A Mistress for Penndrake by Tammy L. Bailey

Author:Tammy L. Bailey [Bailey, Tammy L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Entangled, Amara, Romance, Historical, Historical Romance, hisrom, Regency, Revenge, Blackmail, arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, rake, marquess, gambling, governess
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2018-05-28T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

“Lord Wesley?” Kate tossed her head back, the hair she’d spent pinning up this morning threatening to spill out at any moment. No, I can’t let him get me, she thought frantically.

His jacket shed, his white sleeves exposed, he ran at a somewhat leisurely pace, his steps still sounding loud and threatening. Her heart pounded hard, more from the thought of being caught than from her labor.

Desperate to touch the tree, she extended her arm and stepped out farther than she thought safe. Frantic, her fingertips scraped across the rippled bark.

“Home.” She gasped, the word coming out in a whoosh as Lord Wesley’s capable arms wrapped around her waist to draw her against his front.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered, causing a thrilling shiver to run down her spine.

“No, no, no!” Jonathan yelled, his springy legs jumping up and down, excitement shaking in his little voice. “She’s safe. She touched the tree. I saw her.”

Kate twisted around, her gaze falling on Lord Wesley, unsure how he’d handle being beaten, especially by a woman and in front of so many witnesses. The twinkle in his eyes said he didn’t seem to care. Her stomach lifted and fluttered, enjoying this carefree side of him.

He let go of her, placing her to his side, yet close enough for her to still feel the heat radiating from his exerted body.

With his hands placed firmly on his hips, he said in an authoritative tone, “I am certain this lady, though quite fetching and rather agile, did not beat me to this tree.”

Jonathan, unaware of Lord Wesley’s lightheartedness, continued to argue about what he saw. “She did, my lord. She did. Look in her hand and see.”

The crowd appeared to triple in size, wives and husbands, mothers and fathers, gathering to discover what they’d missed.

As if an actor on a stage, the marquess twisted around and thrust his finger into the air.

“Since I am certain I am right, I say, if this lady holds any evidence to reaching the tree first, then I shall repair every roof of every house in the village. If she does not, then every man who stands here today owes me two pounds.”

Kate squeezed her hands into tight fists. What was Lord Wesley doing? No nobility gambled his labor, especially when he knew he’d lost.

Both baffled and intrigued, she could only stare. His gaze bore into hers until he nodded, unnoticed to anyone but her.

“Show us, my lady, what you hold in your palm.”

With her gaze never leaving his, Kate brought her hand up and slowly opened her fingers, showing to everyone who’d drawn close to see, a chunk of crumpled tree bark.

The congregation erupted into merriment and relief. Jonathan, upon seeing his father, ran to him to report, in breathless detail, the last five minutes.

As the celebratory gathering dispersed, Kate glanced up at Lord Wesley, taken aback by what he’d done.

“How did you know I held the bark?”

Lord Wesley shrugged and smirked. “I wasn’t that far behind you.”

She smiled and then asked him another question.

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