Read Online Imposter Bride by Patricia Simpson - Free Book Online

pulse throbbed, as if he read her
thoughts. The prospect that he might guess what she was thinking
only aroused her more.
    She raised her gaze back to his. “Captain Ramsay?”
she breathed, her voice cracking.
    He swallowed. She saw his Adam’s apple rise and fall
above the silk of his tie.
    “At your service.” His voice was gruff, strained. He
continued to stare at her and then broke off to glance at the
goblet he held in his right hand, as if suddenly remembering it was
there. He thrust it toward her, apparently to ward off the effect
she had upon him.
    “For your health,” he added. “The doctor said—”
    He broke off, recognizing words were unnecessary
between them. She filled the broken silence by reaching for the
goblet.
    “Thank you.” She took the glass in both hands and
lowered her arms in such a way as to shield her breasts from view,
although she realized immediately the effort wasn’t necessary.
Ramsay had already averted his intense gaze and had slipped past
her, his hands clasped behind his back.
    “Pardon my unspeakable manners,” he said, not
looking at her. From the back, the cut of his waistcoat made his
shoulders seem even wider than before. This was the man who had
caught her when she jumped, the man who had hovered above her as
she lay overcome by the smoke and flames of the fire, asking if she
were all right. This was the same man who had not betrayed her to
Constable Keener. She owed him more than mere thanks and would
certainly forgive him for staring. “My housekeeper told me you were
safely tucked into bed.”
    “I was a moment ago.” Thirsty, she sucked down the
watered wine, closing her eyes as she did so. When she opened them,
she was surprised to find Ramsay studying her face again.
Instantly, he glanced away to the fire.
    “My house is yours, Miss Hinds, for as long as your
recovery requires.”
    “Thank you, and I thank you for rescuing me, too—but
I really can’t stay.”
    “It will be all that is proper,” he added, “Barring
this slight incident of course. I have a housekeeper to serve as a
chaperone until we can locate your female companions. And I promise
never to enter this room again without knocking.”
    He looked back and gave her a slight wry smile.
    She couldn’t help but smile back. “You are kind,
sir, but I am not overly injured. I don’t need to stay.”
    “Brave words, miss, but I’ve seen the burns on your
hands and feet and the cut upon your palm. The doctor’s advice was
that you stay off your feet for at least a couple of days.”
    She knew she wouldn’t talk him out of helping her,
and if the truth were told, she didn’t want to talk him out of
it—at least not until she had a bath and a warm meal. Apparently,
Ramsay didn’t recognize her as the woman who had hidden in the
shadows of his carriage the previous evening. He, like his
housekeeper, thought she was someone entirely different. For the
time being, she would accept his offer of service and pray that he
didn’t learn the truth before she’d made her escape.
    “I will send a dispatch to your grandmother as soon
as possible this morning, informing her that you are safe and have
arrived.”
    Her grandmother? Katherine’s grandmother. Sophie
wondered if Lady Auliffe would be even more foul-tempered than her
granddaughter. She sipped the last of the weak wine. “Thank
you.”
    “Do you know if she is traveling by sea or
land?”
    “I’m not certain.”
    “The weather must have detained her.”
    “Yes. It must have.” Her voice quavered. She had
never been good at telling lies, had never desired to learn the art
of deception. She was certain he noticed her faltering reply, for
he turned and leveled his gaze at her again.
    “You are so different from my first perception of
you, Miss Hinds.”
    “Oh?”
    “In fact, I find it quite remarkable.”
    “In a good way?”
    He blinked and she saw a ghost of a smile pass
across his face, which he quickly masked. “Different,” was