Taming the Wicked Wulfe (The Rogue Agents) (10 page)

At some point she must have dozed off, for the next thing she knew she heard a repeated banging sound.
 
The scene before her frightened her to her senses.
 
Zachary stood precariously in the doorway of the carriage while the door slammed shut, but refused to catch and stay shut.
 
One of the pups stood by his side staring out at the passing scenery.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Rebekah demanded, hooking her fingers in the waist of his pants.
 
She pulled backwards just as a hulking figure loomed down from his place on a horse.

“What in bloody hell are you thinking?
 
Zachary could have been killed.”

“I have everything well in control,” she argued, attempting to keep a hold of the squirming little boy.

“But Aunt Bekah,” he protested.

“Yes, it looked like you had everything under control.
 
Just keep the damn door shut and child and beast inside.
 
Can you manage that, lady wife?” Wulfe sneered.

“Oh, go get…”

“There are children present,” he shook his finger at her before slamming the door shut.

“Aunt Bekah, Piddles has to…”

“What, Zachary?
 
What does Piddles
have
to do?”

“Piddle,” the little boy said just a bare moment before the pup relieved its nervous bladder within the confines of the traveling coach.
 

“Oh goodness!” She cried.
 
“Stop, stop!” Rebekah called out to the driver and gathered up the puppy in her hands, holding him far out in front of her.
 
“Open the door!”

“What is this about?” Thorn asked, his tone turning even more surly, if that were possible.
 
He dismounted his horse and stalked to the coach.
 
Before he knew what happened he had a puppy relieving itself on his shined, sparkling Hessians.
 
“By all that is holy!” He exclaimed, attempting to watch his language in front of the children.

“Welcome to the world of parenting.
 
Do take the children and pups for a walk while I clean up this mess.”

“Don’t tell me it started in the carriage,” he groaned.

“Oh no, husband.
 
I just love to constantly be on my hands and knees scrubbing the floors of carriages.”

“I could show you some things we could do on our hands and knees in a carriage that we would both find quite enjoyable,” he offered rakishly.

“Go to Hell,” she hissed.

He clucked his tongue three times and shook his head before he responded.
 
“There are children present, wife.”
 
He let the laughter roll through him as he looked at her arched brow and the murderous look that crossed her face.
 
“Come Zachary and Ivy, let’s go see if we can’t scare up some fairies, shall we?”

“Fairies?” Ivy squealed in delight while Zachary commanded the dogs to scatter as many fairies as they could find.

“Mistress, let me clean up that mess,” one of the maids accompanying them offered.
 

“Thank you, Nancy, but I have it,” she answered with a smile before turning with the
 
damp cloth the maid had provided and scrubbed the carriage floor as if she were removing her husband out of her life.
 

***

 
The newness of the journey had warn off for the children as the passing scenery looked much like that at home.
 
Rebekah had recited every story she knew, making certain to use different voices while telling them.
 
She also had brought games they could play in the confined space, but nothing kept two four-year-olds occupied very long.
 
Then the bickering had begun, followed soon by the whining.
 
The dogs seemed to pick up on this and before long, Rebekah’s head pounded in time to the whimpering of dogs and children.
 
Finally, able to stand no more, she waved out the window to get Thornton’s attention.
 
What I wouldn’t give to be sitting astride his horse, enjoying the fresh air with him inside here trying to keep this foursome entertained
, she thought sourly.
 

“Yes, love?”

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped.

“What would you like me to call you?” he teased.

“Nothing.
 
I merely want to know how far until the next village.”

“You sound like the twins,” he teased.

“I’m not surprised,” she muttered under her breath.

“What was that, sweetheart?”

“Nothing, and don’t call me that either!”

“What can I call you?”

“Lady Wulfe or Rebekah, if you must.”

“You are going to beg me to call you so much more,” he whispered and started to trot off.

“Wulfe, get back here,” she demanded.

“Would you make up your mind?
 
Do you want me or not?”

“Quit putting words in my mouth,” she hissed through the window.

“Oh, love, that is not at all what I want to do to that delectable little mouth of yours.”

“Save it for your whore,” she bit out, surprised by the anger she felt towards him turning to another woman.

“What is this?
 
Jealousy?
 
Why, I do believe the green brings out the emerald sparks in your eyes.”

“Stop it,” she ground out.

“Uncle Thorn, when are we getting to London?” Zachary asked petulantly, rubbing his eyes.

“I’m hungry,” a small, feminine voice echoed.

“I’ll see what I can do, loves.
 
Go easy on your aunt for the time being, eh?”

The children both nodded before the curtain fell closed blocking his view of the interior of the carriage.
 
Smiling wickedly, he called, “Lady Wulfe,” in a singsong voice.

“What is it?” she snapped, popping the curtain out of the way.
 
“Shouldn’t you be scouting for villages or giving directions?”

“I just need a little something to keep me going,” he responded before leaning over and brushing a kiss on lips through the open window.

“How dare you!” Rebekah raged, pulling back.

“You can’t begin to
imagine
all that I dare,” he answered wickedly before spurring his horse into a burst of energy and moving ahead of the coaches.

She sat with her arms crossed, forcing herself not to look out the window until they reached the village approximately two hours later.
 
