A long ponderous moment passed before she whispered, "Caine, do you think me a coward for being afraid of the water?"


"Do you have to ask me that question?" he replied. "Don't you already know the answer, Jade?"


She smiled then. "No, you don't believe I'm a coward. I'm sorry for insulting you by asking. I'm just not use to admitting…"


"Sweetheart, Poseidon wouldn't go back in the water if he'd been through your terror."


She started to laugh and cry at the same time. She was so relieved he'd just taken her burden away, she felt positively light-headed. "Nathan's stronger than 1 am," she said then. "He's going on the waters again."


"Nathan isn't human, love, so he doesn't count," Caine replied.


"Oh, he's human, all right. If I tell you a secret, will you keep it? You won't torment my brother with…"


"I promise."


"Nathan gets seasick."


Caine laughed. "He's going to make a hell of a pirate then," he drawled out.


"I love you."


She'd blurted out her confession, her face hidden in the lapels of his jacket.


He quit laughing. "Did you say something?" he asked, pretending he hadn't heard her. He nudged her

chin up and stared down into her eyes.


It took her a long time to get the words out again, and every ounce of courage she possessed. Her throat tightened up, her heart hammered a wild beat, and her stomach felt like it was tying itself in knots.


She wouldn't have been able to tell him if he hadn't helped. The look on his face was so filled with love,

it made some of the panic ebb away. The dimple did the rest. "I love you."


He felt relieved, until she burst into tears again. "Was that so difficult? To tell me you loved me?"


"It was," she whispered while he kissed her tears away. "I'm not at all used to telling what's in my heart.

I don't believe I like it at all."


He would have laughed if she hadn't sounded so damned vulnerable. He kissed her instead.


"You didn't like making love the first time, either," he reminded her before kissing her sweet mouth once again.


Both of them were shaking when they drew apart. He would have dragged her over to the bed if Sir Richards' bellow hadn't interrupted them.


They sighed in unison. "Come along, sweetheart. It's time to go."


He started out the doorway, tugging her by her hand.


* * *

Lyons and Richards were waiting for them in the foyer. The time for gaiety was quickly put aside. They walked in silence through the backwoods where Matthew and Jimbo waited with their horses.


Caine took the lead. Jade was next in line, with Lyon responsible for protecting her back. Sir Richards trailed last.


Caine was cautious to the point of fanaticism. The only time they stopped to rest was when he backtracked on his own to make certain they weren't being followed. Still, Jade didn't mind the inconvenience. She was comforted by his precautions.


Each time Caine left, Lyon stayed by her side. And every time he talked to her, the topic was always about his file. It was apparent he was concerned about someone else getting hold of it.


She suggested he steal his own file so that he could gain peace of mind. Lyon shook his head. He tried

not to smile as he explained it wouldn't be ethical. There might also come a time, he added, when someone would question one of his missions. The file couldn't be destroyed or stolen, for the truth was his protection.


Jade didn't argue with him, but she decided the file would be much better protected in his home than in the War Office. She made the decision to take care of that little chore on her own.


By the time they reached the outskirts of London proper, the sun was setting. Jade was exhausted from the long ride. She didn't protest when Caine took her into his lap. She rode the rest of the distance with his arms wrapped around her.


And all the while she kept thinking to herself that Caine was such a solid, reliable man. A woman could depend on him.


She was just drifting off to sleep when they reached his town house. Caine went inside first, curtly dismissed his servants for the night, then took Jade into the library. The scent of smoke was still in the

air, and most of the walls were still blackened from the fire, but the servants had done a good job righting the damage. The town house was sound enough to live in.


When Lyon and Richards joined Jade and Caine, Richards said, "We'll leave as soon as it goes completely dark."


"It would be safer if we waited until midnight," Jade interjected. "There are two guards until then."


"And what happens at midnight?" Sir Richards asked.


"Only one guard stays during the blackest hours of the night," she explained. "His name is Peter Kently and he's always half-sotted by the time he takes over the watch. Now, if we wait until half past, he'll

have finished the last of his bottle, and he should be fast asleep."


Sir Richards was staring at her with his mouth gaping wide. "How did you…?"


"Sir, one must always be prepared for any eventuality if one is going to be successful," she instructed.


While Sir Richards sputtered about the lack of morals in government workers, Lyon asked Jade about

the locks. "The back door is a piece of work," she announced. Her eyes sparkled with merriment, for she was obviously warming to her topic.


"A piece of work?" Caine asked, smiling over her enthusiasm.


"Difficult," she qualified.


Sir Richards perked up considerably. "Well, thank God something's up to snuff."


She gave him a sympathetic look. "Difficult, Sir Richards, but not impossible. I did get inside, if you'll remember."


He looked so crestfallen, she hastened to add, "It took quite a long while that first time. Double locks are rather tricky."


"But not impossible," Lyon interjected. "Jade? Just how long did it take you that first time?"


"Oh, five… perhaps as many as six minutes."


