by KT Grant
He chuckled and hung his arm over the bench. “Lucy needs a friend in her life. I’m glad it’s Miss McGrath.”
“And what about you, Mr. Daugherty? Do you have any close friends you can confide in?” She ran her finger over the envelope in her lap.
“I have a few, but no one I can tell all my secrets and desires to.” He fisted his hand to stop from grabbing a strand of her hair sticking to her cheek. “I would like to be your friend if you’ll let me.”
She sighed and bit her bottom lip. “I’ve lost my best friend. Aidan was the one I thought I could trust and hold dear in my heart. But after his treachery, I don’t know if I should let anyone else in my life. It appears I’m a bad judge of character.”
He placed his hand on hers. She didn’t pull away like he’d expected. His heart expanded in his chest.
“You’re not to blame for Aidan’s actions. He used you and those around him horribly. I believed his falsehoods. I was a fool.” He tightened his grip when a tear slipped down Abbie’s cheek. “Miss Hale, please don’t cry for him. Haven’t you shed enough tears for the man who’s been so cruel to you?”
She wiped her eyes and shook her head. “I can’t seem to stop crying. I-I miss him so much. Even now, I want to go see him. I’ve written him a letter.” She patted the envelope. “I can either give it to him in person when I visit him in jail or mail it to him. I haven’t decided what to do.”
“I’ll be here to support you in whatever decision you make.” He unfurled his fist and rested his palm on the back of her neck. It would be so easy for him to kiss her, but now wasn’t the time. He wouldn’t resort to such manipulations as Aidan may have done in the past.
“You’re a nice man. I’m glad we can be friends.” She lay her hand on his.
“I would hope so. You’ll be seeing more of me in the future.” He exhaled through his nose, nervous for what he was about to say. “The reason I’m meeting with Mr. McGrath is to discuss a business opportunity for me. He bought my debt from the marchioness. In order for me to pay it off, I’ll work with him and run a gentlemen’s club he’s opening on Pall Mall.”
“You won’t mind working in such an environment? It may take years for you to work off your debt,” she said kindly.
“This type of work is exactly what I need. It will give me the motivation and drive I’ve been looking for. It’s time I grew up and started acting like a man.” He was actually excited by the endeavor and couldn’t wait to get his hands dirty, so to speak.
She lifted his hand and pumped it. “Congratulations. It will be a pleasure to have you on the payroll.”
He returned the good wishes by kissing the back of her hand.
She cleared her throat. “Colby—”
“H’llo, Mr. Daugherty!”
He released her hand and stood when Benji ran over. He clapped the young man on the back in welcome. Benji tipped the brim of his cap to him in return.
“Is something the matter?” she asked her brother. She slipped her letter into her skirt pocket.
“Cook wants me to buy those coffee beans like we got last time.” He scraped the toe of his boot on the grass. “She gave me enough coins for an extra treat, and I wanted to see if you’ll come with me.”
“What a thoughtful idea, Master Benjamin,” Colby said. “Since I’m early for my meeting with Mr. McGrath, I would love to accompany you and your sister for a cup of coffee and perhaps a plate of cinnamon scones we can all share. Would you mind if I tagged along?” He looked at Abbie for permission.
“Please say yes, Abbie!” Benji said.
Her smile reached her eyes this time as she nodded. Benji clapped and darted ahead.
Colby held out his arm for her to take. “Miss Hale, it will be a pleasure to escort you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Daugherty…for everything.” She looped her arm through his, and with a spring in his step, he led her out to the front.
* * *
Tisha had been in the middle of finishing a stitch on the gown she sewed for Lucy when one of the maids told her Da wanted to see her in his office as soon as possible. Whenever he asked to see her in his office it had to be of some importance.
