Beatrice Read Online Free PDF Page A

To test his resolve
further, her arms tightened around him as she clung on for dear
life, which in turn pressed her delectable curves against him more
fully. In spite of the rain, he felt beads of sweat pop out onto
his brow, and kept his gaze locked firmly on the front door of her
house while silently praying that he could keep control until he
got her to safety.
    Lord, save me, Ben prayed and he
clenched his jaw while he tried desperately to think of something
else. The only outward sign of his inner struggle was the muscle
that ticked slowly in his jaw. All thought of the carriage was
temporarily forgotten while he tried to retain some semblance of
control over the physical effect she had on him, but it was a close
run thing, especially when he glanced down and saw the pink tip of
her tongue slide nervously over her luscious lips.
    Beatrice
almost wept with relief when Ben guided the horse into the
driveway. The sight of her front door ahead of them had never felt
so wonderful to her but, before she could ask him if he would like
a cup of tea before he left, he quickly dismounted and helped her
down. She had taken no more than a couple of steps before he
immediately swept her off her feet again, and carried her to the
front doorstep.
    “You
don’t need to carry me,” she grumbled awkwardly.
    “You
need to stay off that ankle,” he replied. “Will you be alright for
a minute? I want to see if I can catch up with that carriage.” Upon
receiving her nod, he turned and vaulted into the saddle, but
paused long enough to point one long finger at her. “Go inside and
get warm. I will come back to help you get the boot off that foot.
I shouldn’t be long.”
    She
opened her mouth to speak only to watch him wheel his horse around
and race out of the driveway. With a sigh, she turned around and
went inside.
     
    Ben
raced down the lane as fast as he dared given the wet conditions,
and scoured the lanes surrounding the property for any sign of the
black carriage. He stopped once or twice to listen, but couldn’t
see, or hear, the reckless road user who had nearly claimed victims
for the second time that day.
    “Damn it
to hell,” he growled when he had gone as far as he dared given the
thunderstorm was now directly overhead. It was incredibly foolish
to be outside still with the damned thing so close, and so turned
and headed back to Beatrice’s house. He almost wished that the
carriage would pass by again, because he knew that the cretin
wouldn’t get away for a second time. Still, at least the
thunderstorm, and Beatrice’s foot, gave him a perfect excuse to
stay with her for a little while longer.
     
    Although
it was a struggle for Beatrice to get inside by herself, at least
she only had to manage a few feet rather than nearly a mile. Still,
she was panting heavily by the time she hopped and sidled through
the front door into the blessedly dry interior of the
house.
    As the
front door closed, a jagged streak of lightning lit the sky
outside. She winced and hoped that Ben was alright, and Maud had
the wisdom to remain at her friend’s house. It was something of a
relief to be able to get home at last. However, now that she was
here she was a little disconcerted at what she found.
    Rather
than being warm and welcoming as expected, the house felt
incredibly cold and empty. She shivered and, in spite of it being
soaked, drew her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she studied
the darkened interior of the hallway. Logic told her that it was
dark inside the house because of the thunderstorm that raged
outside. Unfortunately, that didn’t help her control the feeling
that the house felt as though it was waiting for something sinister
to happen.
    Don’t be a fool, there is nothing wrong. This is
home , she chastised herself sternly as she
shuffled and hopped her way into the sitting room to light the
fire. It was difficult to kneel down to light it given that her
ankle throbbed mercilessly but, if she didn’t get some