His Wicked Embrace Read Online Free PDF Page A

pleased to see him master his anger so quickly. Now if she could only prevent him from becoming so distraught in the first place, she would feel she had made real progress.
    â€œIs everything all right, Miss Browning?”
    Isabella raised her head tentatively, experiencing a vast sense of relief when she gazed into the familiar face of Hodgson, the coachman. His watery brown eyes were filled with concern.
    â€œIs everything all right?” The older man repeated his question when Isabella did not readily answer.
    â€œEverything is fine, Mr. Hodgson,” Isabella assured the coachman. “The children have had a minor disagreement, but all is well.”
    Isabella relaxed her grip and relinquished her tight hold on Robert’s shirt collar. She favored him with a stern, pointed stare. “Isn’t there something you wish to say to Caroline?”
    The boy’s lower lip jutted out rebelliously, but after a few moments of tense silence, he muttered a somewhat ungracious apology to his sniveling sister.
    It was not precisely the kind of apology Isabella felt was proper, but she was not about to press the point. She gathered the three children close to her and spoke to the coachman.
    â€œI believe it is time for us to return home, Mr. Hodgson.”
    â€œYes, Miss Browning.” The coachman tipped his hat politely and began climbing the embankment toward the gravel path where the carriage awaited them. The children and Isabella followed close behind.
    â€œAnd just where do you think you are going, Emmeline?”
    Isabella groaned out loud at the sound of the now-familiar voice. Oh Lord, not him again, she thought with genuine dismay. The ruckus with Robert and the girls had momentarily distracted her from the stranger’s disturbing presence. He had not, unfortunately, forgotten about her.
    Isabella could feel him walking closely behind her, but she waited until they reached the carriage before addressing him.
    â€œAs I have explained to you before, sir, I am not Emmeline,” she stated in a voice dripping with icy formality. Dismissing the stranger with a curt nod of her head, she deliberately turned her back on him and ushered the children into the carriage. Their young faces were shining brightly with curiosity, but they wisely did not question their governess.
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    Damien knew he had upset her. He did not miss the dark flush of anger on her cheeks, or the sparkle of annoyance in her beautiful eyes. Emmeline has learned to control her temper much better these past few years, he noted wryly to himself. But angry or not, he was hardly going to allow Emmeline to simply walk away from him. The earl sprang into action the moment he saw her raise her foot to climb into the carriage. Moving swiftly, he blocked her entrance.
    â€œYou cannot possible think I will let you go so easily,” he said in a deliberately sarcastic tone.
    He stood before her like a wall of granite. There was a challenging gleam in his steely gray eyes, a waiting look on the arrogant features of his handsome face. Isabella looked up at him and felt a cold fury sweep through her. She had been polite; she had been patient; she had been tolerant. Now she was furious.
    â€œYou have no choice but to let me go, sir,” she spat at him in a scathing tone, “since I am not, nor have I ever been called Emmeline. And furthermore, I strongly suggest you refrain from accosting innocent young women in broad daylight or you might find yourself arrested and locked up in Bedlam, which in my opinion is precisely where you belong!”
    Damien felt a flicker of uncertainty. Was it possible he had made a mistake? He attempted to look more closely into the woman’s face, but she turned her head up to the driver. “Take us home at once, Hodgson,” she commanded.
    Isabella put a firm hand on Damien’s sleeve and tried to push him out of her way. Her action startled the earl and in his confusion he