She left her rooms and sauntered down the long staircase. Noises from the kitchen and the main ballroom floated up. Tonight was the first night they’d opened after Aidan’s arrest. It would be busier than ever before because the papers finally broke the news about Aidan and the Daugherty family. Da had talked to her about how to handle the gossip and questions that might come their way. She wished he would have reconsidered reopening Pythos so soon, but business was business, and it would help them keep their minds off Aidan. She wasn’t looking forward to being on display tonight, but she would soldier through. Her reward would be seeing Lucy tomorrow for dinner and then attending the theater together later in the evening.
It had only been two days since she last saw Lucy, but it felt like a lifetime. Also, the uncertainty with Lucy planning on returning to her home, hours away from London, troubled her.
Rubbing her chest where a sudden ache started, she turned the corner and walked down the hall. She slowed upon hearing a familiar woman’s voice coming from Da’s office.
Lucy?
This time she wouldn’t eavesdrop but entered the room. Da got up from his leather chair and Lucy turned in her seat, glancing over her shoulder.
“Lucy, what are you doing here?” Delighted at seeing her earlier than anticipated, she sat next to her, beaming with joy.
Lucy gifted her a more reserved smile. “I asked your father if he would agree to meet with me first before seeing Colby.”
“What’s this all about, Da?” she asked. “Are you offering Lucy a job as well?” He had told her he wanted to hire Colby so he could pay of his debt. At first, she wasn’t certain the youngest member of the Daugherty clan would be up to snuff and responsible enough. But with Da in charge, he’d keep Colby in line and teach him the rewards of hard work.
He came around his desk and sat on the edge. “Mrs. Endcott wanted to speak to me about you.”
“M-me?” She cleared her throat.
“Should I tell her or would you like to do the honors?” he asked Lucy.
“I’m planning on returning to Dorset at the end of the month. I’ll be coming out of mourning soon, and I’ll need new dresses. I would like to offer you a job as my personal dresser. I have an extra bedroom available in my cottage if you accept the position,” she announced.
Bewildered, she stared at Lucy. “You want me to be your personal dresser? For how long?”
“I’ll need a whole new wardrobe, so it may take some time. Would you be able to stay for at least six months?” She tapped Tisha’s hand. “Perhaps during your stay you can also create new wardrobes for my neighbors? The ladies I associate with will surely be interested, especially if they see me wearing something like this.” She stroked the fabric of her velvet skirt she’d “borrowed” from Tisha’s wardrobe.
“But Da, what about my work here at Pythos? Won’t you be lonely without me?” she asked.
He opened his silver cigar box and lifted a cigar up to his nose and sniffed. “Darlin’, it’s time to spread your wings and leave the nest. You’ve never been outside London. Mrs. Endcott’s offer is a generous one. Maybe with your earnings, you’ll have enough to open a dress shop in the area.” He bit off the edge of the cigar and spit it out. “The property values are reasonable there. After you’ve settled in with Mrs. Endcott and accepted orders for whatever gowns and fripperies from the womenfolk, we can talk about me investing in your business, if you choose to start one.”
She blinked back the tears forming in her eyes. “You’ll be so lonely without me.”
He guffawed. “I probably will, but we’ll write to one another and I’ll come for a visit around Christmas.”
She nodded and wiped under her eyes. He gave her a tender look and moved to her side. He bent down and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll leave you with Mrs. En
dcott to go over the details of your employment.” He rose to his full height and held out his hand for Lucy to shake. “I’m expecting your brother in an hour or so to discuss the terms of his new position with me.”
Lucy took his hand. He helped her out of her seat and kissed her knuckles. “Thank you, Mr. McGrath. I’m so grateful for your kindness.”
“Kindness?” He snorted. “This is all for the good of my business and my bank account.”
“Of course.” Her lips twitched in humor.
He winked and released her hand.
He then kissed Tisha’s forehead and left the room, whistling under his breath.
She closed the door behind him and went to Lucy’s side. Lucy started talking, but she silenced her with a kiss. Lucy moaned and clutched Tisha’s waist. She slid her hands in between them and cupped Lucy’s breasts.
“What if someone comes in?” Lucy whispered.
