Lady Rosabella's Ruse - By Ann Lethbridge Page 0,63
the law upon us. When I told Pelham of the woman searching his house, he asked for your name so he could swear out a warrant for your arrest.’
Her grandfather was going to have her arrested. Her mind whirled with the pain of it. Her knees trembled. Nausea rose in her throat. The fight went out of her, leaving her limp.
‘It’s all right,’ he said, releasing his hand. ‘You are all right.’ His voice was surprisingly gentle. He carried her back to the bench and sat her down. ‘Put your head between your knees if you feel faint.’
She did as he bid. After a few moments of taking deep breaths, she was able to sit up. ‘He’s lying. We did live there.’
Garth shrugged.
‘Are you going to hand me over to the magistrate?’
‘I could.’
Her heart lifted. ‘But you won’t.’
His lips twisted in a bitter line. ‘Not unless you try to run off again.’
‘Pelham lied.’ For some reason she wanted him to believe her. Desperately.
‘Then you will come home with me and tell me the real story and everything will be fine.’
‘But…’
‘Hush.’ He pressed a finger against her lips, brushing them lightly, reminding her of the way his mouth felt against hers. ‘My carriage is waiting. I am waiting. For you.’ His voice purred deep and low. Utterly seductive.
Desire flooded through her. Longing. She glanced at the back door of the chop house in one last desperate attempt to break free of his sensual pull. ‘I can’t. Bess will wonder what has happened to me. I am supposed to go to Birmingham tomorrow with the company.’
A roguish smile lit his face and a shiver went down her spine. ‘Then we will send Bess a note in the morning and tell her you have changed your mind.’
He made everything sound so seductively easy. And perhaps it was. She could ask him to lend her the money to pay off the debts and find her a good singing role so she could pay him back. It was a fair bargain. Her stomach fluttered. He’d probably want more than his money back. Would it be so bad?
Unable to see a way to break free, she let him lead her to his carriage.
Chapter Eleven
Standing in the middle of his study, Garth stared into the brandy he’d poured and tried not to think about the woman upstairs taking her bath. Tried not to think about long slender limbs, a curvaceous body and the delicate arches of her feet.
His body hardened. He brought it back under control. This wasn’t about attraction, or lust. It was about regaining control of the situation.
The fabled control that had eluded him when they’d made love. It had never happened before and would not happen again.
He also wanted the truth, and would have it, if it took him all night. And all of tomorrow.
Pleasure at the thought shuddered deep in his bones.
She’d heard of his reputation; now she would learn what it meant. And he would learn all of her secrets.
A glance at the clock told him an hour had passed since she went upstairs. It was time.
A sense of urgency shortened his breath. His loins quickened in anticipation. He set down his untasted brandy with deliberate care. Strolled out of the room, breathing deeply and clearing his mind.
No need to rush. He had tonight and many nights thereafter. Because no matter what she thought or what she wanted, she was now playing by his rules.
There was no doubt in his mind that Rose was a thief and a liar. Clearly she’d fallen on hard times and had done what she needed to survive. He would get to the bottom of why and exactly what it was she had done.
No matter who or what she was, she would learn he did not litter the English countryside with illegitimate children. Nor did he seduce innocents and leave them to rot on the streets. She’d tricked him, he thought darkly, and for that she would pay, most pleasurably.
He opened the door without knocking. A maid was brushing the long raven hair hanging past Rose’s waist. The maid took one look at his face and scurried into the dressing room where she would leave by way of a hidden door to the narrow stairs at the back of the house.
Gold-flecked brown eyes stared back at him in the mirror. The light from the candelabra on the dressing table gilded her skin, deepening the rose of her generous mouth. His face remained in shadow over her shoulder.