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Chapter 288
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The League of Rogues Chapter 289
Joanna returned to Brock's study before dinner and found Mr. Tate thankfully absent. She'd sensed he was not at all pleased that she was here. Perhaps he didn't like that she was English, or maybe he feared that she was going to reduce some of his responsibilities in the castle. Many men would have jumped at the option to be paid the same for less work, but perhaps it was a matter of pride. Or maybe he saw his duties going to a woman as an insult. She would endeavor to do her best to put him at ease and let him know he was not going to be replaced.I want to help, that is all, and a good lady knows how to run a large household.Her mother had trained her to run a household, and her brother had taught her how to run a business, how to analyze investments, and other important financial matters. Brock's sister, Rosalind, had become a banker, which was rare, though not unheard of. Joanna rather hoped she might do the same once she and Brock had settled into married life.She examined th
The League of Rogues Chapter 290
Joanna felt the weight of the engagement ring on her finger, but it was not unwelcome. Rather, it was comforting to feel the press of the gold circlet beside her wedding band. She could not believe he had given her a ring that had belonged to his mother. Joy bubbled up inside her as she considered what it meant. He could try to stay distant, but she saw the heat and the longing in his eyes. It wasn't simply physical for himat least, she sensed it wasn't. She had to have faith that she could win his heart, help him realize that he wasn't like his father.We will have a happy marriage, a happy life. I refuse to believe anything else.They entered the dining room, and she gasped. It was stunning. Red satin wallpaper covered the top of the room, and the bottom half was dark with oak paneling. Portraits of noblemen in kilts and women in tartan dresses were interspersed between mounted deer heads and elk antlers. It looked in equal parts a hunting lodge and an elegant dining room, the type
The League of Rogues Chapter 291
It was still hours before dawn when something jolted Brock from his sleep. He struggled for a moment, the dream of riding through the forests with Joanna at his side still lingering in his mind, before a strangled panting sound caught his attention and drove him fully awake.Joanna!He turned toward his wife, and panic seized him. She was writhing in pain. Beads of sweat dewed on her forehead, and she clutched her stomach as she curled in around herself."Lass, what's wrong?" He pulled the bedclothes back, afraid he would see blood or some evidence that he had harmed her during their lovemaking, but he saw nothing save her legs, which were bent up in a state of agony. He tried to catch his breath as his heart beat a visible pulse under his skin as loud as thunder. She couldn't be ill. No, she couldn't be."Ifeel quitewretched." She leaned over the side of the bed and suddenly vomited. Brock held her, letting her heave as he pulled her hair back from her face and rubbed her back as
The League of Rogues Chapter 292
Brock spent three days feeding Joanna chicken broth and letting her drink water that had been boiled under Duncan's supervision. The cook was none too pleased, but she would adjust to his orders until he could figure out who was trying to harm his wife. There was a chance that Mrs. Tate was involved too, or the maid. What was her name? Maura? Yes, that was it. He'd rarely seen the girl; she was quiet and kept to herself. Once he discovered who was responsible, as the local magistrate, he would deal with the matter himself.On the fourth day, he lay sleeping fitfully next to her and woke to the feel of her kissing his forehead. He blinked, wondering if he could believe what he was seeing. Joanna was sitting up, her face no longer deathly pale and her eyes neither cloudy nor overbright."Lass?" The word came out hoarse on his tongue since he'd barely spoken in days except for brief words with Duncan."I feel better, so much better." She brushed his hair back from his eyes, and his thr
The League of Rogues Chapter 293
Joanna climbed out of the coach and looked about the village. It was only three miles from Castle Kincade, and it was larger than she expected. There was a milliner's, a modiste, a blacksmith shop, a bookstore, and a market with quite a few inns. Boxes full of brightly colored flowers sat just beneath every window. Purple florets bloomed from Scottish thistles mixed with the red bog myrtles, Scottish bluebells, and the bright-yellow gorse blooms.Brock noticed her studying the flower boxes as they passed by a window full of their fragrant scents."They keep the midges away." He chuckled and nodded to the bog myrtle."Midges?" Joanna hadn't heard the term before."Aye, you were lucky not to have seen a cloud of them yesterday while we rode. Wee biting beasties.""They're insects?" She cringed, not liking the idea of a cloud of tiny insects swarming her at all."They aren't everywhere, mainly around the livestock and in the fields far from towns. The females are the ones that bite
The League of Rogues Chapter 294
"Stop this at once!" Joanna shouted with a deep, furious voice. Her mother would've been proud of the way the towering Scots all stopped and stared at her."Well now, there's the lassie! Saved me the trouble of going in there after you." Ewan laughed, the sound cold and cutting. A flicker of apprehension coursed through her as she stared him down. "Get her."Two men took a step forward. Joanna had to work fast. "I have no intention of running, so you can stay right where you are."The men stopped and looked at Ewan, uncertain. Ewan sized Joanna up and nodded for the men to step back. "You have courage, lass. I'll give you that.""And you have a code of honor, do you not?"Ewan glanced at his men before he met her gaze. "Aye. What of it?""I should like to challenge that honor."Ewan threw his head back and laughed. "You?""Yes, me." Joanna had not been raised to be a cowering fool, no matter how much she quaked with fear on the inside."So what's it to be?" Ewan said with a sa
The League of Rogues Chapter 295
Brock smiled as he felt Joanna fall asleep in his embrace. He moved her only once to fix his trousers and her dress before he pulled her back into the cradle of his arms. He had bruised ribs and an aching jaw, but it all had been worth it. His English lass had saved him, and while he did not like to think that he had been unable to protect her, he was glad he had married a woman with a warrior's heart. He would never forget the sight of Ewan Campbell on the ground, clutching his bollocks.My sweet Joanna, you are indeed sent from the heavens.He held her tightly until the coach stopped at the castle entrance. He carried her out, whispering thanks to the driver before he took the coach and horses around to the stables. Brock carried his sleeping wife inside. Duncan held the door for them, and the lad's eyebrows rose as he saw Joanna's torn skirts and Brock's bruised face, but he didn't ask any questions."Get some rest, Duncan. We will see you in the morning.""Aye, my lord." The yo
The League of Rogues Chapter 296
The moment Joanna realized Brock would not be able to get out, she screamed his name. Duncan found her trying to claw her way back up the stone walls. The heat of the blaze was fierce, and the castle seemed to swell with the heat beneath her hands, but it didn't stop her. Her husband was going to die if she couldn't find a way to save him."My lady! Be careful!" Duncan shouted. Pieces of wood and stone fell from the battlements, landing with heavy thuds on the grass around her."Duncan! Thank God! Brock is trapped up there. We must find a way to save him!""How? We canna get back inside." Duncan stared up at the cloud of smoke billowing out from the window above them, his face ashen. Joanna watched the flames lick along the stones in terror. She'd never thought stones could burn, but the amount of timber inside the castle was feeding the fire.If only they hadn't run out of rope. If only he'd been able to get out the window and jump. But it was too high. If only A sudden burst of i
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