The Raider by Jude Deveraux

Author:Jude Deveraux [Deveraux, Jude]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: General, Romance, Fiction, Historical
ISBN: 9780671743819
Google: 6XHuqPOWYnwC
Amazon: 0671743813
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: 1987-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

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Wearily, Jessica threw down a load of fish and lobsters on the big table in

the Montgomery common room. Eleanor snapped at Molly to watch what

she was doing, then slammed a corn muffin pan into the brick oven. She

hissed at the scrawny dog in the cage turning the spit, then gave

Nathaniel a dirty look because he wasn't already at work cleaning the fish.

"What's going on?" Jess asked.

"Him." The word was as much seethed as spoken by Eleanor.

Jess looked in question to Nate as he retrieved a lobster from where it

had fallen to the floor.

Nick, Nate mouthed, motioning his head toward the doorway.

"What has your Nicholas done now?" Jess asked, taking a corn muffin

hot from a pan.

Eleanor turned on her sister with angry eyes. "He's not mine." She

calmed herself. "Alexander is ill. He may be dying, for all I know, and that

great, hulking, arrogant monster won't let me in to see him. He says Alex

wants to see no one."

"That's probably true," Jess said, her mouth full. "He probably doesn't

want anyone to see him without one of his rainbow coats." She dusted off

her hands. "But he'll see me." She went down the hall and had her hand on

the latch to Alex's room before Nick came from another room and saw

her.

"He doesn't want to see anyone."

Jess knocked on the door. "Alex, it's me, Jessica. Eleanor is worried

about you. Unlock the door and let me in." There was no answer. She

looked at Nick. He was a big, thick, dark man who was now looking down

his nose at her in a particularly haughty way.

"I want to see him," Jess said, her jaw set

"He is not receiving callers."

Jessica started to say more but then smiled and shrugged. "Just make

sure he eats well," she said cheerfully, then turned and went back to the

common room. Eleanor looked at her askance and Jess shook her head

before leaving the house.

She had no intention of allowing that man to tell her what she couldn't

do. She skirted the house, through the weeds and bushes, making her way

to Alex's bedroom. She stopped short as she passed Sayer's window. Very

calmly, the elder Montgomery looked up from his book.

Jess swallowed hard, but as the older man merely kept looking at her,

she gave him a weak, tentative smile and continued on. He was watching

her intently when she passed the second window, but he didn't call to her

or question what she was doing skulking about his house.

When she reached Alex's window, she was pleased to see the shutters

were open. She put one foot inside before someone grabbed her belt and

pulled her back out. She looked up at Nicholas Ivanovitch.

"Mistress Jessica," he said in a shaming voice. "I wouldn't have believed

this of you. Now run along and don't be sneaking into a gentleman's

bedchamber."

Jess's hands made fists at her sides, but she turned on her heel and left.

What did she care what had happened to Alexander? All he did was give

her trouble anyway. It was his fault she'd made the Raider so angry. If

Alex hadn't planted those nasty doubts in her head about the Raider's

usefulness, she'd never have questioned him.

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