A Lady's Honor by Laurie Alice Eakes

Author:Laurie Alice Eakes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2014-01-31T16:00:00+00:00

On the twenty-third of May, the day after the new moon, he faced those consequences in the form of Penvenan pacing back and forth across the stable yard, a white line around his lips and a vein pulsing at one temple. He turned on Rowan the instant he came within earshot. “Where have you been all night?”

“Playing guard dog.” Rowan kept his tone calm, neutral.

“I don’t believe you were merely guarding.” Penvenan smacked his riding crop against his gloved palm.

Rowan gave the implement a narrow-eyed glare. “Do you intend to use that on me, sir?”

“Maybe if I had a dozen years ago, you’d have turned out better.”

Rowan’s face froze to mask the pain of those words. Some men would be proud of how he had turned out. Austell Penvenan thought Rowan lacked in every aspect because he chose conscience over an unjust law.

He managed a stiff smile now. “I admire your forbearance, sir, though your tongue-lashings have stung quite enough.”

“If you’ve been with a female, I will take this crop to you—or a horse whip.” He smacked the crop against the leather again for emphasis.

Rowan sighed. “Do you not yet believe that the biblical principles by which I live my life keep me from that kind of behavior? I would no more spend the night with a female not my wife than I would steal from your strongbox, and you’ve trusted me with a key to that for four years.” He turned toward the house. “Now may I go get some breakfast, then rest for an hour or two? I have been keeping watch over Miss Morwenna Trelawny.”

As her dogs were no good if they didn’t bark at people they knew.

Which was no help. They might know everyone in the parish.

“Why are you watching over her?” Penvenan took a step toward him.

Rowan shrugged as though his night’s vigil meant little instead of the significance he had worked out after Elizabeth told him she’d been pushed off the cliff path. “I made a promise to Conan, and the smugglers might have taken out revenge on her with their night’s work interrupted.”

“Huh. She was likely involved with them up to her pretty eyes.”

“An interesting theory I hadn’t considered.” Even more likely now that he added his other suppositions to it.

He started for the house. “I’ll see that the repairs on the roof are well underway today, sir. Are you riding with Miss Trelawny today?”

“On my own. Miss Trelawny is laid up from that tumble she took, silly chit.”

Rowan halted but kept his face turned away. “Is she injured badly?”

“She has a mild chill and enough bruises to make her stiff. Why she had to go walking on the cliff . . .” He sighed, and even that held affection.

Rowan’s desire for breakfast vanished. “Walking on the cliff alone was a foolish thing to do. I expect . . .”

She was running away from the confines of her life.

“Enjoy your ride, sir, and have a care.” He faced Penvenan. “Do you wish for me to come with you?”

“I do not need a minder.

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