Read Online Pretty Persuasion by Olivia Kingsley - Free Book Online
Authors: Olivia Kingsley
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the room and put the sword on the table. When he turned, he found Rossemore staring with knitted brows at the bloodstained cloth in his hand.
Damn. It was hard to deliver a threat to a man who looked like a kicked dog. He might as well take himself off. There was no satisfaction to be had there.
His hand was on the door handle when Rossemore's voice stopped him. "What is she to you?" The bastard's shock had vanished, and there was an ugly glint in his eyes.
"A mere family acquaintance." It felt like a lie, even though he'd be hard-pressed to put a different name to their relationship after the rejection she had delivered in Mansell's garden.
Rossemore regarded Robert with suspicion. "What
does
that document say?"
"In hopes that it will torment you, I'd rather not say."
Rossemore's gaze narrowed, and then he gave a mocking smile. "I had her first, Sheffield. I dare say that will torment
you
."
A roar filled Robert's ears as the image of the couple entwined on the bed cropped up. Georgie's eyes dazed with passion, her lips swollen, and worst of all, the bastard's hand up her skirt. If a sight could ever provoke him to commit murder, that was it. And now the offender had the audacity to throw it in his face.
Rossemore could be lying, of course, but "could be" was not enough to calm Robert's boiling fury. He didn't know what enraged him the most—that the bastard had bedded Georgie or that the idea made Robert so… jealous. There was no other word for it.
"Stay away from her," he said, amazed at how even his voice sounded.
"Or else?" His adversary cocked a brow.
"Use your imagination." Too tempted to thrash the barefaced pup, Robert made that his parting comment.
As he strode toward the stairs, he gave himself a halfhearted mental pat on the back. After all, the marriage had been averted with a minimum of bloodshed, and Georgie might even escape with her reputation intact. A pity the same could not be said for her virtue.
Grinding his teeth, Robert forced his thoughts away from that topic. Just as well, because at the foot of the stairs, he came upon the innkeeper and his wife, who stood arguing animatedly while a bewildered adolescent boy looked on.
The innkeeper noticed him. "Sir! This is intolerable! I insist you do something about it."
"I'm in a bit of a hurry." Robert glanced around. "Did a young lady and the gentleman who arrived in my company pass through here?"
"That is precisely the problem, sir," the wife said, a pinched look on her face. "First the two of you storm in here, creating a racket and disturbing our guests, and now they're at it!"
Robert blinked. "They?"
"Yes!" The woman gestured wildly. "The young lady dashes down the stairs with the gentleman at her heels, demanding that her carriage be readied."
"And I told her," the innkeeper supplied. "'Well, now, I can't rightly do that,' I said, 'since the gentleman you arrived with is the one who made the arrangements.'"
"She weren't happy about that," his wife commented, and her husband agreed with a huff.
"But where is she?" Robert all but snapped.
"Can you not hear them?" His host pointed over Robert's shoulder. "They're in the back parlor, waking up the dead, no doubt."
Robert spun around and stalked down the hall.
"If you don't mind my asking, sir," the innkeeper said, following closely, "what exactly is your connection with the young lady? I do not mean to pry, but the other gentleman was not very
gentle
when he pulled her back there, and I will not stand for any mistreatment of ladies on my property."
They reached a great oak-paneled door. "Is this it?" he asked, but he needn't have, because he heard a high-pitched female voice from inside. It was definitely Georgie. A greatly incensed Georgie, from the sound of it.
"Indeed, it is."
Robert looked over his shoulder. The innkeeper and his wife watched him with a mix of disapproval and excitement. The boy peered curiously from behind them. "I'll see to it," Robert assured them.
They
Damn. It was hard to deliver a threat to a man who looked like a kicked dog. He might as well take himself off. There was no satisfaction to be had there.
His hand was on the door handle when Rossemore's voice stopped him. "What is she to you?" The bastard's shock had vanished, and there was an ugly glint in his eyes.
"A mere family acquaintance." It felt like a lie, even though he'd be hard-pressed to put a different name to their relationship after the rejection she had delivered in Mansell's garden.
Rossemore regarded Robert with suspicion. "What
does
that document say?"
"In hopes that it will torment you, I'd rather not say."
Rossemore's gaze narrowed, and then he gave a mocking smile. "I had her first, Sheffield. I dare say that will torment
you
."
A roar filled Robert's ears as the image of the couple entwined on the bed cropped up. Georgie's eyes dazed with passion, her lips swollen, and worst of all, the bastard's hand up her skirt. If a sight could ever provoke him to commit murder, that was it. And now the offender had the audacity to throw it in his face.
Rossemore could be lying, of course, but "could be" was not enough to calm Robert's boiling fury. He didn't know what enraged him the most—that the bastard had bedded Georgie or that the idea made Robert so… jealous. There was no other word for it.
"Stay away from her," he said, amazed at how even his voice sounded.
"Or else?" His adversary cocked a brow.
"Use your imagination." Too tempted to thrash the barefaced pup, Robert made that his parting comment.
As he strode toward the stairs, he gave himself a halfhearted mental pat on the back. After all, the marriage had been averted with a minimum of bloodshed, and Georgie might even escape with her reputation intact. A pity the same could not be said for her virtue.
Grinding his teeth, Robert forced his thoughts away from that topic. Just as well, because at the foot of the stairs, he came upon the innkeeper and his wife, who stood arguing animatedly while a bewildered adolescent boy looked on.
The innkeeper noticed him. "Sir! This is intolerable! I insist you do something about it."
"I'm in a bit of a hurry." Robert glanced around. "Did a young lady and the gentleman who arrived in my company pass through here?"
"That is precisely the problem, sir," the wife said, a pinched look on her face. "First the two of you storm in here, creating a racket and disturbing our guests, and now they're at it!"
Robert blinked. "They?"
"Yes!" The woman gestured wildly. "The young lady dashes down the stairs with the gentleman at her heels, demanding that her carriage be readied."
"And I told her," the innkeeper supplied. "'Well, now, I can't rightly do that,' I said, 'since the gentleman you arrived with is the one who made the arrangements.'"
"She weren't happy about that," his wife commented, and her husband agreed with a huff.
"But where is she?" Robert all but snapped.
"Can you not hear them?" His host pointed over Robert's shoulder. "They're in the back parlor, waking up the dead, no doubt."
Robert spun around and stalked down the hall.
"If you don't mind my asking, sir," the innkeeper said, following closely, "what exactly is your connection with the young lady? I do not mean to pry, but the other gentleman was not very
gentle
when he pulled her back there, and I will not stand for any mistreatment of ladies on my property."
They reached a great oak-paneled door. "Is this it?" he asked, but he needn't have, because he heard a high-pitched female voice from inside. It was definitely Georgie. A greatly incensed Georgie, from the sound of it.
"Indeed, it is."
Robert looked over his shoulder. The innkeeper and his wife watched him with a mix of disapproval and excitement. The boy peered curiously from behind them. "I'll see to it," Robert assured them.
They
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