Lady X by Claudy Conn Read Free Book Online Page A

friends or family or even enough money to go off on her own and lease a place. How was she going to last until Samhain? If that wasn’t enough, now she was on a ‘joy ride’ against her will!
    This is why women of this century went around slapping men.
    And then as the coach swerved yet again, he caught her and held her close and safely in place.
    She shoved at him, and righted herself back onto the seat across from him and glared. He surprised her then by crossing over and as he sat down beside her, he put a steadying arm around her and said, “Hold tight, lass, I think we are in for a bit of a ride, and I do believe what we have experienced will get worse before it gets better.”
    “Let go of me! Did you hear me? Let go.” She didn’t know what was wrong with her or why she was behaving like this. She was so angry. She didn’t know why he didn’t just stop his friend, or knock him out or something.
    “If I let go of ye, lass, you will get hurt. A gentleman would never allow that to happen.” He held her tighter.
    The coach’s speed made its progress a rumbling ride. It created a swaying motion that sent it and them from side to side as it bumped over the badly rutted road. She admitted to herself that if he wasn’t holding her, she would have gotten tossed about. “Tell him to stop! This vehicle wasn’t made for this speed! You could stop him, so why don’t you? You are bigger than he is!”
    “Here is the thing, lass,” he paused. “If I take matters in hand, he will be worse when he comes aboot. I doona wish him to coom after the coach, and I canna keep knocking him out without doing him serious damage, if that is what ye mean by I am bigger than he is. I doona want Swit in that sort of mood. Best to let the man have a go with the reins and be done with it.” Hunter had pinned himself against a corner of the coach with her nicely tucked into his embrace, and she could see the frown on his face. It occurred to her that he was actually trying to keep her safe while his friend drove the coach.
    She said, “Please sir, then just ask your friend to stop and turn the reins over to the coachman. What he is doing is wrong, not to mention rude. I am a passenger on this coach and should not be treated in this manner.”
    “My friend, as you deem him, though I would not, will not be satisfied until he becomes bored. Surprisingly enough, he can drive, to an inch, in fact. Ye are quite correct though, this is not fair to ye lass, but I see that we are nearly at the Red Bull, where we will be stopping and yer ordeal will be over.”
    “We are not supposed to stop at the Red Bull. I shall be very late …” she fretted.
    “I am sorry, but the horses are no doubt in a sweat and will need to be rested, hayed and watered before they can go the remainder of the journey. These big cobs weren’t built for such speed.”
    “It’s all your fault!” she snapped as the coach had slowed and she managed to pull out of his arms. “You should have stopped him from the start,” she wagged a finger vigorously in his face.
    “Ye are exquisite in yer temper,” he said on a low note and then sighed.
    “And you, all three of you are loony tunes!” she snapped.
    “Loony tunes? What do ye mean? Is that an American expression? Och aye, no doubt ye mean ye think we are mad?” He sighed. “If so then we canna be held responsible for our actions then,” he said glibly. “Yer accent, lass, American I know, but the words ye use…very unusual.”
    She realized her modern tongue was going to get her into trouble. She would have to choose her words more wisely. She tried to ignore his remark for the moment and return to the problem at hand, “Your logic, is illogical,” she waved this off. “It doesn’t matter whether or not you feel responsible, I am supposed to be met by someone in Dover and not all of us are in a position to make other arrangements when we are virtually kidnapped and detoured from our