The Girl is Not For Christmas - Emma V Leech Page 0,95
a man. What the devil do you think you are playing at, speaking to Lord Boscawen with such disrespect and saying such vile things in front of the children? Can’t you see you are frightening them?”
Mr Skewes sneered at her. “It’s only the truth, Livvy, and it’s about time they discovered what a witless creature their father has been. He’s the one they should be afraid of, he’s the one whose condemned them all to a life in the gutter… if they’re lucky. You could save them that, you could save them all of it. But no. Miss hoity toity Penrose thinks she’s too good for me because her brother is a viscount. Well, I tell you this, if you want me to save your blasted family from the mire, you’ll come to me on bended knee and beg me, and you will come Livvy, crawling through the dirt like a dog. You will come to heel.”
Livvy gasped, colour rushing to her cheeks as her anger rose. “You call yourself a gentleman? You do not know the meaning of the word, you, smug, pompous, vile little man.”
Mr Skewes jolted as if she’d slapped him and raised his hand.
Livvy gasped, stumbling back.
King saw red.
He snatched at the hand before it could make contact, yanking Skewes around to face him.
“Don’t you dare!” King growled.
Skewes glared at him in fury. “This is none of your business, you interfering bastard.”
King didn’t budge, standing between Skewes and Livvy. “It’s not yours either, Livvy has made her choice.”
Mr Skewes made a sound of impotent rage and threw a punch which King dodged and then planted his fist in the man’s face with a such a burst of rage he heard the crunch as much as felt it. Skewes howled as he fell to the ground, clutching his nose. The desire to pick him up and do it again was a thrum in King’s blood, his heart thudding with the desire to hurt the man who would raise his hand to a woman. He struggled to calm himself, to remember he was a gentleman, a better man than this wretched creature, not that it was much of an accomplishment.
“Get out before I throttle you,” King said through his teeth, his fists clenched. “And don’t you ever, ever, come back.”
Skewes scrambled away from King, getting to his feet.
“You’ll regret this when you are all out in the street,” he yelled back at them, except with his hand clutching his broken nose it sounded rather more like–Yoogretis wenarou ina steet—and it rather lost some of its sting.
Charlie stared after the man as he stumbled away from them before turning to Livvy.
“Oh, Liv. Livvy, I… I swear I didn’t know. I would never have suggested…”
Livvy let out a breath King suspected she’d been holding for some time and gave her brother a wan smile.
“Least said, soonest mended, I think, Charlie.”
Her brother’s expression was pained, but he nodded.
“I’d say I’d make it up to you, but…” He spread his hands in a rather hopeless gesture.
“Oh, Charlie,” Livvy said, and ran into his arms.
King rounded up the children, who were still white-faced and round-eyed with shock.
“Come along, now,” he said, urging them inside to give Livvy and her brother some privacy. “That’s enough excitement for one day. Let’s see if Gelly has some cake for us.”
“Cake,” George said, giving King an anxious glance.
King hated the fact that the children had seen him hit Mr Skewes and could only imagine what they thought of him now. Probably for the best but… but the idea that they might think badly of him or be afraid of him… his heart hurt.
He felt soft fingers touch his and looked down to see Jane inspecting his knuckles. “Come along,” she said, shaking her head in a perfect imitation of her Aunt Livvy. “That needs seeing to.”
“Ing?” George said, leaning away from Lydia, who was carrying him and holding his arms out.
King felt a lump in his throat as he took the boy and George curled his arms tight about his neck. “Bad man gone. You made bad man go away, Ing. I not like that man.”
King drew in a sharp breath and held George’s warm little body close. “I didn’t like him either, George, and yes, he’s gone. He won’t be back.”
George kissed his cheek. “Cake now, Ing.”
King laughed, though there was an odd, quaver to the sound that disturbed him. Bloody twit, getting all emotional. What the devil was wrong with him?