Anne's Perfect Husband by Gayle Wilson

Author:Gayle Wilson [Wilson, Gayle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-03-07T07:18:55+00:00

Chapter Ten

"How is he?" Anne asked the Earl of Dare.

She had been waiting in the hallway outside Ian's bedroom for most of the morning. She had not been brave enough to stop the doctor in order to pose her question. Sometime in the slow hours that had passed, however, her reluctance had been pushed aside by her growing anxiety.

"He's asleep," Dare said.

He attempted to walk around her, probably headed downstairs for breakfast or dinner, neither of which he had bothered with before. Anne took a step to the side, blocking his passage.

Dare stopped, one dark brow raised as he looked down into her face. He was taller than his brother, she realized, and though the family resemblance was clear, his classically handsome features were more finely formed. And right now, his cold blue eyes seemed to be boring a hole through her.

"I really need to know how Mr. Sinclair is, Lord Dare," she said. "Would you please tell me?"

"And why are you so interested in my brother's condition? Guilt, perhaps? I understand you were instrumental in beginning that ridiculous contretemps in which he was injured."

"Ridiculous, my lord?" she asked, stung by the accusation. "I don't believe your brother thought it ridiculous."

She could feel her cheeks begin to flush, this time from anger. Although there was certainly an element of guilt in her concern for Ian, it was not over her defense of the child.

"Did you give him an opportunity to decide whether or not your interference on that boy's behalf was worth his dying for?"

The word chilled her blood. "Dying?" she whispered.

"He isn't, thank God. No thanks, however, are due to you for that. A gentleman has little choice about coming to the defense of a woman in his charge, even if her actions are both ill-advised and foolhardy."

"The man was beating a child. What would you have had me do, my lord?"

"I would have had you refrain from putting my brother into danger for your own quixotic motives."

"I see," she said tightly. "And it is quixotic to you to attempt to rescue a child."

"As quixotic as it was of Ian to attempt to protect you from the consequences of your actions. Believe me, I'm thoroughly annoyed with both of you."

Again he attempted to move past her, and again she stepped in front of him.

"There is little I can do about your opinion of me, Lord Dare," she said. Nor do I give a damn what it is, she thought rebelliously. "However, I should still like an answer to my question, if you please."

"I don't please. If you'll excuse me, Miss Darlington..." He offered her a half bow, the gesture far too polite for the tenor of the conversation they were having.

"You don't like me," Anne said. "And you have made that abundantly clear. Whatever I've done to inspire that dislike—"

"I don't dislike you, Miss Darlington. I dislike the fact that you endanger my brother. I warned him from the beginning that this guardianship would be nothing but trouble. Even I couldn't conceive, however, how right I should be proven to be.

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.