by Wendy Vella
They did, taking the brave horse that had run hard and fast for them. He held her close as they walked through the streets and the gray light of dawn began to wake the city of London.
Vidal answered the door. "Lord and Lady Attwood!"
"It is a long and tiring story to accompany a long and tiring night, Vidal, therefore I shall reserve the telling of it until we have had some sleep, if you don't mind. Please have this horse cared for, as he has ridden hard this night, and inform Lord Harrington when he wakes that we will now not be leaving for the country."
"Of course."
"And now my wife and I need to sleep."
They walked through the quiet house together, and up the stairs. Nick led them to his rooms and pulled back the covers.
"In you get, sweetheart."
"I need to change my nightdress," she said, turning toward her rooms, but he stopped her by lifting her off her feet and lowering her onto the bed.
"You don't need a nightdress." He pulled it over her head then motioned her under the covers.
Grace helped him remove his clothes first, then climbed into the bed, sighing as her tired body settled against the sheet, seconds later he joined her. Turning her in his arms, he pulled her back to his front, pillowing her head on his shoulder.
"You, wife, have caused me nothing but trouble since our wedding."
"It is hardly my fault," she said, her voice slurring as sleep began to pull her under.
"From now on I shall have to keep a closer eye on you."
"Yes," Grace sighed as one of his hands stroked the outside of her breast. "You will."
"Grace," he said, kissing her cheek.
"I love you," they both said together. No other words were spoken then, as they both drifted to sleep.
THE END
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Thanks so much for reading Lord Gallant – book #1 in the Lords of Night Street Series.
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• Here's a sneak peek of Lady In Disguise, book #1 in the Langley Sisters Series, Lady In Disguise is available now.
Lady In Disguise-available now
Lord William Ryder woke suddenly as he flew across the carriage to land face first on the opposite seat. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear the sleep-induced fog, he wondered what the hell Luke was thinking pulling his horses to a halt so quickly. Slapping both hands on the seat he levered himself upright.
“Stand and deliver!”
Hands still braced on the seat, Will shook his head again; surely he hadn’t heard those words correctly.
“Those within the carriage step down at once or I will blow a hole in the side!”
In the past few years Will had been shot, stabbed, held hostage and forced to leap from a burning ship, and now he had arrived, to what he believed the safety of his homeland, and within hours he was being robbed. If rage weren’t nipping at his heels he’d laugh.
“I will give you a five count!”
“I’m coming!” he bellowed, reaching for the door. Pushing it open with enough force that it banged loudly against the carriage, Will stepped down. Cooler now that dusk had settled, he could smell the trees and earth of his homeland.
“No risks, Luke,” he cautioned his driver quietly as he looked at the riders before him. “Well?” he then questioned the two masked men, waiting for one of them to speak; curiously both seemed almost unnaturally still. “Are you robbing me, or did you want to take tea?” His drawled words had the required effect, as one of them spoke.
“Throw your money over here, or I will shoot you!”
“You had better make that shot count, because you can be assured if you miss you won’t get a second one,” Will stated calmly, looking at the two riders. Both wore black hats pulled low to cover their eyes and scarves hid the lower half of their faces. Pistols were pointed at him and his driver. They looked menacing, yet not overly big, he thought, eyeing the slender thigh of the one closest to him.
“The penalty for robbing a peer is death I believe,” he added, reaching into his pocket and removing a money pouch.
“The penalty for starvation is the same, my lord!”
With the coin pouch now in his hand, Will looked at the man. His words were muffled, yet he could hear the desperation.“You’ll end up with your neck stretched by the hangman’s noose if you don’t rethink your choice of career, young man.”
“Spoken like a cosseted nobleman, Lord Ryder. Now throw me that purse and we shall be on our way.”
Will paused, holding the highwayman’s gaze and then slowly threw the purse in the air, the coins making a chinking sound as they resettled in his palm.
“It appears you have me at a disadvantage, sir. You know who I am, yet I am at a loss to remember you. Of course that could be because you have your face covered and a pistol pointed at my head.”
Will watched the horse lift its head as the man’s hand tightened on the reins. Interesting. It was dark, and the moonlight was weak, but the highwayman had recognized him immediately, if that reaction was any indication. He’d seen the worst life could offer, yet it saddened him that someone who had crossed his path would need to steal to survive.
“This is not a social call, Lord Ryder, just hand over the pouch and we shall leave you to continue your journey.”
“And if I say no will you kill me where I stand?”
“We don’t want to kill you!”
“Then turn your horse around and leave,” Will said, his voice now low and menacing. The gun wavered and then steadied as the man transferred the reins into the same hand as the gun, the empty one he now held out to Will.
“Throw me that pouch.”
“No.” He watched the two highwaymen look at each other after he spoke. A suspicion formed in his head as the leader raised a shoulder in a gesture that looked far too feminine for a man.
“I will shoot your driver.”
Will had not survived the last few years to be shot just miles from his home and he realized that a young desperate man aiming a gun at his head was a situation that could get out of hand quickly.
“Here.” He threw the bag at the leader who caught it easily.
“Now go before I decide that you two need to be taught a bloody good lesson in manners,” Will added, scowling at them.
They turned their horses and began to leave.
“I’ll stop them!”
“No, Luke!”
Too late, Will watched his driver’s knife sail through the air and lodge itself in the shoulder of the lead highwayman. The scream that filled the air told him his original guess had been incorrect. They weren’t youths; in fact, they were women. He took a step towards her as she lurched sideways in the saddle, but she saved herself by gripping the horse’s mane, and soon they were gone from his sight.
“Christ, I just stabbed a woman, Will.”
Lady In Disguise (The Langley Sisters – Book 1) -available now.
OTHER BOOKS BY WENDY VELLA
Historical Romances
Regency Rakes
Duchess By Chance
Rescued By A Viscount
The Langley Sisters Series
Lady In Disguise
Lady In Demand
Lady In Distress
The Lady Plays Her Ace
Lords Of Night Street
Lord Gallant (Novella)
Stand Alone Titles
Christmas Wishes (Novella)
The Reluctant Countess
Contemporary Romances
The Lake Howling Series
A Promise Of Home
The Texan Meets His Match
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