The Redemption of a Rogue (Dark Regency Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

unmarried, even admitting to being along with him was enough to see her ruined.
    “Is this true, Miss Barrows? Have you engaged in lewd behavior with this man?” the Squire demanded.
    Abby was embarrassed to her toes. She could deny it, but no one would believe her. “We were alone together at the time that Lord Allerton was so grievously injured, Squire. Surely that is all the information that you require.”
    Lavinia stepped forward; her eyes were hot with anger and jealousy. “How dare you shame my husband and I this way! You will not remain in this house!”
    Michael stepped between the two women. The hypocrisy of the situation galled him. “You will keep a civil tongue, Lady Lavinia, when you are addressing my future wife.”
    Lavinia’s face became red with anger; her fingers curved into talon-like claws as she glared at them. “Rupert would never consent to such a union!”
    “I am five and twenty, Lavinia. I do not require your husband’s consent,” Abby said mildly. This only served to spur Lavinia further into rage, and she leaped forward as if to attack. Two of the gentlemen present grabbed hold of her, hauling her back as she screamed and ranted.
    The Squire stepped forward, “If I find that this engagement is a sham just to throw suspicion elsewhere—“
    Michael nodded, taking Abbi by the arm and leading her away from the others. Over his shoulder, he said, “Rest assured, Squire Blevins, that Abigail and I will marry as soon as possible.”
    Footmen were called to remove the body that would be sent on to Lord Allerton’s family. It was arranged for a messenger to ride ahead and warn his relatives. As the remaining guests dispersed, Michael whispered to Abby, “Get your things. You are not staying here tonight.”
    “I can’t leave with you! Think of the scandal!” Abby protested.
    Michael’s grip on her arm was forceful but gentle as he steered her away from the house. “It may have escaped your notice, but the only other person who was in this garden tonight was your stepsister! Given the viciousness of her temper, I do not doubt for a minute that she is more than capable of murder.”
    Abby looked over her shoulder and saw that Lavinia was still spewing venom. She didn’t doubt it either. “I’ll meet you at the stables,” she said.
    Michael’s expression hardened, his lips firming. “No, we’re leaving now…I’ll have a maid gather your things and send them to Blagdon Hall. It is too dangerous for you to go in alone. You cannot afford to trust anyone here. At present, I am the only person you can be sure isn’t a murderer.”
    He was right, of course. Given how quickly the squire had moved to point the finger at him, there could be no question that it was what Lavinia wanted everyone to believe. Squire Blevins didn’t sneeze unless her sister gave him leave to do so.
    Abby watched as he delivered instructions to a footman, and then returned to lead her to the stables. In her bare feet, the damp grass was chilly, but she didn’t complain. Thinking of Lord Allerton, she realized she had very little to complain about.
    ~*~*~
    By midnight, Abby was once again in her velvet draped bed at Blagdon Hall. The return trip atop Lord Ellersleigh’s mount had been an eye opening experience for her. She’d never before been so close to any man, unless one counted her near misses in Rupert’s clutches.
    Thinking of Lord Ellergsleigh, and the ease with which he’d mounted the horse and then hauled her up before him as if she weighed nothing more than a feather, left her breathless. Given that many had previously referred to her as being full-figured, or good country stock, that was a bit of a revelation. For the nearly half hour journey on the road between Whitby House and Blagdon Hall, she’d been seated before him on his horse, cradled between his strong thighs with his arms wrapped about her. Pine and sandalwood would ever remind her of him.
    As she prepared for bed, she was painfully