Cherished by Elizabeth Thornton

Author:Elizabeth Thornton
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781626815667
Publisher: Diversion Books
Published: 2015-01-08T16:00:00+00:00

“Don’t sulk, my darling. It doesn’t become you.” He bit into her earlobe, dragging on it gently, forcing her to turn her head on the pillow. “That’s better.” He tightened his hold at her back so that she could not evade him.

Stung, she protested, “I never sulk.”

“No? What about the time I caught you kissing Lord Jeremy in the old millhouse? You would not speak to me for a week afterward.”

Her indignation knew no bounds. “I did not kiss Jeremy! He kissed me! We were only children, for heaven’s sake. And if I did refuse to speak to you for a week, that was because you let Jeremy get off scot-free while you dumped me in the millpond. My gown was ruined. Worse than that—either you or Sara carried tales! Aunt Zoë would not let me out of her sight for weeks afterward.”

“You were fourteen years old,” he pointed out. “You should have known better.”

She raised on one elbow to get a better look at him. “Oh? And I suppose at fourteen years, you were as wise as Solomon?”

“At fourteen years, I was kissing every pretty girl who was foolish enough to permit it.” He had done a lot more than kiss them, but he wasn’t going to let Emily know it.

“Aunt Zoë said you did a lot more than kiss them,” she retorted. “I heard her tell Uncle Rolfe.”

He was startled into laughter. “Zoë knows nothing about it. A boy does not confide in his sisters. And you should not have been eavesdropping on grown-up conversations.”

He was wondering if it was too soon to take her again, if she would think him no better than an animal if he pressed his attentions upon her. She was reflecting on what Adam Dillon had told her, that no one knew what Leon had suffered as a boy during the Revolution. Something else came back to her. On the night of the Prince Regent’s fête, William Addison had warned her that Leon was dangerous, that he had a checkered past.

Dragging herself to a sitting position, she hugged her knees and stared into space. Leon propped his back against the pillows, his eyes curious as he waited for her to unburden herself. With one hand, he idly caressed her bare arm. When the silence became prolonged, he cupped her shoulder and turned her to face him.

“What is it, Emily? What are you thinking?”

“I was thinking about the stories Aunt Zoë used to tell about your family, when you were all children together. You were the youngest. I think you must have been spoiled.”

“If you think that, then you are mistaken. I was the only son. One day, I knew I would be the head of my family as well as have control of my father’s financial empire. I was never allowed to forget it. My education and training began from the time I was in short coats. Sometimes, I used to envy my sisters their freedom.”

“That’s not how Aunt Zoë tells it. She

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