If His Kiss Is Wicked by Jo Goodman

Author:Jo Goodman [Goodman, Jo]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9780821777770
Publisher: Zebra Books
Published: 2007-08-31T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Emma wondered how her marriage might have been different if she had been honest with Restell. If she had been more resistant to his proposal, would he have pressed for the truths she concealed? It was not that she had lied to him but that she had omitted so much—and continued to go on in that manner.

He did not press, a fact that she found curious in its own right. Did he truly imagine he knew her so well, or was it that he was waiting for her to come forward? The morning after their wedding night, she’d awakened with the return of such dread that throwing off the covers required an act of supreme will. Restell had seemed oblivious to her distress, and she was both relieved and angered by it.She hardly knew what to do with herself. He’d presented her with a house that was already well run by a staff that was almost slavishly loyal to him. They anticipated his needs in a way that she doubted she ever would, even if she was of a particular mind to do so. She found herself often going to the house where she was needed. Her uncle’s home provided some small respite for her. Passing part of each day in Sir Arthur’s studio was preferable to wandering about Restell’s home at sixes and sevens.

She was prickly and out of sorts and could not seem to help herself. Again and again, her thoughts flitted back to the time she could not account for on their wedding night. She saw herself standing behind the dressing screen, then sitting on the other side of it with no memory of what she’d done in between. Daydreaming did not account for it. There was a sickness upon her, and she could not hope to keep it hidden forever.

Restell did not remain oblivious. Emma watched him grow bewildered by her uncertain moods. He approached her directly, then with kid gloves. He invited her to tell him what manner of things troubled her. He played to what remained of her humor with his own. He escorted her to the theatre, but she found the crowd uncomfortable in spite of Restell’s constant presence. He kept his promise to return with her to the park, and they took the phaeton there on warm evenings. He never begged off if she suggested they play a game of chess or cards. When she finally discovered how he earned his considerable income investing and recommending investments to his family and others, he allowed her to sit with him poring over newspapers and journals and daily reports from the insurance houses and banks. It was the one interest she’d never imagined they would share.

She had married a kind and generous man, intense and intensely curious. She’d known that at the outset and wished she might complement him in that regard. Emma witnessed the arrival of strangers to their door, men and women like her who came to him for help, sent

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.