The Libertine by Walker Saskia

Author:Walker, Saskia [Walker, Saskia]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-03-01T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Somehow Chloris made it through the rest of the day. The memory of Eithne stayed with her, warming her. She even managed to be convivial during dinner. Once she was alone in her chamber—and after the servant turned down her bed covers and retired for the night—her emotions grew tangled again. It was because she had lain here with Lennox. His presence still lingered, it always did. She looked about the room, the one she’d always had at Torquil House. The familiar damask curtains and the solid wooden furniture were anchors in her turmoil, but it was him she ached for.

Then, as she undressed and reached for her nightgown, she was reminded of Lennox’s horror when he thought that she was a weak woman, despised by her husband. It was to be expected, she concluded. The women of Saint Andrews that Lennox consorted with were no doubt much stronger than she. They would keep their husbands happy and seek a secret affair bravely. Or they were witches, strong women who upheld their beliefs when all around people feared and condemned them. Nevertheless, she’d had a true taste of passion, happiness and forbidden love. There was no love in her marriage, and to partake of it outside of her marriage was a sin.

Yet these had been the happiest moments of her life.

It was over now. She sat on the edge of her bed in her nightgown and considered the fact that she might never see Lennox again. The ache in her chest was so great that when she lay down she thought she would die of it.

She buried her face in her pillow, her thoughts running back and forth over what had been said and why it had troubled her so.

“Chloris?”

It was a whisper so quiet, so gently inquiring, that she thought she’d imagined it at first. Rolling onto her side she peered into the gloom. The door clicked shut.

Lennox stood there in the shadows by the door, just as he had that first night.

It wasn’t the same as before, though. Strangely enough, this time it felt almost natural that he had come to her, and when he stepped past the fireplace and the light from the embers caught his expression, it was a very different man that she saw before her. Troubled, just as she was, if not more so. The knot in her chest unraveled, threatening to unleash a barrage of tears.

“Lennox.” As she rose to face him she battled the urge to run into his arms.

Before she could leave the bedside he closed the gap between them in fast strides and dropped to his knees before her. Grasping one of her hands, he drew it to his lips and kissed her palm. “Forgive me, I had to see you.”

Chloris stared down at his now familiar head and stroked his hair distractedly. The way he approached—the yearning she felt—all of it threatened her unsteady emotions. “You shouldn’t have risked coming here again. You should never have risked it.

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