Wolf Who Loved Me (14 page)

Without warning, the coach slowed once again to a stop.

“Bloody hell. What is it this time?” Weston grumbled.

Certainly Papa hadn’t caught up to them yet.

“We are in a hurry, Renshaw! Perhaps you’ve noticed.” Weston tossed open the door, with a murderous expression.

“Devil take it!” came a rich baritone voice. “Weston Hadley in the flesh.”

Maddie peeked her head out the open door. A handsome man, with hair as black as pitch, stood on the side of the road, his boots coated in mud.

“Dovenby,” Weston replied with the warmth gentlemen usually saved for meeting Grandmamma. “You left something of yours in the middle of the road a ways back.”

But the gentleman paid Weston’s tone little notice and stepped closer to the coach wearing a devil-may-care grin. “Lost more than that. You haven’t by chance come across a breathtaking blonde with one of my bays, have you?”

“No,” Wes replied curtly.

Then the gentleman’s eyes strayed to the coach and landed on Madeline. “No,” he agreed. “But you seem to have found a pretty blonde just the same.”

“Best of luck finding
your
lost blonde, Dovenby.” Wes glared at the other Lycan. If he took one step toward Madeline, Wes would rip the man’s head from his shoulders.

Why had she stuck her head out of the coach to begin with? What if they’d been stopped by highwaymen or some other sort of brigands? Had she no regard for her own safety?

The Earl of Dovenby tipped his hat in Lady Madeline’s direction. “Good morning.”

“Not really,” Wes muttered, but Dovenby’s sensitive ears picked up the comment.

“I say, Hadley, why are you headed north? Doesn’t your pack keep farther south?”

“Just driving through, Dovenby. I’m not encroaching on your territory.”

The damned earl shrugged as though it was no matter to him whether Wes came or went. “Still, a bit early for you to be up and about isn’t it? Town hours and all.”

“As much as I’ve always enjoyed our conversations, I really am in a hurry this morning.”

“Headed to Penrith?” Dovenby pressed.

“No.”

“Past there then? I could use a ride, if you’re feeling generous.”

No way in hell. “What about your blonde?”

Dovenby shrugged. “There’s always another.” He glanced back toward the coach again. “Who is your traveling companion, Hadley?”

“My wife.” Wes didn’t even try to keep the growl from his voice. “And as I said, we are in a hurry. Do visit if you get to Kent.”

The irritating Lycan grinned as though he knew Wes was lying. “Allow me to offer my felicitations. I had no idea you’d gotten caught in the parson’s noose.”

“Well, I suppose it happens to each of us in the end.” Wes started back toward the coach. “Do send my regards to your cousins.”

Dovenby was at the coach door in a flash, smiling at Madeline as though he’d like to eat her. “Mrs. Hadley, allow me to introduce myself. The Earl of Dovenby at your service.”

Before Wes could knock the jackass to the ground, Madeline replied, “My lord, did you say you are in need of a ride to Penrith?”

Wes growled low in his throat. After all, Dovenby could run faster than the carriage if he was of a mind to do so. “We don’t have the time to be good Samaritans, darling.”

“It is on the way, Weston.”

Dovenby flashed a smug grin at Wes before climbing into the coach. Perfect! Not only did Wes have to suffer the infuriating Lycan’s presence, but he had the damn wolf’s added weight in the carriage. Did she want them to get caught?

More than furious, Wes climbed inside the coach and glared at the Lycan who’d had the audacity to sit right next to Madeline. Wes grasped her hand and tugged her to the other bench, beside him. “As long as we’re being generous, we ought to give our guest enough room to be comfortable.”

Madeline looked at the interloper as the carriage once again started down the road. “I am curious to hear your opinion, Lord Dovenby.”

The earl inclined his head in a way that made Wes want to pummel the life out of him. “I am anxious to give it to you, Mrs. Hadley.”

“Lady,” she corrected. “Lady Madeline Hadley.”

How delightful her name sounded to Wes’ ears.

“You may ask me anything you’d like, my lady.”

“What is your opinion on reckless male pursuits once a gentleman has taken a wife?”

Wes was certain his mouth dropped open. But he closed it quickly when he saw the Dovenby’s expression of true delight. “I hardly think,” Wes began, “we should involve the earl in our discussion, darling.”

“Discussion?” Dovenby asked. “Or lovers’ quarrel?”

Wes glared at the interfering Lycan across the coach from him. “Mind your own matters,” he growled.

Dovenby grinned like the blackguard he was. “But the lady
did
ask my opinion, Hadley.” Then he turned his wolfish gaze to Madeline. “And I never like to disappoint a lady.”

