Read Online A Loving Scoundrel by Johanna Lindsey - Free Book Online
Authors: Johanna Lindsey
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out ’ere, mate. I can find m’way—”
“Not a chance, lad. I’ll take you to your door and do any explaining that’s needed, to get you out of the trouble you mentioned. We’ll just drop Percy off first. Won’t take long a’tall.”
And then be alone with him and his bleedin’ eyes that undressed her? Not a chance was right.
“I exaggerated,” she lied. “This money will more’n make up for the time I’ve been missing.”
“I insist,” he said, not buying her lie. “Wouldn’t be able to sleep if I thought this nasty business had repercussions for you.”
“Like I care if ye can sleep?” she snapped churlishly. “Yer idea o’ favors is my idea o’ getting buried, so don’t do me any more. I’d be in even more trouble if I showed ye where me friends live. Waking up in an alley beat nigh to death would be lucky.”
“You expect a beating for—”
“Not me,” she cut in pointedly.
He chuckled. “All right, I get the picture. But I’ll escort you back to that tavern. Very least I can do.”
She didn’t think he’d settle for that once he got that far, so she had no choice but to say, “No.”
“Wasn’t asking for permission, dear boy.”
Danny opened her mouth to snarl something really nasty, but since it wouldn’t accomplish anything, she decided to save her energy for what was about to come next.
Chapter 7
D ANNY HAD TO WAIT until the nabob took his eyes off her before she made her move. When he finally did, she didn’t spare another thought on it, just shot toward the coach door, jumped out, and took off at a run down the block.
Too easy, just as she’d figured it would be, though she’d underestimated how much ducking she should have done to get through the door. Not being a frequent rider in coaches, never in one so fine as his, she hadn’t taken her above-average height into account when leaping out that coach door. She was lucky she’d only knocked her hat off and hadn’t knocked herself unconscious.
She’d miss the hat. She was right fond of that hat, had won it in a fight down the block last year. It gave her a certain “flare” that she loved, probably because it appealed to her feminine vanity. But it was gone now, left on the floor of the nabob’s coach, and it would be a sorry day before she’d risk running into that young lord again to retrieve it.
She didn’t slow her pace, didn’t need to as she wasn’t winded yet. But a block away she figured she better stop running before she did wear herself out. She started to, then finally heard someone running behind her. A glance back and she shot forward at full speed.
She simply couldn’t believe it. The bleedin’ nabob was chasing her! And not just a short distance either. He should have given up after the first block, but he was still at it.
It made no sense, since they were done with each other. She’d done what they’d wanted and they had gotten her back to London. Why in the bleedin’ hell would he go out of his way just to get her closer to home when she obviously didn’t want him taking her any farther?
Three bleedin’ blocks now and he still wasn’t stopping! She was getting winded now. His legs were longer. He was slowly catching up to her. She almost stopped and gave up, but she rounded a corner and found a passing hack just approaching it. While she was out of Malory’s line of view for those few seconds, she dove under the hack, grabbed hold of the frame to lift herself off the ground, anchored her feet to it as well to help hold herself up as close to the frame as possible, and waited until she saw his legs run by.
Pressed close to the underbelly of the coach, she was out of Malory’s sight. He kept on running, in the opposite direction from her now, which allowed her to drop back to the ground when the hack turned another corner.
She was still somewhat winded, heart still racing, even more hungry now, and close to toppling over from pure exhaustion. If she didn’t think
“Not a chance, lad. I’ll take you to your door and do any explaining that’s needed, to get you out of the trouble you mentioned. We’ll just drop Percy off first. Won’t take long a’tall.”
And then be alone with him and his bleedin’ eyes that undressed her? Not a chance was right.
“I exaggerated,” she lied. “This money will more’n make up for the time I’ve been missing.”
“I insist,” he said, not buying her lie. “Wouldn’t be able to sleep if I thought this nasty business had repercussions for you.”
“Like I care if ye can sleep?” she snapped churlishly. “Yer idea o’ favors is my idea o’ getting buried, so don’t do me any more. I’d be in even more trouble if I showed ye where me friends live. Waking up in an alley beat nigh to death would be lucky.”
“You expect a beating for—”
“Not me,” she cut in pointedly.
He chuckled. “All right, I get the picture. But I’ll escort you back to that tavern. Very least I can do.”
She didn’t think he’d settle for that once he got that far, so she had no choice but to say, “No.”
“Wasn’t asking for permission, dear boy.”
Danny opened her mouth to snarl something really nasty, but since it wouldn’t accomplish anything, she decided to save her energy for what was about to come next.
Chapter 7
D ANNY HAD TO WAIT until the nabob took his eyes off her before she made her move. When he finally did, she didn’t spare another thought on it, just shot toward the coach door, jumped out, and took off at a run down the block.
Too easy, just as she’d figured it would be, though she’d underestimated how much ducking she should have done to get through the door. Not being a frequent rider in coaches, never in one so fine as his, she hadn’t taken her above-average height into account when leaping out that coach door. She was lucky she’d only knocked her hat off and hadn’t knocked herself unconscious.
She’d miss the hat. She was right fond of that hat, had won it in a fight down the block last year. It gave her a certain “flare” that she loved, probably because it appealed to her feminine vanity. But it was gone now, left on the floor of the nabob’s coach, and it would be a sorry day before she’d risk running into that young lord again to retrieve it.
She didn’t slow her pace, didn’t need to as she wasn’t winded yet. But a block away she figured she better stop running before she did wear herself out. She started to, then finally heard someone running behind her. A glance back and she shot forward at full speed.
She simply couldn’t believe it. The bleedin’ nabob was chasing her! And not just a short distance either. He should have given up after the first block, but he was still at it.
It made no sense, since they were done with each other. She’d done what they’d wanted and they had gotten her back to London. Why in the bleedin’ hell would he go out of his way just to get her closer to home when she obviously didn’t want him taking her any farther?
Three bleedin’ blocks now and he still wasn’t stopping! She was getting winded now. His legs were longer. He was slowly catching up to her. She almost stopped and gave up, but she rounded a corner and found a passing hack just approaching it. While she was out of Malory’s line of view for those few seconds, she dove under the hack, grabbed hold of the frame to lift herself off the ground, anchored her feet to it as well to help hold herself up as close to the frame as possible, and waited until she saw his legs run by.
Pressed close to the underbelly of the coach, she was out of Malory’s sight. He kept on running, in the opposite direction from her now, which allowed her to drop back to the ground when the hack turned another corner.
She was still somewhat winded, heart still racing, even more hungry now, and close to toppling over from pure exhaustion. If she didn’t think
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