didn't need rescuing, and she knew that Blake would never forgive her. Trust was such a precious thing, and she didn't want to de­stroy theirs mere days into the marriage.

Maybe if she went down to the beach, to where she and Blake first made love. Maybe there she could find a little peace.

The sky was growing darker, but Caroline turned her back on the house and walked toward the path that led to the water. She edged through the garden and had just stepped onto the rocky trail when she heard something.

Her heart froze. "Who's there?" she demanded.

Nothing.

"You're being silly," she mumbled. "Just go to the b-"

Seemingly out of nowhere, a blinding force hit her on the back and knocked her to the ground.

"Don't say a word," a voice growled in her ear.

"Oliver?" she choked out.

"I said don't talk!" His hand clamped over her mouth. Hard.

It was Oliver. Her mind raced. What the hell was he doing here?

"I'm going to ask you some questions," he said in a frighteningly even voice. "And you are going to give me some answers."

Staving off panic, she nodded.

"Who does your husband work for?"

Her eyes widened, and she was thankful that he took his time removing his hand, because she had no idea wha,t to say. When he finally let her speak, his arm still brutally wrapped around her neck, she said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

He yanked back, so that his upper arm cut into her windpipe. "Answer me!"

"I don't know! I swear!" If she gave Blake away his entire operation would be ruined. He might forgive her, but she would never forgive herself.

Oliver abruptly changed his position so that he was twisting her arm behind her back. "I don't be­lieve you," he growled. "You're a lot of things, most of them annoying as hell, but you're not stupid. Who does he work for?"

She chewed on her lip. Oliver wasn't going to believe that she was completely in the dark, so she said, "I don't know. Sometimes he goes out, though."

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere. Where does he go?"

"I don't know."

He pulled on her arm so hard she was sure her shoulder would come out of the socket.

"I don't know!" she shrieked. "Truly, I don't."

He spun her around. "Do you know where he is right now?"

She shook her head.

"I do."

"You do?" she choked out.

He nodded, his eyes narrowing malevolently. "Imagine my surprise when I discovered him so far afield this evening."

"I don't know what you mean."

He started dragging her toward the main road. "You will." He pulled her along until they reached a small gig parked by the side of the road. The horse was peacefully chewing on grass until Oliver kicked him in the leg.

"Oliver!" Caroline said. "I'm sure that wasn't necessary."

"Shut up." He jammed her up against the side of the gig and tied her hands together with a rough piece of rope.

Caroline looked down at her hands and noted with aggravation that he was as good at tying knots as Blake had been. She'd be lucky if any blood reached her hands. "Where are you taking me?" she demanded.

"Why, to see your dear husband."

"I told you, I don't know where he is."

"And I told you, I do."

She gulped, finding it harder and harder to keep up her bravado. "Well then, where is he?"

He shoved her up into the gig, sat down behind her, and spurred the horse into motion. "Mr. Ravenscroft is presently standing on a bluff overlooking the English Channel. He has a telescope in his hand and is accompanied by the Marquis of Riverdale and two men I do not recognize."

"Perhaps they are out on some sort of scientific expedition. My husband is a great naturalist."

"Don't insult me. He has his telescope fixed on my men."

"Your men?" she echoed.

"You thought Iwas just another idle lackwit latching on to your money, didn't you?"

"Well, yes," Caroline admitted before she had a chance to check her tongue.

"I had plans for your fortune, yes, and don't think I've forgiven you for your betrayal, but I've been working toward my own destiny as well."

"What do you mean?"

"Ha! Wouldn't you like to know."

She caught her breath as they rounded a corner at an unsafe speed. "It appears I'm going to know very soon, Oliver, if you insist upon abducting me this way."

He looked at her assessingly.

"Watch the road!" she shrieked, nearly losing the contents of her stomach as they careened by a tree.

Oliver yanked too hard on the reins, and the horse, already a bit peeved about having been kicked, snorted and stopped short.

Caroline .was jerked forward as they halted. "I think I'm going to be sick," she mumbled.

"Don't think I'm going to clean the mess if you cast up your accounts," Oliver snapped, whacking the horse with his riding crop.

"Stop hitting that poor horse!"

He whipped his head around to face her, his eyes glittering dangerously. "May I remind you that you are tied up, and I am not?"

"Your point being?"

"I give the orders."

"Well, don't be surprised if the poor creature kicks you in the head when you're not looking."

"Don't tell me how to treat my horse," he roared, and then brought the crop down again on the ani­mal's back. They resumed their movement down the road, and once Caroline was assured that Oliver was driving at a slower pace, she said, "You were telling me about your work."

"No," he said. "I wasn't. And shut up."

She clamped her mouth closed. Oliver wasn't go­ing to tell her anything, and she might as well use the time to devise a plan. They were moving parallel to the coast, edging ever closer to Prewitt Hall and the cove Oliver had written about in his smug­gling reports. The very cove where Blake and James were waiting. Dear God, they were going to be ambushed.

Something was wrong. Blake felt it in his bones.

"Where is he?" he hissed.

James shook his head and pulled out his pocket watch. "I don't know. The boat arrived an hour ago. Prewitt should have been here to meet them."

Blake cursed under his breath. "Caroline told me that Prewitt is always punctual."

"Could he know that the War Office is on to him?"

"Impossible." Blake lifted his telescope to his eye and focused on the beach. A small boat had dropped anchor about twenty yards out to sea. There wasn't much of a crew-so far they had spied only two men up on the deck. One of them held a pocket watch and was checking it at frequent intervals.

James nudged him and Blake passed him the scope. "Something must have happened today," Blake said. "There is no way he could have known he'd been detected."

James just nodded as he scanned the horizon. "Unless he's dead, he'll be here. He has too much money riding on this."

"And where the hell are his other men? There are supposed to be four."

James shrugged, scope still to his eye. "Maybe they're waiting for a signal from Prewitt. He might have- Wait!"

"What?"

"Someone's coming along the road."

"Who?" Blake tried to grab the scope, but James refused to relinquish it. "It's Prewitt," he said, "coming in a gig. And he's got a female with him."