Love and Marriage by Alexandra Ivy

Author:Alexandra Ivy [Ivy, Alexandra]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2017-07-05T04:00:00+00:00

Eight

Gabriel gave a faint grimace as they entered the shadowed mustiness of the grotto. Although it was thankfully dry, most of the delicate furnishings had been removed and only dust and cobwebs remained.

Perhaps it had not been such a brilliant notion after all, he wryly conceded.

When he had first pondered an appropriate place to have his wife to himself, the island had struck him as a perfect location. Not only would they be assured of their privacy, but there was a lingering sense of love that his grandparents had created.

Now he could only give a rueful sigh at his choice. They might be alone, but there was nothing romantic about sitting upon a hard floor with the threat of spiders lurking in the corners.

He had warned Humbly he possessed no hand at wooing women.

Still, there was nothing to do but attempt to make the best of the situation.

“Dear heavens, it is worse than I feared,” he admitted with a glance toward his silent companion. “Are you game, or would you prefer to return to the house?”

She gave a faint shrug. “We have come this far. I do not propose to cry craven unless you wish to do so.”

“Good girl,” he complimented her with a smile. With swift motions he spread a blanket upon the floor, then, waiting for Beatrice to take a seat, he settled close beside her and began to fill the plates with the large quantity of food that had been provided by Cook. “Ah, a veritable feast,” he said, handing one of the full plates to Beatrice. “Here.”

“Thank you.” With a rather self-conscious manner she began delicately tasting the salmon in lobster sauce, beef, olives, potatoes, and fresh oranges.

Gabriel poured them both a glass of champagne before leaning back to regard his wife with a curious expression.

“Now, tell me more of your childhood.”

She appeared startled by his command. “There is little to tell. In truth, it was all very dull.”

“Indulge me,” Gabriel insisted, wanting to know more of this woman he had made his countess. In far too many ways they were still virtually strangers. If he hoped to achieve a more intimate relationship, he realized he needed to know more of her hidden thoughts and feelings.

She paused before giving a lift of her hands. “I was fortunate in that my parents were very devoted to me.”

“They were good parents?”

Her lips twisted. “As you know, they are beautiful, charming, and the darlings of society. You can imagine their confusion when they were given a daughter like me. They did their best, however, to hide their dismay.”

Gabriel was not overly impressed. He had only briefly met his in-laws, but they had struck him as shallow nitwits who had no true comprehension of their daughter’s unique qualities.

“Not well enough,” he muttered.

She lifted her brows. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Being beautiful and charming or even the toast of society is all well and good, but possessing a kind and generous soul is far more commendable,” he said in forceful tones. “That they allowed you to believe you were somehow lacking the finer qualities is reprehensible.

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.