Passions of a Wicked Earl by Heath Lorraine

Author:Heath, Lorraine [Heath, Lorraine]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harper Collins, Inc.
Published: 2010-10-25T21:00:00+00:00

He did not want his wife!

Damnation, he did not. But bloody hell, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Westcliffe sat in a dark corner at Dodger’s, drinking fine whiskey almost as quickly as it could be poured. He’d intended to go see Anne, but he’d come here instead. The fragrance of roses wafted around him, and he had no desire to have it replaced with the scent of lilac. What an absurd thought.

But it was there all the same. Claire was uppermost in his mind, and it wasn’t fair to Anne for him to seek her out under those circumstances.

Whatever had possessed him to sip from Claire’s skin earlier?

It had been the fire in her eyes. He’d seen it often enough before they were married, when she would get in an argument with Stephen. It was the fire that intrigued him. It had been totally absent on their wedding day, as though somehow, with the taking of his name, she’d lost the very essence of herself.

Tonight Beth’s excitement over the damned ball had caused a measure of guilt to prick his conscience. Would it have been such a terrible thing to allow Claire to have a Season? He’d seen no sense in it. She’d been betrothed to him before she was born. She wasn’t in need of a suitor. Even the ever-practical Ainsley had agreed that nothing was to be gained by avoiding the inevitable. Although in hindsight, perhaps his brother had simply been ready to stop handing coins over to Westcliffe. Or more likely, not yet interested in the marriage market, he viewed balls as a waste of a man’s time.

Claire had looked so lovely this evening. He’d been glad when she’d not changed out of her attire before joining him in the library later. He’d enjoyed gazing on her—until the subject of Anne had come up. When Claire had tossed his good whiskey on him—

He gave a low chuckle. He’d reacted without thought. What gentleman tossed liquor onto a woman? What sort of gentleman retaliated at all?

He would have to apologize. Perhaps he could convince her that licking her clean had been the apology, but each sweep of his tongue had only caused his body to grow more taut. That he was able to walk out was a true testament to his determination.

He’d been surprised by her anger at the mention of a divorce. Yes, it was an act of last resort, but how many years did they have to live apart before admitting that they would never live together? He’d have thought she’d have welcomed the end to their marriage. She was young enough that by the time it finally came about, she could still marry. Surely she desired someone with whom to spend her nights.

Yes, there would be scandal. It would be impossible to avoid. But they were already the fodder for gossips with him living in London and her in the country. At least an end to the marriage would eventually bring an end to the gossip.

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