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Authors: Johanna Lindsey
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belt. Her eyes dropped to his belt without her realizing it. It was wide and made of thick leather. She imagined it would hurt like the dickens to feel it…
“What the devil are you staring at?”
Her face blossomed with high color. She thought about crawling under the table to hide. She settled instead on the truth.
“Your belt. Would you really have used it to discourage your sister’s willfulness?”
His frown got worse. “Your uncle has been carrying tales, I see.”
Amy took her courage in hand and persisted, asking again, “Would you?”
“That, little girl, is none of your business,” he said with stony finality.
She sighed. She never should have mentioned it, but obviously he was going to be disagreeable no matter what she said.
For now, she opted to change the subject. “You have a thing about names, I see. My uncle Tony does, too—actually, all my uncles do. It started with Cousin Regina’s name. Most of the family calls her Reggie, but Uncle James had to be different and so he calls her Regan. They’re not nearly so difficult about it these days, but it used to drive his brothers crazy whenever James used that name. Amazing that you have that in common with my uncles.”
Her mischievousness was showing through. And his expression of disgust, to be compared with the Malorys in any way at all, was quite laughable. She didn’t laugh, didn’t even smile. She offered a peace token instead.
“If it’s any consolation, your sister had a fit this morning when she heard what Uncle James had gone and done. She said she was going to call her baby Jacqueline, Jackie at the very least, and he could rot if he didn’t like it.”
“He ought to rot—”
“Be nice. Warren—is it all right if I call you that?”
“No, it is not,” he replied stiffly, possibly because she’d just had the audacity to scold him, and he didn’t like that one little bit. “You may call me Mr. Anderson, or Captain Anderson.”
“No, I don’t think so. That’s too formal, and we aren’t going to be formal, you and I. So I’ll have to think of something else to call you, if ‘Warren’ won’t do.”
She gave him a gaminelike smile as she finished, and walked past him, well aware that she’d just shocked him into silence. The wretched man thought he could put “formal” to their relationship—not that they had one yet, but they would. She’d simply have to show him otherwise.
She stopped a few steps up the stairs and turned to see that he’d moved back to the doorway so he could still see her. She was annoyed enough to say, “You can go up to see Jack in the nursery if you’d like. Otherwise you can entertain yourself until George wakes up.”
She didn’t wait for his answer, so she was nearly to the top of the stairs before she heard his grudging reply. “I’d like to see the baby.”
“Then come along and I’ll take you to her.”
She waited for him to reach her. When he did, she started to turn, but his hand on her arm stopped her and drew a soft gasp fromher. He didn’t hear it. He’d already started to ask, “What are you doing here, anyway?”
“I’m staying over to help your sister until the doctor says she’s recovered enough to get back to her duties.”
“Why you?”
“I happen to like your sister. She and I have become good friends. Now aren’t you ashamed of yourself for the deplorable way you’ve treated me?”
“No,” he said, but there was a softening around his mouth, and his eyes seemed a few degrees warmer, though he added, “And you’re damned lippy for a girl your age.”
“Good God, don’t smile!” she said in feigned alarm. “Your dimples might show.”
He laughed then. It seemed to surprise him, because he cut it off abruptly and even flushed. Amy turned away so she wouldn’t embarrass him further and led the way into a dimly lit room.
The adorable newcomer to the family was fast asleep. She’d been laid down on her stomach, her face was to the
“What the devil are you staring at?”
Her face blossomed with high color. She thought about crawling under the table to hide. She settled instead on the truth.
“Your belt. Would you really have used it to discourage your sister’s willfulness?”
His frown got worse. “Your uncle has been carrying tales, I see.”
Amy took her courage in hand and persisted, asking again, “Would you?”
“That, little girl, is none of your business,” he said with stony finality.
She sighed. She never should have mentioned it, but obviously he was going to be disagreeable no matter what she said.
For now, she opted to change the subject. “You have a thing about names, I see. My uncle Tony does, too—actually, all my uncles do. It started with Cousin Regina’s name. Most of the family calls her Reggie, but Uncle James had to be different and so he calls her Regan. They’re not nearly so difficult about it these days, but it used to drive his brothers crazy whenever James used that name. Amazing that you have that in common with my uncles.”
Her mischievousness was showing through. And his expression of disgust, to be compared with the Malorys in any way at all, was quite laughable. She didn’t laugh, didn’t even smile. She offered a peace token instead.
“If it’s any consolation, your sister had a fit this morning when she heard what Uncle James had gone and done. She said she was going to call her baby Jacqueline, Jackie at the very least, and he could rot if he didn’t like it.”
“He ought to rot—”
“Be nice. Warren—is it all right if I call you that?”
“No, it is not,” he replied stiffly, possibly because she’d just had the audacity to scold him, and he didn’t like that one little bit. “You may call me Mr. Anderson, or Captain Anderson.”
“No, I don’t think so. That’s too formal, and we aren’t going to be formal, you and I. So I’ll have to think of something else to call you, if ‘Warren’ won’t do.”
She gave him a gaminelike smile as she finished, and walked past him, well aware that she’d just shocked him into silence. The wretched man thought he could put “formal” to their relationship—not that they had one yet, but they would. She’d simply have to show him otherwise.
She stopped a few steps up the stairs and turned to see that he’d moved back to the doorway so he could still see her. She was annoyed enough to say, “You can go up to see Jack in the nursery if you’d like. Otherwise you can entertain yourself until George wakes up.”
She didn’t wait for his answer, so she was nearly to the top of the stairs before she heard his grudging reply. “I’d like to see the baby.”
“Then come along and I’ll take you to her.”
She waited for him to reach her. When he did, she started to turn, but his hand on her arm stopped her and drew a soft gasp fromher. He didn’t hear it. He’d already started to ask, “What are you doing here, anyway?”
“I’m staying over to help your sister until the doctor says she’s recovered enough to get back to her duties.”
“Why you?”
“I happen to like your sister. She and I have become good friends. Now aren’t you ashamed of yourself for the deplorable way you’ve treated me?”
“No,” he said, but there was a softening around his mouth, and his eyes seemed a few degrees warmer, though he added, “And you’re damned lippy for a girl your age.”
“Good God, don’t smile!” she said in feigned alarm. “Your dimples might show.”
He laughed then. It seemed to surprise him, because he cut it off abruptly and even flushed. Amy turned away so she wouldn’t embarrass him further and led the way into a dimly lit room.
The adorable newcomer to the family was fast asleep. She’d been laid down on her stomach, her face was to the
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