“Bugger them. No one would dare enter Da’s office with the door closed. They would knock first,” she murmured on Lucy’s luscious lips.
“We’re supposed to talk about your new position, not make love to one another,” Lucy argued, although she didn’t seem to mind Tisha’s roaming hands and nipping kisses.
She stopped her amorous playing and studied Lucy. “Making love? Is that what we’re doing?”
“Yes. It’s more than just acting on a physical need I have for you.” Worry filled Lucy’s voice. “That’s why I spoke with Teague about my job offer. Unless you’re not interested and want to break things off when I return home. I’ll understand—”
She silenced Lucy with a hard kiss. “I don’t want to end things with you. I love what we have together.” She held Lucy’s hands and rested them near her heart. “It just came as a surprise because I know your former relationship with Irena—”
“Please, don’t mention her. Every time I hear her name, I grow ill.” Lucy grimaced.
She kissed Lucy again in order to erase the pain from her face. Never again would Lucy experience such betrayal all in the name of love.
Lucy ran her fingers along Tisha’s back. She arched, the prickling sensation making her warm in other places. If they stayed here much longer, she would have Lucy spread out on Da’s desk and her head under her skirt.
“I think it’s best if I begin my duties now and take your measurements up in my bedroom. We may miss lunch because I expect to spend hours inspecting every inch of your body.” With one last deep kiss, she tugged Lucy toward the door.
“Before we go to your rooms, there’s something I must know.”
“What’s that, darlin’ Luce?”
A shy smile appeared on Lucy’s face. “Love. You said a few minutes ago you love what we have together.”
“And you made mention of how we’re making love,” she responded back.
Lucy nodded. “Yes, when we kiss and touch, it’s making love. I know it’s too soon to even—”
“Lucy, what we have is real. We might not be ready to say those special words yet, but I know deep down inside what you mean to me.” She placed Lucy’s palm on her heart. “Feel how fast my heart is beating? Every time I see you, my heart races. It’s never done that before for anyone.”
“I feel…the same.” Lucy sighed.
“Now, can we go up to my room so I can take your measurements?” she asked, impatient. She had to see Lucy naked as soon as possible.
Lucy’s eyebrows lifted. “Someone’s bossy.”
“More like I’m lusty.” She pinched Lucy in the backside and threw open the door.
Lucy gasped and poked Tisha in her side. After giving her a loud smack on Lucy’s mouth, she linked their hands, and they both ran down the hall and up the stairs to her rooms, where they missed not only lunch, but dinner also.
AVAILABLE NOW FROM KT GRANT
The Princess’s Bride (Pirates of Flaundia #1)
Daisy de Fleurre, an exiled princess from a faraway land, longs for true love. She almost experienced that at the tender age of eighteen, when she and her servant Chelsey engaged in a smoldering love affair one brief summer before they were separated forever. Eight years later, Daisy is engaged to a man who wants to offer her the world. But she still longs for the woman she has never forgotten.
The dastardly lady pirate C.W. Dread, lives for revenge against Lord Humphrey, the evil man who murdered her family. She lays plans to kidnap Humphrey’s fiancée, hold her for ransom, and introduce her to the delights of the flesh. Then her revenge will be complete! But Dread is in for a shock when her prisoner is a ghost from her past who she once adored deep down to her very core.
Lord Humphrey will stop at nothing to destroy Chelsey, and possess Daisy for his own nefarious means. Unaware of what awaits them on the open seas, the two former lovers realize their passion, although once forbidden, is as intense and turbulent as the ocean Chelsey calls home.
Excerpt:
The rocking of the ship and the sounds of seagulls calling to one another woke Daisy from her slumber. She blinked and shifted to her side as her stomach churned. She took deep breaths to keep from vomiting on the comfortable bed she lay on.
She sat up, and the room spun so, she dropped her head in her palms and swallowed as her stomach rebelled once again. Her cheek throbbed, and her head felt as if it was going to burst open. She moaned and gingerly touched the sore spot on her head. A lump about the size of an egg stung when she poked it.
