Page 57 of Her Magnificent Mistake
An hour ago, he was talking himself into ignoring her, avoiding her, hiding from her until she and her brothers left Tostinham. A day ago, he was balls deep within her. A week ago, he’d promised himself to stay away from her. Now he’d not only begged her for help, he couldn’t imagine releasing her.
Finally, she nodded once. “Aye, Hawk,” she whispered. “Of course I will help you.”
And he exhaled in relief.
“Together?”
Her lips curled sadly. “I will help you. For as long as you want me.”
Forever.
Because once he determined Allie was safe, he was going to do everything he could to ensure he had a future with Marcia. Even if that meant facing his guilt and mistakes.
CHAPTER 10
Marcia’s fingers ached from how hard Hawk gripped her hand, but she didn’t mind. She also didn’t mind that he was distracted—frantic almost—as they searched Tostinham for Allison. It just proved that she’d been right about him.
He is not a murderer.
He’d been horrified when he’d realized that over time it washewho stood to gain from his family’s rapid deaths—and that suspicion might have fallen on him.
She hadn’t been brave enough to tell him it alreadyhad,and from one of the highest places in the land. To tell him that was why she was here at Tostinham. To tell him she’d only sought him out, only become closer with him again after so long…because he was under suspicion of being a murderer.
It was cowardice on her part, but she couldn’t hurt him that way. Not after what they’d shared yesterday.
Not after learning he still loved her.
“Where is she?” Hawk muttered. “No’ her room, no’ the parlor, no’ any place where a proper young lady should be…”
“Hawk, stop.” Marcia tugged his hand until he halted his headlong rush and turned to her, panic in his eyes. She tried for a calming smile and took his other hand in hers. “Allison is strong and capable, but decidedlynota proper young lady.” She squeezed his fingers to take the sting out of the observation. “So where would anotproper young lady be? A greenhouse? The library?”
“Artrip checked there,” he muttered, glancing over his shoulder. “The ballroom? Why would she be there?”
But he didn’t give her time to respond before he was moving again, tugging Marcia toward the ballroom.
When the door opened, the frozen tableau that met their eyes was beyond what either had possibly expected.
The window coverings had been pulled back, flooding the space with sunlight, and a heavy rug had been placed in the center of one of those sunbeams. The housekeeper sat placidly in a chair along the wall, fixing a darn in a pillow.
Matching pillows were strewn around the rug.
And standing in the middle of the rug was Allison, facing the door, her eyes wide with shock…Rupert’s forearm wrapped around her throat from behind.
“Let her go!” howled Hawk, throwing himself into the room. He wouldn’t be able to reach the couple in time, but Marcia knew he wouldn’t have to.
Information, however, that was far too complex to share in a breath.
“No! Hawk!” she called, rushing after him.
“Ye bastard!”
Likely he would have taken Rupert down and choked the life out of him, had Allison not shaken off her surprise and followed through on the fluid movement Marcia had been expecting.
With her uncle hurtling toward her yet ignoring him completely, Allison bent her knees, slid her leg back to hook Rupert’s, ducked her shoulder while gripping his forearm…and pulled him forward to flip over her shoulder with a lady-like grunt.
Rupert’s back slammed into the pillows—and the rug—the same moment Hawk reached them. Denied someone to violently attack, Hawk tripped over Rupert’s legs and sprawled on top of the younger man, as Allison stepped back, wiping her palms.
As the two men cursed at one another and tried to untangle themselves, Allison grinned happily at Marcia. “Suffra-jiujitsu. Suffrajitsu? Either way, I like it!”
