Forbidden (CR 4) by Beverley Jo

Author:Beverley, Jo [Beverley, Jo]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Regency, General, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9781420120547
Publisher: Zebra
Published: 2011-05-31T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

The footman seemed startled at the urgency of Serena’s request. “I don’t think so, milady. Shall I enquire?”

Let him be in. “Yes, please. I will be in my room.”

Francis wasn’t at home, though, which as she’d known gave her time to vacillate and lose her nerve. Serena paced her room, tumbling from one decision to the other. Twice she almost threw the crumpled picture onto the fire but stopped herself.

As time passed, the question of the jewels came back to haunt her. Surely Tom must have been lying. But Tom did not lie about things like that; he was not a sneaky deceiver.

If Francis had won the jewels as the prize for that horse race, then he must have seen them. Why had he never mentioned them? Did he, as Tom suggested, want to use them as Matthew had used them, to stimulate his flagging desire? Did they excite him?

No. No. Of course, he would not mention them. A gentleman such as Francis would not discuss such things with his wife, even if they were no secret to her.

The more likely explanation was that he had sold them and given her the money.

That was it.

But she had to know.

Serena knocked on the door to her husband’s bedroom. When there was no answer she slipped in and, after the briefest hesitation, searched it.

She hoped not to find anything, but she found the jewels without difficulty. Her hands trembled as she opened the familiar pouch. Within, all the jewelry was out of its individual pouches and jumbled together. Could he be in the habit of pawing through it, fantasizing?

Please, no.

Foul memories washed over her, and it was as if she were back in Stokeley Manor and Matthew had just arrived to torment her.

Serena picked up the jeweled handcuffs. The heavy silver bracelets set with pearls and rubies had straps to attach them to the posts of the bed. The metal cuffs were lined with padded velvet, for Matthew had said that he did not want to inadvertently mark her delicate skin. Advertently, of course, he had once or twice whipped her harshly enough to mark her…

She clicked one around her wrist, where it looked very much like a fine bracelet. It was not tight, but well designed to be too small for her hand to pass through. She unclicked it. They were easy to get in and out of if one had the use of the other hand. She threw them down onto the glittering pile. She had hated more than anything being bound, being helpless. She had always been helpless, but when she was tied to the bed or a chair, it was made brutally clear.

If Francis had won these for her, then given her the value of them, he could be said to have purchased them for his own use. She was suddenly filled with defiant rage. She would never be used that way again, not even by the man she loved.

These jewels were hers, damn it, by law and any other right.

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