AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He muttered something under his breath before snatching her into his arms, all but squeezing the breath from her lungs.
“Daft girl,” he growled. “And I should kill Alec Gilbride for putting you in so dangerous a position.”
“It truly wasn’t his fault,” she said in a muffled voice.
“It certainly wasn’tyourfault. I hope you don’t think that.”
As comforting as it was to be held so securely, it was rather difficult to breathe. She wriggled her hands up between them and tried to push against his rock-hard chest.
“Sir, you’re squishing me.”
Reluctantly, he eased her back, keeping his hands loosely on her shoulders. In fact, he was now caressing her there, gently sliding his calloused fingertips over her bare skin. The thrilling sensation it evoked made it difficult to focus on anything else.
“I meant it about putting yourself in danger,” he sternly said. “You’re not to do it again.”
“It is not an experience I wish to repeat.”
“Where were you hit?”
“It was just a graze on my right arm.” She smiled up into his worried gaze. “You can barely see the scar. Alasdair assures me that it’s exceedingly paltry compared to all of his.”
“He should have done a better job of protecting you.”
She tapped his waistcoat. “Alasdair did nothing wrong. If anything, the fault lay with the rest of us for not seeing how disturbed my mother had become.”
“Emotions often get twisted about and muddled when it comes to those we love,” he said in a somber tone.
Now she placed a gentle hand flat on his chest, knowing he was thinking of his own troubled past. “Yes, they do.”
“What happened after she shot you?”
“Mamma became even more hysterical when she saw me fall. Fortunately, I hit my head on the paving stones and knocked myself out, so I missed the rest.”
He winced. “That’s one way of looking at it, I suppose.”
“Then Lady Reese hit Mamma in the jaw and knockedherout. That effectively put an end to the immediate crisis.”
He choked. “Truly?”
“Her ladyship is a very masterful woman, you must admit.”
He grinned. “Bully for her. I’ll have to give the old battle-ax a kiss next time I see her.”
“Then she’ll probably punch you in the jaw, too.”
“I’d let her.” His smile faded. “But I am so sorry you had to go through that, sweetheart. And I’d like to throttle those two silly chits for rehashing those rumors tonight.”
“In a way, that’s the worst part. We worked so hard to manage the scandal and protect my mother’s privacy. My poor uncle will be devastated that we failed.”
“Then there’s the impact on you.” His hands slipped down to cup her elbows. “We need to figure out why the rumors kicked up again.”
She shrugged. “As I said, it’s likely because I’m now out in the world. Before, I was out of sight, out of mind.”
“There’s got to be more to it. I can understand a bit of gossip about why you left the convent, but this is of a different magnitude. And it must be of fairly recent vintage, because otherwise Nick would have heard about it. Very little in this town escapes his notice.”
She had a sneaking suspicion about that. Despite the fact that Donella’s mother was kept under close watch, her physician encouraged carefully managed walks in his garden and occasionally even carriage rides for a change of scenery. Under the circumstances, it was conceivable that Mamma had been spotted once or twice, or that bits and pieces of information had somehow reached the ears of those who lived in neighboring parts of Edinburgh.
Jeannie MacArthur had recently arrived from that city. She could certainly have heard or seen something, although Donella would never voice such a suspicion without proof.