“Where am I?” She lifted her head again. She blinked a few more times to bring the room into focus, and when she could see clearly again, she looked around in wide-eyed fear. This was not her bedroom.
Her mouth was dry, her lips chapped. No amount of licking them would give her the relief she needed. She was saddened by the sight of her beautiful ball gown all torn and encrusted with grime and other unrecognizable stains. Her hands were also smudged with dirt, and a few of her nails were broken.
When she noticed her diamond engagement ring and necklace were missing, she searched the bed in a wild manner, praying her jewelry had fallen off among the sheets. All she found for her troubles were a few pieces of lint and long, dark hairs.
She groaned loudly, tunneling her fingers through her hair, and scrunched her nose as the scent of horseflesh rose from her dress. Before she could stop, a yawn escaped. As she opened her mouth wide, the right side of her face burned, and her lip stung horribly.
She pressed a finger to her mouth, and it came away bloody. Trying to remember the last few hours, she crawled slowly across the large bed covered with many multicolored pillows and coverlets. She had just set her foot on the floor when the door opened. She backed away and landed up against the iron headboard as a tall person dressed in all black came in holding a tray filled with fruit and bread. She covered her mouth to hold back a squeak when the person turned around, set the tray down on an empty space on the desk, and looked at her.
“Ah, I see you have finally awakened.” The masked woman smiled, taking a step toward the bed.
She held up a hand and lifted her face bravely, speaking the first words that sprang to her mind. “You…you have stolen my precious jewels!”
The woman shrugged. “Perhaps I have. So what?”
Her mouth dropped in dismay. “Do you realize how expensive—oh, what is wrong with me! Of course you don’t care one bit what I think. You enjoy pillaging priceless jewelry and other trinkets for your own selfish gains. I am just one of your many victims.”
The masked woman took another step forward.
“S-stop right there, you scoundrel!” she screeched.
“And what if I don’t?”
Her finger shook as she pointed. “I will scream.”
She flinched as the woman let out a husky laugh. “Go ahead. We’re miles out at sea, as you can tell. It’s only me and my boys here. They’re used to hearing a woman’s screaming coming from my cabin.”
She pressed a palm to her chest and frowned. “You apparently know me.”
She gave Da
isy a wide smile. “Oh yes, Princess Daisy. I know you very, very well.”
“But how.…” She glared at the woman standing only a few feet away, taking in her dark boots, the tight fit of her breeches, and the jagged scar and black mask covering her eyes and head.
Suddenly, she knew who stood before her.
“You’re her…the nasty lady pirate Dread all the papers talk about.” She sat up on her knees and looked at Dread in awe and trepidation.
“Nasty?” Dread sounded unconcerned. “You could say that. What else do the gossip rags say about me?” She took another step closer.
“How you destroy other ships and terrorize innocent people, including my fi-fiancé Lord Humphrey.”
Dread spat on the floor. “I can’t believe you’re going to marry that jackass.”
She grabbed the edge of the headboard to steady herself. Closing her eyes, she became woozy in part from fear because she was at the mercy of this pirate queen whose rule was law on this vessel.
The Prince’s Groom (Pirates of Flaundia #2)
Mr. Martin, the former first mate of an infamous pirate captain is mourning the loss of his young lover. He and Thomas de Fleurre, an exiled prince turned gentleman landowner, had a passionate affair on a tropical island paradise for a very short time. Thomas decides to end their relationship since Martin is a wanted man on the run for a twenty-year-old crime he didn’t commit.
Thomas longs for the frank speaking Martin, who not only ravaged his body, but his heart and soul. He has moved on, finding happiness in the arms of another man, but can’t stop thinking about those hot steamy nights where Martin made his every fantasy a reality.
Martin’s past comes back to haunt him as he arrives on Thomas’s doorstep to finish what they started. But then Martin must put his life on the line to save Thomas from an unstable woman who is obsessed with claiming Thomas as her own.