HisLadysKeeperfinal.wps (18 page)

.…”

“No. I don’t want you to be a bloody puppet.”

“Puppet? Is that what you think I’d be if I agreed with everything you had to say?”

“Yes. My mother will not believe that I’d fall in love with such a simple addle-brained nitwit. Don’t fret, I’ve had many of that sort of woman flaunted in front of me, and I never took the bait with any single one of them, much to my mother’s relief.”

“Thank you. Your mother sounds as if she is an impressive woman.”

“Impressive is an understatement.”

The carriage hit a few ruts in the road, sending her toppling forward. He reached for her, and pulled her toward him putting a secure arm around her. She sighed. “I will never get away from you, will I?”

“You were just parading yourself in front of me not a half an hour ago.”

“I had a moment of weakness.”

“One, I hope will overcome you once more in the not so far off future.”

She decided to give him the silent treatment. She wasn’t getting anywhere trying to talk any sense into him.

Cradled against him with his body warmth seeping into her, she started to feel sleepy. Yawning, she looked up at him.

“You look like you’re going to nod off.”

“I feel like I am. I don’t understand why I’m so tired.”

“You’ve been put through a lot of emotional upheaval the last few days … if you’d like to take a nap … feel free. I’ll carry you out of the carriage if I have to.”

She considered his offer. Maybe she should take him up on it. She had a feeling she’d need her rest once she came face to face with his mother.

As the carriage rolled along, she fell into dreamland.

HIS LADY’S KEEPER Marly Mathews 85

The jolt of the carriage coming to a halt jarred Gemma out of her dream.

“Where are we?”

“We are home.” He still held her firmly against him, and her head had been

nestled against his chest.

“Oh. That’s nice.” She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “It isn’t too late for you to turn this carriage around and take me back to England, you know.”

“It was too late for that when I whisked you away from Mallory Hall.”

She kept her eyes fixed on the other side of the carriage. She couldn’t bear to meet his gaze. His dark eyes made her want to melt, while she knew she had to keep fighting her attraction for him. What she’d done on the ship had been foolish and stupid.

If she slept with Hart, there would be no escaping her feelings for him. As long as she tried to keep him at an arm’s length, she was safe.

The carriage opened. She stared down at footmen decked out in gold livery. She frowned. So, he was telling her the truth. Behind the footmen stood a majestic castle.

Her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes scanned their surroundings.

“We certainly are not in Spain.”

“You have a keen eyes.”

“I’d say we’re in Ireland .…” her voice trailed off as she looked at him to gauge his reaction.

“Perhaps.” He looked to the grand door as it opened.

She followed his gaze. A woman with bright red hair flew down the steps.

“Your mother?”

“My mother.” He smiled. Suddenly, she felt exposed. She instinctively plastered herself up against him. He had her arm clasped beneath his, and they had to look like a perfectly devoted couple in his mother’s eyes.

“Hart!” His mother’s voice sounded like heaven. She had an even prettier

sounding voice than Elizabeth’s. And, her stunning beauty made Gemma feel plain.

“Mother!” Hart released her briefly to embrace his mother in a quick hug. She beamed over at Gemma.

“I don’t think we’ve been introduced.” Her eyes went to Gemma’s ungloved

hands. “Hart … what have you been up to?” Her blue eyes narrowed, as she pinned them on her son.

“Mother, maybe we should go inside before I continue—”

“You’ll explain now. It’s a calm day … though we are due for a storm soon, I can feel it in my bones.”

“Mother .…”

“Hart, explain.”

“I am Hart’s wife.”

Gemma found her voice when Hart became tongue-tied. He gave her a befuddled look.

HIS LADY’S KEEPER Marly Mathews 86

She shrugged her shoulders at him.

“Wife? You were married in England? Oh, Hart. Why didn’t you go about it the normal way? I would have liked to be at your wedding … of course, I shouldn’t be surprised you always have been unconventional, you follow your father that way.”

Her mouth grew dry. Another carriage drew up behind theirs. She slipped her hand out of Hart’s suddenly slack grip, and watched as the carriage door opened.

