The Care and Taming of a Rogue
Page 30
Inches in front of her, the landscape opened up. Two hundred feet below her toes, a large lake rested at the foot of the cliff. Beyond that, she thought she could see all of Cumbria.
Still clinging to the tree, she faced back the way she’d come. Arnold, the liveried tiger, leapt over a boulder and came straight at her. Before she could yell at him to stop or he’d kill both of them, another figure launched through the air from one side.
Bennett slammed into Arnold’s rib cage, taking him into the ground with a sickening thud. Twisting quickly onto one knee, he lifted his knife.
“Don’t kill him!”
He looked up at her, his jungle-colored eyes direct and distant. “Why not?” he snarled.
“Because you don’t need to. And because he was following orders.”
With a curse Bennett straightened, shoving the knife back into his boot. He grabbed up the rifle that had landed beside him and began scrambling toward her. “Come here,” he said, glancing at the edge of the cliff just beyond her. He held out his free hand.
A sob ripped from her chest. She’d known he would come, but he’d arrived at the exact right moment. “I’m very glad to see you,” she said shakily.
“Not so fast.”
Above Bennett on the cluster of boulders, Langley appeared. He also held a rifle, and it was pointed at the back of Bennett’s head. Phillipa froze. She’d been frightened before, but now…now she was terrified. For him. For Bennett.
“We seem to have a problem, Wolfe,” Langley said coolly.
“Give it a minute,” Bennett returned in that low, deadly voice he’d used a moment ago. “You won’t have any problem ever again.”
“That’s very brave, but considering that my driver has your friends pinned down and I have a weapon aimed at you, perhaps you should rephrase that.”
“I’m going to kill you. Is that any better?”
“Bennett, stop it,” Phillipa ordered shakily. “This is over with, David. Lower the rifle, and we’ll all go our separate ways. We’ll never speak of this again. You have my word.”
“And you, Bennett?”
“I’d rather kill you.”
Phillipa wanted to grab Bennett and shake him, though she could more easily move a mountain. “Give him your damned word, Bennett.”
A muscle in his cheek jumped. “You have my damned word,” he echoed.
“Well, that’s a start,” Langley put in, his expression easing a little, “but I have one more condition.”
“No m—”
“What is it?” Phillipa interrupted.
“Throw that satchel over the cliff, Flip. Then neither of you will have any proof of the other thing, and I’ll sleep much better.”
Bennett looked from Phillipa’s exhausted, dirt-and sweat-streaked face to the satchel over her shoulder. His journals. She’d not only escaped Langley, but she’d taken his journals with her. God, she was remarkable. And in comparison to a life with her and a life without her, nothing in that satchel mattered worth a damn. “Drop them,” he said.
Phillipa furrowed her brow. “You’d let them go?”
Langley shifted behind him, and he tensed, ready to move. “You heard Wolfe, my dear. Drop them. Now. Or I’ll put a bullet through your head, and you’ll drop them, then.”
“Langley, if you do anything—anything—to hurt her—”
“Shut up. I’m negotiating with the chit, now. I assume she’ll be more reasonable than you are.”
Phillipa’s gaze, though, remained on Bennett’s face, as though she hadn’t even heard Langley speak. “Your reputation. You’ll never lead another expedition.”
The animal anger that had pushed him through the last hours broke apart, and he straightened. “Phillipa, you are my adventure.”
“Don’t make me ill,” Langley said.
Bennett shook his head, willing her to understand. “I’ve been searching my entire life for something to make me want to stay in one place. For someone to be my…My home is where your heart is, Phillipa. Let the satchel go.”
Slowly she pulled the strap off over her head. “You’re certain?”
“I’m certain.”
Taking a deep breath, Phillipa held the satchel up over empty space.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Langley said unexpectedly. “Hold for a second. I want to see Bennett’s face when you let it go.” He moved off the rocks, limping badly as he came around the front of them. At least the damned gun was pointed at Bennett again, he reflected, where it should have been all along. “Much better. Swing it out wide, and then let it drop. Now, Flip.”
