Scandalously Wed to the Captain by Joanna Johnson

Author:Joanna Johnson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-07-30T19:03:05+00:00

Chapter Eight

It took a firm push to shift the stubborn door of the glasshouse and when Spencer stepped inside he felt grit beneath his boots. One of the panes had broken, he saw as he looked about the little building set against one garden wall, but the rest were intact and sunlight streamed through them to warm his back despite the chill outside.

He hadn’t set foot among the plants since Dorothea had died, although evidently somebody had continued to tend her collection. Green tendrils and waving leaves swayed gently as he moved past them, breathing in the pleasant scent of damp earth that lingered in the air like incense. With sunshine bathing the space and the call of birds in the bare trees outside it might almost have been spring, although Spencer’s spirits hardly lifted.

Getting through each day without the aid of a bottle had been more difficult than he had anticipated—surely a sign Grace’s intervention had been sorely needed. With nothing to replace its dubious comfort he found himself left with too much time in which to think, only increasing the hours spent at the mercy of his dark memories and the thoughts of his wife that would not leave him in peace. They chased each other through his mind until in desperation he had strode into the garden, hoping for a moment’s respite.

He passed a hand across his face. I’m so tired of this. Would there ever be a time he wasn’t tossed about on a relentless sea of feelings he had to deny? It was exhausting, the constant battle to keep himself in check, even if his past mistakes made it an absolute necessity.

‘There you are! I was wondering where you’d disappeared to.’

Grace’s voice made him turn, its soft cadence as always dropping a lit match into the pit of his stomach.

‘I’m surprised to find you in here. I didn’t imagine you to have green fingers!’

She stood framed in the doorway, head tilted in the appealing way she had when curious. Held to her chest was a book of some kind and a small wooden box, a welcome distraction from the quizzical turn of her countenance and a lifeline Spencer seized at once. He could hardly tell her the truth of why he was practically hiding in such an unlikely place.

I needed to get away from my thoughts of you. I can scarcely think of anything else.

Perhaps not.

‘I just wanted to take some air. What are you holding?’

The hesitant look that stole over her face should have given Spencer reason for suspicion as Grace slowly unfolded her arms to show him more clearly what she held in each hand.

His brows twitched together as he took in the sketchbook and set of fine pencils. Evidently they belonged to Grace, her initials embossed on both in gilt lettering, although why she held them out to him so expectantly was less clear. Before he could open his mouth, however, she spoke with swift caution that finally made him see the trap she had set.

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.