“Charles!” She hadn’t meant to shout his name, but seeing him hearty and whole made her heart soar.

“Aunt Gemma!” Charles pulled his hand out of Maeve’s grip and ran toward her.

She quickly glanced back at Hart. His eyes were wide. She could blow his ship right out of the water right now, and grab Charles and try to flee. But where would she go?

Wherever they were they seemed to be in an isolated part of the country. She had no idea where she was going, and she’d never been gifted at running blind.

She embraced Charles and lifted him off his feet. She quickly put him down when she remembered how heavy he was. She could hear Skye barking happily in the background.

Hart caught up with them. His stern gaze met hers. She still clasped Charles’s hand in her own.

The boy’s eyes widened. With his fair hair and blue eyes, he reminded her of Mallory. She dragged out a shattering breath.

“Is this your brother, my dear?” Obviously, Hart’s mother had missed what

Charles had called her.

“Gemma is Charles’s aunt,” Hart explained, wincing slightly.

“Oh.” Hart’s mother looked disappointed. “Your brother or sister must miss him

… he’s such a handsome lad.”

“Actually, mother, Gemma is Charles’s guardian. And, now the two of us are his guardians. Gemma’s brother is dead.”

Her heart raced. She started to have difficulty breathing. Hearing Hart refer to Mallory as being dead made her chest clench. The corset she wore only made the problem worse.

“Aunt Gemma?” Charles looked frantic. “You have to get a hold of your

breathing—she’s done this before, but Uncle—”

Hart cut Charles off before he could make matters worse. Maeve appeared out of nowhere, and started to massage her back.

“Just breathe easy, my lady, and inhale this. It will open up your airways, and relax you so you can recover yourself.” She held up an opened silk pouch. Whatever was in the pouch opened her airways when she breathed it in.

“That’s a good lass. Your color will return in due time.”

“You should take her to your quarters right away, Hart. She looks frail. Does she have a history of illness in her family?” Hart’s mother asked.

Gemma cleared her throat as her world stopped slipping away. “I’ll be fine.” Her voice sounded raspy, but at least now she could breathe without feeling her lungs burning as if they were on fire.

“I insist, my dear. You still look like you need to have some time to recover. Go and allow Hart to attend to you.”

She didn’t want to be near Hart at the moment .…

HIS LADY’S KEEPER Marly Mathews 87

“Yes, indeed. Mother is always right. I always endeavor to follow my mother’s wishes,” he rambled, getting skittish.

He reached for her hand, pulling her away from Charles. Charles looked inclined to protest, but something in the look shared between Hart and he made him think otherwise.

“I think you should go with Uncle Hart, Aunt Gemma.” Charles nodded his head, in grave certainty.

“Right, then,” she said, too tired to make a scene. Allowing Hart to take her arm, and lead her up the steps to the castle. The grand stairwell in front of them made her breath hitch again in her throat. It was beautiful! Someone in Hart’s family had a good deal of money, and they’d spared no expense on this particular home. Taking one last moment, she turned around. Cherub statues and dragon gargoyles flanked the Estate.

She could hear Hart’s mother pursuing them. “You two get refreshed upstairs.

I’m going to see to Charles getting something to eat. He’s no doubt ready for his midday meal.”

“I am quite famished,” Charles admitted, nodding his head eagerly, his eyes lighting up at the thought of food.

Gemma heard her stomach growl, come to think of it, so was she. Her mouth

watered at the thought of food … but it wasn’t to be, Hart was already pulling her up the steps. She looked longingly back at Charles and Hart’s mother as they disappeared out of her sight.

“What should I call your mother? I can’t very well keep dodging the name thing

.…”

“You can call her, Your Grace, until she tells you to address her otherwise.”

She snorted. “So, your mother is a duchess …why aren’t you a duke already?”

“She inherited the title from the Scottish side of her family.”

“Oh. Your mother seemed suspicious of what you had done in order to acquire me as your wife.”

“That’s probably because she’s familiar with my awfully bad habit of taking whatever I want, when I want it.”