Bennett didn’t watch them go. He kept his gaze on Langley. But he heard it. He heard Phillipa’s small gasp as she released her hold, heard Langley’s deeper sigh of satisfaction. And he saw Langley’s attention shift away from him for a fraction of a second as the satchel dropped.
He leapt forward, slamming his shoulder into the side of the rifle and sending it skidding. With his momentum he took Langley to the ground, curled his hand into a fist, and struck.
Langley kicked up at him, but he simply took the blow. It didn’t matter. He hit the captain again, squarely in the face. Then he did it a third time.
“Bennett, stop!”
“My word doesn’t count,” he snarled, letting Langley up only so he could smash him down again. “He pointed a weapon at you.”
She grabbed his arm, pulling against him. “Stop it! No killing anyone for me!”
He ignored her, until Sommerset and Jack scrambled into view and threw themselves on top of him, pulling him off Langley. “Enough, Bennett. Stop!” the duke ordered. “It’s done.”
Langley crawled to a boulder and used it to pull himself into a seated position. Blood running freely down his face, he smiled anyway. “It is done. And I’ll have you arrested for assault. You have no proof that I’ve ever done anything ill to you.”
“You kidnaped Flip,” Jack broke in.
“You think she’ll admit to that? It’ll ruin her reputation.”
Bennett turned his back on Langley to find Phillipa. He gazed at her for a hard beat of his heart, then pulled her into his arms. “You’re not hurt?” he asked roughly, burying his face in her tangled hair.
She nodded against his shoulder. “I knew you would come for me,” she said in a muffled voice. “I had to stay out of Scotland until you came.” Phillipa pushed back from him just enough to free one hand. Tangling her fingers into his hair, she pulled his face down to kiss him. “I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you.” He gazed into her eyes. “You are my heart. Do you understand that? There is no me without you.” There was only that rogue, that animal who couldn’t think of anything but survival and revenge.
“Yes.”
“The next time you have to drop something of mine to save yourself, do it, for God’s sake.”
“But I didn’t.” She kissed him again.
Bennett scowled. Still refusing to release her, he lifted his head a little. “You didn’t what?”
“Drop them.”
“They went over the bloody cliff,” Langley chortled. Jack kicked him in his wounded leg, and the captain yelped again.
Phillipa turned her head to look down at Langley. “Your books went over the cliff. I hid Bennett’s journals up there in the rocks.”
“You…” Bennett snorted, then lifted her into the air, bringing her back down for another kiss. “You are a remarkable chit,” he murmured, brushing his fingers through her hair. “But my decision doesn’t change. I’m finished with traveling.”
She laughed against his mouth. Of course she was happy to hear that. And he was happy, as well. Happier than he could ever recall being in his life. Because of her.
“May I make a request?” she said in a low tone, a smile in her voice.
“Anything.”
“Might we continue on to Scotland? If you mean to propose to me, of course.”
Truly startled, he glanced over at Jack, who shrugged. “
She is ruined.”
Sommerset was actually smiling. “Go to it. We’ll deal with this, and your journals. I have a man or two with the London Times who will be willing to make threats—and follow through with them if necessary.”
“We’ll meet you back in London next week,” Bennett said, lifting Phillipa into his arms.
“You still have to ask me,” she commented, tears in her eyes.
At the top of the hill, he set her down, then sank onto one knee. All of the beautiful, rugged Lake District lay below them. “I meant to bring you red roses,” he began, his own voice catching.
Phillipa ran a finger along his cheek. “You already did that. Skip to the good part.”
He chuckled, digging into his pocket to pull out the ring. “Phillipa, my heart, my blood, my everything, will you for God’s and my sake marry me?”
She held out her hand, her fingers shaking. “Yes,” she breathed.
When he slipped the ring onto her finger, she collapsed against his chest, nearly sending them down the hill again. And he didn’t care. Everything was an adventure with his Phillipa. Everything.
Three weeks later
Phillipa sat on a comfortable sofa in the morning room of the small house Bennett had rented for them in London. They were supposed to have gone for a brunch with her family, but then Sommerset had sent over a note, and Bennett had gone off to see him. She’d informed Livi and her parents that they would be along shortly, but in the meantime she had some reading to do.
