The Duke's Wager by Jennifer Monroe

Author:Jennifer Monroe [Monroe, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2018-06-23T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

The weather was perfect with a sun that shone just to the point of warming but causing no irritation. The birds chirped in a delightful chorus, their notes carrying a majestic tune. Everything was right with the world. That is, except for one thing. James.

Although the day was clear, there was a strange haze that seemed to envelop around James, his image a tad distorted that left Sarah feeling that something was off, yet she could not puzzle out what that was. However, she pushed aside the befuddlement as she looked into the eyes of the man who stood before her

“For so long I have been a fool,” he was saying. He stopped to wipe a tear from his eye. “I have thought my ways were the best, but now I realize that I was wrong.” His voice was remorseful, thus Sarah believed he spoke the truth and felt nothing but pity for the man.

“It is not your fault that you were born a man,” she said as she patted his cheek. “Such a curse was not chosen by you, but rather was given.”

He lowered his head as if to look at the ground. “I know what you say is true,” he said softly. Then he looked at her with an earnestness she had never seen from him before. “But I ask one thing. No, ‘ask’ is not the correct word. I beg of you,” —he dropped to his knees— “please allow me to learn from you. Though it is impossible, I wish nothing more than to be wise, as you are. Will you grant me this wish?” He had clasped his hands together as he looked up at her in a beseeching manner.

She shook her head at him. “You make such a request in this manner?” she asked briskly.

He lowered his gaze. “My sincerest apologies. I meant no…”

“Silence!” Sarah shouted.

He immediately went silent, the only sounds those of his weeping.

Sarah closed her eyes to allow the rays of the sun to wash over her. The man groveling before her would never match her wit; however, for some reason which she could not understand, she felt pity for him. Was it fair that beauty and wisdom had been given to her and not him? Though he was handsome, he lacked common sense and intelligence.

Thus, she opened her eyes and put her hand on his shoulder. “I will allow you close to me. You must listen and learn from my ways, and if I receive any argument from you, I will have you banished to the forest for eternity.”

James stood, his eyes now dry. The haze had returned around them, but his handsome face had a sharpness to it that had not been there when he knelt before her. “What do you wish?”

Sarah swallowed hard, her throat going dry. Her heart beat hard against her chest and her hands slightly trembled. “Kiss me,” she whispered.

His face took on a confused look. “I am sorry, what did you request?”

“I said ‘kiss me’,” Sarah repeated, pushing her body toward 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.