Dark and Stormy

Gently reared Martin finds himself adrift without means when his uncle goes bankrupt with gambling debts. He seeks a livelihood as tutor to the young children of an earl on a remote Welsh estate. Arriving on a dark and stormy night that sets the tone for his whole adventure, he falls into intrigue, mystery, and powerful new loves -- for the three traumatized children and their enigmatic guardian.<br><br>Dylan has been called back from service in South Africa when his elder brother supposedly finds his wife with another man, kills the pair and then himself. He’ll now have to assume most duties of the earldom, raise his nephew to majority and care for three orphaned children. Desperate for help, he hires a young man sight unseen to become their tutor while he works to uncover the facts of the scandalous tragedy that tore apart his family. Both matters reveal surprising results.

Deirdre O’Dare · LGBT+

Not enough ratings

23 Chs

Chapter 19

Merlan needed three or more arms to restrain Emmaline, whose face was as white as her nightgown, while he sought to tack up the horse. He held her between himself and Dylan as he attempted to control the restive steed. In a sudden, distant thought, Martin recognized the horse. It looked exactly like the mount of the mysterious cloaked rider. Many things began to make a strange kind of sense.

Finally satisfied with the saddle, Merlan almost threw Emmaline onto the horse’s back. Although the animal snorted and danced, it did not bolt or buck. She lit on the beast’s withers and clutched a handful of its mane in a desperate attempt to stay in place. Then the man vaulted up behind her.

He kneed the horse around until it quartered toward Dylan, again keeping Emmaline between himself and a possible shot. “Go ahead,” he challenged. “You’ll hit the girl before you hit me.”

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