“Finally,” she groaned as the carriage came to a halt.
 
It must be a popular day for travel
, she thought as she looked around the inn yard.
 
They had passed several carriages on the road, but the inn yard brimmed with coaches and teams as well as solitary horses.
 
“Stay,” she ordered the pups after helping the children down and quickly closing the door.

“One of the footmen will take the pups for a walk,” Thornton said as he walked up to Rebekah’s right side.
 
He bent low and scooped Ivy into his arms, plunking her onto his left hip so that his right hand could grab Rebekah’s elbow.
 
The Duke of Wulfcrest held her right hand as they walked into the busy inn.
 
Thorn left her and Zachary’s side for only a few moments as he made arrangements for a private room for the group.
 
After refreshing themselves, they rejoined each other to share a well-deserved meal in the reserved room.

The children dove into the savory meat pies that were placed before them.
 
Enjoying the peace and silence, Rebekah overlooked their horrible table manners and turned to her own meal.
 
During the meal, she continually felt eyes on her.
 
When she looked up it would be to find Thorn staring at her across the table.
 
He did not have the decency to look away, not even when she glared at him.

“Uncle Thorn, how long before we get to London?” Zachary asked.

“We should arrive tonight,” Thorn ensured.

The children wiggled in their seats, contented, and swinging their legs back and forth.
 
Rebekah noticed the two children exchanging yawns between bites of food.
 
Soon they were reclining against the chairs and their heads began to nod.
 
The twins fell asleep shortly afterwards, laying their heads on the table.
 
Rebekah pushed the plates back out of the way so that a mess would not ensue.

“They can’t already be that tired,” Thorn chuckled.

“If only you had been locked in the carriage with them, then you would be thankful they have fallen asleep,” Rebekah challenged as she continued eating her meal.
 
As she finished, she pushed her plate back as well.

“It’s nice to see a woman that isn’t afraid of eating in front of a man.”

“But you aren’t just any man, are you?
 
You’re my husband, so there is no need to impress you.”

“That hurts, my dear,” Thorn placed a hand over his heart acting as if she wounded him with her words.

“Good.
 
Now if you’ll excuse me, I will be only a moment and then we can carry the twins back to the carriage.”
 

“I’ll be waiting in anticipation, darling,” he stood as she did.
 
He gave her a wicked grin in response to her withering glare.
 
Wulfe stood upon her return.
 
“I’ll be but a moment,” he said, walking towards the innkeeper.
 

Rebekah surreptitiously watched the man from the doorway she reluctantly referred to as husband.
 
She silently berated herself for allowing his looks to stir her.
 
He cut a fine figure and made her pulse race.
 
She found herself trying to distance herself so that he would not pick up on her body’s traitorous response to him.
 
His dark, brown hair was a shade or two darker than hers.
 
He kept it on the longer side, making him appear very roguish.
 
She could just make out the whiskers that had begun to appear after his shave early this morning.
 
Rebekah idly wondered what it would feel like if she rubbed her hand against his cheek.
 
She closed her eyes calling to mind his dark brown eyes.
 
Rebekah opened her eyes and saw him heading back towards the private room.
 
She scurried back to the table hoping he had not seen her.

Wulfe entered the room and saw the delectable cloth-covered rump of his wife.
 
The image did unsettling things to his anatomy.
 
If he could only woo her into his bed, he doubted he would ever have need of a mistress.
 
He watched her gracefully stand upright.
 
He found her beauty intoxicating.
 
She did not attempt to hide herself behind powders and creams, or drip herself in jewels.
 
Rebekah’s beauty was natural and entirely hers.
 

“This is yours,” she jammed his hat against his chest.
 
“And quit staring at me like you are starving and I am your meal.”

“Oh, my dear, I could make you my meal,” he growled and bent towards her.
 

“Get Zachary,” she said, sidestepping his attempt to kiss her.
 
She bent low, picking up Ivy and carrying her through the inn.
 
Rebekah refused to look back to see if Thorn followed her directions.
 
A footman helped her to enter the carriage with her slight burden.
 
Once settled, she felt the carriage sway and watched Thorn enter as well.
 
He settled himself in the corner, his burden tucked snugly on his lap.
 
“Please let the pups ride with you for awhile,” she told the maid accompanying them.

“Yes, ma’am,” the maid curtsied then quickly disappeared with the pups.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Rebekah demanded, as Thorn entered the carriage.

“I decided to pass the next little while with my beautiful wife and my wards.
 
Is that a crime?”

Instead of answering she shifted as far away from him as possible.
 
Ivy woke, seeing her brother tucked onto their uncle’s lap, and jumped up to fight for her spot, waking her brother in the process.
 
Rebekah shot her husband a heated look before turning to look out the now closed window as the carriage lumbered into motion for the final leg of their journey to London.

The children kept up an animated conversation with their uncle.
 
They told him all about their life on the estate and how they filled their days.
 
Usually their chatter did not bother Rebekah in the least, but today her head pounded.
 
She blamed Thornton for her discomfort, but of course she blamed him for many irritating things that had occurred in her life.
 
She settled in the corner of the coach, deciding sleep would be the only way to tune out the over-sized irritant.