Pleasures of a Tempted Lady by Jennifer Haymore Read Free Book Online Page B

He tasked me with turning her into a proper lady. I was her companion for almost eight years…” She hesitated to calm her suddenly roiling emotions. Together, Sarah and Jake had been her lifeline, her saviors, her sanity, her only joys. Without Sarah to love and protect, Meg would have done whatever possible to escape from Caversham years ago.
    But now Sarah was gone forever. “She died this past winter,” she murmured in a shaky voice.
    Will’s fingers over her knee squeezed a touch harder. “I’m sorry.”
    She gave a tremulous nod. The look on his face prompted her to offer more information than she’d planned. “Jake was Sarah’s child. But I am his mother now that she is gone.”
    Will released a slow breath. “And his father is this captain you speak of?”
    She nodded.
    The muscles in his jaw tightened, but the rest of him remained perfectly still. “Meg.” His voice was quiet. “Do you understand that you have no legal right to take a child away from his father? That’s considered kidnapping.” He hesitated, then added, “It’s a hanging offense.”
    “I know.” Meg would keep her composure; she would not crumble under the weight of the horror dawning in Will’s eyes. She’d never wanted to disappoint Will. He was the person she respected above everyone else. “It’s one of the reasons I cannot return to England.”
    When he didn’t respond, she continued, “I had to take him away. Jake won’t survive with his father. And I won’tsurvive with him, either. We had to escape from his cruelty and violence.”
    Her voice was hard, with only a slight waver in the words. Caversham’s brutality had increased tenfold since Sarah’s death. In his warped way, he’d loved Sarah, and she’d kept his sanity in check. Now… Meg shuddered.
    “Who is he? I’ll find him, bring him to justice—”
    “No.” Meg couldn’t even begin to explain how impossible that would be.
    Stalemate. She and Will stared at each other.
    Finally, he murmured, “Do you miss your sisters, Meg? Because they still grieve for you.”
    She clasped her hands even more tightly in her lap. Her knuckles had turned white. “I miss them more than anything. But I won’t knowingly put them in danger.”
    “And I can’t imagine going to them and telling them that you’re alive and that you chose to hide in Ireland rather than go to them for help.”
    And the truth was obvious: he would, in fact, do just that if she went to Ireland. And, though eight years had passed, she knew her sisters. She knew Serena best of all. Serena would come looking for her. She’d probably lead Caversham right to them.
    “Don’t…” Meg choked. “Please.”
    “You’re alive, Meg. You’re sitting in front of me. I can’t keep that information from your family. You know I cannot.”
    Suddenly, the future spread out before her, ice cold and crystal clear.
    After eight years living in misery but knowing that at least she was keeping her family safe, she’d failed. In attempting to save Jake, she’d thrown her entire familyinto peril. Will, too, and there was no way he could truly understand the extent of the danger to him.
    She didn’t dare to explain it to him. It would endanger him even more.
    She let out a low groan and covered her face with her hands.
    “Meg?”
    “I’m so afraid,” she whispered, shutting her eyes tight.
    His fingers tightened over her knee again. “You’re not alone anymore. Your family is powerful, and they will stand behind you. I’ll stand behind you. There’s no reason to be afraid.”
    She let her fingers slide down her face, and she gazed at Will through bleak eyes. He had no idea.

Chapter Four
    A few days later, they anchored at Plymouth. Will left the Freedom in Briggs’s capable hands, but he couldn’t resist gazing at his schooner where it sat anchored in the placid bay as he, Meg, and Jake drove away from the dock. He’d hired a carriage to take them to Exeter, where they’d sleep at an inn