A Daring Passion. Rosemary Rogers

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ

      His smile widened. “You have run out of options, menina pequena.”

      “Why?” With an abrupt motion she was on her feet, her arms wrapped about her waist. “Why can you not simply allow me to leave?”

      “And where would you go? Do you truly believe you could wander the dark streets of London alone and not be molested or perhaps even killed?” He gave a shake of his head. “You truly are an innocent.”

      “I can take care of myself.”

      He merely laughed at her brave words, rising to his feet in a fluid motion. “If that were true you would not be in my clutches.”

      “You really are detestable.”

      “Me?” Something that might have been annoyance flashed through his eyes. “I was not the one to send you out alone in the dark. Or to encourage you to risk that lovely neck by playing such a dangerous charade. If you are determined to blame someone, it should be your father.”

      “Do not speak of my father. He is a far greater man than you could ever hope to be.”

      His eyes narrowed. “I, at least, know how to take care of my family.”

      For some reason his words caught her off guard. “You have a family?”

      His annoyance melted as he regarded her with a hint of mockery. “Of course I do. Did you think I just appeared beneath a rock?”

      “I assumed you were kicked out of hell.”

      There was a pause as he walked toward the fireplace and leaned against the mantel. His tall, lean frame appeared casually at ease, but Raine sensed an underlying tension that hummed about him.

      “I have a father and a brother.”

      Raine found herself curious in spite of herself. This man was like none other that she had ever encountered. At times he was as cold and distant as the stars. And then she would catch a glimpse of the man beneath his hard exterior. A man she suspected could be warm and gentle.

      “Are they anything like you?”

      “Not in the least.” A smile touched his lips, but there was an edge of bitterness in his voice. “You would no doubt love them. Everyone else certainly does.”

      “You sound envious.”

      “Do I?” He shrugged. “Perhaps I do envy their ability to fritter away their lives without a thought to the consequences of their irresponsible habits. They are charming and witty and utterly committed to their own pleasures at the expense of everyone, including myself.”

      She studied the austere lines of his countenance. He did not need to tell her that he accepted responsibility for his feckless family. His every feature was etched with the commanding authority that had no doubt been thrust on him at far too early an age.

      Raine battled against the grudging respect that flared through her heart. She was a woman who admired loyalty above all things. Especially loyalty to one’s family.

      “And what are you committed to?” she demanded.

      His gaze dropped to study the toe of his boot. As if he was debating precisely how much to share with her. At last his eyes lifted and Raine caught her breath at the fierce glitter in the emerald depths.

      “At the moment I am committed to rescuing my brother from yet another tragedy.”

      “He is in London?”

      “Actually he is a resident of Newgate.”

      Raine did not bother to hide her shock. “Newgate prison? You must be jesting.”

      “I wish that I were.” A muscle twitched at the base of his jaw. “As irritating as I might occasionally find Jean-Pierre, he does not deserve this particular punishment.”

      “What did he do?”

      “He is accused of treason.”

      Treason? She unconsciously stepped closer, her eyes wide with disbelief. “And you treat me as a criminal? I have done nothing more than take a handful of coins and jewels.”

      His lips thinned, the green eyes so cold and hard that they sent a chill over her skin. “For once he is innocent of any crime. He is being used to punish my family by an old and nearly forgotten enemy. An enemy who realized that my brother was the most vulnerable and easily captured in his trap.”

      It all sounded wildly improbable. A wealthy young gentleman of a good family accused of treason. A nefarious enemy from the past appearing and then mysteriously disappearing. Really, it sounded like something that Shakespeare might have invented.

      But she couldn’t imagine that Philippe would make up such a tale. Not when it would involve his family in a scandal. His pride was nearly as inflated as his conceit.

      “So you are here to rescue him?”

      “If you are asking if I intend to charge the prison and set him free, then no. I am here to find some means to prove his innocence.”

      She gave a short, humorless laugh. “No doubt a trifling matter for a man in your position. You can afford to convince any number of judges of your brother’s innocence.”

      “Perhaps for any other crime, but not treason.” With a sudden movement he pushed away from the mantel and paced across the cramped room. “The king has always possessed a terror that he might be betrayed, and he cannot allow anyone to be seen as being forgiven for such a crime. It might give others the notion that he approves of sedition. If I do not find the means of clearing Jean-Pierre he will be sacrificed as an example to all.”

      Raine bit her lip. Her heart was far too tender not to be touched by the idea of any young man being held in prison and confronting the thought of his own death.

      He must be so terrified, so sick at heart, as he was forced to wait for his brother to find some means to free him.

      Still, she was not about to forget that this gentleman holding her captive did not possess her own compassion.

      “So you are anxious to keep your brother from the hangman?” she said.

      He turned to face her. “Of course.”

      “Just as I was anxious to keep my father from the hangman.”

      He studied her for a long moment before the hard features slowly softened and that wicked smile began to play at his mouth. With a deliberate motion he moved to stand directly before her.

      “Ah, but I have yet to break the law to do so,” he murmured. “And more important, I have yet to be foolish enough to allow myself to be captured.”

      Instinct told her to back away. Even innocent young women understood that it was important to keep a distance between themselves and hardened rakes. Especially when they were already far too attracted to that rake.

      Philippe, however, was not alone in possessing his fair share of pride, and the thought of cowering away was enough to СКАЧАТЬ