her voice and added, “Truthfully, I need to find him so I can warn him.”
Shayna sat up straighter. “Is the earl in danger?”
Odelia rolled her eyes in disbelief.
“Yes. It’s been said that once the Earl of Kensington sets out to find his one true love who has been lost to him, he will be killed in an ambush near Swan Lake.”
“Ludicrous,” Odelia muttered. “Whoever spouted such rubbish?”
“I don’t remember the author’s name,” Morgan said, “but it’s true.”
Odelia frowned.
“You are eager to marry Lord Vanguard, are you not?” Shayna asked.
Morgan thought about it before she spoke. “Not all women want to get married.”
Shayna scoffed at the notion. “Lord Vanguard is many a young maiden’s dream.”
“I guess there’s no denying he’s easy on the eyes,” Morgan agreed as she thought of his strong jaw, beautiful eyes, and solid physique. “Before I met him though I had been told he resembled a hideous monster and that he was capable of killing a man with a merely a glance.”
The room grew deathly silent. Odelia’s face had paled to a ghostly white sheen. Apparently the women weren’t used to talking so bluntly about Lord Vanguard.
“Well,” Ciara added nervously. “He might indeed cause a few people to fall dead if he ever wears that,” she said, pointing at the linen shirt in Morgan’s hands.
Morgan held the shirt up for closer examination.
Shayna and Ciara tried to hold back their laughter, but as soon as Morgan glanced Odelia’s way they all burst out in a wave of hysterics.
When Shayna finally attempted to speak, an unladylike hiccup escaped, causing new peals of laughter. Morgan laughed hard enough to cause her stool to fall over, sending her rolling to the floor with her arms wrapped tightly to her sides.
No one was too sure how long he’d been standing there, but they did finally notice him. Instantaneously, the room quieted.
Standing beneath the doorframe, Lord Vanguard appeared suddenly to be a foot taller than the last time she’d seen him. So tall, she observed, that he had to bend so he wouldn’t hit his head on the wooden beam as he entered the room.
Still on the floor, and getting a worm’s eye view of him, Morgan tried to appear nonchalant as she sat up. “Did you want something?”
“You,” he said.
Morgan blushed. Her new friends weren’t any help at all. They all stitched furiously. Not one of them would look her way.
When Morgan glanced back at Lord Vanguard, he winked, making little effort to hide his strange mood. Maybe, she thought, the overconfident man wanted to make up for leaving her so suddenly last night. Forget it .
As Morgan pushed herself from the floor, she was about to tell him she was having too much fun to stop what she was doing when suddenly he stepped forward, swooped her easily into his arms, and carried her from the room before she could say anything at all.
“Put me down,” she said from atop his right shoulder. “You had your chance and you blew it!” She tried to wriggle free, but her attempt to get away was useless.
Derek strode swiftly down the long spiraling staircase. All eyes were on them as they crossed the landing and swept through the great hall. Morgan caught a glimpse of Emmon and Hugo as they passed by. “Do something,” she pleaded.
They just stood there…looking extremely pleased instead of horrified by their boss’s bad manners. Derek probably carried a different maid over his shoulder every week. The people here at Braddock were most likely accustomed to his barbaric ways.
Morgan clung to the back of his shirt. As they passed through the inner bailey, she heard giggling from a small boy she’d taught to play leapfrog the other day. “See if I teach you any more games,” she told the boy, pointing a finger at him.
The boy’s big eyes widened in horror before he ran off.
Derek’s solid strides didn’t slow.
Morgan pounded a fist against his back. “I’m never going to
Shayna sat up straighter. “Is the earl in danger?”
Odelia rolled her eyes in disbelief.
“Yes. It’s been said that once the Earl of Kensington sets out to find his one true love who has been lost to him, he will be killed in an ambush near Swan Lake.”
“Ludicrous,” Odelia muttered. “Whoever spouted such rubbish?”
“I don’t remember the author’s name,” Morgan said, “but it’s true.”
Odelia frowned.
“You are eager to marry Lord Vanguard, are you not?” Shayna asked.
Morgan thought about it before she spoke. “Not all women want to get married.”
Shayna scoffed at the notion. “Lord Vanguard is many a young maiden’s dream.”
“I guess there’s no denying he’s easy on the eyes,” Morgan agreed as she thought of his strong jaw, beautiful eyes, and solid physique. “Before I met him though I had been told he resembled a hideous monster and that he was capable of killing a man with a merely a glance.”
The room grew deathly silent. Odelia’s face had paled to a ghostly white sheen. Apparently the women weren’t used to talking so bluntly about Lord Vanguard.
“Well,” Ciara added nervously. “He might indeed cause a few people to fall dead if he ever wears that,” she said, pointing at the linen shirt in Morgan’s hands.
Morgan held the shirt up for closer examination.
Shayna and Ciara tried to hold back their laughter, but as soon as Morgan glanced Odelia’s way they all burst out in a wave of hysterics.
When Shayna finally attempted to speak, an unladylike hiccup escaped, causing new peals of laughter. Morgan laughed hard enough to cause her stool to fall over, sending her rolling to the floor with her arms wrapped tightly to her sides.
No one was too sure how long he’d been standing there, but they did finally notice him. Instantaneously, the room quieted.
Standing beneath the doorframe, Lord Vanguard appeared suddenly to be a foot taller than the last time she’d seen him. So tall, she observed, that he had to bend so he wouldn’t hit his head on the wooden beam as he entered the room.
Still on the floor, and getting a worm’s eye view of him, Morgan tried to appear nonchalant as she sat up. “Did you want something?”
“You,” he said.
Morgan blushed. Her new friends weren’t any help at all. They all stitched furiously. Not one of them would look her way.
When Morgan glanced back at Lord Vanguard, he winked, making little effort to hide his strange mood. Maybe, she thought, the overconfident man wanted to make up for leaving her so suddenly last night. Forget it .
As Morgan pushed herself from the floor, she was about to tell him she was having too much fun to stop what she was doing when suddenly he stepped forward, swooped her easily into his arms, and carried her from the room before she could say anything at all.
“Put me down,” she said from atop his right shoulder. “You had your chance and you blew it!” She tried to wriggle free, but her attempt to get away was useless.
Derek strode swiftly down the long spiraling staircase. All eyes were on them as they crossed the landing and swept through the great hall. Morgan caught a glimpse of Emmon and Hugo as they passed by. “Do something,” she pleaded.
They just stood there…looking extremely pleased instead of horrified by their boss’s bad manners. Derek probably carried a different maid over his shoulder every week. The people here at Braddock were most likely accustomed to his barbaric ways.
Morgan clung to the back of his shirt. As they passed through the inner bailey, she heard giggling from a small boy she’d taught to play leapfrog the other day. “See if I teach you any more games,” she told the boy, pointing a finger at him.
The boy’s big eyes widened in horror before he ran off.
Derek’s solid strides didn’t slow.
Morgan pounded a fist against his back. “I’m never going to
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