Authors: Nichole Matthews
He chuckled, but noticed her use of the word
was
in regards to her parents. T
hose questions could be answered at another time. “Thank goodness for your mother’s firm hand.” He witnessed the hint of a smile
again
.
“I pray you will allow me time for acquaintance for the latter.”
She smiled.
“You will be a perfect fit for my family.” He waited for the quizzical look to disappear.
She looked away, as if bothered
by his words
. How she longed to be a part of something good. To be a part of a loving family again
was only a ridiculous notion
.
Parker continued, “My father and mother were determined to turn us into a tongue twister.” He grinned as her brow furrowed. “Peyton, Piper, Poppy, and my name is Parker Peregrine.” He bowed quite elegantly even with Tillie held firmly in his arms. “At your service, ma’am. You have taken your respite on my land.” He gestured towards the red brick home. “Perhaps you will allow me to entice you to tea with myself and my aunt, Adele. She is always happy for company. It can get quite lonely in the country.”
Her mouth watered at the thought of fresh biscuits and hot tea.
“I cannot think to impose on you any further, sir.” Although he watched as genuine longing flashed in her eyes
and the tip of her tongue flicked out to wet her bottom lip
.
A fierce possessiveness gripped him quite suddenly by the throat, his arm tightened around the cooing baby. He could not send them back out to the wolves. She had barely enough strength to stand, let alone to fight off any true blackguard that might attack or to even walk a few steps lugging her satchel and babe. “Nonsense, surely you will allow me an opportunity to practice hospitality to
a traveler in need of rest.”
She swallowed as he looked alm
ost hurt by her quick decline.
“
Mrs. Harris loves to receive additional feedback on her fare. She advised me just this morning that she was experimenting wi
th a new recipe for lemon tarts.
” He closed his eyes for a brief moment, b
ut continued to watch through
tiny slit
s
. The tip of her tongue peeked out
again
to run across her bottom lip as if she could taste the tart sweetness
and he watched as her throat worked on a swallow.
“Why are you being so kind?” H
e
r throat closed, tears glisten
ing
in her eyes.
Her voice spoke volumes of doubt and concern, and Parker felt all his protective instincts rise to the fore.
“Because I am able
and quite willing
to come to
you and
your
bab
i
es
aid
, Miss Smith.”
Parker smiled just a little
,
his eyes narrowed. “I have never been accused of being heartless and standing aside while there is someone who is in such desperate need of assistance.”
“Charity?” She swayed, blinking, then s
queezed
her eyes tighter over a prickle of useless tears.
Show no fear. No weakness. She had to be strong.
“No, Miss Smith, kindness,” Parker replied gently. “Obviously something that has been sorely lacking in your life of late for it to be unrecognizable.
”
His left hand covered her baby’s back, holding her firmly against his shoulder and he held out his right hand in supplication. “I would be grateful, if you would al
low me to do this one kindness. I am obviously
in tremendous need of practice.”
Persephone was afraid that at any moment she would make a spectacle of herself by swooning. If her circumstances did not ch
ange, it would not be the last.
“My skills for charming strangers have noticeably diminished greatly over the past few months.” Parker watched her grow even paler, which he would have thought impossible, and took a step closer
,
raising his arm to assist.
She s
hrunk back from his touch
, her heart rate spiking in fear as his hand rose
, the color fading
from her lips
. She held out her arm as if to assist with her balance as she swayed
again
. She thought she managed a smile and tried to respond before her eyes fluttered closed and she slumped to the ground
in a graceless pile
.
Parker witnessed what little color remained in her face quickly fade and discerned the precise moment that she was going to sink to the ground, but unable to do anything about it. He sprinted to where she lay crumpled in an untidy heap and knelt next to her body, shaking her gently. “Miss Smith?” He breathed a sigh of relief when she groaned
. H
er eyelashes fluttered open, then closed
where they remained
. Any man who said that they enjoyed women swooning at their feet must not have had a true experience. It was rather frightening. He would prefer to face a pistol over a wet field at dawn.
He looked down at the baby with a raised brow. “Well, little one, what am I to do now?” He laid the smiling Tillie, oblivious to any of her mother’s difficulties, gently on the ground beside her supine body and stood, peering intently towards the house, waving his
arms
vigorously. He shouted in a most ungentlemanly fashion,
“
Torridge
!
Torridge
!”
***
A
dele stood framed by the window of the Rose
Room
gazing out
, watching as her nephew wandered aimlessly through the gardens gravel paths. She wanted him to lead a fulfilled life. She knew he deserved to experience the magical love of a woman in which fairytales were written and
Rosebriar
deserved to have the joyous laughter of children and the
patter of little feet running through the halls again. He was always so restless. Too busy minding everyone else’s business
to mind
his own.
She watched as he wended his way slowly through the narrow passages in the garden, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his
jacket. Too serious by half.
