Read Online A Notorious Love by Sabrina Jeffries - Free Book Online

He drew in a ragged sigh. “But if you go with me, there’ll be conditions, d’you understand? You’ll have to consent to all of them before I’ll even consider it.”
    Hope filled her. “Of course. Whatever you say, whatever you want.”
    “Don’t be so quick to agree. You won’t like them.” He crossed his arms over his barrel chest, looking for all the world like a powerful genie guarding the entrance to the treasure cave. His eyes assessed her coolly from bonnet to boots. “First, you’ll have to dress different. Your pretty gowns will call attention to us, not to mention tempt every thief in three counties. You’ll have to wear the plainest gowns you can manage—no lace, no fancy furbelows, no—”
    “Done.”
    His scowl deepened. “Second, you do as I say without complaint. We eat when I say, stop when I say, and take lodgings when and where I say. Understood?”
    She bobbed her head vigorously.
    “You think I don’t mean it, but I do. I promise to be the harshest of taskmasters.”
    “And I promise to be the meekest of servants.”
    He snorted. “That I’ll have to see to believe. Third, and here’s the rub, you keep quiet whenever we’re around other people.”
    “Why?”
    “Because every time you open your mouth, you make a man feel like he’s two feet tall and missing his cods.”

    The vulgarity made her stiffen and his implication stung, but she guessed this was a test and so kept silent, despite having to gnaw on her tongue to manage it.
    He gazed at her expectantly and when she said nothing, added bitingly, “We won’t find out anything if you start talking to people like they’re beneath your touch.”
    “I don’t do that!” she retorted. When both his eyebrows arched high on his forehead, she added, “Well, only with men, anyway.”
    “Yes, and much of the time we’ll be talking to men.” He cocked his head. “Come to think of it, maybe you should always keep quiet. Then I won’t be tempted to throttle you every mile or so.”
    At his glower, she shrank into herself. Perhaps this was not such a good idea after all. Would she have been better off hiring Bow Street runners? At least they wouldn’t try to order her about.
    Or would they? Men of that sort were bound to be just as arrogant. At least she was used to dealing with Mr. Brennan’s arrogance. Besides, although he drove her insane and talked gruffly of throttling her, she didn’t think he would actually harm her.
    “I’ll do whatever is necessary to make this endeavor a success,” she vowed.
    “Will you?” He surveyed her for a long moment, then let out an enormous sigh. “Very well. We’ve wasted enough precious time with this argument as it is. You’ve got one hour at Griff’s to pack your things. Pack light, no more’n one bag. And if you’re not ready to leave when I am, I’m leaving without you.”
    “So you’re taking me?” she said, relief making her suddenly light-headed.
    “Do you agree to my conditions?”
    “I do, I do!”

    “Well, then,” he groused, “I s’pose we’ll be traveling together, since you’re likely to make a spectacle of yourself by trailing along behind if I don’t take you.”
    “Oh, thank you! You won’t regret it, I promise.”
    He gave a hard, self-mocking laugh. “I already regret it, believe me. I’ve never done a more foolish thing in my life.” He picked up his leather purse, buttoned the flap, then stuffed it in his coat pocket and came around the desk. “Come along then, m’lady. It’s time we got on the road.”

Chapter 5
It’s of a false knight from the North
Who came a-courting me
He promised he’d take me unto the North land
And there his bride would be.
“Lady Isobel and the Elf-Knight,”
anonymous Scottish ballad
    J arred from a deep sleep, Juliet Laverick opened her eyes to find herself sprawled across the seat of a moving coach with her face pressed to the window. What was she doing here?
    “Had a nice nap?” asked a deep male