With a slow breath she pulled the journal onto her lap and opened it to where she’d left off. A few short weeks ago she would have devoured the nine books in two days, foregoing sleep and food until she’d read every last detail. How things had changed. She was only on the second journal, and she would be surprised if she finished it before the end of the week.
The front door opened, and she looked up as Bennett, Kero on his shoulder, strolled into the morning room. “Hello,” she said, smiling.
He set Kero onto a chair with an apple to occupy her and sank onto the couch beside Phillipa. “Hello,” he returned, and kissed her. “I attempted to bring you roses again, but Kero ate them.”
She laughed. “It is the most novel excuse ever. But you know I’m just as happy with the monkey.”
“Thank you for that.”
Phillipa took his hand, twisting her fingers around his. “Well, what did they say? Did they grovel?”
“There was no groveling, but at least three apologies. One of them was, I believe, sincere.”
“And all it took was the threat to publish your journals verbatim in the newspaper. You know, I once thought very highly of the Africa Association. And now I don’t even know why I d—”
“They offered to sponsor me on another Congo expedition,” he interrupted, lifting his hand to look at their entwined fingers.
Her heart skipped a beat. Several beats. If he wanted to go, though, she couldn’t and wouldn’t be able to stop him. He would be lost to her, in spirit if not in body. “When do you leave?”
Green eyes met hers. “I don’t. I have found recently that life is rather precious. I would like to be about for as long as possible.”
Deep satisfaction wound through her. “You’re certain.”
“You don’t need to keep asking me that, nyonda. I’m certain.”
She put on a faux frown and sighed. “Oh, well. It can’t be helped then, I suppose.”
His scowl looked very genuine. “What can’t be helped?”
“It’s only that I thought it might be interesting to see the Parthenon—or what’s left of it—in person. And you said you’ve never been to Greece. But if you aren’t interested in any more adven—”
Bennett put a broad hand over her mouth. “You’re certain?” he murmured, holding her gaze, the jungle deep in his eyes.
She nodded, and brought his hand down into hers. “I’ve discovered something of a taste for adventure, it seems. And for a certain adventurer.”
About the Author
SUZANNE ENOCH once dreamed of becoming a zoologist and writing books about her adventures in Africa. But those dreams were crushed after she viewed a National Geographic special on the world’s most poisonous snakes—of which 99% seemed to be native to Africa. She decided to turn to the much less dangerous activity of writing fiction.
Now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical and contemporary romance, the most hazardous wildlife Suzanne encounters are dust bunnies under the sofa.
To see pictures of those dust bunnies, please visit www.suzanneenoch.com.
Suzanne loves to hear from her readers, and may be reached at: P.O. Box 17463 Anaheim, CA 92817–7463
Or send her an e-mail at suzie@suzanneenoch.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
By Suzanne Enoch
Historical Titles
THE CARE AND TAMING OF A ROGUE
ALWAYS A SCOUNDREL • BEFORE THE SCANDAL
AFTER THE KISS • TWICE THE TEMPTATION
SINS OF A DUKE • SOMETHING SINFUL
AN INVITATION TO SIN • SIN AND SENSIBILITY
ENGLAND’S PERFECT HERO
LONDON’S PERFECT SCOUNDREL • THE RAKE
A MATTER OF SCANDAL • MEET ME AT MIDNIGHT
REFORMING A RAKE • TAMING RAFE
BY LOVE UNDONE • STOLEN KISSES
LADY ROGUE
Coming Soon
A LADY’S GUIDE TO IMPROPER BEHAVIOR
Contemporary Titles
A TOUCH OF MINX
BILLIONAIRES PREFER BLONDES
DON’T LOOK DOWN
FLIRTING WITH DANGER
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE CARE AND TAMING OF A ROGUE. Copyright © 2009 by Suzanne Enoch. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Digital Edition September 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-195925-7
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900
Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com
-moz-filter: grayscale(100%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share