The Pirate's Duchess: A Regent's Revenge Novella by Katherine Bone Page A

you,” Prudence said, moving to pick up the pitcher and then hurrying to Tobias’s side.
    Mrs. Denny’s footfalls retreated down the cottage corridor. Prudence knelt down and ripped a section of her gown to place it on his wound in the meantime. Seed pearls scattered on the floor. Tobias’s muscles flexed beneath her fingers, and he winced, sucking in a hiss. With nothing else to do, she allowed her gaze to wander over him in a bid to rediscover the infuriating man she’d married. If all he’d told her was true, he’d denied himself a life in order to protect hers.
    He looked no older than he had when he’d left, but there was a hardness in his eyes she felt compelled to breach. But that wasn’t all. Muscular changes had been made to his physique, pleasing her more than she wanted to admit. As she studied the fine lines of his aristocratic nose, the downward turn of his sensual mouth, pleasurable sensations flooded through her, filling her with light, empowerment, hope, and yes, love. There was still plenty of it lingering inside of her, crying out with savage intensity. By the time she stripped her gaze from Tobias’s face, tears were sliding down her cheeks. She loved him. God in heaven, after all he’d done, she still truly loved him.
    Mrs. Denny returned.
    Prudence wiped her face with the back of her hand and helped relieve the linen and ointment from the woman’s arms.
    Mrs. Denny handed Tobias a bottle of brandy, then gently pushed Prudence away. “I will tend him, madam.”
    “I can do it,” she insisted. “I helped take care of you, didn’t I?”
    “That you did. But you’ve had quite a scare and you’re as cold as death. Sit by the fire. Drink some tea. Rest. It will do you a world of good.”
    Tobias nodded, encouraging her to obey the woman’s request.
    Stinging from his dismissal, she crossed her arms, rubbing them up and down as she stepped aside. She wasn’t thirsty. All she could think about was Tobias. She didn’t want to let him out of her sight, even as Mrs. Denny blocked him from view. She knew he was in capable hands and she tried to stay calm, but an overwhelming sense she might lose him again drummed a cadence in her chest. To occupy her thoughts, she ran her gaze over the tiny cottage and its humble furnishings. Simple lace curtains hung at narrow windows, and tallow candles and a clock decorated the mantel. On the wall hung a simple painting of a three-masted ship. Sturdy high-backed chairs and an oak table filled half of the open room, and a plain settee lined with embroidered medallions faced the hearth where the Dennys’ innocent babe slept.
    Prudence knew absolutely nothing about taking care of babies. In fact, she envied Mr. and Mrs. Denny their loving home and their little family more than they could possibly know. Children were the one gift with which she feared she’d never be blessed. It had been the main reason she’d agreed to marry Basil. Yet now, with Tobias back, that dream would be unattainable. Despair gripped her, and she choked back a latent sob. What use was a family when a man wanted to spend his life fulfilling a vendetta that endangered those who loved him?
    A latch clicked at the back door. Prudence, wide-eyed, glanced at Tobias in a panic. He put up his hand and motioned for her to relax. The large wooden hinge gave way and creaked ominously as a dark-figured man walked into the cottage. Tobias didn’t appear to be alarmed at the sight of Jones Denny. In fact, he acted as if he’d been prepared for the man to arrive.
    Mr. Denny surveyed the room, paying particular attention to Tobias.
    “We have visitors,” Mrs. Denny stated the obvious, inclining her head toward Prudence.
    Tobias cleared his throat.
    Mr. Denny repeated the gesture, hiking up his belted trousers. “Before you seize up with protest, I can explain.”
    “I told you I didn’t want to be caught in the middle of this,” Mrs. Denny snapped, scolding her husband. “If you cost me her