A Gathering Storm by Amy Paine

Author:Amy Paine [Paine, Amy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
Published: 2016-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

“You look very thin,” Maud observed. “What’s the matter? You’re not trying to lose more weight, are you? You young things these days. All you seem to do is want to be thinner.”

“No, indeed not,” Millie replied, glancing tiredly around the imposing lounge as she wondered what she could do to distract herself and take her mind off Benita. Socialising with Maud was a necessity forced on her by her situation, and Maud expected it. Her day ran according to strict observance of habit, with lunch, tea, and dinner served on time, and other special times for social engagements. Hemsby was rather like an institution, afternoon tea with Millie being the highpoint, when Maud seemed to size her up and quiz her on her life, besides offering tuition on how to be the lady of the manor. When she had asked James about it, and criticised him for not warning her in advance as to how strict Maud was, he’d just laughed it off.

“Darling, it’s her way—well, Hemsby’s way. All the great women who have run this place have been the same. Grandmother, her mother… The best thing to do is grin and bear it. And you have to see it from Mother’s point of view. The moment we married, you became the new Lady Hemsby, so really it’s you in charge and not her. She’s fiercely territorial and has to face the prospect of giving up the way of life she’s known since she was a child. Be easy on her.”

Grin and bear it. That was easier said than done. To Millie, it seemed that although Maud had insisted her son take over the reins of control, it was definitely she who was still the matriarch and who ruled the house with a rod of steel.

She caught Maud’s eye. The distinguished lady was watching her circumspectly. She must remain composed, as the old dragon noticed the slightest change in her behaviour. Millie drifted away on a cloud of dreams as she idly flicked through a book. There was a place she would much rather be. Since she’d met with Benita, days crept forward with agonising slowness, fading one into the other and making the thought of James and his frequent caresses harder to bear. The worst part was his love of her body; she was pulling things off so well, and he sensed nothing. The way he insisted on exploring every inch of her, of having her touch and hold and amaze him with her mouth. Not that it meant anything because it didn’t. But every time, it became more difficult. She was a traitor, a traitor to Benita, who she loved body and soul.

Every time she thought of her lover, she was filled with searing heat. She couldn’t bear to be apart from her, not for a second. It was the most awful sensation, as if someone had cut off one of her arms or legs. It was becoming impossible to function without her. Her mind was full of a lethargy, making it hard to think.

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