"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.