Page 51 of The Rogue's Runaway Bride
In her mind’s eye, she saw Gideon’s angry scowl when he discovered she’d learned their secret. The image taunted her, even as the echoes of her aunt’s icy attempt to convince her she’d gone a bit mad played in her thoughts.
“Aunt Vera tried to tell me that I was letting my nerves get the better of me. The shrew dared to insinuate that I was in an irrational state. When I told her I would take up residence in a hotel, she made it clear they would not allow it. I knew then that I had to leave.” She stared down at the stone patio beneath her feet. “I had to escape.”
Honestly, Belle, I am finding this all a bit tiresome, Vera had said in that low, breathy voice of hers.It’s high time you stopped pretending you possess an iota of virtue. You made a promise, and you are going to keep it. Gideon and I will not allow you to simply walk away. Perhaps the best cure for your fear of matrimony is a night with the man who will take you as his bride.
The memory of her aunt’s calm, poison-filled words was so very bitter, Belle felt a fresh whisper of fear. She could not bring herself to reveal the ugly details. Not yet. Not even to Jon. “So, I ran.”
She hadn’t realized the chill that had washed over her had unleashed an actual shiver. Jon pulled her closer, brushing his fingertips over her cheek. “You’re safe now.”
She nodded, even as a fresh wave of apprehension prickled along her nape. “Jon, they may be dangerous. I don’t know what they will do, but they won’t give up. Not until they have what they want. Everything they did, everything they said, was driven by their hunger for my father’s money.”
“Trust me when I say I will protect you, Belle. No matter what comes this way.” Ever so gently, he drew one finger along the curve of her face. The sensation was so very familiar. So very comforting. After nearly two years apart, his tender, nearly chaste touch seemed natural. It seemed right.
“I do trust you.” She allowed herself a little smile. “I suppose I always have. But if the jackals find me, something terrible may happen. My presence here may draw danger to your doorstep. There must be somewhere else... a secure place where I might rest more easily.”
“If they find you, the blighters will bloody well have to deal with me. And I promise you, they will not like the consequences.” His jaw set in a resolute, granite-hard line, he tipped up her chin. As the pad of his thumb brushed over her bottom lip, his eyes darkened, and he met the questions in her gaze. “You’re safe with me.” A hint of amusement brightened his features. “And I would not underestimate the value of Mrs. Gilroy’s broom as a means of defense.”
“Is that so?” she said, resisting the urge to smile at his wry tone.
“You think I’m not serious?” His forehead furrowed. “It wasn’t long ago when that sprite of a woman chased off a cutpurse with only a loaf of crusty bread and her cane. She’s a tough one, she is.”
Again, she bit back a smile. “You are exaggerating.”
“I would swear to it in a court of law.” A sly grin played on his full mouth. “Of course, I cannot say that I actually observed the act. I heard the tale secondhand.”
“From whose lips, might I ask?”
“Her own,” Jon said. “But I still would not doubt it. I would not want to cross that woman when she’s angry.”
“Oh, I do understand. She has the capacity to be a force of nature,” Belle said, relaxing into a smile. “But I am not being followed by a hungry thief out to snag a few coins. As you said, those men areon the hunt.” Even at that moment, even as Jon’s touch comforted her, the words held the power to ripple a chill through her. “I’ve never before experienced this sense of being pursued, as if I were a rabbit chased by hounds. Why, the very idea of it cuts against the grain.”
“The fact that those bastards are searching for you is all the more reason for you to stay right here. In this house. Under my protection.”
The very thought of needing Jon’s protection—or that of any man—chafed like a too-tight shoe. But there was nothing to be done about it, was there?
His brows furrowed into a stern line as he seemed to read her thoughts. “You understand the people you’re dealing with, Belle. The rotters have too much riding on their scheme to be easily put off.”
“I know what is in their treacherous hearts.” She swallowed hard against the bitter truth. When her aunt dropped the oh-so-pleasant demeanor she’d used as a disguise, Belle had seen the stunning hatred in her eyes. “Truth be told, I may have more reason to fear my aunt than I do Gideon.”
“It’s personal for her, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Since her husband’s death, Vera had relied on Belle’s family to support her lavish lifestyle. But her aunt had wanted more. Alwaysmore.“She won’t rest until she gets what she wants.”
Or until she silences me.
He gazed down at her for a long moment, seeming to study her. “Bloody hell, that settles it. You’re staying here for as long as it takes.”
She searched his eyes. “Am I now?”
“I don’t care if they show up at the door with an army of oafs and a blasted dragon to boot. I will not leave you to face this on your own.”
Was Jon acting out a sense of duty? Or was it something else altogether?
Something deeper. Something far more enduring.
“I see you’ve acquired a newfound sense of chivalry,” she said, not quite teasing.
He seemed to mull over her words. “I’ve never had reason to play the white knight. Not until now.”
