His to Keep (Regency Scoundrels Book 2) Read online

  “You don’t look too helpless to me at the moment. No, indeed, I think you look well in control of your senses, I do not think I need to bring you to your bearings. You have steely resolve running through those veins of yours, my lady, and I admire that trait more than you shall ever know.”

  Reaching out with his free gloved hand, he gently stroked Midnight. “Oh, you are a pretty lady.” Midnight actually had the audacity to whinny in reaction.

  “You seem to have more affection for my horse, than you have for me.” Her selfish words laced with jealousy startled her. Why would he even have any sort of regard for her? She didn’t know him and he didn’t know her. As far as he was concerned, he was ready to shoot her and toss her in the lake. He had put away his pistol, and right now, he seemed more inclined to ravish her, over shooting her.

  “Oh, if I had the time, I could show you that however much I love horses, I love women more. With a burning passion that would quite alarm you. There are things I could show you that would make your ears turn red, your breath quicken, and your body quake.”

  “I doubt that and besides, you may put that romantic notion out of your head. I am otherwise engaged.”

  Her words had affected him dramatically. Gemma was glad for it. She liked seeing the proud expression in his eyes falter. He looked up almost as if he’d been stung. The look of rage in his eyes resembled that of a jealous lover. He had no reason to have such strong feelings for her.

  “Engaged?” His question came out as a hoarse whisper and his eyes widened dramatically.

  “Indeed. I am set to be wed to the Earl of Duxford in three months.”

  “That little bastard? He isn’t good enough for you. He can’t take care of you the way you deserve.”

  “Well, you seem ready and willing to take care of me, though I don’t think I care for the outcome. I would much rather welcome married life with Duxford.”

  “You will be in utter misery. That man could bore a clergyman, and he has some questionable habits if you ask me.”

  “He is quite entertaining when he puts his mind to it,” she countered.

  “I’m sure he is. But I wager if you do marry him, you will be asleep for most of your married life. You might even die of the monotonous and tedious lifestyle that man has, and I assure you, you would not enjoy your wifely duties.” His eyes narrowed, and hardened. The sparkle in his eyes dimmed, and eventually died away.

  “You seem awfully knowledgeable when it comes to the lives of the members of the haut ton. Almost as if you have contacts within the inner circle. Ah, that must be it. You were a valet for a lord, weren’t you?”

  She caught his slow crafty smile. A shudder rippled through her.

  “Yes, I must keep myself apprised of the lives of the beau monde so that when I go to steal from them, I know what I am taking.” His eyes dazzled dangerously, “It certainly pays for me to know more than you do.”

  “You are unbelievable!”

  “Thank you. You know, now that I think about it, I could take you with the horse. There is no need to leave you behind. Some other blackguard worse than me could come along and accost you. No, I shall just take you as well. I never pass up the chance to claim a beautiful treasure.” He took a step toward her. “Now, my lady, why don’t you give me a kiss, eh?”

  Without waiting for her to reply, he pulled her to him. She thrashed wildly against him, as his lips claimed hers. The fight drained out of her body, as she relaxed beneath his kiss. It warmed her entire body, and left her unable to think clearly. With her hands trembling, she roamed them over him, and deftly reached inside his coat to where he had tucked his pistol away. She drew the pistol out with her one hand, fortunately, it was light enough for her to wield it with one hand. With her hand shaking, she leveled the pistol at him.

  “Oh, aye,” he murmured, his voice husky. “You will do. You will make me a fine…” his voice trailed off, as his eyes finally settled on the pistol. Her kiss must have affected him deeply enough that he had lost his wits for a moment. “Oh, you are a little spitfire, aren’t you?”

  He looked shocked that she had taken the pistol from him. He thought he knew her, just from looking at her and drawing his own conclusions, but he knew nothing. He didn’t know what she was capable of. He had no way to fathom what she would do if she was pushed into it.

  “I am,” she said, wincing as her voice trembled.

