Marquess of Malice by Tammy Andresen

Author:Tammy Andresen
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2020-02-10T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAD SAT by Cordelia’s bed, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest as the early morning sun filtered in through her windows.

There had been a bit of activity when her father had finally arrived home at the Chase townhouse and learned that a man had taken up watch in his daughter’s bedroom. He’d had to assure Lord Winthrop that he’d marry his daughter posthaste before the man calmed, which was not much of a promise on Malice’s part. He’d intended to expedite the process anyhow. There were advantages to being a marquess and this happened to be one of them.

Another benefit was that Lady Winthrop supported the match wholeheartedly and had bodily placed herself between Malice and her inebriated husband. Malice had said little, allowing Cordelia’s mother to do most of the talking.

He’d learned a thing or two about handling drunk men from his days running the club. He also recognized Winthrop as a frequent customer at his establishment. He was more than a little relieved the man hadn’t recognized him. They wore masks at the club, of course. And they’d floated more than one rumor that they were actually pirates, rather than lords, but still. The small domino that covered his face surely allowed a more discerning customer to recognize his identity. Then again, most men were well into their cups by the time Malice began circulating the floor.

He ran a hand through his hair. He’d slept a little last night, but he was tired enough that even his scalp hurt.

Drawing in a long breath, he looked to his right. There sat an open book on Cordelia’s desk.

Without thinking he picked it up and read the half-filled page. He smiled as he realized it was a fictional scene of their actual dance and their kiss from the night before. Flipping back several pages, he read through the story, grinning widely. He was clearly the hero of this tale, and McKenzie was just an annoying complication. He sat up straighter, his tiredness vanishing and his chest swelling with pride.

And not just because he was her love interest after all. The story was wonderful. The characters dancing off the page and capturing him. But perhaps that was because he was one of them.

He had a niggle of doubt about the ethics of what he was doing but he flipped to the front of the book and read another story. One where he surely wouldn’t be featured.

From the first word, the story captured him. It was about an orphan girl, overlooked by everyone around her. Inside, his chest tightened for the child as the story unfolded before his eyes.

He looked at the sleeping woman on the bed. Cordelia was not only breathtaking, loving, and full of compassion, she was talented beyond measure. His breath caught in his chest.

Without intending to, he read the next story. In it, this time the main character was a boy, the son of an affluent family. But his mother perishes and his father… The air rushed from his lungs.

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