Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
“The boys are fine.”
Whipping her head to Keely, a smile came at the shared words. “Thank you. I know you have so many and it’s hard to find room.”
Keely reached across the small interior and placed a gloved hand on Rosamunde’s arm. “I know how hard you work to get the children off the streets, Rosamunde. I find it so admirable. You could be off plotting how to land someone in the ton but you spend your time doing worthwhile work instead.”
“I am not anyone someone would want.” She shrugged her shoulders, still covered by the thick wool coat. Inside the sleeves, she curved her fingers into her palms and tried to relax.
“You,” Keely snapped, “are adorable and stunning. I don’t want to hear that kind of talk. Now, you’ll come with us to my house, get warmed up and we’ll take you home. I want to talk to you about maybe working with me down there.”
Both males grumbled across the interior. Rosamunde snapped her gaze to them and found them scowling. They were focused on Keely however, not her.
The remainder of the ride, she kept to herself and listened to the siblings bicker. Falcon took part but she didn’t feel the way he watched Keely was anything close to familial. The man was in love with her.
When the hack stopped before a large town home, she bit the inside of her cheek, fear swarming her. Falcon practically dragged Keely down and when Rosamunde moved to the opening he was right before her.
Bryn, she’d heard Falcon call him, and she only knew in passing of the name Brenden St. Martin—and some of the uglier sobriquets people used in his direction. His deep blue eyes held hers as long as she allowed it, not long. She dropped her gaze and waited for him to slide over.
He held fast and she frowned briefly before lifting her head to look at him again. Hand out, eyebrows up, he waited for her to place her palm in his.
“So independent,” he teased in a low tone.
It took a moment for her to expose her hand from under the sleeve of his coat but he didn’t rush her, simply waited. While he obviously had immense strength, he remained so gentle as he assisted her down. Instead of moving away from her, he settled a hand on the small of her back and guided her through the wrought-iron gate and up the shoveled walkway to the footman waiting by the door.
They didn’t even have to slow, as the footman opened it prior to them getting there.
Warmth poured out of the house and she nearly moaned in pleasure as it sank into her exposed skin.
A thin man walked up, dressed impeccably in black, and he took Falcon’s coat and gloves as well as Keely’s before passing them off to a footman. Then he faced her and paused.
“My lord?”
“Take the coat from her, Weeks. She has another under it but it wasn’t doing much good in the chill.” Bryn drew off his black leather gloves and passed them to another footman.
Rosamunde felt completely out of place standing in her older dress. “I should get home.”
“Keely!”
The call came from the stairs and everyone looked up to see who Rosamunde assumed to be their mother coming down to the ground floor. Smooth dark skin and black hair with some gray strands that only added to her beauty.
“Mama.” Keely went straight into her arms, holding tight.
Unwanted tears burned at Rosamunde’s eyes. She couldn’t remember her mother hugging her. Ever. Much less with such emotion.
Their words, she couldn’t understand. The love, she got the concept but again, it hadn’t been like that in her home, so she wouldn’t say she understood. Behind the women, another man moved down the stairs.
Him she knew. The Marquess of Heartstone.
He paused by the women and kissed his daughter on the top of the head, his wife on the mouth, then finished the walk to where Rosamunde remained standing with his son’s hand on her back.
“Boys.” He gave each a nod. Then eyes which were so much like his son’s latched onto her.
She swallowed.
“I apologize for the intrusion, my lord.”
“And who are you, my dear?” His voice wasn’t warm like his son’s but it wasn’t cruel. It was simply straightforward.
He turned his attention to Bryn. All he did was shrug.
What? Did he bring random women home all the time? Her flush grew deeper.
“She was being threatened by some men near the docks. And she knows Keely. I brought her home.”
Like a stray puppy.
“I should head home.”
Not like her parents would be concerned, so long as she turned up when it came time for her to be passed off to the man her father had chosen for her. She stiffened, only to force herself to relax when Bryn swiped his thumb up her back, almost like he was trying to calm her.