“Of course not. Clearly you’re legendary,” Wes grumbled. “Women absconding with your bay and all that. Did she dump your coach over trying to get away from you?”

But Dovenby paid him no attention, his gaze lingering on Madeline. “My lady, might I say how stunningly beautiful you are. Such a graceful, slender,
unblemished
neck.” Then his eyes shot back to Wes. “How long have you been married, Hadley? Or are you simply not
up
to the challenge of matrimony?”

Meaning the full moon was only two nights ago and Madeline had clearly not been claimed then or ever. Wes bristled at the insult to his masculinity. “True
ladies
are more delicate than others of their sex,” he ground out. Even after they were married years, he doubted Madeline would ever welcome him biting her neck under the light of a full moon. She couldn’t even tolerate a little dirt. An overly amorous wolf with sharp teeth would be more than frowned upon. “Though I don’t suppose you have much experience with the fairer sex. Not the respectable ones, anyway.”

The earl’s smirk made Wes’ fingers itch to open the coach door and toss the jackass from the moving conveyance. “I’d wager I have more experience than you, pup.”

“
Pup?
” Madeline squeaked, though she was soundly ignored.

“I do love a wager I’m sure to win,” Wes growled. “How much?”

Dovenby tossed back his head and laughed. “Exactly how do you think to quantify such a thing?”

“The wager was your suggestion.”

“So it was.” Dovenby sighed as though he suddenly found the conversation to be tedious. “Shall I tell you what I think is truly going on here?” He gestured to the two of them.

“What are the odds I could stop you?” Wes narrowed his eyes at his fellow Lycan.

“Well, as you’re headed north and you both look as though you’ve seen better days, you can only be eloping.” Then he winked at Madeline. “What are you thinking, my lady? You could do so much better than this unruly mutt.”

“Mutt?” Madeline muttered and she slid closer to Wes on the bench.

“Some of us have better pedigrees than others.”

“And some of us,” Wes bit out, “are guests in someone else’s coach.”

Dovenby laughed. “The crest on the side belongs to Eynsford, not you. So I’d say we were all guests, Hadley. Or did you win the carriage and driver in a wager of some sort?”

Before Wes could respond, Madeline cleared her throat. “Weston has a very nice high-perch phaeton,” she defended with the lofty tone Wes had become accustomed to. “But it wouldn’t do to race to Gretna in that, now would it?”

Wes wasn’t certain how she knew about his conveyance. Hopefully, she wouldn’t learn the thing had been destroyed in a race or he’d never hear the end of that topic.

“I suppose not,” Dovenby conceded with smug nod.

“Well, of course not,” Madeline finished. “It wouldn’t be the thing at all.”

“One must live up to certain standards when one is eloping,” Dovenby agreed. “So tell me, is anyone hot on your tail? I cannot believe a loving father would want to see a daughter of his shackled to a Hadley.”

Madeline clamped her lips shut, probably because she agreed with him wholeheartedly.

“How far behind us is he?” Dovenby asked.

“Not far,” Madeline began, “but—”

Wes cut her off with a stern glance that made her purse her lips even tighter. Thank God. If she would just keep them shut, the earl might close his own damned mouth. “Her father is irrelevant.”

“About as irrelevant as that carriage wheel atop your vehicle?” Dovenby laughed. “Brilliant bit of maneuvering there, Hadley.”

How had the blasted earl put all the pieces of the puzzle together so quickly? Damn him.

Wes leaned forward and reached for the Lycan. “I’ll show you maneuvering,” he growled. But Madeline latched onto his arm and tugged with all her might.

“Didn’t I ask you to behave respectably?” she hissed in his ear.

Dovenby snorted. “I’m afraid you’ve saddled up the wrong sort if a respectable ride is what you’re after, my lady.”

“Do not talk to my wife about riding,” Wes growled.

“Doesn’t seem as though she is your wife.”

***

Madeline gaped at the two men sharing her space. What was wrong with the two Lycans? Oh, she had no doubt the Earl of Dovenby was a werewolf. Sly mentions of pups and mutts and pedigrees made that rather obvious if one knew what to look for. Though she had no idea why they felt such animosity for each other, there definitely was something going on that she didn’t understand. Any moment, she expected to have to pull Weston from atop the earl and demand he sit and stay. She racked her brain trying to remember where she’d heard Dovenby’s name before. It was attached to some scandal or other, she was certain. Was that the source of their discord?

Dovenby leaned over to look out the coach window. “Oh, look,” he chimed with gaiety. “There’s my missing bay.”

Madeline glanced out the window and was startled to see a blonde walking down the side of the road, leading a large bay mare. The girl turned, obviously startled by the approaching carriage. Then a thankful look crossed her face, but Renshaw didn’t stop. He drove right past her.

