Propositioned by a Lady

Author:Paige Cameron [Cameron, Paige]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Adult, Erotic, Historical Romance
Goodreads: 12812414
Publisher: SirenBookStrand
Published: 2011-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

* * * *

Lydia’s maid helped her undress and left the room. She’d left the dance after telling her aunt she was tired and didn’t feel well. Aunt Agnes gave her a good hard look before agreeing.

Sitting at her dressing table, Lydia stared at her reflection then closed her eyes. She’d pushed the memory of that horrible night so deep into her memory, but seeing him tonight had brought all of the details rushing back. It had happened about a year before her husband died. He’d become obsessed with her giving him an heir to the point he didn’t care who the father was, just that she had a baby.

Cold sweat broke out all over her thinking about that night. Bile rose to her throat. She paced her room while she tried to force the memory away. If Trout learned of the incident, he’d be disgusted, and if it got out to others, the rabid gossip of the ton would ruin any chance Penelope had of receiving a respectable offer. What did Aldis want? She was sure his arrival in town was not a coincidence. The striking of the clock caught her attention, midnight.

She hurried down the stairs, through the empty kitchen to the back door. Peeking outside, she spotted Trout leaning against a large oak tree. She opened the door cautiously to prevent arousing any staff and waved him in.

Trout locked the door behind him and followed her to her room. Once inside, she turned to him. He pulled her into his arms. His long cloak billowed out, enclosing her in a cocoon of his warmth. He tipped her face up.

“You still look pale. Tell me what really upset you about seeing the Earl of Aldis. After I went home and thought about what happened, I remembered he is from the same area as your deceased husband.”

His concern made her feel even worse to have to lie to him, but the truth was too awful.

“He and my husband had been friends for many years. I never cared for him,” she said, keeping to the truth as much as possible. “I thought he never came to town anymore. His appearance surprised me.”

She hadn’t fooled him. She saw doubt in his eyes and his words when he said, “Another secret. When will you trust me enough to let me carry those burdens for you?”

Lydia swung away from him and took quick steps across the room to her window. Outside, the wind tossed the tree limbs about and rain had begun to strike the panes. “How do I know that you aren’t playing a game with me to get even for my choosing another man years ago?”

He walked up behind her. She saw his reflection in the window. His arms encircled her shoulders, and he pulled her back against his body. “Do you believe me capable of such drastic measures to get what, revenge?”

Looking at his reflection, she shook her head no, but said, “Still, a part of me knows I could be mistaken.

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