Bride for a Night by Rosemary Rogers

Author:Rosemary Rogers [Rogers, Rosemary]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HQN
Published: 2011-10-19T20:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

HALTING JUST WITHIN the gates of Calais, Lord Rothwell tugged Talia into the shadows of a slumbering church, his expression set in obstinate lines as he repeated the same lecture she had endured since leaving the yacht and making their way along the rugged coastline.

“No,” she at last interrupted. She could not bear to listen any longer to Lord Rothwells’s tedious list of reasons why she must remain hidden near the gates while he explored the streets in search of Gabriel. “I will not be left behind.”

Dressed entirely in black, Hugo heaved a resigned sigh even as he studied her with odd fascination. Almost as if he did not quite know what to make of her.

“Dammit, are you always so stubborn?”

Talia squared her shoulders, prepared for battle. “I am not being stubborn, this is simply something I must do.”

“Because you care for Gabriel.”

It was a statement of fact, not a question, and Talia shrugged in embarrassment at the realization that he had so easily read her aching need to reach Gabriel.

“He is my husband.”

The nobleman shrugged, his handsome face shrouded in shadows.

“That has little meaning in society.”

There was no arguing with his logic. Marriages among the ton were made to consolidate power or wealth or social standing. Usually a combination of all three.

The unions had nothing to do with something so foolish as love.

“It has meaning to me,” she muttered. So what if she was revealing emotions she preferred to keep hidden? Her pride was not nearly so important as rescuing her husband. “I cannot wait here doing nothing when Gabriel is in danger.”

Lord Rothwell gave a slow shake of his head. “He did warn me that you are unique.”

Talia flinched. Unique, of course, was just another means of branding her as peculiar. An insult she had endured since her arrival in London.

“I will not apologize for being concerned for my husband’s welfare,” she hissed.

Catching her by surprise, Rothwell abruptly reached out to give her hand a gentle squeeze.

“No, it is I who owe you an apology.”

“Why would you owe me an apology?” she demanded warily.

“Because I know the folly of society’s habit of judging others upon nothing more substantial than rumors and innuendoes.” He heaved another sigh. “And yet that is precisely what I did to you.”

Was the arrogant brute actually apologizing? She would have wagered her mother’s pearl necklace that such a man had never admitted to being wrong in his entire life.

Bemused, she met the steady golden gaze. “You were concerned for your friend.”

He dipped his head in agreement. “I was, but even after I realized he was far from unhappy with his marriage I continued to allow my prejudice to sway me.” He offered her a rueful smile. “It is not a mistake I will make again.”

Her answering smile was wistful. After his unexpected honesty, how could she be any less truthful?

“No, it was not a mistake,” she assured him softly, her gaze absently straying over the dark silhouette of the Place d’Armes that had

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