Authors: Nichole Matthews
“Persephone?” Parker
stepped toward her
as tension suddenly
radiated from her body
.
He watched as she shuddered. From fear or something else he couldn’t be quite sure.
Perhaps it was a combination of a multitude of feelings.
He reached
out a hand and she flinched. He lowered his hand back to his side.
Two lines appeared between hi
s b
rows, and his mouth tightened.
“Perseph
one?” he prompted a sec
ond time, worry lacing his tone
.
It took her a moment to speak as her breaths threatened to strangle her.
“I fear I’
ve grown tired,
my lord,
” she whispered miserably
, tears stinging
her eyes
as if sharp needles were being poked into them
.
“The evening is wearing on me.”
Parker stepped closer.
“What is the matter, Pe
rsephone?” He swallowed hard.
She bit her lip and looked away,
anywhere but in his eyes. “I believe I will retire to my room for the rest of the evening
.” She fled
, forcing herself not to run out of the gallery
, but she fled all the same
.
Tears blurred her vision a
s she rushed down the hallway.
He listened as her footsteps receded down the hall
in tripping steps
.
What the hell?
His scowl deepened
as
he studied the portrait. What had frightened her?
He pushed a hand through his hair
, his eyes widening
.
Had she suffered at the hand of
his
brother?
It couldn’t be?
His mouth twisted in an expression of
pain and
regret.
He wouldn’t.
The bitter taste of bile rose high in his throat.
Suddenly he was questioning everyth
ing he knew about his brother.
It couldn’t be.
It couldn’t be.
***
No! No! No!
Persephone raced up the stairs and
quickly
closed the door
,
her heart thundered
.
She shoo
k so hard her teeth chattered.
It couldn’t be
.
Was it too much of a coincidence to believe that she had made her way
to
Rosebriar
by happenstance?
His brother?
He was his brother?
Even now,
he
probably had any number of people looking for her. She couldn’t imagine him not being able to find
her if he set his mind to it.
She pressed her fist to her mouth to hold back a sob. She thought it likely he al
ready knew of her whereabouts,
he had too many people
willing to do his bidding.
Would the nightmare
never end?
Would she never feel truly safe?
She brushed away a stray tear as she made her way to the large bed, climbing up without even bothering to remove her clothes.
She curled up on her side in a ball and allowed the hot tears to spill quietly down her cheeks.
Would she never be free?
***
Parker stood outside her door, a
black
look on his face.
Why?
Why her?
Why him?
Why now?
Why was he thinking about a shrinking redhead?
He knew why he was thinking about her. Because she held a measure of strength and determination that he couldn’t fathom. She was beautiful, especially now that she had added weight to her small frame. Her big green eyes held secrets that he
desperately wanted to uncover.
How could he earn her trust if his family was part of
the reason for
her fear?
He didn’t trust the feelings that were swirling throughout his body
and he didn’t know if he was prepared to have his heart ripped out of his chest all over again
.
His jaw firmed and he turned from her door and walked to his room.
His legs felt leaden. Their weight felt immense as he lifted his feet with each step. The farther he walked
from her door the harder it was to move. He wanted to turn around and demand answers. He wanted to grip her arms and shake her, forcing her to speak but he knew that facing her with his anger so close to the surface would only harm their relationship.
It would
only lesson the trust that was slowly building between them.
He need
ed
to see Peyton.
He needed to talk to his brother.
He needed answers.
***
Granville
circled Hunter as he dangled from his arms, his feet barely
able to touch
the ground. “I know it’s not your fault, boy.” He paced across the room, stroking himself through his trousers as he went. “But someone needs to be punished and you’re all that I have left.”
He listened as Hunter’s breath
hitched
his muscles tense as he waited for the first lash and the pain that would follow.
The whip sliced across Hunter’s naked shoulders and Granville smiled as Hunter grunted in pain. He watched a
s
the raised red we
lt started
seeping blood
and
his heart r
ate quickened. His nostrils flared
as the sweet smell of blood permeated the dark
ened
room a
nd
the blood
began its slow
trickle down Hunter’s back, his buttocks, and his legs
to drip under his feet
.
Lavender’s blue, dilly, dilly,
Lavender’s green
When I am King, dilly, dilly,
You shall be Queen.
P
iper Morgan, Lady Rockwell
, looked
up from the note in her hand, her eyes wide over the top of her silver spectacles and gasped. “You are never going to believe what is going on at
Rosebriar
, Gray.”
