“Piper, we’ve discussed your tactics before. Having every man at your feet simply isn’t working. I already told you, you should stop looking for a man. That is how the right one is going to land at your side. If you keep attracting every man on the East Coast, you will simply breed animosity.”
“Hush, Mother. I will find a husband, and he will take care of both of us. You ought to reconsider your engagement. I know you think you will solve our problems by marrying Mr. Abbott, but don’t you want to enjoy your later years?” And not spend them with a man who was cheap and silly? He was also constantly eyeing Piper like a hungry dog looking at a plate of meat.
“I am the mother here. Your future husband shouldn’t have to look out for me, too. I want you to take your time and find the right man.” Her mother began coughing and Piper rushed to her side.
“You have always taken wonderful care of me. Now, I want to take care of you. Off to bed with you. You need your rest.” No, her mother would not marry Mr. Abbott. Piper would find a suitable gentleman and take care of her mother this time.
***
Piper’s opinion of Mr. Abbott did not improve as their carriage headed to the docks. First, this ship was in a rather questionable area of the city. Second, he had last minute business and had left the two women to find their own way. He said he would join them on the boat.
It was admirable her mother wanted to spare her from a rushed marriage. No one knew better than her mother that Piper had yet to fall in love.
She grew so bored with all the fawning and drooling men always seemed to do around her. Her mother knew it would be difficult for Piper to survive in a marriage like that.
But her mother was British aristocracy, even if she had left that life behind to marry an American for love. She could not let her mother now marry a total buffoon. Piper was nineteen and many of her friends had married already. Her mother had given her so much. It was Piper’s turn to give to her mother. This year, she would find a husband.
Now she just had to figure out how to get rid of the annoying Mr. Abbott.
She was so lost in her thoughts, she paid little attention when the carriage ground to a halt. She assumed they were at their dock and started to adjust her skirts, but the driver’s voice made her stop cold.
“Out of the way you!” He sounded nervous. Piper sat up straighter. The sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the carriage as the driver gave a sharp cry.
“Get ‘em out right fast and get any jewels off of ‘em. Don’t you move a muscle or you’re the first one dead,” a rough voice called from just by the door. The driver did not respond.
As if on cue, her mother began to cough. Piper turned to her, eyes bulging out, begging her silently to be quiet.
The door flung open and a rough looking man climbed into the carriage. His clothes were worn and filthy. His hat was stained. He leered at her, showing several missing teeth. “Aren’t you a sweet treat.”
His dirty hand grabbed her arm and wrenched her out of the carriage. She tried to stay standing, but he was pulling her too fast. She lost her footing on the steps out, and she toppled to the ground.
He managed to keep her in his grip and yanked her back up to standing. For a split second, Piper registered three other men standing nearby before his revolting lips came down on hers.
She had never kissed a man before and tears sprung to her eyes that this was her first experience. His breath stank and disgusting hands pawed at her. She had never felt dirtier in her life. She twisted her body to try and get out of his grasp
The man stopped suddenly and Piper opened her eyes, hoping to be rescued. But another, even more revolting man, had his hand on the first man’s arm. “You gotta share,” his voice accused.
“Wait your turn. I got her first,” her attacker replied.
Fear welled up in Piper as the second man grabbed her other arm. A scream rose in her chest as the two men pushed each other with her in between.
Suddenly a horse’s hooves rose over the sound of the scuffle, and Piper turned her head to see a rider bearing down on them. Was he another attacker?
He looked gigantic riding on an even larger horse. His cape billowed off his broad shoulders. Piper’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of him.
Without a word, he rode into the middle of the group and knocked one of the assailants up the side of the head with a baton. The man fell to the ground like a sack of bricks.
The horseman swung back around and knocked the other man down. Then he jumped off his horse as he pulled two pistols out from his belt. Piper jumped in fear as he raised the pistols pointing them at her and the remaining two thieves.
“Get out of here now,” His voice growled out, rich and deep. She thought for a second she detected an accent. He straightened with the pistols in his hands. The movement accentuated how incredibly broad his shoulders were. His body tapered down to a trim waist. Everything about him was distinctly masculine.
