Once Bitten, Twice Shy (Choc Lit) by Courtenay Christina

Author:Courtenay, Christina [Courtenay, Christina]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Choc Lit
Published: 2012-12-22T00:00:00+00:00

The wedding took place only two weeks later and their whirlwind romance was the talk of the ton. Wyckeham obtained a special licence so they could be married quickly, and Ianthe was happy to go along with his plans. She had never craved a big, formal wedding anyway and thought their private ceremony perfect. The fact that Serena had been banished to the country and could not attend made it even better as far as Ianthe was concerned. She didn’t want anything to spoil the day.

If she had any doubts, it was only because he had yet to tell her he loved her, but she reasoned that she was asking too much and just getting along well was enough. He’d obviously based his decision on that. After all, hardly anyone married for love. Practicality had more to do with it, and there was no doubt they enjoyed each others’ company. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if he would say anything on their wedding night. They had hardly any time alone before that as the preparations took every waking moment, but once it was all over, they would be together all the time.

They set off after the reception and stopped for the night at an inn halfway to Wyckeham Hall. The marquess asked for two adjoining rooms and after supper in a private parlour, Ianthe withdrew to prepare for the night. Dupont was with her. As promised, Ianthe had asked her mother if she could take the maid with her and Lady Templeton had been only too pleased.

‘You’ll need someone you’re familiar with. It will help you to adjust to your new circumstances. By all means, take Dupont if she doesn’t mind.’

Ianthe had a suspicion her mother was being extra nice to try to make up for her previous preoccupation with Serena, although she would never admit as much.

Wyckeham took his time before he finally came to join her and when he did, Ianthe was dismayed to see that he was fully clothed.

‘Are … are you not coming to bed?’ she asked, hardly daring to look at him.

‘Not in here, no,’ he replied. He made his way over to the bed and sat down next to her, taking one of her hands in his. ‘Don’t misunderstand me. I would very much like to join you, but I think we ought to get to know one another better first. Everything has been such a rush, don’t you think? I don’t want to frighten you.’

‘I … yes, I suppose so.’ Ianthe’s heart sank. Ostensibly he was being kind, but she couldn’t help but think that perhaps he simply didn’t want her very much. It seemed obvious now that he had married her for convenience only and although he would have to consummate the marriage at some point in order to beget heirs, he was in no hurry to do so. She couldn’t complain, however. She was much better off as his marchioness than as an unmarried wallflower, so she made an effort to smile at him.

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.