Page 47 of Bargaining for the Barrister
Chapter 21
Paul watched as the womenretreated from the dining room after dinner. His friends had done remarkably well at keeping Louisa company when he felt he could not. Not after last night. He had done his best to act as a Rebel would... no, as a friend would. Never mind that he had enjoyed it. Now he must regain his bearings—even if it killed him to sit back and do nothing with two imbeciles in their company.
He heard Louisa excuse herself from the other ladies right before the dining room door shut. She was likely going to freshen up, but Paul was more concerned that Mr. Turner, who sat near the end of the table had also caught every word. He was what Paul would call a dandy and far too sure of himself.
Just as Paul was beginning to predict, Mr. Turner stood, also excusing himself. As soon as he slipped through the door, Paul was on his feet. Ian caught his eye, but Paul shook his head. He had promised to leave the protecting to other men tonight, but he couldn’t pass up this opportunity. Mr. Turner was a weasel, and Paul thrived on ferreting out scum. It was literally his job. The others could see to Louisa, and he would gladly see to Mr. Turner.
He slipped into the corridor as noiselessly as he could, just in time to see Mr. Turner enter the library. If he were a betting man, he would stake money that Louisa had retreated to that room for a respite. Under normal circumstances, he would smile at the thought of her disappearing there instead of joining the other ladies in the drawing room, but with Mr. Turner on her heels, a ball of dread formed in his stomach. He quickly made his way down the corridor when a sudden, almost imperceptible thud sounded on the other side of the door. Reaching for the handle, he hesitated. Mr. Turner had likely dropped a book. And Louisa could be elsewhere. Was Paul just being foolish? Maybe, but it wouldn’t hurt to simply check on the wandering guest.
With a yank, he opened the library door, revealing Louisa’s frightened face and Mr. Turner standing much too close to her. “Paul, thank heavens!” Louisa said, clutching her throat. She stepped toward him. “I was just—”
Mr. Turner intercepted her escape and cut off her words. “Aw, dearest, we’ve been caught. There’s nothing more to do. You’ll have to marry me.” He put his arms around her and forcefully pulled her to him.
Louisa gasped and pushed on his chest to no avail. “Mr. Turner! I demand you stop!”
In an instant Paul was beside them, his hand grasping Mr. Turner’s shoulder, disgusted to have to touch such a man in the first place. Even after giving him a good shake, Mr. Turner’s grip was tight and the man would not release Louisa.
“Let her go, or so help me, you’ll regret it.” Paul grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted it, making Mr. Turner grit his teeth and loosen his hold.
“Mind your own business,” Mr. Turner said, kicking at Paul and regaining his grip.
Louisa was more his business than Mr. Turner’s. Paul wanted to sock him in the face, but how could he fight him without hurting Louisa?
“What’s going on in here?” Ian said from behind him. Paul turned to see not just Ian but Miles and Tom rush into the room.
Instantly, Mr. Turner released Louisa, who nearly crumpled into Paul’s arms.
“She’ll have to marry me.” Mr. Turner took a step back even as he said it. “Her reputation is at risk.”
Paul pulled Louisa closer to shield her from the ugly threats. He rubbed her back, trying to soothe her trembling form.
Ian, on the other hand, just laughed. “You’re a week or so late for that one. She’s already been caught alone with Mr. Sheldon.”
Mr. Turner’s dismayed expression was comical, and Tom wasted no time in grabbing the man’s arm in a viselike grip. Miles copied him and latched on to the other arm. Mr. Turner was everything Paul had expected him to be, and now there would be no reason for Lady Kellen to keep him as a guest.
“We’ll get rid of this one,” Miles said, as though reading his thoughts. “Paul, take a minute to help Louisa calm down, and then both of you get back into the drawing room. No one needs to know about what just happened.”
As soon as the library door shut behind them, Louisa shivered in his arms. Paul looked down at the top of her head, relief filling him. What if he’d returned to the dining room? It might have been too late. He relished the feel of her in his arms, reminding him of the rightness he’d felt when he’d caught her to him at the pond. She was safe here beside him. But every second she remained made him question himself. A man should not hold a woman he did not intend to keep.
Louisa started to pull back, and Paul reluctantly let her, his hands sliding off her back and down her arms. He should let her go completely, but he wanted to make sure she was all right. She had still suffered unjustly, and the thought sickened him.
But then her small smile appeared, startling him. Though it did not reach her ears by any means, he had expected tears instead. “That could have been awful.” She took a long breath and released it slowly. “I’m so glad you discovered us.”
“Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head, making the big, loose curls around her face move like leaves twirling down in the fall. Lands, she looked beautiful tonight. The rose hues of her gown brought out the natural color in her cheeks, and her blue eyes sparkled. Tom’s nickname for her was fitting tonight. With the flowers in her hair, she made a divine nymph—one Paul could not look away from.
“Thank heavens you’re all right,” he replied, his voice huskier than he’d intended.“You have already been asked to endure too much.”
“I had it fairly easy before Papa and Mama were killed. Everything since that point...” Her voice wavered, and she gave him a sheepish smile.
Paul imagined the rest of her sentence and saw a flash of pain that she tried so hard to mask. “I wish they were here with you now, offering their comfort. Or even your brother.”
She bit her lip. “My brother wouldn’t have noticed I’d disappeared. Logan lives in his own world now. He’s pulled into himself and grieved alone. If only he’d learned more about Mr. Turner and Mr. Davies when we were home together, he could have prevented this whole business.”
No wonder she had come to Brookeside. She had been left to herself to overcome her heartache. Paul released her lower arms and captured her hands, longing to offer her some tangible proof that she was no longer alone in the world. She had friends who cared about her. “I hope you will accept my assistance in their stead.”
She blinked, as if to resist tears that had to be close to the surface. “Twice now you’ve protected me from Mr. Turner. I would say you’re filling in for them rather nicely.” She looked at him, and when their gazes connected, he lost himself in her eyes.
