A Summer in Time (Train Through Time Series Book 6) by Bess McBride

Author:Bess McBride [McBride, Bess]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bess McBride
Published: 2017-10-12T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

John opened his eyes to the gray light of predawn breaking through his bedroom curtains. He slipped his arm behind his head and stared at the ceiling above the bed.

Gem’s words troubled him. Solitary existence. While he had experienced solitude, even loneliness, he had not envisioned his life over the past few years in such stark terms.

But Gem had knowledge that he did not. As if she was some sort of seer, she knew the extent of his life, and the concern in her voice pained him to his core.

He didn’t want her to think of him as some sort of friendless, unsociable curmudgeon who led a “solitary existence.” He was not prepared to join in every imaginable social event in town, but neither did he want her to see him as a lonely hermit.

He wasn’t certain why, but her opinion mattered more to him than that of anyone else, including his brother. And she pitied him. He heard it in her voice, and he couldn’t bear it. He wanted more than anything to earn her admiration, not her pity.

Gemima Holliday, descendent.

No, he corrected himself, not a descendent of his, according to her.

Suddenly anxious to go down to breakfast, he rose from bed. Pulling his dressing gown down from its place over the full-length oval mirror, he paused before slipping it on. He rarely studied his body in the mirror. He hated everything about it. He forced himself to look.

What woman could ever love a man as disfigured as he? He could not even wrap his arms around a woman, could not hold her waist as they danced, could not enfold her in a warm embrace in wintry weather. He could barely maneuver an automobile, and only then with assistance.

The ragged scars at his shoulder disgusted him. The scars that ran down his face and neck, despite the beard, repulsed him. In fact, he did not care for facial hair, but he maintained it to cover his facial disfigurement.

He turned away, shrugged into his robe and made his way down to the bathroom. While washing up, he focused on the vision of Gem and the beautiful dress she had worn the previous evening.

By the time he emerged from his room, fully dressed, his mood had lifted, and he hurried down to breakfast. Gem had not yet arrived.

Sally turned to him as he entered the breakfast room.

“Good morning, John. Is your guest still sleeping in this morning?”

Her disdainful tone grated on him. He shook his head in annoyance and scanned the open doorway before replying.

“What on earth has set you against Miss Holliday, Sally? It is misplaced, inappropriate, and I forbid your rudeness!”

Sally was not cowed. He had admired that about her, but at the moment, the character trait irritated him greatly. He had been too lax with his housekeeper for too long, allowing her too many familiarities.

“I am certain it is none of my business, John, but since you ask, I will speak freely.”

John never doubted that she would.

“I think she is after your money, John.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.