Felice by Kathleen Bittner Roth

Author:Kathleen Bittner Roth
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zebra Books
Published: 2020-02-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Felice stared at the black velvet box Mayhew slid across the table. A wayward thought gripped her—she’d like to toss it across the room along with a few choice words. However, sitting center stage at Antoine’s Restaurant was hardly the place to make a scene.

“Open it, darling,” he urged.

Practice the pause. Curious as to whether or not Ainsworth would admit he’d had help in choosing the gift, she lifted a glass of port to her lips while she waited for her boiling anger to reduce to a slow simmer.

He reached across the table and nudged the unwanted gift closer to her, his eyes fairly glittering with anticipation, his smile as benevolent as ever. “You are intent on teasing me mercilessly, aren’t you, love? Now, open the blasted thing before I end up grinding my teeth together.”

“I cannot wait,” she managed to murmur as she lifted the lid.

Lord help me to remain calm.

Felice did not wear complicated jewelry. She preferred clean lines and simple designs. He should know this from what he’d seen her wear. Here was a necklace that belonged around Liberty Belle’s neck, not hers. Four strands of pearls made up the upper part of the necklace, meant to fit snugly around her neck. Three long strands hung below the choker in loops with large drop pearls suspended from the middle of each strand. For heaven’s sake, what was he thinking?

“Do you like it, darling?” The glint in his eyes brightened.

Practice the pause.

Another slow breath in and out.

“Isn’t this something?” she managed to say. “I know most of the jewelers in town—I’m wondering where you found this . . . this gem.”

He took a long swallow of his wine. “Oh, darling, you know men pay no heed to such trivial things. I spotted this in the window, so I walked in, purchased it, and walked right out. I doubt I even noticed the name on the establishment’s sign.”

Dear God, she’d bet her entire fortune Mrs. Worth had purchased this on her own. He’d had nothing to do with it. Damn you, Mayhew.

Practice the pause.

When she failed to respond, a look of puzzlement replaced his smile. “Darling?”

When her anger subsided, the sounds of her heart spoke to her. Right then and there, she decided to forge another path for her future. Where or what it was to be, she had no clue. She only knew this was not the man meant for her.

Mayhew’s brows knitted together. “Say something, love. You’re beginning to worry me. If you don’t care for it, I can always—”

She snapped the lid closed and slid it back toward him. “I don’t think this is for me. Not at all.”

“All right,” he said, his words coming slowly, his changing deportment telling her he realized something other than the necklace was at stake. “We’ll take it back tomorrow. You may choose whatever your heart desires.”

“I don’t mean the necklace, Mayhew. I mean us. I don’t think we are right for each other after all.”

He paled. “You cannot possibly mean that.

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