A Kiss In The Dark by Kimberly Logan

Author:Kimberly Logan [Logan, Kimberly]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, England, historical romance, regency romance, love story, London
ISBN: 9780739450192
Google: 2mIgMwAACAAJ
Publisher: Avon
Published: 2004-12-31T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Back in the coach and on their way once again, Tristan sat across from Deirdre, unable to keep himself from surreptitiously studying her out of the corner of one eye.

She looked upset, he decided, and he supposed she had every right to be. After all, she’d warned him to be as unobtrusive as possible, but it just wasn’t in his nature to remain idle while a lady was being insulted.

And regardless of her origins, Deirdre was indeed every inch a lady. He felt guilty that he’d ever doubted it.

His hand tightened into a fist on his knee. He hadn’t meant to lose his temper, but watching that snide brat taunt Deirdre had unleashed every protective instinct he possessed, and before he’d known it he’d been lunging into the fray.

He supposed he owed her an apology. Bloody hell, it seemed he was constantly apologizing to her. But as he looked up and opened his mouth to speak, she interrupted him, her words bringing him to a stunned halt.

“I’m sorry.”

Her voice was a husky whisper and she cleared her throat, glancing down at the floor of the carriage. “Jack’s behavior was reprehensible.”

Incensed that she should try to accept responsibility in any way for Jack’s display of venom, he leaned forward in his seat, willing her to look at him and see the sincerity in his face. “And in no way your fault. The boy is in need of a stern hand and some harsh discipline.”

“Oh, no. I believe that is part of his trouble. At one point in time, he was dealt with by too harsh a hand. Now I fear he may be beyond my help.” She shook her head. “I know he can be frustrating, but the rest of the Rag-Tags can be very sweet, and they’re worth every moment I’ve invested in them.”

“A pack of pickpockets, sweet?”

“They have no one else but each other, Tristan, and no other way to earn a living. I do what I can, bring them food and blankets, but in so many ways their lives are even more difficult than mine ever was.”

She met his eyes, a slight smile curving her full lips. “And you seemed to like Benji well enough.”

Thinking of those innocent eyes looking up at him so trustingly, Tristan felt his heart squeeze. It was true. Benji had gotten to him, the child’s obvious love of books reminding him of the long hours he’d spent reading to Emily at bedtime when she’d been that age. “He seems very unaffected.”

“The other boys have tried hard to shield him from the worst of things, though it’s impossible to protect him from all of it. Apparently, Peter found him abandoned in a back alley a few years ago. From what they tell me, he couldn’t have been more than two or three at the time. They took him in, practically raised him. He never would have survived if it weren’t for them.”

The deep green of her irises flooded with moisture, and she whipped her head around to stare out the window, the delicate line of her jaw tightening.

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