The Magic of You by Johanna Lindsey Read Free Book Online

business.”
    “Easy for you to say,” she snorted.
    “You come from good breeding stock,” he reminded her. “Your mother had six with little fanfare, and, good God, they must have all been little monsters when they arrived, to go by the size of them now—present company excluded.”
    “Don’t make me laugh, James.”
    “That was the idea.”
    “I know, but just now it hurts.”
    “Georgie—”
    “Shh, I’m fine. It’s not really bad yet, and you were right, I do come from hardy stock.” Then she sighed dramatically. “It’s what we women have to suffer for our pleasure, though just once I’d like to see a man suffer the same for his.”
    “Bite your tongue, George. D’you want to see the end of the human race?”
    She giggled—she could, now that she was temporarily between contractions again. “Oh, I don’t know. I have every confidence that you could handle it. Can’t say the same for the other men in your family. And you can forget about the men in mine, though Drew’s been known to come up laughing when he gets knocked down. He might be able to tolerate the pain well enough. ’Course, that’s only two out of soooo many, so I see your point. The race would definitely die out if we left it to you men to carry it on.”
    “You needn’t sound so bloody smug about it, George,” he grumbled.
    “Just looking at the broader scheme of things, and how we women really have no choice in the matter when it comes right down to it. After all, you won’t see us being responsible for the end—”
    “You’ve made your point, m’dear,” he cut in dryly, then said tenderly, “Feeling better?”
    “Yes,” She grinned.

Chapter 6
    Warren Anderson was pacing the parlor floor, and watching the clock on the mantel over the cold hearth. It was a quarter to four in the morning. If Georgina didn’t get this thing over with soon, he was going to…he didn’t know what. Smash James Malory’s face, probably. That idea had merit—no, he couldn’t. That blasted promise. Though James wasn’t likely to notice just now if he got his face smashed. The man looked even worse off than Warren felt, which was like hell.
    God, he was glad he hadn’t been home when Clinton’s wife had had her two babies. He’d been on one of his China runs both times,which could take from two to four years at a stretch, depending on the mood of the ruling warlord. But the Skylark line wouldn’t be sailing to China anymore, not after the powerful Lord Zhang Yat-sen had reneged on a wager and would be out for blood if he ever saw any of the Andersons again. Zhang had certainly tried to end their days that night in Canton, sending his deadly minions after Warren and Clinton, who’d been together at the time, wanting their heads as well as his precious antique vase, which Warren had just won from him in that fateful game of chance. If Warren hadn’t been so drunk that night, he would never have put up his ship against that priceless vase, but he had and since he had, he was damn well keeping it.
    Clinton had been of the same mind, coveting the vase even more than Warren. But their possession of it, fairly won, had ended their China trade. You simply didn’t displease a man like Zhang, who was nearly godlike in the power he wielded in his little kingdom, and live to tell about it. Zhang proved that night that he’d have their heads on a platter if he could just get his hands on them, but thanks to their crew’s timely rescue, Zhang’s men had failed in their attack on the docks.
    Warren wasn’t going to miss the China runs, however, since he’d grown bored with those longer trade routes and being away from home so often. Maybe if he’d been homemore, Georgina wouldn’t have set out to find her missing fiancé in England, and ended up finding James Malory instead.
    Thinking about the deadly enemy he’d left half a world away still didn’t keep Warren’s mind off his sister for very long.
    Four o’clock in the morning.
    How