  “You cannot pull that trigger,” he said calmly. “You cannot shoot me. You do not have it in you.”

  “Oh, you think so, do you, sir?”

  “I doubt you have even shot a pistol before,” he countered nonchalantly.

  “You obviously don’t know my family. We like our guns, and I have gone trapshooting and hunting with my brothers and father more times than I can count.”

  Aiming the pistol so that it was no longer directed at him, she shot it into the air. Birds flew out of the trees and other woodland creatures skittered at the cacophony.

  “Within minutes, help shall arrive. My brother will hear the gunshot since he and my sister-in-law are out in the gardens. Heed my warning and leave immediately. I assure you, being caught is something you wouldn’t want to suffer.”

  “It will take him time to reach us, and that amount of time is all I need,” he calmly countered.

  He had it all in hand. Nothing could ruffle this blackguard’s feathers.

  “You are not making this easy for me. You will be clapped in irons soon, and yet, you are trading civil whiskers with me as if you haven’t a care in the world.” His cavalier attitude was really starting to try her patience.

  “Maybe I don’t or at least, I didn’t until I met you. You shall waste your life on marrying that oaf, Duxford. He can’t fulfill what you truly desire. I think now, contrary to what I used to believe, that love at first sight truly does exist. You must give in to what you truly desire, my dearest. You felt what burned between us when we kissed. Don’t fight it, sweetheart.”

  “What do I truly desire?” she asked breathlessly, carefully placing the pistol on the ground. He crossed the short distance to her, took the pistol, tucked it safely away, and mounted her horse.

  This was sheer madness. She had gone straight to Bedlam! Merciful heavens, why was she allowing him to put her in such a dangerous situation?

  He had broken down her defenses, and now he was closer to her than she’d ever allowed a strange man to be.

  “You truly desire, adventure and freedom—and you desire me.” He reached down to her. She knew what he wanted her to do. She wanted to tell him to go to hell, and yet, she was tempted. Mayhap, she could run away with this scoundrel with the sinfully dark eyes. Maybe, she could be his lady love. She had always craved adventure, and yet, the thought of ever leaving England put dread into her soul. This man would take her away from England. He was Scottish, and how could a thoroughly English maiden ever marry a Scotsman? How? He wouldn’t ever let her live in England. He would not allow it. And if he was a blackguard as she suspected, she would have to live on the fringes of society. She would have to forsake all that she knew. She would become a fallen woman. Could she do it? Proper and polite Gemma, who never made a faulty step? Who had been deemed the ice maiden by some in her own social set? Surely, she could not, and oh, how she was tempted.

  Temptation was about to lead her astray, and she hadn’t cared less about something in all of her years. No. She had to remain steadfast. She couldn’t go running off with the first handsome rogue who crossed her path, could she?

  “Bold words for a liar like you. You can keep weaving your Banbury stories, and they shan’t affect me. I shall have my freedom with Duxford. He has scads of money so my brother will not have to support me for the rest of my life, and he has…”

  “Why don’t we cut the civil whiskers? I want you to put your left foot on my toe, and then I shall help you up so you are setting behind me. Then, you can wrap your arms around me and snuggle into me like I know you want to do.”

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nbsp; She pursed her lips, and then, bit her bottom lip. Damnation. He was too irresistible. She couldn’t fight it. She gave into her wants and did as he bid.

  Once she was up behind him, she did as he had predicted. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned in close. She had taken one step closer to becoming a thoroughly ruined young miss.

  Devil take it, if she could be ruined in this man’s arms, she wouldn’t care about the consequences of her actions.

  “Aye, and what shall your bloody earl give you, eh?” She had an odd thought. He smelled far too good to be a highwayman living on the fringes of society. He smelled like lavender, bergamot, oranges and lemon. He smelled glorious. This was definitely a man who bathed at least once a week.

  “He shall give me a life that I can count on. He won’t do anything rash. He is as predictable as they come.”

