Chemistry of Magic by Patricia Rice

Author:Patricia Rice [Rice, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Book View Cafe

Chapter 14

Dare ground his teeth as his stubborn wife drove into the stable yard—alone. He would admire the way Emilia handled the reins, except her bonnet had fallen down her back, and she looked disheveled and upset and was that blood on her sleeve? Frightened and furious, he crossed the stones and hauled her from the gig the instant the groom grabbed the horses.

“I told you not to go out alone!” He wanted to hold her close and ascertain she was all right, but he was unaccustomed to dealing with irrational panic roiling his innards. It was safer if he set her down.

“I didn’t go out alone. I had Tess with me. But I left her with Bridey.” She shook out her skirt as if he hadn’t just manhandled her. She stalked toward the house, apparently expecting him to follow since she kept talking. “We must go to see the duke of Sommersville. There are surveyors in the fields saying they’re laying a railroad track through the village!”

Frigging bloody damn hell. Had the investors believed he could twist arms so quickly? Time was of the essence in a matter like this. They may have assumed all was in order. Or else. . . His panic escalated.

A competitor was planning his own track.

Dare strode after his wife. “Fine. I’ll ride over and talk with Pascoe. We’ll make an appointment with the duke. One does not just ride up and say hello, how are you, to a duke! How do you know there are surveyors? Did you talk with them?”

“Mr. Ives-Madden did. He got into fisticuffs with them. That’s how audacious they are! What are we to do if the duke isn’t available?” She flung her bonnet and pelisse over a hook and looked at him with dismay.

“You have no reason to believe they will come through here. You’ve not seen any letters asking you to sell, have you?” Dare tried to think frantically if the consortium had sent any. Emilia’s land hadn’t been on the original path, so there was no reason to. But fisticuffs with surveyors didn’t sound right at all. He wasn’t in this to fight with landowners!

She halted at the bottom of the stairs, looking pale and frightened. “What if this Crenshaw person has done something despicable besides stealing money? Could the executors have sent him the letters to sort out?”

“I would think they would have told me if there was any possibility an offer had been made on the property. I questioned them thoroughly. I’ll send a note to Pascoe,” he said to calm her down. “He’ll be able to reach the duke. Surveyors simply draw maps. They can’t lay tracks.”

She turned and flung her arms around him, resting her dark head against his shoulder. “Thank you. It would be awful to wait all these years to claim my home, only to lose it.”

Emilia had never voluntarily thrown herself into his arms. Despite his roiling panic, Dare felt like a twelve-foot god having his independent wife turn to him.

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