Taming Wilde Read Online Free Page A

Colin once more. With a deep breath, she resolved to find
     her brother, no matter what it took.
    Perhaps if she hadn’t been so lost in her despair, she would have sensed someone behind
     her before turning abruptly, slamming straight into the broad chest of Lord Maddox,
     the husband of Gemma’s bosom friend, Bridget. He grunted at the impact.
    “Pardon me, my lady,” he muttered breathlessly.
    “Oh Lord Maddox! I am so sorry!” Gemma felt overwrought. All she wanted was to find
     her brother and leave that place.
    “Lady Gemma?” He grasped her elbow to steady her on her feet. “Are you injured?”
    “No, my lord. Only embarrassed. I should have taken more care with my direction.”
    “No harm done, my dear.” Lord Maddox glanced around them as though searching out the
     reason for her haste. “Is anything amiss? You seem rather distraught.”
    “Everything is well. I was just on my way to find my brother. Have you seen Lord Van
     Burge, perchance?”
    “Yes, indeed. I just came from the tables where I persuaded him to take my place in
     the game. He is there still. May I escort you to him?”
    “No. Thank you, my lord. I can manage.” He released her and nodded, but as he stepped
     away, a sudden fear gripped Gemma. If she were to meet with Colin again, she would
     be alone. She needed someone to provide a buffer between her heart and the man’s scorn.
     “Lord Maddox!” Her voice faltered into a frantic squeak.
    He spun around to face her. His expression betrayed his concern. “Yes?”
    “I… I would like you to escort me. Thank you. For offering.”
    His golden-green eyes sparkled with humor, as if he knew why she’d changed her mind
     and couldn’t help but mock her pain. After all, he and Colin were as thick as pirates
     in the West Indies.
    Gemma’s stomach turned uneasily, but she took his proffered arm and allowed him to
     lead her into the gentlemen’s gaming den.
    “There he is.” Lord Maddox lifted a hand to gesture toward Hawke, who seemed deep
     in conversation with the gentlemen at his table. Not surprisingly, they were the same
     fellows he had introduced her to earlier in the evening. Mr. Everett, Mr. Sumner,
     and Mr. Percival laughed raucously at the point he had just made.
    “I see him, thank you.”
    “Then I shall excuse myself, my lady, to locate my party, by your leave.”
    “Of course, my lord.”
    She made her way closer to her brother, hoping to get his attention without having
     to engage in pleasantries with the other gentlemen at the table. All she wanted was
     to go home.
    His table was near the corner of the room, located just behind a pillar. As Gemma
     drew up behind him, pieces of the conversation from the table floated to her ears.
    “That, gentlemen, is why I removed my sister from London for the winter.”
    “You say your parents were against the match?”
    “They were once I finished my description of the fellow. And, of course, his abysmal
     rank of knight served only to support my cause.” The others laughed at his mocking
     tone. “You know, of course, I’ve never liked Sir Wilde. I have no intention of letting
     him worm his way into my sister’s affections.”
    “She certainly deserves the best,” one of the gentlemen added. Gemma believed the
     voice to be that of Mr. Everett. Though she could not see clearly from her place behind
     the pillar.
    “Right. And Wilde is nothing but a pretender. His reputation comes purely from the
     company he keeps. None of it is of his own doing. And now, look at him. I was right
     to keep them apart. He has deteriorated into the worst sort of creature.”
    “How long did he continue in his suit?”
    “Weeks. Months. Even after I ceased sending the missives on her behalf.”
    “He is a persistent fellow,” Mr. Sumner said.
    “As persistent as a rat after the cheese,” Hawke said with a disdainful laugh. “And
     twice as repulsive.”
    The rest of the gentleman laughed.
    “Well, who can blame him?