The Rake and The Rose (A Rake's Mistake) Read Online Free
Author: Amelia Clearwater
had an inkling her welcome was long done and she flinched as she stood up.
The woman’s eyes went to the sachet, “You girl, stay there.”
But when the woman summoned the magistrates who were in the hallway, the moment she saw the men Charlotte bolted and leapt over the Dutch door being pushed purely by fear and desperation alone.
She could hear Sophie and James as she rolled across the garden landing hard, “She’s just a hungry girl Madame leave her be!” Sophie’s words were all but volatile.
“Madame, she’s been in here the whole time.” James was soothing and contrite.
Francesca was leaning out the door attempting to stop her. “Wait!”
But she was already going around the house and darting to the side, past the magistrate’s carriages, one with bars around it and a lock on the doors. Her eyes rounded and her breath came short "No, No…No I cannot!” She was frantic and she had to think quickly.
Alexander trotted Titan down the road. They had lost the fox but it had been a relatively decent ride. The weather would not permit anymore though. He sighed remembering the apparition, which had popped up into his woods.
"Who the blazes was that woman,” he muttered to himself as Kade rode on behind him.
"What is it Alexander?" his friend murmured to him quietly. "I still swear I saw a woman in the woods."
"Well, do you want us to go and start a search party?" Kade looked concerned and Alexander smiled at his close friend.
"No, Kade…it will be fine, I am sure I just had a bit of a hangover left."
"Ah! Don't get too many of those, they’re a nag when it comes to work" Kade chuckled deep in his chest and Alexander felt like punching the Scot in the arm. Kade had been his closest friend in the world since the Lincoln family had taken him in other than Leroy.
Titan snorted and bucked slightly "Titan?" the horse whinnied in a ghostly shriek and the great black beast reared pawing at what seemed to be nothing.
Alexander tried to grab the reins and get him under control.
Her brain had calculated where to go and the front seemed the best bet. As she rounded the corner though, she faced a large Andalusian stallion; its feathered hooves thrashed the air. She heard more men’s shouts and the other horses behind panicked.
“Confounded animal, what has been your problem!”
The voice…she recognized it. As the magistrates caught her on either side and her heart beat even faster.
Inside her body screamed in defiance. She had to get out somehow, but there was no way around the giant black horse. It bucked and swerved to each side as she tried to dart around it. Dancing with the animal was frustrating. The men were still trying to get a good grip on her arms. Exhausted she stopped, and panted in overexertion. She was terrified and had she not been so tired, she might have burst into tears.
She was trapped!
C hapter 02
Alexander’s horse whinnied and thrashed again at the air. He wanted to clobber Titan in the head with a whip. “Titan you great idiot!”
He swung the horse’s head around and saw what was in the way, again. His heart nearly leapt out his chest in fright. The apparition was on his property. No, not an apparition, a young woman! “What the blazes is going on?” he snarled and saw Francesca, Sophie and James rush outside behind Giselle.
The women who were on the first floor peeked out from the windows curiously, and the men behind him were murmuring quietly.
“What is going on, Cromwell?” Kade was uneasy on his borrowed mare and raised an eyebrow before coming to his rescue. “Gentlemen, there are matters for Lord Cromwell to attend to, please. We can go and have a cigar. How about it?”
The men followed, half unsure. Alexander got off Titan and handed the jerking horse to James.
Charlotte started to struggle, the pain and panic that had been set in her
The woman’s eyes went to the sachet, “You girl, stay there.”
But when the woman summoned the magistrates who were in the hallway, the moment she saw the men Charlotte bolted and leapt over the Dutch door being pushed purely by fear and desperation alone.
She could hear Sophie and James as she rolled across the garden landing hard, “She’s just a hungry girl Madame leave her be!” Sophie’s words were all but volatile.
“Madame, she’s been in here the whole time.” James was soothing and contrite.
Francesca was leaning out the door attempting to stop her. “Wait!”
But she was already going around the house and darting to the side, past the magistrate’s carriages, one with bars around it and a lock on the doors. Her eyes rounded and her breath came short "No, No…No I cannot!” She was frantic and she had to think quickly.
Alexander trotted Titan down the road. They had lost the fox but it had been a relatively decent ride. The weather would not permit anymore though. He sighed remembering the apparition, which had popped up into his woods.
"Who the blazes was that woman,” he muttered to himself as Kade rode on behind him.
"What is it Alexander?" his friend murmured to him quietly. "I still swear I saw a woman in the woods."
"Well, do you want us to go and start a search party?" Kade looked concerned and Alexander smiled at his close friend.
"No, Kade…it will be fine, I am sure I just had a bit of a hangover left."
"Ah! Don't get too many of those, they’re a nag when it comes to work" Kade chuckled deep in his chest and Alexander felt like punching the Scot in the arm. Kade had been his closest friend in the world since the Lincoln family had taken him in other than Leroy.
Titan snorted and bucked slightly "Titan?" the horse whinnied in a ghostly shriek and the great black beast reared pawing at what seemed to be nothing.
Alexander tried to grab the reins and get him under control.
Her brain had calculated where to go and the front seemed the best bet. As she rounded the corner though, she faced a large Andalusian stallion; its feathered hooves thrashed the air. She heard more men’s shouts and the other horses behind panicked.
“Confounded animal, what has been your problem!”
The voice…she recognized it. As the magistrates caught her on either side and her heart beat even faster.
Inside her body screamed in defiance. She had to get out somehow, but there was no way around the giant black horse. It bucked and swerved to each side as she tried to dart around it. Dancing with the animal was frustrating. The men were still trying to get a good grip on her arms. Exhausted she stopped, and panted in overexertion. She was terrified and had she not been so tired, she might have burst into tears.
She was trapped!
C hapter 02
Alexander’s horse whinnied and thrashed again at the air. He wanted to clobber Titan in the head with a whip. “Titan you great idiot!”
He swung the horse’s head around and saw what was in the way, again. His heart nearly leapt out his chest in fright. The apparition was on his property. No, not an apparition, a young woman! “What the blazes is going on?” he snarled and saw Francesca, Sophie and James rush outside behind Giselle.
The women who were on the first floor peeked out from the windows curiously, and the men behind him were murmuring quietly.
“What is going on, Cromwell?” Kade was uneasy on his borrowed mare and raised an eyebrow before coming to his rescue. “Gentlemen, there are matters for Lord Cromwell to attend to, please. We can go and have a cigar. How about it?”
The men followed, half unsure. Alexander got off Titan and handed the jerking horse to James.
Charlotte started to struggle, the pain and panic that had been set in her
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