HisLadysKeeperfinal.wps (30 page)

“You were shot.”

“What an astute observation. Unfortunately for you, I think I’m going to live.”

She tried to smile. Instead, it only made the agony worse. “I feel like I’m dying.”

“So do I … but you have to fight through the pain, Gemma. Come on! Get your back up! Your ex-fiancé just kidnapped you. For money! I would have thought that in itself would have rankled the ever loving shit out of you.”

“Language.”

“I don’t see you talking with a clean mouth. In your disorientation, you were spewing out a few winners before you finally came to. I’m surprised your vocabulary even includes some of those words. They are even worse than what you called me back at Mallory Hall. If you give into the pain, you will never see Hart again.”

Her attention was caught on that one.

“Besides, how did you shoot that Stan? I thought you’d be so foxed that you wouldn’t be able to shoot straight.”

“My dear sister-in-law, I’m never that drunk. Defending one’s family has a way of sobering a man up.”

“My head is so cloudy,” she moaned.

“Think of clear skies and smooth calm waters. Try, to work past it, Gemma. We only have so much time before Kilworth finishes fucking the Widow Baker seven ways to Sunday. He knows he’s working on a time constraint. I feel that. I’m really good at predicting what bastards are going to do next. When they do take you, they’ll make sure they kill me first so I won’t be able to say a word to anyone. Hart will think that Mallory has taken you, and killed me. He will go after Mallory with everything he has—and Kilworth will bide his time. He will wait to ask for the ransom until either Mallory or even worse, until my brother is dead. I can’t let that happen. So get up. They untied you—heaven knows why, but you’re free and I’m not. I can’t help you unless you get me untied.”

She struggled to move. She had to focus on Hart, and Hart only.

“I’m trying.”

“That’s it, Gemma. You’re doing it.”

She sat up. Her head started humming again, but she ignored it, just like Richard had urged her to.

“Turn your body so I can untie your arms.”

He did so. She inhaled deeply when she saw all of the blood on his hands and on the seat.

“They didn’t even tie a hanky around your wound?”

“Not even close. I’m sure they’re wishing I’d bleed to death and save them the trouble of slitting my throat open.”

She shivered. Reaching down to untie his legs, she waited while he flexed his HIS LADY’S KEEPER Marly Mathews 144

fingers. After she’d untied his legs, she ripped off some of her slip, and tied it quickly around his wound.

“Thanks,” he mumbled. His eyes rested soundly on her face. “Your eyes are bloodshot. Gads, you look like you’ve walked straight through hell.”

“You don’t look so great yourself.”

He grinned at her. “You’re feeling a bit better, I see.”

He moved toward the carriage door. “Cocky son of a bitch, he didn’t even lock it.

Stay behind me, just in case one of his shit heads is guarding the door. If they are, hopefully, I’m still quick enough to disarm them, and then you must get onto a horse.

Don’t wait for me, just ride like the wind back to the castle, and sound the alarm, just in case they haven’t already noticed what went on. Though I have to say, my mother probably noticed it. I’m hoping she’s already sent someone to get Hart.”

“I hope you are right,” she whispered, moving back when he told her to do so.

“Christ’s Teeth,” he swore, after creaking the carriage door open. “That sod is coming back here. Quick, take this thing off my arm, and make it look like I’m still tied up.”

“Did you hear that?” She asked.

“Hear what?” he said, as she followed all of his instructions.

“I think I hear horses coming our way.”

“Hopefully, it’s Hart.”

“And Mallory.”

“Maybe.” Richard frowned at her. “Be a good little actress and act as if you’re a half-wit when he comes up into the carriage. He’ll expect you to be out of it, he’s not going to expect you to be as alert as you are now.” She nodded her head.

They could hear Kilworth letting loose with a colorful line of expletives as he came toward the carriage.

“Get us down to the docks on the double,” he ordered. “I think we’ve got

company coming and we have to be on the jollyboats before they get here. Good thing I had the foresight to have the ship waiting out at sea, we’ll be able to get started on our voyage that much quicker.”

