A Woman of Choice by Kris Tualla

Author:Kris Tualla
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Historical
Publisher: Goodnight Publishing
Published: 2010-08-29T00:00:00+00:00

June 25, 1819

“Mr. Kilbourne said that Stefan is doing quite well with his lessons,” Nicolas handed Sydney the emptied glass of lemonade. He was chopping wood, shirtless in the summer heat. “He wants to have a recital of sorts.”

“Oh?” She poured him another glass from the pitcher.

Nicolas leaned on his axe and wiped his brow with a cloth that hung from his drooping waistband. “I agreed. It’s today at candlelighting.”

Sydney nodded, smiled blandly, and handed him the cooled beverage. If she showed any interest, Nicolas might ask her to attend. And the last place in all creation that she wanted to be was any confined space with Mr. Kilbourne.

Nicolas drained the glass again, handed it to her, pulled up his sagging breeches and swung the axe into position. “You will be there, as well.”

“Stefan is your son, Nicolas. It’s your presence that’s required, not mine,” she demurred.

The axe came down in a muscle-jolting stroke that echoed through the forest. Nicolas hefted it back to his shoulder and shot her a sideways look that brooked no argument.

“You will be there,” he repeated.

The axe came down again, and she felt its repercussions shake her soul. “I don’t believe—”

“But I do.”

He straightened and turned his face toward her. Sweat dripped down his cheeks. His hair was tied back, but loose strands stuck to his neck. Salt water flowed through every sun-reddened hill and valley of his magnificent frame. The dampened breeches sagged lower.

Sydney fervently wished he would take her right then, right there. On the grass of the yard in the shade of the forest. Under the canopy of blue sky that lit up his eyes in a way that made her gut tingle. She could not have denied him any more than she could have denied herself air.

“You will be there.”

Defeated, she nodded.

“Good.” He turned and gripped the axe.

She collected the glass and pitcher. Walking back to the manor, her pulse kept sending extra heat to her nether parts. If she hadn’t been carrying the lemonade, she would have rubbed herself hard, hoping to stop the need he always fired. Damn the man.

She descended the stairs later that afternoon after changing from her work clothes into the pink cotton dress. Because Sydney could not discern what precisely about Mr. Kilbourne bothered her, it had proved easiest to avoid him altogether. She had done a fine job of it until tonight. She prayed the presentation would be short.

Sydney entered the drawing room and took her seat next to Nicolas. She smiled at Stefan and avoided Mr. Kilbourne’s gaze. When Stefan grinned back at her, she immediately regretted her reluctance to be there.

“Thank you for taking the time to attend this humble recital; our

young man here,” the teacher gestured toward Stefan, “has been working quite hard these past days and is ready to demonstrate some of his new skills. So Stefan, would you please start by counting to one hundred?”

Nicolas’s eyebrows arched. Sydney leaned forward in her chair. Addie came to stand in the doorway, wiping her hands on a towel.

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