“Well, she’d know her son well then, wouldn’t she? You stole me away from my family .…”

“Stop prattling on about how I forced you into marriage. Blah, blah, blah.” His cynical edge to his voice made her pull back on his arm.

“You are mocking me!”

“Of course I’m mocking you—you are a bloody nuisance. Gemma. You aren’t

being beaten, you aren’t being mistreated, you saw for yourself that Charles is none the worse for wear—and yet you persist in railing against me and what I have done to free you of your mad brother.”

“My brother is not mad.”

“A man as reckless as he is should be thought of as mad.”

You are reckless—”

“Aye, but I’m not selfish, and I don’t use people the way Mallory uses people.

Look at the way he got Elizabeth to marry him—he ruined her first, and disgraced her—

he lied to her—”

“Shut up.” She slapped him soundly across the cheek.

HIS LADY’S KEEPER Marly Mathews 88

“That is the second or third time you have hit me.” He flexed his jaw, pulling her toward him. “You, my lady, have just strained my patience to the breaking point. I shouldn’t have to show you just how vile Mallory is—you should already know…and yet, here you are attacking me. You are most tiresome.”

He opened a door to what she assumed were his chambers. “You look like you’re going to scream. Don’t even think about it, Gemma.”

The seriousness of his threat hit home. He was right and pissed off with her.

“I am confining you to these quarters.” He released her, and gave her a little nudge into the room. “You are a loose cannon—I can’t have you under my mother’s nose until you see sense. If you do anything to give her heart palpitations, I will be forced to take drastic measures. I’ll have your meal brought up to you in a few minutes.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to see my mother. If I don’t, she’ll be up here making inquiries.”

“Why didn’t you just take me somewhere where your mother wouldn’t be able to interfere?”

“Because we are in the safest location—your bloody nabob of a brother will never think to find you here.”

“Then, you haven’t actually killed him.”

“My dear, I haven’t left your side since we departed England. Much as I hate to admit it, I can’t simply fly to find Mallory and kill him, then make it back to your side in time before you can notice that I’d left. I’m good, but not that good.” He snorted.

“I thought you’d—”

“Broken the promise I made to you? I hate to admit it to you, Gemma, but I don’t break or go back on my word. I’m true blue to the very end. Richard tells me that I am annoyingly honorable.” He winced slightly. “You should see the fixes I’ve gotten him out of—it’s a wonder I don’t have grey hair!” He laughed, trying to put some levity into the room.

She exhaled. “As long as it ends the way you want it to end. You are a selfish, impossibly frustrating man. Get out and give me some bloody peace! I’ve had my fill of you!”

“Well, I haven’t had my fill of you … however, I do need a break from you. You my dearest, have a way of definitely ruining the mood for me! I was all set to seduce you, and now I don’t think I want to touch you with a two foot pole.”

“Good!” She shot back.

He glared at her, gave out a huge groaning sigh, turned and reached for the door again.

Slamming it shut behind him, she threw her hands up in the air. Turning to assess her surroundings, she contemplated her escape. If he wasn’t going to go back on his word—then, she would.

HIS LADY’S KEEPER Marly Mathews 89

“Hart, you sit down there, and tell me everything. I haven’t seen Richard yet, where did he get off to?”

“Richard is taking his sweet time getting home.”

“No doubt visiting his fancy woman in town.”

“No doubt,” Hart sighed, scrubbing his hand vigorously over his face. He wanted to strangle Gemma while making love to her all at the same time. The feelings she inspired in him were going to drive him to distraction!

“The two of you getting up to no good is enough to give me a head full of grey or white hairs,” she sighed. “I don’t like the caged look in Lady Gemma’s eyes. She looks very ill at ease.”

“Mother .…”

She raised her hand, giving him the signal to remain silent. “I don’t know what you’ve done, but even though you are trying to put on the façade of being a completely devoted husband, I can tell that Gemma doesn’t think too highly of you. She might be falling in love with you, but she’s holding herself back. She seems like a walking paper doll. I might have only had a short time to watch the way that Gemma reacts to you but that was enough for me. You have done something!”