He stopped talking and pulled open the carriage door. Her heart started racing in her chest again. She darted a quick glance at Richard, and then, slumped against the satin squabs.

“Ah, Gemma, I see you are awake,” Kilworth murmured. “I’m sorry I had to

induce your slumber like that, I wanted you to remain asleep until we set sail. Alas, it is unfortunate you’ll have to see me do what I have to do.”

Her heart leapt up into her throat when he pulled out a pistol. “Of course, the drug in your system has slowed down your reflexes. You won’t be able to stop me, and that little shit is tied up. Ah well. My father used to say the only good Spaniard was a dead one.”

He was going to kill Richard. The realization made time stop for her. She couldn’t allow him to murder Hart’s brother. Not while she still drew a breath.

“Once we get onto the ship, I’ll be sampling what you have to offer, Gemma, since your husband has no doubt already deflowered you. I don’t really like virgins, but since you’re not one anymore, I’ll have to see what Hart has taught you.”

Richard let out an animalistic growl.

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“He sounds like a demon spawned from hell, doesn’t he?” Kilworth laughed, and aimed the pistol at Richard. In the next few moments, everything went by in a blur. She lunged at Kilworth, Richard moved into action, and shouts and screams were heard from outside.

The carriage door was wrenched roughly open. She was still struggling with Kilworth, and Richard was pounding the shit out of his face. “Let go, Gemma,” he instructed, grunting as his fist made contact with Kilworth’s face again.

She couldn’t.

Richard probably thought that Kilworth had dropped the pistol and he had, but he was reaching for it, and Richard couldn’t see how close he was to it.

Kilworth’s fingers enclosed the steel. She looked up in time to stare into Hart’s glorious dark eyes.

And then, Kilworth fired.

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Pain exploded through her body. She went limp.

Richard caught her, and pulled her out of the way. Hart looked so enraged. He hauled Kilworth out of the carriage, and then, she heard another shot.

“The little fucker is dead,” Hart growled.

She felt cold. She’d been shot in the side.

“Gemma?” Hart sounded like he was losing it. He’d climbed up into the carriage and was reaching his arms out for her.

Mallory came into view. “Good God. Get the carriage turned around, I have a doctor on my ship.”

“We need to get her to Maeve,” Richard said, quickly handing her to Hart. “Get someone to turn this bloody carriage around!”

“Let me see! She’s my sister!” Ann’s voice rattled her even more.

Ann
.

She would know what to do. Ann had spent a good deal of time with the village doctor aiding him when he needed it.

“Get Ann,” She rasped.

“I was so bloody stupid,” Hart muttered.

She shook her head.

Ann climbed up into the carriage, pushing her way past Richard.

Her eyes lit on Gemma and fear coalesced into their deep blue depths.

“Let me see the wound. I might be able to do something for her while we drive back to your family home. Mallory, you get the carriage moving. You, sit down!” She motioned to Richard, reaching back to shut the door.

“Your entire family is just like you, Gemma,” Hart whispered against her ear.

She smiled. She was so sleepy. “I love you, Hart,” she whispered, closing her eyes.

* * * *

“She’s awake.”

“And she’s come through the fever, she’ll survive,” Maeve whispered, moving away from the bed.

“What happened?” She remembered Kilworth taking her, and then, she

remembered getting shot.

Damn
.

“You are safe, sweetheart. And you’re on your way to a full recovery,” Hart whispered, brushing a lock of hair off her face. She smiled at him. “Now that’s the sight I’ve been waiting to see, those dimples of yours could brighten my day no matter how sad it was.”

“Richard?”

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“He’s resting in his chambers,” Hart answered gruffly, his eyes watering. Such a braw man, and filled with such passion. All of it was for her. She clasped his hand tighter. She loved Hart with all of her heart and soul. She would have been so mad if that bullet wound had done her in. It would have robbed her of a lifetime of happiness with Hart.

“Why did Kilworth take me?” She still felt weak, but she had to know the answer.

