Free The Guise of a Gentleman by Donna Hatch

His French accent lightly touched his words.
    “To be honest, I didn’t, either. Any other ideas?”
    “It could be any member of the crew.”
    “None of them know I’m in Brenniswick.”
    “It’s possible Leandro might have tailed us, but we were careful to avoid that.”
    The thought chilled Jared. He’d gone to the family estate to visit Cole and his new bride, Alicia, before coming here. If he’d been tailed, then he’d unwittingly led dangerous men literally to Cole’s door.
    No. He’d been very careful. More likely, someone had stumbled onto one of the crew in Port Johns. But how they’d gotten to José this far inland remained a mystery. Jared hated that kind of mystery.
    “I’ll find out who tipped him off and how much he knows.” Dubois paused, eyeing Jared shrewdly. “Something you want to tell me, Mon Capitaine ?”
    Jared shook his head. This near the end, he could not afford the luxury of trust. He only hoped when this was all over, he could convince his crew to cooperate with the authorities and be spared the noose.
    Soon, he would be free. But free to be whom?
    He’d assumed so many roles over the years that he wondered if he knew who he really was. Or who he would become if he had no role to play.
    Jared Amesbury, second son of the Earl of Tarrington, had been pretending to be others for so long, he wondered if that man existed.
    Would he shed all his personas, only to discover no one there?
    ****
    Days later, the sun shone on Jared as he sauntered along the main street of Brenniswick. As his thoughts tumbled, he strolled as if he were nothing more than a country gentleman out for a bit of fresh air. He nodded absently to people he passed and forced himself not to tug at his cravat.
    He stepped into a cool shadow and looked up at a church. He cringed. The last time he’d been in a church was in Havana where he’d impersonated a priest and helped rob the place. Plundering the church had been a bit extreme, however his men had certainly enjoyed themselves. Jared grinned at the fond memories.
    He missed the sea. At first, the thought of being landlocked had seemed horrible, and while it had not proven as bad as he had feared, he missed the freedom of commanding his own ship and having nothing barring his way.
    Of course, he’d been playing a role then, as well. What surprised him was that he actually missed his mates. Though thieves and scoundrels, most of them were surprisingly decent men. All had secrets and pasts they never discussed, and Jared had found unexpected kinship in them. He had fit in with relative ease, once he got over his fear of waking up to find his throat slit. Even his brother Cole had thrived in the freedom outside the strictures of the navy’s discipline.
    “Hold my hand and remain close, my love.” A feminine voice brought up Jared’s head.
    A slender figure in an understated blue gown moved into Jared’s line of sight. Elise Berkley’s lovely face and pleasing form enraptured him. Her attention remained fixed upon a small boy whose hand she held, and she did not see Jared.
    Drawn to her, Jared maneuvered himself into better position to watch.
    The child looked up at his mother. Mrs. Berkley smoothed the boy’s pale blond hair and touched his cheek in a tender gesture that took Jared’s breath away.
    Underneath a tasteful bonnet, her carefully braided hair had been wound into a large coil, hinting at its length and thickness. Jared pictured it loose, blowing in a sea wind, swirling around her back and waist. Her modest, subdued gown failed to hide her appealing, womanly curves. He wondered if he could encircle her waist with his hands. Then, as his eyes moved downward, following the curves of her body, he wondered a great deal that no gentleman ought to imagine about a respectable lady.
    He let out a strangled breath. What made him think he could ever pass himself as a gentleman if, every time he saw this lady, all he wanted to do was throw her over his shoulder