Graydon
Morgan, The Earl of Rockwell, lowered his morning news sheet and glanced at his wife with an indulgent smile. “Is that so, my dear?
” He flattened his lips into a straight line to mask his smile.
“
Pray tell, do not keep me in suspense.”
“Oh, pooh.” Piper
pursed her lips in what
Graydon
found a most del
ightful manner.
“Parker wrote:
I do hope you are well, dear sister. I fear there has been an obvious quiet surrounding
Rosebriar
since your marriage to Rockwell.” She looked up with a smirk. “Your ceaseless prattle
…“ she paused, scowling. “…
has been missed by Aunt Adele and m
yself
, of course.” Piper’s brow puckered, looking up with a mischievous glint in her eye. “Can you believe he
had the gall to write such nonsense
?”
“Of course not, sweeting
.” She watched as he shuffled the pages of the freshly ironed news sheet.
Graydon
smiled as sh
e resumed her mumbled reading.
“Oh listen! And I would like to confirm that your companionship can be expected at
Rosebriar
for Christmas…”
Graydon
lowered his paper, his hand thrown dramatically over his forehead and sighed interrupting Piper’s recitation. “Thank goodness he had the foresight to make plans.”
There was a decided twinkle in his eyes as he reached for his coffee and proceeded to take a sip before hiding his smile
with the newssheet once more.
“You are sorely tempting me to do bodily harm.”
Piper sat back with a frown.
Graydon
nearly dropped the paper and stood. “Is that so?”
Piper continued reading, mumbling, then with a squeak, “…her name is Persephone…” She looked up from the letter, her dimple apparent. “How exciting! Parker is writing about a
lady
.”
Graydon
grunted.
“Are you listening?”
“Of course, darling.”
Graydon
lifted the paper to cover his smile.
Another gasp. “She has a baby named Tillie.”
Graydon
looked up at her sigh. “Isn’t that delightful? A baby at
Rosebriar
.” She looked up with a glow in her cheeks
, but a hint of sadness in her eyes
.
Graydon
knew that she wanted a baby of her own
. After
the loss of their unborn baby
two months prior
and with
the birth of P
oppy’s baby, he knew she felt
an emptiness that he could not even begin to understand
. He reached across the table his fingers closed over hers, warm and strong. “Is this lady residing permanently at
Rosebriar
?”
Graydon’s
brow furrowed. “Perhaps she is his ward?”
“I haven’t a clue.” Piper answered not looking up from the letter. “Oh, my! We must leave for
Rosebriar
at once.”
“Piper, we have already made plans to travel in a fortnight.”
“You don’t understand, Gray.” Piper’s eyes were wide with worry. “He found her and her baby lying in a field behind
Rosebriar
.”
“Lying in a field?”
His brow lifted.
“Yes,” Piper replied. “He knows nothing of this woman—where she comes from, who is her family?” Worry lined her brow. “He needs me! I’m sure he is feeling quite alone with only Auntie Adele for company. Besides, Poppy is unable to travel such a distance with the new baby. Gabriel. Such a fitting tribute for
Hawksley
. He loved his brother so.”
Graydon
lowered his paper, his lips twitching. He knew that he would get no more reading done this morning. “Very well, send a note round to Parker letting him know we will be arriving unconscionably early for t
he holiday festivities.”
Piper jumped from her chair, ran to his side and gave him a loud kiss atop his forehead. “Thank you, my darling. First I must write to Poppy. She will
be
delighted that there is a female staying at
Rosebriar
who is not a relation.”
Graydon
shook his head as he signaled to a waiting footman to refill his coffee.
An amused grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Poor Parker.” He muttered.
The retreating footman, coughed to cover an otherwise loud guffaw. He stopped, turned and bowed. “Pardon, my lord.” B
efore he turned
again
and quickly fled
the dining room.
Rockwell set his paper aside and picked up the missive sitting near his right hand. He had hidden the pages from his wife’s prying eyes under the edge of his plate.
He pulled out the drawing that accompanied the urgent letter, studying
the signet with narrowed eyes.
No rest for the weary
.
He sighed.
***
Adele looked up
from the new pillow covering she was working on when
Parker walked into the
sitting room. Her
eyes followed his progression
as he headed towards her
and
pressed
a kiss to her upturned cheek
.
The slight upturn of his lips would have been missed had she
not been watching him closely.
His smile widened when he noticed
Persep
hone
was
seated on the settee with the
book
she had dropped
held firmly in her hands.
He had her maid leave the book on her nightstand
the next morning after he had risen
.