Free Desire Wears Diamonds by Renee Bernard

are
broken…”
    “To call on me ? You said nothing of
it, Grace.” Sterling’s brow furrowed as he tried to take in the
jumble of facts.
    “At my request,” Michael answered quickly,
not fond of the way Grace’s face was losing color. “I wished to
give you a pleasant surprise.” He was virtually trapped inside the
carriage, wincing as he shifted forward on the seat, doing his best
to ignore the glassy sharp pain in his side. Good manners dictated
that he climb down for introductions, but Grace was still blocking
the doorway and made no sign of moving.
    “To what purpose?” Sterling asked.
    “To reacquaint himself naturally!” she said.
“You’ve met before but...as I said, he is injured so—”
    “ Naturally ?” Sterling looked at her
in astonishment. “Is it possible for me to have forgotten such an
acquaintance?”
    “From India.” Grace glanced back at Michael,
biting her lower lip. “Is that not what you said, Mr.
Rutherford?”
    “Yes. In India, briefly.” Michael kept his
tone as light as he could, his hand on the carriage door as he
braced himself. “I was in the army and hired out by the East India
Trading Company.”
    Sterling’s eyes shifted back to Michael. “I
don’t recall a Mr. Rutherford but I never really paid much
attention to the men in the lower ranks.”
    Grace gasped at the insult. “Sterling!”
    “No offense taken,” Michael said. “Unlike
some, I’ve never pretended to be a gentleman.”
    Grace gasped again but Michael couldn’t take
it back. Nor did he wish to after seeing how the words had hit
their mark as Sterling’s composure faltered.
    The bastard’s all about show and
pretense.
    Sterling recovered and smiled. “A man of
such sharp wit is generally unforgettable, Mr. Rutherford, yet I’m
still having difficulty placing you. Tell me again how this
surprise was to be engineered and how you are in a carriage with my
younger sister?”
    Grace’s agitation was keenly evident as she
continued to block her brother’s path. “Please, Sterling! Mr.
Rutherford has been nothing short of heroic! He saved my life, at
great risk to his own only to be rewarded by us keeping him from
seeking out a doctor!”
    “Such a dramatic act! What dangers are
leaping out of bonnet shops that I’m not aware of?”
    “I fell into the street in front of a
carriage and he pulled me back, just in time.” She turned shyly
back toward Michael, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of pink. “I
felt the breeze from the turning carriage wheels against my face.
It was—terrifying!”
    Michael’s eyes widened a little in surprise
as her tone expressed more delight than fear at the recounting.
Apparently Miss Grace Porter was not a woman who shied from
adventures. Damn. She’s more appealing at every turn.
    “What a great coincidence that he was
there!” Sterling crossed his arms. “What street was it again?”
    “Sterling!” She protested then continued her
voice dropping to a softer plea. “Please, brother. Surely this is a
conversation that can wait for a better time!”
    “How horrible of me. I don’t wish to seem
ungracious. Come inside and I’ll send for a doctor and we’ll—“
    “Don’t trouble yourself on my behalf,”
Michael cut him off. There was no way he was going to allow himself
to be dosed with laudanum and become defenseless under Sterling’s
roof. He forced himself to sit up straighter, gritting his teeth
against the pain. “Forgive me if I keep my seat but I’ll take Miss
Porter’s advice and take the carriage on to see my own
physician.”
    Broken. I don’t need Rowan to tell me I’ve
broken a few ribs.
    “Perhaps my brother’s suggestion is the
wiser course, Mr. Rutherford!” Grace protested, turning back to
plead her case through the carriage window. “You are clearly in
pain, sir! Please! Stay!”
    Michael shook his head. He didn’t know if
Sterling really recognized him but he didn’t want to linger and
find out before he was confident of