Free My Lord Deceived by Rebecca King Page A

the attention of all of them.
The implied threat he carried was enough to keep them at bay. He
could see from their assessing gazes that they were trying to
figure out if he would actually shoot them. Luckily, nobody had the
courage to test him.
    Eventually,
Wally sighed and climbed over the gate. He sidled around Jonathan’s
horse warily, and began to walk down the narrow lane toward the
village. He was soon followed by Robert, Wally and lastly Brian,
who paused beside Kat.
    “Later,” Brian
warned. His gaze was defiant and he studied the gun in Jonathan’s
hand dismissively for a moment before he flicked Kat with a warning
glance. “You will be alone some time Kat Baird, and you will be
sorry for it.” He didn’t glance back as he made his threat, but
then he didn’t have to. He knew that she understood she was at risk
when she left work at night, and she felt a wave of revulsion sweep
over her again.
    Kat slumped
with relief when they disappeared around the bend in the road. Her
shivers took over to the point that she wasn’t sure how she managed
to stay on the horse. She made no protest as Jonathan’s long arm
swept around her waist and drew her into an awkward hug. She leaned
closer to him and savoured his strength for several moments while
she gathered her nerves.
    “I am sorry,”
she whispered when she eventually drew away. The concern in his
eyes made her want to cry for some reason, and she hadn’t done that
since her father died several years back. She wasn’t a habitual
crier, mainly because she rarely got the time to indulge in such
wayward emotions.
    “Who are they?”
Jonathan asked. He dipped his head to look down into her pale face
and wished that they didn’t have to sit so awkwardly, but at least
she let him hold her. That was far more than he had ever expected
and he wasn’t about to break that hold just yet. She was softly
rounded, curvy almost. The dips, hollows and sweetly rounded curves
that fit against him felt as though she had been made specifically
for him.
    “Brian Meldrew
is a spoilt little boy. His dad used to run one of the fishing
trawlers, but went out to sea one day and didn’t come back.” Kat
sighed. “Rumour has it that his boat didn’t go down. One or two of
the fishermen swear blind they have seen it head back to one of the
ports further along the coast. The gossips say that he has found
another woman and simply vanished to live with her, but nobody can
prove anything.”
    “Go on,”
Jonathan sighed and used her distraction to draw her
infinitesimally closer. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t
seem to notice their physical proximity. He did not want to take
advantage of her. That was not in his nature, he just wanted to
give her comfort.
    “His mother
ruined him. Gave him whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it, but
she could not cope with him and he has run riot ever since. As he
has grown older, his behaviour has deteriorated considerably. He
believes he is beyond the law. He steals what he cannot afford to
buy and has been linked to some of the muggings, rapes and petty
crime in the area, although always seems to get away with it.”
    “What about his
associates?” Jonathan made a mental note of all of their
descriptions and looked forward to being able to pay each of them a
visit.
    “Wally, Walter
Seabourne, is the youngest of all of them and is very
impressionable. Some question whether he is a bit simple,” she
shared a knowing look with him. “He goes along with anything anyone
suggests, yet is always kind and helpful when not in the company of
the others. Because he is so impressionable, Brian and his friends
manage to get him to do all sorts of things they themselves don’t
want to get caught doing.”
    “Is he another
fisherman’s off-spring?”
    “No, he is the
son of the farmer from Seabourne Farm.” She nodded down the road
behind them and watched recollection dawn on Jonathan’s tanned
face.
    He really was
incredibly handsome.