Perhaps she could truly talk him into mucking out the stables. It never hurt anyone to get their hands dirty every once in a while. She smiled remember
ing
the look on his face when she made
that particular suggestion.
Adele looked back out the window and watched as Parker made his way out of the garden. He stopped and started, glancing around as if he were searching for something. A moment later he circled a barely visible dark spot in the grass and crouched
low
to the ground.
Adele gasped when she saw him lift something from the ground and lay it against his shoulder. It took a moment f
or her to realize what he held. S
he gathered her skirt
s
in one hand
and flew from the sitting room.
“Dobbins!” She rushed to the door. “Dobbins!”
Dobbins stepped from an alcove, responding to the distress in her voice
, “Yes, my lady?
”
A frown creased his aging face.
“There is someone in the field behind the gardens.” She flung open the door without assistance and raced down the steps
flashing her ankles as she dashed out the door
. “Send footmen behind me.”
“Right away, my
lady?”
***
Parker stood looking down at Miss Smith and her baby at a loss of how to move forward. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He couldn’t carry both
without causing harm to one,
cou
ld he?
He had always believed he was prepared for any circumstance; the gods must be looking down at him from the heavens laughing now. He arched a glance up at the cloudy, gray sky, then over towards the worn leather satchel; perhaps he could lay Tillie in the satchel and carry her and Miss Smith
at the same time
? Could that harm a baby?
How can such a small creature ca
use him to feel so discomfited?
Parker had barely crouched down to lift Tillie up in his arms when he heard the voic
e of his head gardener
, “
M’lord
?”
He stood with Tillie cradled against his chest and let out his pent up breath.
Thank the Lord!
“
M’lord
?”
Torridge
called ag
ain, racing through the field.
“Quickly,
Torridge
,” Parker responded, waving him on with urgency. “Take the
baby.”
“Baby,
m’lord
?”
Torridge’s
countenance turned to one of abjec
t astonishment as he came to a halt
and looked into Parker’s arms b
efore looking up in confusion.
“Yes,
Torridge
, a baby.” Parker handed over the infant and then crouched next to Miss Smith to slide his arms under her body and lifted her. She weighed next to nothing. He could feel her bones through the thin material of her dress. He clu
tched her to him and looked up
when he heard others running through the field and spied his aunt dashing with her skirts in hand.
“How
came
they to be here,
m’lord
?”
Torridge
questioned with a worried furrow between his brows.
Parker gave
Torridge
a speaking look. “I suppose tha
t will be mine to search out.”
“For heaven’s sake, Parker, a baby?” Adele
cried
,
her hand flying to her chest as she took deep gulping breaths. She looked at the bundle in
Torridge’s
arms, then turned wide eyes towards the girl in Parker’s arms. “Where on earth did the poor girl come from?”
Her eyes widened when she spied the knife lying on the ground
at Parker’s feet
.
Parker grimaced,
shrugg
ing
. “I fear we have been relieved of our solitude by a mewli
ng infant and a mysterious young woman
.”
“It would appear so.” Adele’s brow furrowed with worry. “Hasten, my dear. The poor child looks to be on death
’
s doorstep and it appears the baby will not be content until fed.”
As they marched back towards the house, baby and girl in hand, Adele spoke quite adamantly, “First, I must send to town for a nurse.” She looked into Parker’s eyes. “We cannot very well have a baby at
Rosebriar
without a proper nurse.”
Parker smiled down at his aunt. He recognized the fire in her eyes
at the mission before her
.
Adele
then looked at the girl. “Poor dear
.” She shook her head back and forth, her eyes full of worry as she looked up into Parker’s concerned eyes. “She is of a size of Poppy or Piper, don’t you think?”
Parker wasn’t given time to respond to any of Adele’s observations. So he
remained silent as she spoke.
“Next I will enlist one of the maids to
assist with
alter
ing
a few of the girls’ gowns. It is a shame.” She reached out and tucked the girls flailing arm to her body. She clucked her tongue. “Poor girl. Poor, poor girl.”
“Yes, Aunt.” Parker
gazed down at the unconscious girl in his arms
, his brow furrowed as he thought back to her shrinking from him in fear
. “Quite a shame.”
He hugged her closer to him, the heat of her body further reass
urance that she was all right.
***
“It’s been s
ix
goddamn
weeks.” Oliver
Anderton
, the Earl of Granville, leaned back in the high back leather chair and took a sip of brandy trying t
o hide the acute
anger that threatened to surface.
“And you’ve still found no sign of her
?
” Rage consumed him.
He went silent but still simmered with fury.
“We’ve searched for weeks and have foun
d no trace of the girl
or the babe, m
y Lord.” Cooper stood near the chair, the brim of his hat mangled
beyond recognition
by his nervous fingers.