Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey Read Free Book Online Page B

interrupted her, but she chose to ignore it. “And she might have money of her own, a right comfortable amount, but just now she doesn’t even have enough to buy her passage home. Her looks and means don’t change the fact that she’s a fool, and stupid, and gullible, an ill judge of character, and not very smart, and—”
    “Ye’re repeating yerself. Stupid and not very smart—”
    “Don’t interrupt.”
    “I will when all ye’re doing is blathering. Now yer tears have stopped. Start looking on the bright side.”
    “There isn’t one.”

    “Aye, there is. Ye wouldna have been happy wi’ such a low, vile…cur, was it?”
    Her lip trembled a little trying to smile, but not quite making it. “I appreciate what you’re doing, Mac, but it’s not helping with all that I’m feeling right now. I just want to go home, and hope to God I never meet another Englishman with their oh-so-proper speech, their blasted unshakable composure, their faithless sons.”
    “I hate tae be the one tae enlighten ye, hinny, but every country has its faithless sons.”
    “Every country has its brick walls, too, but I wouldn’t marry one.”
    “Marry a…Now ye’re blathering again, and what’s this fixation ye’re having wi’ brick walls, I’d like tae know?”
    “Just take me home, Mac. Find us a ship, any ship. It doesn’t have to be an American vessel as long as it’s sailing for our part of the world and leaving soon, today preferably. You can use my jade ring to buy the passage.”
    “Are ye daft, lass? Yer father gave ye that ring, brought it all the way from—”
    “I don’t care, Mac,” she insisted, and she was now wearing the stubborn look he was beginning to really dread seeing. “Unless you’re willing to turn thief and steal the money, which I know you’re not, it’s the only thing we have that will buy us passage. I’m not willing to wait until it’s earned, I promise you. And besides, the ring can always be bought back when we get home.”
    “It’s just this quickly ye decided tae come here,lass. Ye’re supposed tae learn from yer mistakes, no jump right in tae making the same ones.”
    “If you’re preaching patience, you can forget it. I’ve had six years of patience, and that was my biggest mistake. I intend to practice impatience from now on.”
    “Georgie…” he began warningly.
    “Why are you arguing with me? Until we sail, you’re going to have a weeping woman on your hands. I thought you couldn’t abide female tears?”
    Female stubbornness was far worse, Mac decided, so he gave up gracefully with a sigh. “When ye put it that way…”

Chapter Seven
    A skyscape of sailless masts didn’t guarantee there would be at least one ship, out of so many, sailing for America in the near future. You would think it would. You might even consider it a sure bet. Georgina would have lost the wager if she had thought to make it.
    Most of the ships that had come in with theirs last month had long since departed for other ports. Discounting those ships that refused to take on passengers, there were several American vessels still remaining, but none anticipated a return to her home port before next year, too long a voyage for the newly impatient Georgina. And the one ship that was scheduled to sail directly for New York, which was close enough to Bridgeport to be ideal, wasn’t sailing anytime soon, according to her first mate. Her captain apparently was courting some English miss and had sworn he wouldn’t set sail until he was married. Which was just what Georgina needed to hear to make her rip up two dresses and toss the chamber pot out the window.
    She wanted to leave England so badly, she was already considering an eight- to ten-month voyage on one of the American ships scheduled to depart within the week, and this after only a few days of trying to find passage. When she told Mac that on the thirdmorning, he came back a few hours later with the names of three English vessels