His Wicked Christmas Wager by Annie Burrows

Author:Annie Burrows
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin Historical Undone
Published: 2012-10-01T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Three

“I’m sure you did your best,” said Phoebe when Lady Caroline confessed that, although she’d located Lord Sinclair, he’d been deaf to her entreaties.

But something about the tone of her voice implied she’d never believed Caroline’s best was going to be good enough. And when Sebastian arrived at Hatton Hall, he looked at her as though he hadn’t expected much of her either.

Oh, everyone was polite on the surface, but their lack of faith in her, and her own resentment at all she’d gone through on their behalf, were simmering under the surface, just awaiting the right opportunity to come to a boil.

By the morning of Christmas Eve it was all Caroline could do to sit still while her maid put the finishing touches to her hair.

Phoebe was, after all, getting her wish to be married on Christmas Day in the little parish church they’d attended since childhood. Their father was throwing an immense party, at Caroline’s expense, though nobody but the two of them knew it, so that the whole community could make it a Christmas to remember. And the house was crammed with friends and family come to wish the bridal couple well.

But was that enough for Phoebe? No. She kept shooting Lady Caroline little looks of reproach, then sighing, and hurrying to Sebastian’s side, and gazing up at him with the air of a tragedy queen, until it made her want to scream.

Didn’t Phoebe appreciate the fact that she was free to marry for no other reason than that she had fallen in love with a man who loved her too?

Which was a good thing. Of course it was. It meant that her own sacrifice, in giving up the man she’d loved, to marry Lord Fallowfield, had not been in vain.

Oh, yes—and then there was Crispin. Crispin who was not here in person, but who was very much present in everyone’s thoughts.

Especially in hers. She could not stop thinking about the bitterness in his voice as he’d accused her of leading him on. The leap of excitement she’d felt when he’d torn off his cravat and stalked to the bed. The passion in his eyes the moment before she’d stopped him kissing her.

And the fierce quarrel they’d subsequently had.

And her flight home, half naked under her coat. And the sleepless night that had followed. And all the sleepless nights since, when she’d dozed off, only to jerk awake to the feel of his fingers at her back, the echo of her garments whispering to the floor. And the way she’d lain naked, letting him look at her. Shamelessly glorying in the way he’d looked at her.

And the burn of humiliation as the dream faded, leaving her alone and humiliated in the bed she’d chosen over one she could have shared with Crispin.

And then for Phoebe to say, in that injured little voice, that she was sure she’d done her best.

Ooh!

If only she could throw a vase against the wall, or kick a few chairs over, she was sure she would feel much better.

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.