0764213504 by Roseanna M. White

Author:Roseanna M. White [Desconocido]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC042030, FIC042040, FIC027200
ISBN: 9781441228819
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2015-08-05T21:00:00+00:00

Seventeen

Brook stood where he’d left her. The threatening tears made her nose ache, and pain from holding them back scorched her side.

He’d left. He hadn’t teased or cajoled or called himself a dunce. He hadn’t shot back with an accusation of his own. He hadn’t gathered her close again and told her why he had such shadows in his eyes.

He’d left.

A sob nearly escaped. So much she’d wanted to tell him—nightmares and jewels and lying letters in her mother’s things—and now he was gone, and he was leaving tomorrow, and they would part for months with this between them, and then things would never be the same again.

Things were already not the same.

“My lady.” Deirdre bustled into the room, concern in her eyes. “I heard shouting. Was that the duke?”

“Yes.” But no. Yes, it had been the Duke of Stafford talking about responsibilities and trips he couldn’t postpone. The Duke of Stafford, with eyes so much older than his years. But beneath him, somewhere, was Justin. She darted around her maid. “I have to catch him.”

“But I heard his car start up.”

“Then I have to go after him. I need a horse. Or the car.”

“My lady.” Deirdre caught her by the elbow, horror on her face. “No. You can’t go out alone at night in London. Not looking as you do.”

Did she mean the bruises or the clothes? Either way. Shaking her arm free, Brook charged through the doorway. “You’re right. I need livery. There should be something in the laundry.”

“My lady!”

This time she was the one to halt. “You can help me or you can stay out of my way, O’Malley, but I am going after him.”

Indecision chased through the Irishwoman’s eyes . . . then she crossed herself and flew down the corridor. “Heaven help me and may his lordship forgive me. I’ll fetch the livery.”

Every step seemed to take an hour, every button an age, but the clock said it was not five minutes later that Brook flew from Aunt Mary’s house in borrowed Ramsey livery, a chauffeur’s cap hiding her hair and shadowing her face. Papa usually helped with the car’s crank, but tonight she didn’t have time to find other assistance. She did it herself, ignoring the strain to her side, and leaped behind the wheel.

Thank heavens Papa had driven her to Justin’s townhouse yesterday. She followed the same route now, praying he had gone home and not to the wedding ball. Surely, surely he was not so unmoved that he could feast and dance as if the world were still whole.

She took the last two turns too fast, but her galloping heart would accept nothing less. When she squealed to a stop in the rear of his driveway and saw him just exiting the carriage house, she deemed it worth it.

He spun at her ignominious entrance, light from the lamp outlining him in gold.

He wouldn’t know the car. She took it out of gear and pushed open the door, tossing her cap to the seat behind her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.