A Promise of More by Bronwen Evans

Author:Bronwen Evans [Evans, Bronwen]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Historical romance, Regency
ISBN: 9780345547293
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2014-04-14T21:00:00+00:00

When he got home, he made his way to Beatrice’s bedchamber to apologize, but when he entered her room her bed was empty. Fear gripped him. Where was she? Had she run from him?

Just then he heard a noise at their adjoining door and he turned to see her standing looking at him with hurt in her big green eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I behaved poorly.”

She crossed the room and sat on her bed. She looked at the clock. “Where have you been?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “At my club. With Hadley,” he added.

“Doing what?”

He swallowed. “Playing cards.”

“And?”

“Don’t do this, Beatrice. There is no need to browbeat me. I’ve already apologized.”

“I can smell her on you.”

“I came home to you. I left her before …”

She looked at him with fire burning in her eyes. “So, now you want me, is that it? You felt guilty at wanting another woman, so you come home to do penance and duty by bedding your wife and getting an heir.”

Anger simmered. What did she want from him? He was not a saint. He had given up fucking another woman to come home to her. He wanted only her.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I came home because I wanted only you.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? You’re my wife.”

“That didn’t seem to mean anything to you earlier in the ballroom, where you all but said you’d do anything you wanted in this marriage, and I was lucky you married me.”

“I was angry—”

“You made it clear what our arrangement meant.” With that, she stood up, undid the sash on her robe, and let it fall to the floor. Then she pulled her night rail over her head and dropped it at her feet. She stood staring at him, hurt and pride and defiance gleaming within her eyes, before climbing up on the bed, lying on her back, opening her legs, and saying, “I’m ready. I’m upholding my end of our deal. I’ll let you use my body whenever you require, but unless you engage me”—she beat her chest—“unless you take the time to know me, to respect me, I will no longer participate.”

His heart cracked as he saw a single tear trace down her pale cheek. He’d reduced what had started as a partnership of equals into some kind of cruel, master-slave relationship and he’d never hated himself more.

“Stop it. Don’t do this.”

Beatrice kept her voice even. “Do what? Do what you asked of me? Keep our feelings and emotions out of our marriage? I’m only doing what you requested.”

With a growl he moved onto the bed. “What do you want from me?” he yelled, frustration and guilt eating at him. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” He dropped his head into his hands and swore. “I’m sorry. Dunmire’s hands—”

“What has Dunmire to do with this?” she asked in a steady voice.

“He put his hands on you and you didn’t seem to object.”

“You were jealous? Of Dunmire? I despise the man. He means nothing to me.”

“I didn’t like the way seeing you with him made me feel.

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