  “Ah, I see. You are a trifle high spirited and yet you want a boring humdrum life. I dinnae ken that,” there it was again, he kept going between using his refined accent and the rough yet beguiling accent of a rugged highlander. “You obviously do not crave the adventurous life the way that your brother did.” She felt sleepy. Why how would he know anything about her brother? Distantly, in the back of her mind, she thought she should be asking him more questions, and yet she didn’t want to. “Well, that fits, since you’re settling for the bastard in the first place. I can’t believe you haven’t had other offers by men far above his station.”

  “He is an earl. There are few men who are above his station.”

  “You know of what I speak, lassie.”

  She did. In her heart of hearts she knew exactly what he spoke of, and yet she liked to live in denial. It was a comfortable homey place for her. “Most of the men on the marriage mart are shall we say—” She cleared her throat. “Why do you want to know so much about me?” She lowered her voice to a mere whisper.

  “I have an innately curious nature.” He directed Midnight toward the castle. If he was a highwayman, why was he going back to her brother’s Estate? What was going on?

  Why was she allowing him to take control of the situation? This couldn’t end well for her. He was drawing her in—he was bewitching her.

  God help her…she was lost. He had completely undone her…he had rattled her senses, and set her world on fire.

  “Tell me, what exactly are your objections against the men on the marriage mart?”

  “They are, shall we say, intimidated by my brother. He has a certain effect on other males when he meets them, and he is terribly protective of my sisters and me. He can be quite the thorn in a young lady’s side when it comes to catching a proper husband.”

  “I can imagine. And then, there is your rather unconventional ways to consider.”

  “I beg your pardon?” She lost herself in considering what he’d said.

  Midnight went into an easy canter, as he directed her back into the forest. What was this man playing at? Didn’t he know her brother would be arriving soon?

  “Well, first off, no sensible, gently bred young lady would ride astride on horseback. You must give your insanely sensible brother a fit whenever you go out riding. Strange men might think you have loose morals.”

  “Loose? Well, go ahead. You have continually insulted me so far, and you have me at a disadvantage. Besides, I am a skilled horsewoman. I can ride astride or side saddle.”

  “You could have fought harder, and yet you let me get up on this horse and you didn’t run when you could have. Instead, you allowed me to pull you up behind me. If I was a betting man, I would bet that I could ease my way between your legs just as effortlessly. I think I would like to partake of the honey I would find there.”

  “You are a vile, blackguard. Besides, I am a sound judge of character, and I do not believe you are a threat to my person. I have always possessed an uncanny knack of seeing into one’s soul.”

  “Indeed? Brave words for the lady who took my pistol to summon her brother.”

  She groaned.

  “I must say, I would have wanted my sister to fight a bit harder. You hardly gave me a struggle at all. Why don’t we dismount and have a little splendor in the grass? Would you like to feel my hands caressing your body, my mouth giving you sweet ecstasy and my…”

  “Cease your teasing at once! You are too much to be borne,” she sighed tiredly.

  “I don’t think I’d be too much for you. I rather think we’d fit together perfectly. I would make it quite pleasurable for you, my beautiful lady.”

  She closed her eyes and prayed for strength in dealing with him. “You are a nuisance of the first class.”

  “Thank you. From you that is most certainly a compliment.”

  “I simply must know my kidnapper’s name,” she insisted.

  “My name is Archie or at least that’s what you can call me, Lady Gemma.”

  “Gemma? Wait, you said you didn’t know my name! Upon my word, you are a rascal…” Realization dawned on her as they emerged in the clearing and started to approach the castle. He wasn’t taking her back out of the goodness of his heart. He was taking her back because he had been sent by her brother. Mallory. Blast him! She would have harsh words with him later today.

  “You bastard. I’ve been tricked. You’ve led me through a merry little ruse, orchestrated no doubt by my dear brother.” Her heart drummed in her chest. Anger continued to build within her when Mallory came strutting into view. He had a very pleased with himself look on his face. He looked like a bloody peacock. Elizabeth walked arm in arm with him, and her complacent expression guaranteed than she had no knowledge in her husband’s devious plot.