Richards hid his face in his hands. Jade tried to comfort him. "There, there, Sir Richards. It isn't as bad as all that. Why, it took me almost an hour to get inside the inner sanctuary where the sealed files are kept."


The director didn't look as if he wanted to be comforted now. Jade left the men to their plans and went to the kitchens to find something to eat. She returned to the library with an assortment of food. They shared apples, cheese, cold mutton, day-old bread, and dark brown ale. Jade took her boots off, tucked her feet up under her, and fell asleep in the chair.


The men kept their voices low while they talked about the Tribunal. When Jade awakened several hours later, she saw Caine was rereading the letters she'd copied.


He had a puzzled look on his face, his concentration absolute, and when he suddenly smiled and leaned back in his chair, she thought he might have sorted through whatever problem he'd been contemplating. "Have you come to any conclusions, Caine?" she asked. "I'm getting there," Caine answered, sounding positively cheerful.


"You're being logical and methodical, aren't you?" she asked.


"Yes," he answered. "We take this one step at a time, Jade."


"He's a very logical man," she told Lyon and Sir Richards. Caine thought she sounded like she was making an excuse for a sorry flaw. "He cannot help himself," she added. "He's very trusting, too."


"Trusting?" Lyon snorted with laughter. "You can't be serious, Jade. Caine is one of the most cynical men in England."


"A trait I developed by running with you," Caine drawled out.


Jade was amazed by Lyon's comments. He sounded so certain. Sir Richards was nodding too. She

turned to smile at Caine, then said, "I'm honored then that you trust me."


"Just as much as you trust me, sweetheart," he answered.


She frowned at him. "And just what is that supposed to mean?" she asked. "Are you being insulting?"


He grinned. Jade turned to Lyon. "Do you have any idea how maddening it is to be married to someone who's so damned logical all the time?"


Caine answered her. "I haven't the faintest idea."


She decided to quit the topic. She eased her feet to the floor, grimacing over the discomfort that movement caused her backside. If she'd been all alone, she would have let out a loud, unladylike groan. "I'm not at all accustomed to riding for such long hours," she admitted.


"You did well today," Lyon praised. He turned to look at Caine. "When this is finished, Christina and

I will give a reception for the two of you."


"That would be fine," Caine interjected. "You know, Lyon, Jade and Christina are really quite alike."


"Is she a thief then?" Jade asked before she could stop herself. Her voice was filled with enthusiasm.

"We got along quite well right from the start. No wonder…"


"Sorry to disappoint you, love, but Christina isn't a thief," Caine said.


She looked crestfallen. Lyon laughed. "Christina isn't very logical either, Jade. She comes from a rather unusual family. She could teach you all sorts of things."


"God help us," Caine interjected, for he was very familiar with Lady Christina's unusual background. Lyon's wife had been raised in the wilderness of the Americas by one of the Dakota tribes.


Jade misunderstood Caine's reaction. "I'm certain I'm a quick study, Caine. If I apply myself, I could learn everything Christina would like to teach me."


She didn't give him time to argue with her. "I'm going to change my clothes. We must leave soon."


Caine, she noticed, was glaring at Lyon when she took her leave. Jade quickly changed into her black gown. She carried a cloak with her. The hood would shield her brightly colored hair in the lamplight.


* * *

They walked most of the way to the War Office. The building was across town, but they used the hired hack for only half the distance. When they reached the alley behind the building, Jade moved to Caine's side. She took hold of his hand while she stared up at the top floor of the brick structure.


"Something's wrong, Caine."


"What?" Sir Richards asked from behind her back. "Your instincts, my dear, or…"


"There's a light in the third window on the right," she explained. "It shouldn't be showing any light."


"Perhaps the guard at the entrance…"


"The entrance is on the other side," Jade interrupted. "That light comes from the inner office."


Caine turned to Lyon. "If someone's in there going through the files, he'll use the back door when he leaves."


"Let him pass when he does," Sir Richards directed. "I'll follow him."


"Do you want me to go with you?" Lyon asked. "If there's more than one…"


Richards shook his head. "I'll see who the leader is and follow that bloke. You're needed here. We'll

meet back at Caine's, no matter what the hour."


They moved to the shadows a fair distance from the back door, then patiently waited. Caine put his

arm around Jade's shoulders and held her close.


"You don't want me here with you, do you, Caine?" she whispered when his grip became almost painful.


"No, I don't want you to be here," he answered. "Jade, if there's trouble inside…"


"Lyon will take care of it," she interjected before he could finish his thought. "If there's any killing done, God forbid, then Lyon should be the one doing it. He's used to it."


Lyon heard her announcement and raised an eyebrow in reaction. He wondered if she'd read Caine's

file all the way through. It was a fact that Caine was every bit as capable as Lyon was.


Their whispers stopped as soon as the back door squeaked open. While they watched, two men scurried outside. In the moonlight, Jade could see their faces clearly. She couldn't contain her gasp. Caine clamped his hand over her mouth.