Dreams of Desire by Cheryl Holt

Author:Cheryl Holt [Holt, Cheryl]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, Fiction, General, Historical, cookie429, Extratorrents, Kat
ISBN: 9780425239186
Google: pjw4jZ0M6IwC
Amazon: 0425239187
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 2010-12-06T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

LILY walked across the park, struggling to look inconspicuous. The second vial of Spinster’s Cure was clutched in her hand.

Despite the fact that she didn’t believe the potion contained any magical power, she was going to drink it anyway. There were hundreds of guests roaming the castle grounds, and among the large crowd, she’d noted many bachelors. One in particular had caught her eye.

Captain Bramwell was visiting, which Lily considered an omen. Had fate brought him to Lily so she could try again?

Mr. Dudley insisted it was futile to ingest another dose, that she had altered her destiny and couldn’t repair the damage, but she had to do something.

She’d recklessly surrendered her virginity to Lord Penworth, but she hadn’t understood that the act was so intimate. It had left her in a maudlin state, her emotions scraped raw as if she’d been flayed alive.

Her feelings for him had manifested in a dangerous way. She loved him, but she absolutely couldn’t. Nor could she expect any reciprocal affection. She had to buck up, had to get a grip on herself and figure out how to proceed.

Without question, she had to escape him, but where was she to go? And how was she to accomplish it?

She was in a foreign country, with very little money, and no friends except for Mr. Dudley. She could attempt to quit her job, but the earl wouldn’t let her. Her other option was to sneak away, but she truly thought that he would chase after her and drag her back. He was fixated to the point of obsession, yet he was engaged to Violet Howard. He would never break his betrothal, and Lily had to accept the reality of her situation.

Penworth might fancy her, but it was in the abstract manner of all aristocrats who dallied with their servants. Lily had spent the night with him, but she couldn’t continue with the precarious, fruitless liaison. There was no benefit to be gleaned. Only detriment.

She had to divert Penworth’s attention—and fast! Marriage would be a foil to his interest, with a husband serving the role of vital buffer to keep him at bay.

Through the woods, she heard a horse approaching, and as it neared, she could see Bramwell in the saddle. She had a clear view of him, as clear as she’d had that evening on his ship when Penworth had wrecked her opportunity.

She stared and stared, imprinting his image into her head, then she tipped the vial to her lips and swallowed.

As the liquid flooded down her throat, she smirked, thinking she’d proved Mr. Dudley wrong. Fate could be mistakenly shifted in one direction, then shifted back in the other. But as she pondered the notion, she was suddenly wrenched away.

“There you are,” Penworth said. “I’ve been searching everywhere.”

“Ah!” she shrieked, her gaze ripped from Bramwell to settle on Penworth. Again!

She peered up into his handsome face, and strange as it sounded, time seemed to grind to a halt. The forest, the sky, the breeze, the birds in the trees all disappeared.

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