  “You are right, St. Martin. She does need a keeper. I shall be most happy to take up that post, if you’re still offering it to me. Someone needs to tame this woman’s wayward ways. She must be taken into hand—and I will have supreme satisfaction in taking her into my keeping.”

  “What?” she blustered. She was so furious that she could feel her cheeks burning. She wanted to strangle both her brother and Archie, but she couldn’t decide whom she would deal with first. If she was understanding it correctly, Archie had been hired to be her…keeper.

  Good God, she was going to kill someone.

  “You could have warned me that she was fast with her hands and able to wield a pistol. She could be a bloody pickpocket her hands are so quick, she would make a fine little cut-purse.” Archie inclined his head to Mallory.

  “Mallory, you must tell this man at once to stop talking about Gemma as if she isn’t here. That is most insulting—and beyond galling.” Elizabeth looked up in disdain at Archie. Gemma smiled. Elizabeth could always be counted on to give Mallory quite the challenges when the need presented itself. “What is he talking about, husband of mine? Out with it, this instant! Why ever would Gemma require a keeper? Oh, what have you done, now?”

  “She needs one, much like you required one before you found me. Gemma is too reckless. She has a penchant for finding trouble, and she hankers after adventure. That worries me. She will end up getting herself burned badly one of these days. It is my task as the only male presence in her life to protect her.”

  “She will be getting married shortly,” Elizabeth countered, shaking her head in disapproval. “Once she is wed, her husband will take precedence over you. You must accept that.”

  “That’s my point—her choice in husbands is something to be desired. I thought you already understood that, Elizabeth. Admit it, our Gemma makes grievous errors in judgment on a daily basis. I can’t understand why. Mama raised her the same way she raised me.”

  Gemma seethed. Her brother came to assist her off the horse, and then Archie dismounted.

  “Well, I hope you are quite happy with yourself, dear brother,” she spat. Holding her sense of decorum, she restrained herself from hitting Mallory. “You are a hateful brother! If I was as delicate as Ann, you would have given me a fit.”

  “Ann isn’t like you. She has a level head on her dainty little shoulders
.”

  “Ah.” Elizabeth snapped her fingers. “I think I understand now. You and Gemma are two peas in a pod. The two of you are so much alike, and yet, Mallory, you can’t see that. Why she is the female version of you, though I daresay she looks every bit a woman. Thank heavens for that.”

  A muscle jumped in her brother’s cheek. “That’s just it, darling. Gemma is like me. Now do you know why I am worried?”

  Gemma shook her head. “What is going on here? Some sort of secret society discussion? If this has anything to do with your adventures at sea, you can spare me the details. We all know you were a privateer or pirate, or whatever they call them these days, and I am nothing like you, brother dear.”

  Realization slowly dawned over Elizabeth’s flawless features. She touched her hand absently to the one black curl that blew around her face. Gemma envied her for her curls. If she wanted curls like Elizabeth’s, she had to put hot clay rollers into her hair. “Oh, I see.” Now, Elizabeth looked more than just a little flustered. “Can you trust this man you have hired to watch over her? I do not know him, and I should like to know him better, than I do. Do you, do you trust him?” Elizabeth asked, her little mother hen instinct was rearing its pretty little head again.

  “I would trust Archie with your life, my life and our child’s life.”

  “Then, I think, Gemma, that you now have a guardian angel. Be happy for it, dearest. I am quite certain that Mallory is only working in your best interests. Besides, there is still time for you to change your mind about marrying your intended.” An uncomfortable expression crossed Elizabeth’s face. “Nothing is truly set in stone, Gemma, until you take those vows. Life is a game of chance. We never know what our destiny holds in store for us. I certainly didn’t see Mallory coming into my life, and finding him and sharing in the love we have for each other, makes my life worth living.”