“I can answer that one.” Ann stepped forward. “He took you because his family is as poor as church mice. He wanted your dowry, and when Hart took you instead, he was incensed beyond reasoning. I knew he’d left England but I never dreamt he’d come for you in order to seek out retribution against our family. He also had the authorities after him for a more gruesome crime. You don’t need to know, dearest Gemma. It will only cause you undue grief.”

“Let’s just say, we were all right when we warned you against marrying that piece of filth,” Mallory said.

She knew he would be the one to say ‘
I told you so,’
and in a way, it didn’t rankle her as much as it might have once. She couldn’t argue the fact that Mallory and Hart had been right all along. She’d been foolish to think that a cold fish like Kilworth could ever give her the kind of love she craved from her husband.

He never could have loved her the way that Hart did.

She smiled at Ann. “You look tired. I think you should go and get some sleep.

You too, Mallory.”

“Aye. That sounds like a plan,” Hart agreed. “I’d like to spend some time just adoring my wife for awhile.”

“Adore her from a distance man, she’s still too weak to .…”

“Mallory!” Ann snapped. “Really. Of course he wouldn’t .…” her cheeks

flushed.

They all turned their heads at the sound of a knock on the open bedroom door.

“How is she?” Richard stood framed in the doorway with Charles on one side of him, and his mother on the other side.

“Unfortunately, I’ll live.” She smiled up at him.

“Glad to hear of it.” He grinned back at her, wincing. “My arm still hurts.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have gotten out of bed,” Ann said, giving him a once over.

His smile grew broader, and she couldn’t believe it, but his dark eyes actually twinkled.

“Where’s Maeve?” she asked, her heart dancing at the look that Richard gave Ann. She didn’t really want Richard anywhere near Ann. He looked like a hungry wolf in the dead of winter.

“She’s resting. Didn’t you see her slip out of the room?” Hart asked. “She just wanted to see you wake up, and then, she said she was finished.”

“Well, I can understand why.”

“Indeed, Maeve is a very wonder. We couldn’t make do without her help.”

Margaret nodded her head.

“I could do with a nice hot cup of tea, with some of that stuff you put into it, Ann,” Richard said.

Ann sighed. “Go to hell, Richard.”

“I think I’m in love,” Richard sighed, causing them all to laugh.

“Come on, everyone, let’s leave Hart and Gemma alone. Upon my soul, I do

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believe they’ve earned their few minutes of privacy,” Margaret said, nodding her head curtly at everyone in the room. She pivoted on her heel, and walked out into the hall.

Mallory hesitated. “You are coming with me,” Ann muttered, tugging on

Mallory’s arm. “I’ll need you to keep me from killing Richard.”

“Do I have to?” he asked, as she dragged him from the room.

“Charles looked unusually happy,” Gemma mused. Hart climbed onto the bed to sit beside her.

“That’s because my mother has asked Mallory if Charles can stay with us for as long as he wants to, and Mallory has agreed. Your mother and sisters are on their way here as we speak. I think my mother is going to enjoy having a full house again.”

“And what about you?” she asked. “I see you resisted the urge to knock Mallory senseless.”

“Mallory and I found common ground. Try as he might to show that he doesn’t care one iota for you, he does love you, and he doesn’t want to see you hurt. We both sort of buried old grudges when we had to save you and Richard. Mallory was instrumental. Without him, I don’t know if we would have gotten past all of Kilworth’s men.”

“Yes, you would have. You alone would have breached through all of his awful blackguards. You were after me. And I know one thing, Hart MacKinnon,” she murmured.

“And what do you know?”

“That as my keeper, you’ll never let me come to harm.”

“You got shot in part because of me,” he pointed out, pulling her to him.

“But I’m alive.”

“And as for being your keeper—I am only the keeper of your heart, I learned almost as soon as we met, that keeping you from doing anything you didn’t want to do was going to be the most difficult battle I’ve ever faced,” he stated ruefully.

She chuckled. “Well, then, keeper of my heart, why don’t you kiss your wife?”

“I would be glad to,” he murmured, devouring her lips.