Authors: Nichole Matthews
Granville cock
ed his head raising
his brow a fraction
,
his florid complexion heightened
by his anger
.
And without Granville having said a word, Cooper’s face drained of color
.
“If indeed you have finally uncovered her direction, Cooper, why is it that you are standing before me
now instead of making haste to
the
Thorny Rose
?”
Granville shook his head.
Incompetent bastard.
“Y-y-yes, my lord,” Cooper stammered
his expression faltered into worry
as he backed out of the room. He had heard the stories. Afraid that if he turned his back on the brutal man he would not make it out of the door at all.
Granville sat back in his chair thrilled with the new knowledge
that he was growing closer to knowing her whereabouts. He was looking forward to punishing her disobedience. He stared into th
e fire and then smiled coldly.
Lullaby and good night, with roses bedight
With lilies o
’er spread is baby’s wee bed
Lay thee down now and rest, may thy slumber be blessed
Lay thee down now and rest, may they slumber be blessed
S
he slept.
Four more days passed and she slept. The dark shadows were slowly fading to only hints of lavender beneath her eyes and the color was returning to her cheeks thanks to the regular meals she received.
And for
the past
two days, Parker pulled
one of
the deep blue chair
s
from in f
ront of the fire and sat beside
Miss Smith’s bed.
He
surveyed her at his leisure f
rom the top of her long red hair, the smattering of freckles that were sprinkled over her nose and cheeks, to the thin lines of her body
beneath the
thickly piled blankets. He thought of every
scenario that could have brought her to
Rosebriar
, not knowing that he would probably never guess the truth in a million years
.
It had been his intention to
avoid the room
at all cost. He didn’t want
to grow too attached to her or her daughter. At first it was just a peek, then it was
soothing her
crying baby, then it was conversations, unti
l it had grown to this. Waiting
. He waited for her to open her
eyes so he could question her.
He lifted Tillie from the cot and tucked her in the crook
of his arm before carrying her to the chair. He sat,
stretching his long legs out
. He
watch
ed
as
Miss Smith’s
chest rose and fell in rhythmic breathing.
She wasn’t classically beautiful, but she was adorable with the light dusting of freckles over her nose and deep green eyes, especially now that the dark smudges had faded
and the hollows of her cheeks were beginning to
be
fill
ed
. She hadn’t truly smiled yet, but he’d wager that when she did smi
le, it lit up her entire face.
“Your mother would be furious if you were taken from her sight, so I have been left with no choice but to visit you in her room.” Pa
rker spoke softly in the quiet.
Tillie tugged playfully on his
finger and drooled. “It has been ages since a baby has lived at
Rosebriar
and I’d forgotten how delightful i
t is to hold a babe in my arms,” h
e added
,
resting his head on the high back of the chair a
nd watched as Miss Smith
slept. T
he sweet sounds of Tillie combined with Miss Smith’s easy breathing lured him into a relaxed state giving him a chance to truly observe her. A thousand questions perched on the tip of his tongue, but they would have to wait until she was awake. He looked into Tillie’s deep green eyes and toyed with her delightful red curls. “My youngest sister has delivered a son so she is unable to return to
Rosebriar
for Christmas it is good that you are here for us to shower wi
th gifts.”
Parker smiled as Tillie dragged his finger to her mouth and began gnawing on the tip with her soft gums. “
Ahh
…you must have teeth about to erupt. That explains everything, little one. I will have nurse bring you a tough rag to chew on, that always soothed Piper.”
He pulled
out his unused
fine linen
handkerchief
monogrammed with a curling P
and placed it in Tillie’s flailing fist.
He stared down at her with narrowed eyes, then smiled. “
Let’s see if I remember anything.” He rubbed
his hand over his mouth
.
His eyes widened and he held up his finger.
“
Ahh
, I’ve thought of one
, but if you
breathe
a word of this to anyone..
.” He was sure that if he could view his reflection in the looking glass, he would have an immense look of satisfaction on his face. “
Pat a cake, pat a cake,
baker’s
man
, b
ake me a cake as fast as you can
.
Pat it and prick it and mark it with a ‘B’
,
a
nd put it in the oven for Baby and me.
”
He laughed, putting his chin on top of Tillie’s head.
The deep rumble of a man’s laughter
startled Persephone out of her slumber and she sat u
p in the
bed, her hand held to her fluttering heart. “Oh, Mr. Peregrine, umm…Lord Ashford.” Her eyes wide
ned
, her sleep ruffled hair fell over her feminine shoulders
. “You frightened me.” She
pushed her hair off her face and
glanced towards the door to see that it stood open for proprieties sake
and if she needed to scream.
She blew a stream of air out.
“My apologies
, Miss Sm
ith. That was not my intent,” he said in his deep, smooth voice.
