Dorinda and the Doctor by Jeffries Sabrina

Author:Jeffries, Sabrina [Jeffries, Sabrina]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub, mobi
Publisher: Pocket Star
Published: 2014-06-16T04:00:00+00:00

4

PERCY COULDN’T BELIEVE it. Dorinda was his at last, every warm, beautiful inch of her. She still sat sprawled across him, her body wrapped about his like a fragrant cloak, and he wished he could keep her there forever.

He glanced beyond her, then laughed.

“What?” she murmured sleepily.

“I think Seymour is jealous.”

She roused to glance behind her. “How can you tell?”

“He’s slumped in his chair again.” They must have been vigorous enough that the vibrations along the floor had shaken him back down into that position. “Clearly he’s disappointed that I’m the one who has you in his arms and not he.”

She laughed. “I don’t know—it looks to me as if he’s hiding his face in embarrassment. Poor Seymour got to see more than he bargained for.”

He groaned. “That’s the worst pun I’ve ever heard.”

“He’s practically stiff with indignation.”

“Please stop,” he said.

Her eyes twinkled. “Or perhaps he’s just looking on the floor for a skeleton key.”

A laugh escaped him, despite himself. “You’re amazing, do you know that?”

“Because I make bad jokes?”

“About a skeleton. Which most women would regard with horror and loathing.”

“Most women haven’t spent as much time in doctors’ offices as I have.”

That sobered him. “Does it bother you? Being here among the medicines and the nasty implements?”

She brushed a kiss to his lips. “Not when you’re here.”

His heart caught in his throat. “Marry me.”

Her eyes went wide. “That’s . . . rather precipitous, isn’t it?”

“Hardly. I’ve known you for five months and lusted after you for four and three-quarters. I would have asked you for your hand three months ago if you hadn’t been still in mourning. And if I’d thought I had any hope of your consenting.”

She dropped her gaze to his chest. “What about my inability to give you children?”

“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “Besides, don’t let those quacks tell you that it’s only the fault of a woman if a couple can’t bear children. It’s perfectly possible that your husband was the problem. You may not even be barren at all.”

Her eyes met his, suddenly wary. It stymied him. He’d thought he was giving her good news.

“I think I’d better go,” she murmured.

He blinked. “Why?”

Slipping from his grasp, she left him to go pull on her shift. “If I don’t return in enough time to dress for dinner, they will realize something is amiss.”

“Let them. Once we tell them we’re marrying—”

“I haven’t agreed to that,” she said sharply.

He leapt to his feet. “What’s wrong, Dorinda?” he demanded as she shimmied into her stays.

“Nothing.” She presented her back to him. “Will you please do me up?”

Gritting his teeth, he did as she asked. He’d gone awry with her somehow, but he wasn’t sure where. “Are you saying you do not want to marry me?”

“We can talk about it later.” Swiftly she pulled on her front-fastening gown and did it up. “Right now I have to go.”

“Damn it, Dorinda,” he bit out, grabbing her by the arm and forcing her to face him. “What is this all about?”

Her eyes filled with tears.

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.