A Gentleman's Promise (11 page)

Chapter
Thirteen

It took a week for James to locate her. Charlotte stepped from
Grillon’s Hotel
and breathed in the warm spring air before turning left and heading down
Piccadilly
. Her father had sent her some funds a few days ago and finally she was wholly independent from her husband.

The only
blemish on her happiness was that Lord Helsing
had not tried to seek her out either. And although Amelia
had said he’d asked after her health at engagements she attended, Charlotte, did not understand why he
never
just
asked
outright
where she was.

The memory of the
lovemaking
assailed her and along with it came excitement tinged with hurt. Did he not care or had he decided
that
her decree for him to marry
another
was right and had
decided to act on it?
What a silly fool she’d been. And yet...

“Charlotte!”

She stopped and looked across the street and spied James weaving his way through the local traffic. Anger all but thrummed along every line of his body and fear
curdled
in her
stomach. Charlotte looked around, noted the many people about,
and took some solace in the fact he wouldn’t dare touch her on a public street.

Yet, his furious glare could prove her wrong.

“You will return to whatever hovel you’re living, pack your things and return home immediately. How d
are you make me a laughing matter for the ton o
f London?”

“Married
couples live apart all the time. O
ur circumstances need not be any different.” Charlotte lowered her voice. “And I will not return home, not under any circumstance
s
.”

“You bloody well will,” he said, his tone laced with menace.

“I will not.”

Out of nowhere
,
James hit her with his small walking cane. Charlotte put up her arm to fend off another
strike when he raised his arm once more, yet the cane
never came
back
down. She looked up and watched
with awe as Mason
broke the cane over
her husband’s
back and
threw him against a shop wall.

Never had
Mason
wanted to kill a man as much as he wished to kill Lord
Remmick
right at this moment. Having seen Charlotte on the street, he’d watched her stroll along the shop windows, her ease and happiness not something he’d seen glowing from her eyes
since being back in London.
But that had all changed the moment her
brutal
husband had seen her and taken her
in
hand. Literally.

He squeezed the filthy
mongrel’s
throat and relished his fight for air. “If I ever see you come
within
an inch
of
Lady
Remmick
again I’ll kill you. Do I make myself
clear?
”
Mason
released his windpipe
a fraction so he could answer.

“She’s my wife,” Lord
Remmick
managed to gasp.

“Not anymore. From this day forward she isn’t. Don’t look for her and don’t ever think that I don’t know people who could make you
r
disappear
ance seem like an accident
,”
Mason
said
through clenched teeth.
“Do I make myself clear?”

Lord
Remmick
tried to push him away and the urge to make the bastard pay assailed him. He stepped back a fraction then slammed his fist into his lordships gut before doing the same against his jaw. Charlotte’s husband’s head snapped back and hit the brick wall behind him before he slumped to the ground, unconscious.”

Mason
turned to Charlotte and pulled her back toward her hotel. “Are you
all right
?” he asked, trying to
gauge
her mood.

“I am, thank you.” She stopped walking
and
Mason
turned to her
,
wondering what she was thinking. She cast a quick look toward her husband and he noted her slight shiver.
He
wanted to pull her into his arms and show her
that
he’d never
allow
anything
to
happen to her. N
either
by Lord
Remmick
’s hand
n
or
by
anyone
else’s
. If only she’d let him.

“Thank you
Mason
.
”
T
ears welling
in her beautiful blue
orbs. “You’re my knight in shining armor.”

“Always, Charlotte. Surely you know that by now,” he said.

She nodded. “Did you mean what you said back
there?
That you’ll protect me forever?”

“Yes. I know you think there is no future for us but you’re wrong. As I said before
,
my brother is more than capable of keeping the family name and property in our rightful hands. I’m old enough to decide what I would like
to do
in my life. And that is
to be with
you. Come away with me. We’ll move to the continent or New York. Start a new life where no one knows us.”

She bit her lip and
Mason
felt like his heart would pump right out of his chest. Never had a reply mattered as much as Charlotte’s did now.

“Yes. I’ll go with you. Wherever you wish
,
just as long as we’re together.”

Mason
smiled. “I love you Charlotte King.”

Charlotte le
ant toward him
and wrapped her arms about his neck. “I love you too,” she said, kissing him.

Mason
allowed the embrace to deepen and cared not a fig what anyone watching thought or said about their actions. From
tonight,
they would be
on board
the fastest ship to wherever they decided to go and London and its tonnish ideals
–
no one could ever live up to
–
could well and truly go to the devil.

Epilogue

Two Years Later
–
New York

Charlotte threw the letter she’d received from her father
, which had been
accompanied by
one from
her
late
husband’s
solicitors
and realized
that
she felt nothing but relief.

Mason
walked into her parlor carrying their one month old daughter and a love so true filled her heart. True to his word,
Mason
had kept her safe and out of Lord
Remmick
’s
clutches and by doing so
,
they
’d
lived a life sh
e’d never thought possible. Mason
passed Lily to her and Charlotte kissed her beautiful
little
girl’s pudding cheeks.

“What did the letter say,” he asked,
shuffling through the pages.

“Lord
Remmick
is dead. Was killed in some alley in East London. The solicitor wasn’t very forthcoming in details but I’m sure you can imagine what happened.”

Mason
shook his head and came to sit beside her. “So I suppose we’ll have to make you a lady again?”

Charlotte threw him a puzzled frown, wondering what he was talking about. “Excuse me?”

“Now that you’re a widow
,
perhaps you’d prefer to be named a bride instead?”

Charlotte clasped his stubbled jaw and smiled. “Are you by any chan
ce asking me to marry you, Lord Hel
sing?”

Mason
took Lily
onto his knee
and turned their
daughter to face Charlotte
. “What do you think,
Lily?
Should
M
ama agree to marry
P
apa
do you think?”

Charlotte laughed and kissed him quickly. “
Of course I’ll marry you. I
love you.”

“I love you more.”

She shook her head
,
knowing such a thing
could
not
be
possible
, b
ut they could argue about that later.
In bed.
Tonight.

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ABOUT THE

Author

Tamara Gill's love of history started from an early age, but her reading of romance novels only began when home on maternity leave with her second son. Her writing career started as a hobby but soon turned into an obsession that is still going strong. Member of Romance Writers of Australia, Romance Writers of America, South Australian Romance Authors and The Beau Monde keep her occupied and focused on her craft and the changing trends of readers. Tamara lives in the beautiful Mid North of South Australia and enjoys hearing from readers and writers alike.

www.tamaragillromanceauthor.com