Free Discovery (Hybrid Book 1) by Emma Jaye Page B

neurosurgery. Condemning a girl to a life of disability when she could do something about it, just wasn’t on the cards.
    “What’s a pajillero?” he asked.
    “Never mind. Do you mind if I come in with you?” She watched as he rubbed his jaw considering her request, she certainly wasn’t going to tell his she’d just called him a wanker in Spanish.
    “It’s a bit rough in there, and some of the patrons aren’t too fond of me.”
    “Are you saying that you’re not capable of looking after me Lord Tenset?” She gave him her haughtiest expression. “Maybe we should have had Connor along after all.” She smiled when he opened the door, got out and held his hand out to her.
    “As ever, I’m at your service Lady Chesara.”
    She took his hand, shot him an award winning dazzling smile, and stepped down onto the hard, dry dirt in front of a stone building with a bull’s head painted on a sign above the door.
    The noise in the smoky bar died as Tenset opened the door and escorted Chesara inside. Maybe this isn’t such a bright idea she concluded as several burly men dressed in working clothes pushed abruptly away from their tables spilling beer from metal and glass tankards as they stood up. Even the activity around the game table stopped as the players held their long cue sticks watching her and Tenset, rather than hitting the different coloured balls on the red cloth covered surface.
    A lone bartender was on duty, cleaning glasses with a relatively clean rag behind a broad wooden counter, which looked to have been made from a single plank.
    “We don’t want you here Lord Tenset.” The man made the word ‘Lord’ sound like the gravest insult in the world. “How can you think it’s acceptable to walk in here with your new fancy woman? Haven’t you hurt my daughter enough?” The barman didn’t look up from cleaning the glass as he spoke quietly.
    Chesara stepped slightly behind Tenset as he spoke quietly to her, whilst keeping an eye on the patrons. “If this turns nasty, get back to the carriage and tell the driver to go for back-up from the mansion. If I can keep them talking, Roseanne’s in the back room, behind the bar. It’ll give her a real thrill to see an off-worlder.”
    Chesara didn’t like the sound of ‘nasty’.
    “I’m not his girlfriend. I’m just a visitor to your world. Tenset said he had a disabled friend here who might like to hear some stories of my travels.”  Hopefully, by deflecting attention away from Tenset, it might diffuse the situation. But why the hell were they so angry with him? Tenset was clearly not telling the entire truth, but she had a patient to see.
    The barman looked at her appraisingly. “I think my daughter would like to meet you Miss, she doesn’t get out a lot these days. I’m sure you’ll understand when you meet her.” He beckoned her towards the end of the bar.
    As she moved behind it, she saw a number of the men moving towards Tenset, with determined looks. Tenset, on the other hand, looked almost happy as he undid the buttons on his expensive waistcoat.
    “What’s going...” Chesara started only to be grasped firmly by the elbow and propelled through the doorway at the back of the bar by the bartender.
    “Don’t worry Miss, they won’t damage him permanently. My two sons are out there, and some of Roseanne’s other friends. They just need to express their dissatisfaction at his treatment of my daughter. And as we are simple folk here, we do things physically rather than with words.”
    She was pushed abruptly through a wooden door that was firmly shut behind her as sounds of breaking furniture and grunts of pain came from the bar behind her. She turned and rattled the door, confirming that it was locked.
    “Don’t worry they won’t actually kill him. He’s known most of them since they were all in short trousers. A black eye or two will probably be it. They’re decent people, honestly.” The strong, feminine voice came from behind