Dovenby even waved and grinned out the window at the girl. The blonde stomped her foot and dropped the reins of the great beast she led, and she began to follow the coach, her skirt up around her knees as she ran.

“Oh, dear,” Maddie breathed. “We have to stop.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Dovenby grunted. “She left me without a single look back.”

“Must be nice to know that you’re that good, Dove,” Wes taunted.

If that man was a dove, it was a soiled one. And so was the young woman. But they couldn’t just leave her. Maddie tugged Wes’ arm. “Tell Renshaw to stop,” she commanded.

Wes narrowed his eyes at her. “You do know that the good earl wouldn’t be caught dead with a respectable lady, do you not?”

That was neither here nor there. They couldn’t leave the poor girl alone. She could be eaten by wild animals. Or worse. She could get covered in travel dust. Maddie shivered. “It doesn’t matter,” she declared. “If you won’t stop for
her
, you’ll have to stop and let me out so I can walk with her.” Which he would never let happen, not if she knew him. Admittedly, she didn’t know him all that well, but she
did
know he was in a hurry to make the border. Maddie shot Wes a pointed glance. “And the longer we wait, the more likely my father is to catch up with us.”

“Don’t tarry,” Dovenby teased. “Or Daddy will catch up with us.”

With a heavy sigh, Wes tapped on the roof. Renshaw pulled up, causing Dovenby to nearly fall upon Maddie. “Off,” Wes barked, as he shoved the earl back into his own seat.

“I’ll give you every coin in my pocket if you’ll instruct your driver to keep going.”

Wes glared at him. “How much do you have?”

Maddie elbowed him in the side, making him grunt. “It doesn’t matter how much he has.”

“It might. We could use some extra funds on this excursion, darling,” he reminded her, as though she needed to be reminded of their near-destitute state. Then Wes smiled wolfishly at the earl. “Of course, we could just take his funds and toss him to the hounds from hell.” Wes’ dark eyes twinkled with mischievous delight. “Ah, looks like the hound has caught up with us.” Then he leaned over Madeline to glance out her window. He paled just a bit and sank against the squabs.

Dovenby snorted. “I told you to keep going.”

What in the world was wrong with the two of them? “Are neither of you gentlemanly enough to open the door for me?”

“I’d rather not,” Wes admitted. “Why don’t we just let Dovenby out, and we can be on our way.”

“There’s a woman all by herself on the side of the road!”

“She won’t be alone if we let Dovenby out.”

Of course, the earl didn’t move one inch toward the door. Were all Lycans unchivalrous beasts? They certainly were if these two specimens represented the whole. Very well, if neither of them would open the door for her, Maddie was quite capable of opening it for herself.

She pushed open the coach door and dropped to the ground more roughly than she would have liked. Blast her missing slippers! “Ouch!” she muttered when a rock found her heel.

Wes was beside her in an instant. “Are you all right, darling? Are you hurt?”

Maddie glared at him. Had he resembled a gentleman in any way, she wouldn’t have had to bound outside on her own. “A little late for your concern.”

“Madeline.” He tugged on her arm. “We are in a hurry, or have you forgotten?”

But Maddie’s eyes were on the pretty girl, adorned in a much-too-daring walking dress for the country, who was coming in their direction. Before Maddie could say a word of welcome, the blonde stomped past her and sailed into the carriage. There she began to pummel the startled Dovenby with her fists. He protested loudly and cursed prolifically as he tried to fend off her blows.

Maddie blinked in bewilderment at the scene. Then she covered her mouth with her hand. “Go help him, Weston,” she whispered in horror. Whoever thought a woman could behave in such a way?

But Wes propped himself against the corner of the coach and appeared to be engrossed in examining his fingernails, completely ignoring her and the bizarre kicking and screaming that emanated from the coach. Maddie looked up at Renshaw, who sat in his perch with his head buried in his hands. He was mumbling incoherently.

“Don’t use such language around the ladies,” Wes called out good-naturedly to the driver.

The coachman lifted his head and replied, “There’s only
one
lady present, sir. And she couldn’t hear me the way you can.” Then he mumbled something about not making nearly enough money to put up with such nonsense.

Dovenby flew out of the coach in a rush, nearly tumbling in the dirt in his haste to get away from the wailing blonde. The earl stood up tall and straightened his coat, then ran a hand through his suddenly unkempt hair. Dovenby circled behind Wes and put Madeline between him and the lady. What a coward.

“Speaking of saddling the wrong ride,” Wes started.

“Weston Hadley,” the blonde shrieked as she launched herself from the coach as well. “I didn’t even recognize you!”

“Of course not. All your ire was directed at Dovenby.”