Her
wide green eyes were lovely, her pale skin
looked delicate enough to break, like his mother’s favorite china
, was now bathed
in a delightful pink blush causing
Parker to pause.
“Lord Ashford, you owe me no apologies. I am the one who must beg for your forgiveness. I’ve been beyond rude. My reaction to your hospitality is
reprehensible
.”
Persephone held out her arms.
“May I hold my daughter, my lord
?” Her brow rose inquiringly.
Parker looked startled and then he smiled. “By all means.” Standing, he
placed Tillie in her arms, then filled a cup with
the still steaming pot of
tea
h
oping it would help
to ease the dryness in her throat
. He sat
again
,
crossing his ri
ght ankle over his left knee watching
her slender throat working as she swallowed the sweetened brew. “Miss Smith, I cannot fathom what circumstances led you to the predicament you now find yourself, but I can assure you I have not taken offense by any of your responses and neither has my aunt.”
Persephone’s eyes stung with unshed tears, a hitch in her breath. “I fear I must look
a fright, my lord
.” Her hand rose to her hair in an attempt to smooth the mussed, wayward strands.
Parker appeared to consider the comment thoughtfully for a long moment, his head cocked at an angle
.
Persephone sat with wide eyes waiting to see what he was going to do.
Then
he reache
d out and touched a thick red
ringlet that had fallen directly in the path of her right eye and tucked it behind her ear. “There.” His smile lit
up his blue eyes. “Much better. You would be an asset in any London ballroom, Miss Smith.
”
She let out her pent-up breath, then
looked about the room. “I thought I heard you speaking w
ith another. Have they left?”
Parker threw back his head and barked out a laugh,
stunning her with the rich, husky sound,
his unreserved outburst disturbing Tillie. She let out a soft cry before t
urning her face into Persephone’s
breast and settling back down. “
If you must know,
I was speakin
g with Tillie
.”
He nodded towards the infant.
“Tillie?”
A small smile broke across Pe
rsephone’s face at his comment disappearing
almost as quickly as it had come
, but it did not go unnoticed.
Parker grinned over at her, totally unabashed.
“She is a fair listener, Miss Smith.”
He smiled a smile that filled his entire face. “And her manners are practically perfect, which is a compliment to her mother’s diligent teachings.
” He shrugged.
“
She rarely interrup
ts my long winded speeches.”
It was Persephone’s turn to smile. “A fair listener she is, the rest I cannot say.” She acknowledged before scooting back against the headboard and propping herself against the mound of pillows.
She paused, looking down at her daughter.
“She and I have had many a conversation on a lonely night.”
She stopped
,
her brow furrowed. “Were you reciting a nursery rhyme, my lord?”
A flash of color highlighted his sculpted cheekbones. “Guilty, Miss Smith.”
He gave her a stare that ha
d her fidgeting where she sat.
She tightene
d her arms around her daughter.
“Where are you from, Miss Smith?” He broke the silence by asking suddenly.
Per
s
ephone straightened at the question her feelings of distrust now on high alert. “Is it necessary for you to hav
e that information, my lord
?”
“How can I assist you, Miss Smit
h, if I know nothing of you?” h
e countered smoothly, leaning forward in his seat
,
his long, lean fingers curled over the ends of th
e arms of the deep blue chair.
Instead of answering, she made a statement,
he
r expression remaining guarded.
“How can I trust you, I know nothing of you.”
It seemed uncovering the truth would be a challenging undertaking. “I have virtually unlimited resources and numerous acquaintances that could be at your disposal, Miss Smith, if you would but allow it.”
“Why would you offer me that?” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion and a look of puzzlement drew her fine brows. “I am nothing to you.”
She exhaled hard.
“I am well aware that you know nothing of me, Miss Smith.” A solemn frown on his face, then tilted his head to look at her more closely. “But why do you find it difficult to accept help when you so obviously need it? Surely you will not allow your pride to overtake necessity. Perhaps if you thought only of Tillie, then you would not find it as difficult to accept
my aid
.”
Her expression was sad but
she spoke with a degree of urgenc
y.
“And if I do not inform you of where I am from, will you toss
us
out?”
She held her breath waiting on his response, her heart pounding.
Parker’s gaze came up
sharp and witnessed the brave but despairing look that flashed in her eyes. He shoved to his feet, the chair scraping loudly across the floor and Persephone flinched. “I can assure you, Miss Smith, that I would never throw you or Tillie out of this house. And I can promise you
this that
you will not leave this house unless you can prove to me that you have somewhere better to go.” His tone was soft, yet firm at the same time
brooking no argument
.
A strange relief filled her as he
r eyes locked on his. She
dragged in a breath and fought to dam the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.
Parker reached
into his jacket pocket to
pull
out his
handkerchief, forgetting that it was still clutched tightly in Tillie’s clenched fist.
He watched as Persephone’s
chin began to tremble and tears flowed lik
e a waterfall down her cheeks.