To Catch An Heiress by Julia Quinn

Author:Julia Quinn [Julia Quinn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780061754159
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2004-09-04T22:00:00+00:00

An hour or so later Caroline followed Blake through the front door of Seacrest Manor. She was tired and sore and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed, but before she could dash up the stairs he took her by the elbow and steered her into his study.

Or perhaps propelled would be a more accurate term.

“Can't this wait until morning?” Caroline asked, yawning.

“No.”

“I'm terribly sleepy.”

No response.

Caroline decided to try a different tactic. “What do you suppose happened to the marquis?”

“I don't particularly care.”

She blinked. How odd. Then she yawned again, unable to help herself. “Is it your intention to scold me?” she asked. “Because if it is, I might as well warn you that I'm really not up to it, and—”

“You're not up to it?!” he fairly roared.

She shook her head and headed for the door. There was no use trying to reason with him when he was in such a mood. “I'll see you in the morning. I'm certain whatever it is that has you so upset will keep until then.”

Blake caught a handful of the fabric of her skirt and hauled her back to the center of the room. “You are not going anywhere,” he growled.

“I beg your pardon.”

“Just what the hell did you think you were doing tonight?”

“Saving your life?” she quipped.

“Don't make jokes.”

“I wasn't. I did save your life. And I don't recall hearing one word of thanks for it.”

He muttered something under his breath, followed by, “You didn't save my life. All you did was endanger your own.”

“I won't quibble with the latter sentence, but I certainly did save your life this evening. If I hadn't rushed out to Prewitt Hall to warn you about Farnsworth and his ten o'clock tea, he would surely have shot you.”

“That's a moot point, Caroline.”

“Of course it is,” she replied with a disdainful sniff. “I saved your miserable life, and Farnsworth was never given the opportunity to shoot at you.”

He stared at her long and hard. “I am going to say this only once. You are not to get involved with our work bringing your former guardian to justice.”

Caroline remained silent.

After a moment Blake clearly lost patience with her lack of response, so he demanded, “Well? Don't you have a reply?”

“I do, but you wouldn't like it.”

“Goddamn it, Caroline!” he exploded. “Don't you give even a thought to your own safety?”

“Of course I do. Do you think I had fun risking my neck for you this evening? I could have been killed. Or worse, you could have been killed. Or Oliver could have captured me and forced me to marry Percy.” She shuddered. “Good God, I'll probably have nightmares about that last scenario for weeks.”

“You certainly seemed to be enjoying yourself.”

“Well, I wasn't. I felt sick the entire time, knowing that we were in danger.”

“If you were so petrified, why weren't you crying and carrying on like a normal woman?”

“A normal woman? Sir, you insult me. You insult my entire gender.”

“You must admit that most women would have needed smelling salts tonight.

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