Roberts and his cohorts glared futilely at Matthew, but he ignored them as he moved into the hall and opened the door for them.

“Good night, gentlemen,” he said curtly. He shut the door with firm finality behind them and then breathed a huge sigh of relief that they were gone.

As Edward Demorest sat in his study trying to enjoy his usual after-dinner liqueur, his mood was somber. He had dined alone this evening, and he hadn’t enjoyed it. He admitted reluctantly to himself now that he had missed CC’s company all evening-not that he wasn’t still angry with her, for he was. Her behavior today had been totally outrageous and quite unbecoming of a woman of her position in society. But he wasn’t used to being so completely alone, and he decided to make his peace with her tonight rather than wait until morning. Pleased that he’d convinced himself to make the move now, he set his snifter aside and strode from the room.

“CC.” He knocked softly at her chamber door. “CC, I’d like to speak with you.”

There was no answer to his knock, and he frowned slightly. He knew Anna had told him that she was planning on retiring early, but he’d never known her to be a very sound sleeper. Knocking a little louder, he called out to her again.

“CC. I’d like to speak with you. Please open the door.”

He paused, awaiting her response, but silence was all that greeted him.

“CC?” Edward called her name. “CC, is something wrong?”

There was still no answer, and he began to grow worried. Anxiously, he tried the doorknob, and he was distressed to find the door locked.

“Mr. Demorest? Is there something the matter?” Anna stood at the bottom of the staircase as she called up to him.

“Yes. It’s CC. She’d not answering… Perhaps she’s taken ill. Quick, bring me the extra set of keys.”

“Yes, sir.”

Within moments Anna was beside him with the set of master keys. Edward quickly sorted through them, located the one for CC’s room, and hurriedly unlocked the door. Pushing it open, he strode forth into the darkened bedroom.

“CC? CC, my dear, if you’re ill…Anna, quickly, light a lamp for me,” he ordered.

Edward started in the direction of his daughter’s bed, fully expecting to find CC there. As Anna lit the lamp, bathing the room in a golden glow, he was astounded to discover the bed empty and CC nowhere to be found.

“By God! She’s not even here!” He wasn’t sure if he was more astonished or furious. “Anna!” Edward rounded on the servant as he spied the untouched dinner tray on the table near the bed. “What do you know about this?”

“Nothing, sir!” she answered quickly, defensively.

“The truth, Anna! I want the truth!” he bellowed as he realized how completely his daughter had defied him.

“That is the truth, sir!” she cried, fearful of losing her job. “I brought up the dinner tray as you told me to, and I offered to have a bath sent up. Miss CC said that she didn’t want a bath, and that she was going to go on to bed early tonight since you weren’t going to speak with her until tomorrow.”

“I see.” Edward’s eyes narrowed as he looked about the room, noting her hastily discarded clothing and the open window. “You didn’t see her or talk to her after that?”

“No, sir.”

He knew then how she’d made her escape, and he became even more upset.

“Mr. Demorest, sir, do you suppose she’s all right?”

“Don’t worry about it, Anna. You go back downstairs and take care of your own duties. I’m going to wait here for my daughter’s return.” He stalked to the window and glanced out.

“Yes, sir.” Anna scurried from the room, feeling sorry for CC when she got back.

Edward crossed the room to close and lock the door before blowing out the lamp. Settling down in the chair beside the bed, he folded his arms across his chest and sat back to wait. If CC thought she’d witnessed the full potency of his anger over her visit to Kincade at the jail, she was wrong, he vowed silently as he contemplated a suitable punishment for such an unruly, wayward young female.

CC moved cautiously through the darkly shadowed rebel hideout. Though she could detect no sign of anyone’s presence in the old two-story structure, she knew better than to assume that there was no one around. For years they’d been forced to meet in secret, and they were most adept at disguising their whereabouts. CC was aware that there were several windowless meeting rooms in the building, and it was in one of these that she hoped to finally locate Ryan.

CC ascended the staircase as quietly as possible, and when she reached the hall, she noted with relief that light was shining from beneath the door to one of the rooms. Quickly she rushed forth, anxious to impart her news about Noah’s treachery so that precautions could be taken against any possible action by the Crown.

CC knew a momentary pang of sorrow over the fact that she had to tell Ryan of Noah’s betrayal, but the memory of the scene at the jail between Noah and Eve assailed her then, erasing any kinder emotion she might have felt for him. She had always known that he was a double-dealer, and she felt foolish for having believed any of what Matthew had told her last night. She was glad now that she had not arrived at the jail before Eve. Who knows what kind of a fool she would have made of herself, professing her love to him? Her witnessing of his embrace with Eve had cured her of wanting him, and any love she had felt for him was buried beneath a hard shell of hate. It was in that frame of mind that CC knocked once on the door to announce her presence and then turned the knob to open it, calling out to Ryan as she did so.

Noah, try as he might, had only managed to get a few minutes’ sleep since being left there. Unable to rest, he had lain upon the bed trying to come to grips with what he really wanted from life. His entire plan for the future had been destroyed by the events of the past few days, and he had to admit to himself that he was not altogether sorry. Matthew’s blunt assessment of his character had shocked him, and yet at the same time it had forced him to accept the ugly truth about himself. He had changed. He had become a different person, and Noah knew he didn’t like the man he’d become.

Looking back objectively, Noah could see how the humiliation of his father’s failure had rendered him a slave to his obsessive desire to “prove” his worth to those who’d shunned him. He understood his own motivation in striving to reestablish himself, but he knew now that the goal of returning to England possessing great wealth was a useless, fruitless achievement. The opinions of his so-called friends among the peerage were not important, for, had they been true friends, they would not have deserted him in the first place. Noah’s thoughts drifted to remembrances of the life he’d led before his father’s death. He realized now that his existence had been completely hedonistic, not unlike Geoffrey’s here in the colonies, and he knew he could never go back to that. He had discovered that there was more to life… There was justice and dedication and love…

A sound in the hall interrupted Noah’s thoughts, and thinking it to be one of Ryan’s men returning to check on him, he quickly got up and started toward the door as it swung open.

CC stepped inside the room fully expecting to come face-to-face with Ryan and several other members of the group. Instead she found herself staring up at Noah. He looked so tall and so handsome that for a minute she froze, overwhelmed by his very nearness. Her hands went cold and clammy, and her heart began to pound in her breast. What was he doing here? Of all the people she’d expected to see when she came through the door, he had been the last. Her moment of disbelief was brief. He was a double-dealing traitor!