The Unworthy Duke by Charlotte Anne

Author:Charlotte Anne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Escape Publishing
Published: 2020-12-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Ellen’s heart leaped and she clutched at Calum’s shirt. ‘Geoffrey?’

Her brother’s mouth twisted into a self-righteous scowl. He stood on the top step, laying claim to the threshold.

‘What are you doing here?’ Her lungs tightened, her breath trapped in her throat. Gwen! Had he found Gwen?

‘Just as I suspected.’ His gaze lingered on her kiss-swollen lips.

Old shame filled her stomach like heavy rocks and she barely resisted the urge to wipe her still-tingling mouth on the back of her hand.

Beside her, Calum stiffened. She was acutely aware of his presence, of the strength of his shoulders, of the warmth of his chest. And of the horror he must be feeling standing face to face with her brother.

It was clear Geoffrey hadn’t cleaned his teeth, hadn’t shaved, hadn’t washed his hair. Seeing them face to face, it was hard not to draw a comparison between the two men, so very different were they. Where Calum’s very presence seemed to draw the eye, Geoffrey was just…less.

She straightened her shoulders. They’d done nothing shameful, and the day she’d left Geoffrey’s house was the day she’d given up letting his snide comments dictate her emotions. She took a steadying breath, focusing on much more important matters.

Gwen. For a second all she could see was the little girl’s face, as though she stood in Geoffrey’s place—large, bright owl eyes peeking out from behind a curtain of dark hair as naturally curly as her grandmother’s had been.

But Ellen didn’t ask what she most wanted to know. Years of experience had taught her drawing attention to Gwen only made matters worse when it came to dealing with her brother. ‘How did you find me?’

‘Couldn’t have been easier,’ Geoffrey preened, puffing out his chest. ‘You always did take me for a fool.’

‘Fool enough to be standing on my doorstep without even a card of introduction,’ Calum snapped, finally breaking his silence.

Only then did Geoffrey bother turning his attention to the large Scotsman before him. His eyes narrowed on Calum’s face, his scowl turning feral. His thoughts were written on his face as clear as a newspaper headline.

A lurch of panic started her heart to racing. ‘Geoffrey, please,’ she implored, ‘at least let me take you around the back. This is my employer’s house.’ She reached out to take his hand, desperate to separate the two men, but Geoffrey grabbed her wrist in his vice-like grip, sending pain shooting up her arm.

‘A cripple!’ He goaded her, his shrill voice magnified with his growing excitement. ‘You came all the way to London for a cripple!’ A squawk of laughter. ‘I bet he was the only one who’d take you in.’

‘Who the hell are you?’ demanded Calum, his voice dangerously low.

‘None other than Geoffrey Burney, Baron of Blackford, and I demand you address me as such, sir.’ He gave Calum sanctimonious sneer. ‘The runt before you is my sister, and I’m here to return her home to where she belongs.’ He turned his attention back to Ellen, pressing his free hand to his chest.

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