Harlequin Historical January 2015 - Box Set 2 of 2: The Gunslinger and the Heiress\Caught in Scandal's Storm\Chosen by the Lieutenant by Kathryn Albright

Author:Kathryn Albright
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Simpson opened the door. On seeing Alice on the doorstep he drew himself up ramrod straight, his eyebrows positively levitating with surprise, his eyes registering relief.

‘Miss Frobisher!’

‘Yes, it’s me, Simpson,’ she replied, sweeping into the hall followed by Ewen. ‘Is Lady Marchington at home?’

‘Indeed she is. She is in the drawing room with Miss Hislop and most relieved they will be to find you delivered safely.’

They followed in the wake of Simpson. He swept open a pair of carved oaken doors and stepped aside to admit them into the drawing room. The two faces that turned to stare at them were beyond Alice’s worst imaginings. Roberta jumped up from the sofa with a startled gasp and hurried towards her, and the eyes that Lady Marchington settled on her would have turned a lesser mortal to stone.

Rising from her seat by the hearth, she looked at Lord Tremain with accusation and ire shooting from her eyes as she said scornfully, ‘I wondered when you would bring her back. Do you have any notion of the true gravity of the situation? What you did was quite outrageous. I was about to set the constables to finding her.’

‘Then I am happy to have saved you the trouble,’ Ewen replied in clipped tones, seeing Alice take a position away from the Countess. ‘Why the delay? How did you know she was with me?’

‘After what Roberta disclosed to me about the letter you sent her, I was convinced she was with you.’

Out of the corner of her eye Alice observed Ewen. Recalling how angry he had been with Lady Marchington when he had last walked from this house, she knew how difficult this was for him. His face was grimly drawn and his eyes were pale and hazardous. He was like an eagle, oppressive, arbitrary and unyielding, his insouciance and engaging charm, which he had shown when she had dined with him, and the concern he had shown for her on the journey to London completely gone.

Uttering a cry of profound relief, Roberta embraced Alice warmly. ‘Oh, Alice!’ she exclaimed in an agitated, disjointed rush. ‘I have been so worried about you. I thought you weren’t coming back. And here you are looking as well as ever, except you are a little pale. I pray you have not been treated badly. Where have you been? Was it the note from...?’ Her voice tapered off when her gaze went beyond Alice to the tall figure of Lord Tremain across the room. ‘Oh—L-Lord Tremain,’ she stammered, her cheeks flushing a bright pink. ‘I—I...Oh...I didn’t expect...’

‘Sit down, Roberta,’ Lady Marchington ordered sternly. ‘You are making a show of yourself.’

Obediently, Roberta did as she was told, perching on the edge of her chair and clutching her hands together in an agitated state.

‘You know, Countess,’ Ewen said, his expression hawk faced and appearing completely self-possessed, ‘I find it amazing that nearly everyone who knows me is half-afraid of me, except a handful of my friends, my family, you, madam, and Miss Frobisher.

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.