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Authors: Teresa McCarthy
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and down. "And pray tell why not? Because your sister could not have
me."
Miss
Shelby gasped. Milli scowled, slipping beside Stephen.
Stephen's
anger at Fennington was past the breaking point. However, it was Stephen's
sense of impassioned duty to safeguard this Shelby woman that surprised him the
most. Elizabeth Shelby was too trusting by far. Moreover, though the little
sister was a veritable termagant, he discovered, much to his surprise, that in
the past few minutes he had become quite fond of the little imp. Having
Fennington in their lives would be a living hell.
Stephen
leaned against the elm and lazily crossed his arms over his chest.
"Fennington, my dear sir, I will give you to the count of three. And if
you do not leave these premises, grounds and all, I will call you out."
Fennington's
face turned white. "B-but you cannot do this. You have no say in Miss
Shelby's life. We have plans ... Y-you cannot interfere." The monstrous
quizzing glass shook in the man's white hands as he shoved it back into his
pocket. "Upon my word, this is barbaric. I simply will not allow it."
Stephen
raised an irritated brow, pushing away from the tree. "Well, to tell you
the truth, Fennington, I have been waiting for this time together ever since my
sister's wedding. I promised my mother I would not follow you, but since you
came across my path, what can a man say to that?"
Fennington
gulped.
Miss
Shelby threw herself between the two men, fixing an icy stare upon Stephen.
"Do not come one step further, you beast!"
Stephen
blinked at the lady. She was not a dazzler like Odette, yet those eyes of hers
could put a spell on any man if he looked long enough. He stared thoughtfully,
then shook his mind free of his fanciful notions. Her wheat-colored hair was
escaping its pins and combs, and fell about her face as if she were some
ragamuffin with no manners at all, making him wonder about the long years ahead
of him.
"Ah,
so you love this greedy rake, do you?" he asked her.
The lady
wrung her hands on her skirt. "That is none of your affair."
So she
was not as fearless as she seemed. He noticed that Milli had left. Good. The
poor child did not need to see the blood spurting from Fennington's nose.
Fennington
added an agreeable grunt. "Not your affair at all. Not at all."
"Oh,
depend upon it. This is my affair," Stephen said calmly, glancing between
Fennington and Miss Shelby.
"You're
mad," Miss Shelby hissed.
Stephen's
lips twisted. "Never said I wasn't, Miss Shelby."
She bit
her lips, her face seeming to drain of color as though she believed he was
going to pull out a pair of pistols and kill them both. So she had an imagination.
Intriguing.
Stephen
felt an instant stab of regret. The poor woman had no idea what was happening,
but she would know soon enough. Fennington had been a thorn in his family's
side for years now. It was time to do something about it.
Without
a second thought, Stephen put his hands on Miss Shelby's waist and lifted her
from her spot, placing her behind him. She sputtered something incoherent as
she stumbled against the tree. He left her flailing in the dark, grateful she
could not see him cuff Fennington in the jaw.
The man
flipped over the gold embellished trunk and landed on his nose with a
resounding thud.
Stephen
hovered over him, lowering his voice to a deathly calm. "If you dare ever
to come near this lady or her family again, I shan't be giving you a warning.
Is that understood?"
Holding
his nose, trying to stop the blood from rushing down his face, Fennington
nodded.
Behind
him, Stephen heard a horrified gasp.
"B-but
Mr. Fennington, you are not going?" Miss Shelby's lip trembled and
Stephen's stomach knotted at the longing in her voice. "My trunk, the
carriage, our plans ..."
"I
fear..." Fennington pulled out a handkerchief and held it against his nose
which muffled his voice as he backed up toward the wisteria, "dear
Ewizabeth, our pwans have changed."
Elizabeth
stepped forward and
and down. "And pray tell why not? Because your sister could not have
me."
Miss
Shelby gasped. Milli scowled, slipping beside Stephen.
Stephen's
anger at Fennington was past the breaking point. However, it was Stephen's
sense of impassioned duty to safeguard this Shelby woman that surprised him the
most. Elizabeth Shelby was too trusting by far. Moreover, though the little
sister was a veritable termagant, he discovered, much to his surprise, that in
the past few minutes he had become quite fond of the little imp. Having
Fennington in their lives would be a living hell.
Stephen
leaned against the elm and lazily crossed his arms over his chest.
"Fennington, my dear sir, I will give you to the count of three. And if
you do not leave these premises, grounds and all, I will call you out."
Fennington's
face turned white. "B-but you cannot do this. You have no say in Miss
Shelby's life. We have plans ... Y-you cannot interfere." The monstrous
quizzing glass shook in the man's white hands as he shoved it back into his
pocket. "Upon my word, this is barbaric. I simply will not allow it."
Stephen
raised an irritated brow, pushing away from the tree. "Well, to tell you
the truth, Fennington, I have been waiting for this time together ever since my
sister's wedding. I promised my mother I would not follow you, but since you
came across my path, what can a man say to that?"
Fennington
gulped.
Miss
Shelby threw herself between the two men, fixing an icy stare upon Stephen.
"Do not come one step further, you beast!"
Stephen
blinked at the lady. She was not a dazzler like Odette, yet those eyes of hers
could put a spell on any man if he looked long enough. He stared thoughtfully,
then shook his mind free of his fanciful notions. Her wheat-colored hair was
escaping its pins and combs, and fell about her face as if she were some
ragamuffin with no manners at all, making him wonder about the long years ahead
of him.
"Ah,
so you love this greedy rake, do you?" he asked her.
The lady
wrung her hands on her skirt. "That is none of your affair."
So she
was not as fearless as she seemed. He noticed that Milli had left. Good. The
poor child did not need to see the blood spurting from Fennington's nose.
Fennington
added an agreeable grunt. "Not your affair at all. Not at all."
"Oh,
depend upon it. This is my affair," Stephen said calmly, glancing between
Fennington and Miss Shelby.
"You're
mad," Miss Shelby hissed.
Stephen's
lips twisted. "Never said I wasn't, Miss Shelby."
She bit
her lips, her face seeming to drain of color as though she believed he was
going to pull out a pair of pistols and kill them both. So she had an imagination.
Intriguing.
Stephen
felt an instant stab of regret. The poor woman had no idea what was happening,
but she would know soon enough. Fennington had been a thorn in his family's
side for years now. It was time to do something about it.
Without
a second thought, Stephen put his hands on Miss Shelby's waist and lifted her
from her spot, placing her behind him. She sputtered something incoherent as
she stumbled against the tree. He left her flailing in the dark, grateful she
could not see him cuff Fennington in the jaw.
The man
flipped over the gold embellished trunk and landed on his nose with a
resounding thud.
Stephen
hovered over him, lowering his voice to a deathly calm. "If you dare ever
to come near this lady or her family again, I shan't be giving you a warning.
Is that understood?"
Holding
his nose, trying to stop the blood from rushing down his face, Fennington
nodded.
Behind
him, Stephen heard a horrified gasp.
"B-but
Mr. Fennington, you are not going?" Miss Shelby's lip trembled and
Stephen's stomach knotted at the longing in her voice. "My trunk, the
carriage, our plans ..."
"I
fear..." Fennington pulled out a handkerchief and held it against his nose
which muffled his voice as he backed up toward the wisteria, "dear
Ewizabeth, our pwans have changed."
Elizabeth
stepped forward and
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