Page 120 of The Lady Needs a Rogue
The strength ebbed from his legs. Suddenly, the walls tilted around him, and he could no longer keep his balance.
Suddenly, he felt Macie’s arms around him. Holding him to her body, she eased his descent. As he slid slowly to the floor, she stayed with him, her skirts flaring out around her as she knelt on the rug beneath them. Pillowing his head on her lap, she gazed down at him. Her emerald eyes brimmed with concern as she murmured his name.
By God, he hoped Mrs. Johnstone was right. He wanted more time. More time with Macie.
Finn drank in her features. He wanted to memorize the sweet tilt of her lips. The soft curve of her face. The caring in her green eyes.
Until the room faded to black.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Are you goingto tell me what in blazes happened?”
Her brother’s heated tone chafed Macie’s already ragged nerves. For what had seemed like ages, she’d paced outside the bedchamber where the physician was examining Finn’s injury. Much more of this, and she might actually wear a path in the rug.
She stopped her pacing and shot him a glare. “It’s quite a long story, Jon. As I cannot bear to bring on a megrim at this moment, it shall have to wait until morning.”
“I do understand you’ve suffered an unpleasant experience.” Jon rubbed the back of his neck as if it ached.
“Unpleasant?” She met his words with a wide-eyed glare. “Quite the understatement.”
“Point taken,” Jon said. “But a man was rendered unconscious in this house... by the man who was supposed to be protecting you, no less. And now I am hearing the blighter Finn knocked out was a murderer. An explanation is in order.”
She flashed a scowl. “The man who was supposed to be protecting me, as you put it, saved my life.”
Jon met her gaze. “If you were in grave danger, Finn should have thought to get you out of London. Staying in the city was a significant error in judgment.”
“Really, Jon? He fought to protect me. He might have died.” She pulled in a breath and released it slowly to calm herself. “And might I say, he was magnificent.”
Turning away, Macie went to the stained glass window at the end of the corridor and gazed down at the comings and goings beyond the mansion. The sun was low in the sky.Thank God.Soon, this horrid day would be over.
And then, another chapter would begin. But would the story play out as she hoped?
Jon followed her. “Magnificent, eh?” He drummed his fingers against the windowsill. “It seems you’ve had quite a change of heart where Finn is concerned.”
“He saved my life.” She gazed down at the street below. “I’d say his doing so was rather impressive, wouldn’t you?”
“I’ve heard rumblings, Macie. At first, I attributed them to your romantic charade.” He cleared his throat. “The two of you set more than a few tongues to wagging.”
“Am I truly supposed to give a fig about gossip?”
“Give a fig? Really, Macie. All the money spent on fine tutors might’ve been better spent at Epsom Downs.”
“Oh, don’t be insufferable.” Macie refused to look at him. “Trust me when I tell you this is not the time.”
Her brother regarded her thoughtfully. “When were you going to tell me there was something between you and Finn?”
“I had not planned to,” she said truthfully. “There is nothing between us.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“Jon, I truly do not give a whit about what you believe. Or do not believe.”
“Macie, you are my sister. I feel a duty to—”
“Duty?” The word set her teeth on edge. “I am not a child. I would think you would know better by now.”
“We shall discuss this later,” Jon said, his voice flinty with tension.
