A Highwayman's Honor: (A Highland Highwayman Novella #1) by Michelle McLean

Author:Michelle McLean [McLean, Michelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-07-22T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Elizabet watched Jack ride off with a sinking heart. Her real life beckoned. One that included familial obligations, rules, and etiquette. Most definitely no romantic highwaymen who could set her blood to fire with a mere brush of his lips. Jack would only live in her fantasies now. Perhaps she should take to riding around in carriages full of treasure and see if she could instigate another meeting. Though she’d probably only succeed in encountering an outlaw with a much smaller sense of honor and gallantry. Jack was a breed unto himself. Any other highwayman she might meet would mean only danger or death for her.

Jack had left her in the dark of night near the main road within sight of a respectable inn. He’d given her more than enough money to hire a carriage and keep the innkeeper from asking too many questions. He’d promised he’d watch her from the tree line until she was safely inside, protecting her still. But he of course couldn’t accompany her all the way to her home. Or risk being seen at all.

Arriving home in the wee hours of the morning had garnered the expected reaction. The sleepy butler had taken one look at her and sent a squealing maid running for her mother. And then all hell had quietly broken loose.

Elizabet knew her parents wouldn’t be happy about what had happened but she’d assumed, hoped, that their anger would be aimed at the man who’d taken her. Not that she wanted Jack in trouble, but he wasn’t there and knew how to keep himself out of trouble. She probably should have known better. Her mother did at least show some concern over her state. But once the doctor that her mother had insisted on sending for confirmed that Elizabet was all right and her wound had healed rather nicely, her mother’s concern focused on other things. Had anyone seen her getting out of a strange carriage? In the dead of night? Unaccompanied?

Pointing out that no one was likely to have seen her as they were probably in bed sleeping did not improve matters. Mother was furious.

“We must keep Sir Robert from discovering anything about this…distasteful business.”

“I’ve been gone for over a week. Where does he think I’ve been?”

“We’ve put it around that you’ve been ill.”

Elizabet eyes widened with surprise and hurt. “You didn’t tell the authorities? You had no one looking for me?” The small fissure in her heart that had her mother’s name on it cracked open wider. “Didn’t you care at all?”

Her mother’s eyes widened. “Of course we cared. We were trying to protect your reputation! What do you think would become of you if it was known you’ve spent the last week God knows where with a man not your husband? And a notorious highwayman at that! You’d be ruined. We assumed there would be a ransom demand for you eventually. ”

“And if no ransom demand had come?”

Lady Harding’s lips pursed. Then the fight seemed to drain out of her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.