The two thieves looked at him for a split second and then began running down the street. He holstered the guns and then dragged the other two men to their feet.
“You two. Out of here.” The other men stumbled away. Piper backed towards the carriage. His accent was British but muted.
Somehow, Piper was almost more afraid of him than she had been of those other men. She had no idea what his intentions were, now that they were alone. He was incredibly muscular and had just taken out four men without even trying. “P-p-please.” Pipe hadn’t realized she was backing up until she bumped into the carriage. Her breathing was rapid and she couldn’t seem to slow it down. Chest heaving, her hand fluttered to her neck in an attempt to calm her racing heart.
He glanced at her and surprise lit his eyes. He moved a step closer and Piper pressed herself against the carriage. She tried to speak again. “I don’t have any money. Please leave us be.”
“Money?” Amusement laced his gravelly voice but he stopped moving towards her. His eyes, however, slowly moved up and down the length of her. He seemed to drink in every detail.
Piper noted during his perusal he was well dressed. He was also incredibly handsome, although not in the way many of her suitors were. His jaw was strong and his face hard and angular. It added to his look of power and danger. His dark hair was neatly tied back despite the struggle. She should have been comforted he was from her class but her heart wouldn’t stop racing.
“Where are you going in this section of town at this time of night?” his rough voice grated out.
Her eyes grew larger. Her breathing continued to be ragged. “We have passage on the Maria tonight to New York. My mother’s friend booked it. It was a good price, I suppose. We wouldn’t normally be here, we just wanted…” Dear God, she was rambling. She never rambled. Men rambled around her. She sat coolly appraising them as they made fools of themselves.
He stepped closer again and her heart beat even faster. His eyes were dark pools of mystery. The kind a woman could get lost in. They travelled over her face again and down her neck to her cleavage.
Her hand fluttered automatically to cover the spot. But for some strange reason, her lips parted and her tongue darted out to lick them.
He quirked a small smile and Piper actually gasped. It made him even more mysterious. And handsome. Her nerves were raw, and unsure what to do, she started rambling again. “I have never been at the docks this time of night. Those men, they almost…” Her eyes filled with tears and although she tried desperately not to, a single tear leaked from her eye and trickled down her cheek.
His hand reached up and, ever so gently, he used the pad of his thumb to brush the tear away.
A jolt shot through Piper. It was like lightning travelling through her body. She licked her lips again and her eyes darted from his eyes to his lips. What was happening to her?
His thumb was still on her skin and his entire hand enveloped her cheek to gently cup it as he turned her face up towards his.
Piper was in a trance, she was powerles
s to protest. His lips were drifting closer to her own. Without realizing it, his body had also been moving closer and his chest brushed her hand that was covering her cleavage.
Suddenly her mother coughed again from inside the carriage and his head snapped up. “Who are you travelling with?”
“My-my m-m-mother,” her breathy voice was strange to her own ears.
“You’re both coming with me.” He grabbed her hand and tugged open the carriage door.
“Where?” Piper’s strangled voice cried.
ABOUT TAMMY ANDRESEN
Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.
You can learn more about Tammy by visiting her website. www.tammyandresen.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tammyandresen
Facebook: http://facebook.com/authortammyandresen
What the Critics are saying
“The characters are well-developed and interesting, the plot is edge-of-your-seat intriguing, and the setting is one with so much history. If you are a fan of history mixed with mystery and intrigue, you won't be disappointed.” Linda Thompson THE AUTHOR SHOW
“While the relationship between Lily and Eric is the primary focus of this story, the mystery/supense factor is what kept this from being JUST a historical romance. Lily in Bloom was a fast-paced, romantic read that I absoutely LOVED.” http://alysenovak.blogspot.com
”… it held not only a pure romance but the simple magic that goes with it. I was enchanted with this story from the beginning until the end and I didn’t want it to end. I wanted it to go on.” Robin
Table of Contents
Stealing a Lady's Heart
Copyright
Titles by Tammy Andresen
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Excerpt of Taming a Duke's Reckless Heart
About Tammy Andresen
Stealing a Lady's Heart: A Regency Fairytale (Fairfield Fairytales Book 1) Page 11
