Robert couldn’t believe his minx had taken this large man down. Worse, he couldn’t believe she was capable of this type of retaliation. Even after all the years of bullshit that he’d put her through, she’d never once kicked him in the ballocks. Thank God for that!
The man was openly weeping now.
“What should we do?” Lord Blackward asked, shifting anxiously.
“Haul him in. Normally, I would say that he’s suffered enough, but if she’s turned him into a eunuch, he’s going to want to kill her. Better leave this to her father and the magistrate to handle.”
“He’s crying,” Lord Blackward said in disgust.
“I know.” Robert bent over Edward, keeping his back to the rest of the men. “Edward, you tried to kidnap Lady Elizabeth?” he asked with barely restrained fury.
Edward nodded frantically. “I’ll admit it! Please just get a surgeon! I don’t want to lose my balls!”
Robert rolled him over. “This is for Elizabeth,” he whispered before he punched the man squarely in the jaw, breaking it with an audible crack and knocking the man out cold.
“What was that for?” Lord Blackward demanded.
“He was crying,” Robert said with a careless shrug as he headed for the door before he decided to kill the bastard.
Elizabeth was pacing the foyer when Robert strolled into the house along with her father, Lord Bradford, and James. When she spotted them, she stopped pacing at once. “Well?”
The men looked her over. She was wearing a long white cotton nightgown and a wrapper. Her father and Lord Bradford looked disapproving. James looked amused. Robert looked hungry, causing her to shift nervously.
“Go to bed, dear. It’s handled,” her father said as he kissed her forehead.
“Please tell me that he’s still alive.”
“He wishes he wasn’t,” James said with a chuckle.
“A little bit of an overkill, wouldn’t you say?” Robert asked. His eyes never left hers as he watched her possessively.
“I-I had to make sure he wasn’t getting back up.”
The rest of the men laughed louder at this while Robert continued to watch her. “Oh, believe me, my dear, he’ll never get up again,” Lord Bradford said.
Her face colored. She wasn’t exactly sure what they were talking about, but she had an idea, thanks to that night in the orangery. She had kicked him pretty hard.
Repeatedly.
“From now on, you do not go anywhere without an extra man to watch you. Now go on up to bed and have Jane fetch you some tea.”
“I sent her to bed hours ago. I’ll just go to bed.” She threw one last look at the men. Obviously, he was alive. That was all she cared about. That and Robert was safe, but she didn’t want to look too deeply into that.
Robert waited an hour until the rest of the men were relaxed and deep in their card game before he excused himself for the night. He made his way upstairs. After a quick glance around the upstairs hallway, he went to the family quarters.
He already knew which room belonged to Elizabeth. Thanks to all the times he’d snuck into her room to place something gross or dead in her bed, he knew the way by heart. He listened at the door before slowly opening it. His ears were met with light snores. Adorable snores, Robert thought with a small smile.
The door shut quietly enough. After a slight pause, he decided to take his boots off. He didn’t want to wake her as he crept over to her bed. The only light in the room came from the fireplace, making it hard to see where he was going. He threw on another log and went to the bed.
Elizabeth was curled up on her side. She looked like an angel, his angel. His minx. He had to hold her. Now. He raised the covers and crawled beneath them. He curled up against her body and gently pulled her closer, careful not to wake her and not really caring if he did. Finally, Robert released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. She was safe. She was here safely in his arms. With that thought repeating in his mind, he fell asleep.
Chapter 15
“That look isn’t going to work on me, my dear. Ask your mother,” Richard said without looking up from his news sheet. “You are not going.”
Elizabeth stopped pouting immediately. It usually worked. Well, only if her mother hadn’t already used the same tactic that day. Her mother must have asked to redecorate the pink sitting room this morning. That was fine since her backup plan never failed.
“You’re right, of course, Papa,” Elizabeth said.
