Page 74 of Three Weeks with a Princess
He slowly straightened and turned to Prudhoe. His odd green eyes took on a deadly cast. “You’re a brave one, beating a defenseless woman.”
“She tried to rob me,” Prudhoe said. “What was I supposed to do?”
All three women protested at once. “That’s a lie,” Lia said. “You wanted her to do something she didn’t want to do and you beat her when she refused.”
Sinclair frowned. “What did he want her to do?”
When Lia cast Amy a grimace, Jack intervened. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is getting these women safely home.”
“And hauling Sir Nathan in front of the magistrate,” Lia said, planting stubborn fists on her hips. Her expression defied Jack to challenge her.
Sinclair looked at Jack. “I can do that, if you wish.”
While Prudhoe sputtered an outraged protest, Lia gave Sinclair a dazzling smile. “That would be wonderful, sir. Lord Lendale seems reluctant to do so.”
Her approval of Sinclair and her very evident disapproval of him did nothing to sweeten Jack’s mood.
“What’s the problem, Lendale?” Sinclair asked.
“You were at the Leverton ball last week, were you not?” He pointedly shifted his gaze to Lia, who scowled back at him.
The other man grimaced. “Right. Of course.”
“I don’t care about any of that,” Lia said. “My reputation is already ruined.”
“No, it’s not,” said Jack, “No thanks to you, I might add.”
“Please, I don’t want to go to Bow Street,” Amy tearfully interjected. “It’ll cause an awful fuss and I’ll come off the worse for it.” She sniffed and took Lia’s hand. “And it won’t doyouany good either, Miss Lia, so just let it drop.”
“Lia, I’ll take care of this,” Jack said quietly. “I’ll make sure that Prudhoe won’t hurt Miss Baxter again, I promise.”
She opened her mouth, clearly wanting to object, but Amy tugged on her hand. “Please, I just want to go home.”
Lia gave her an odd grimace but then nodded. “Of course, dear. Whatever you want.”
“What can I do to help?” Sinclair asked Jack.
“If you could take Miss Carson and Miss Baxter home, I would be grateful. I’ll handle Prudhoe and Miss Kincaid.”
“You do not need tohandle me, Jack Easton,” Lia grumbled.
Sinclair cast a concerned glance between Jack and Lia. “Is that agreeable to you, Miss Kincaid? I’m certainly happy to take you home if you wish it.”
“I’m grateful for your help this evening, Sinclair, but let me make one thing clear,” Jack said before Lia could answer. “Miss Kincaid is my business, not yours.”
The nabob’s eyes went hard as malachite. “I don’t take orders from you, Lendale.”
“For God’s sake,” Lia said with disgust. “It’s fine, Mr. Sinclair. Please take Amy and Barbara home. Believe me, I have a few things I’d like to discuss with his lordship.”
“You’re sure?” Sinclair asked.
Lia went up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, causing Sinclair to blink with surprise—and causing Jack to want to toss the man into the fountain. He began to wonder if he was losing his mind.
“You’ve been wonderful, sir,” Lia said. “Thank you for all your help.”
“It’s my honor, Miss Kincaid. And I hope to see you very soon.”
“Looks like you’ve got some competition, old boy,” Prudhoe drawled to Jack. The idiot clearly had little regard for his own safety.
