Free The Rejected Suitor by Teresa McCarthy Page B

eyes narrowed, sending a shiver of excitement down her spine.
Why, she had no idea.
    Without
warning, he grabbed hold of her shoulders and scowled. "I did not
laugh."
    A jolt
of awareness shot straight to her heart.
    "Nevertheless,"
she looked at his hands, then back to the hard lines bracketing his lips, her
face trying to mask the tumultuous emotions swirling in her soul. "Y-you,
sir, are no gentleman."
    He
released her then, and for an instant, his eyes studied her, and she thought
for a bizarre moment that the man was going to kiss her. Impossible. The cold
must have seeped into her brain, because for a moment, she wanted to kiss him
back.
    Without
another word, he took hold of her elbow and escorted her swiftly through the
maze, with the treacherous Nigel leading the way.

 
    Chapter Five
     
    W here was that dratted book?  The
previous evening Emily had seen Nigel sniffing about the drawing room, and that
was exactly where she found herself this morning. She was lifting pillows from
the sofa, yanking curtains from their holdbacks, and hoisting skirts from the
wing chairs.
    Sleep
had not come easy for her. Her back ached, and Jared's looming presence at
Hemmingly unnerved her to no end. But she would die before she let him know how
much that book meant to her.
    For a
long time she had told herself that Felicia Fairlow had coerced him into the
marriage. Yet when there were no letters from him those first few weeks, she
began to wonder. And when she visited Hemmingly and met Jane, only to discover
that Jared had kept his guardianship of Jane a secret to her, did she begin to
believe that he could be capable of deceit.
    The
light tap of footsteps jerked Emily from her crawling position. She abruptly
rose and turned to peer out the window, acting as if nothing were wrong.
    Jane
strode into the room, her blond hair curling daintily around a heart-shaped
face, her concerned gaze focusing on Emily. "Morning, dear. We missed you
at breakfast. Are you feeling better?"
    Emily
smiled warmly. Jane was one of her dearest friends. "Good morning, and
yes, I am feeling much better, thank you."
    They talked
of their trip to the vicarage and how Emily got lost in the maze. Emily laughed
and made light of the situation, purposely avoiding any comments about Jane's
arrogant guardian and his odious dog. Eventually, Jane pulled out her
needlepoint and took a seat by the hearth while Emily began to write a letter
to her mother. After a few minutes Emily casually asked Jane if she had seen
her book anywhere.
    Jane
looked up. "Wordsworth? You were reading it yesterday, on your morning
stroll, were you not? Perhaps you left it in your bedchambers."
    "Well,
I did have it yesterday, but somehow I misplaced it." Emily gazed out the
window, her brows furrowing into a stern "V." For there was Nigel
romping about the grounds with her book in his mouth. The knave!
    "What
do you see?" Jane asked, rising from her place beside the hearth, starting
to move toward the window.
    "Oh,
nothing," Emily said, waving her hand and laughing. "So silly of me.
I just remembered I must have left it on my nightstand after all."
    She
hated to lie to Jane, but her pride was about all she had left at the moment,
especially since Nigel had just disappeared from view like the thief that he
was.
    "Are
you certain?" Jane asked, taking her seat. "Perhaps if you asked one
of the servants to check for you."
    "No,
no, no. It must be there. I'm just a silly widgeon this morning, Jane. You know
how I am when I miss my morning walk."
    Jane
lifted a delicate brow in Emily's direction. "Dearest, you must not exert
yourself after yesterday."
    "Ah,
there you are girls." Agatha's voice bounced off the walls as she strode
into the room, her parasol close to her side. "La, this is to be a grand
day. There's a fair in the village, and we are all going to join in the festivities.
What say you to that?"
    Jane
smiled, dropping her needlepoint. "A fair?"
    "Yes,
and we are all going to make a day