The Sherbrooke Bride Bride 01 by Catherine Coulter

Author:Catherine Coulter
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-11-25T23:51:46+00:00

“If I wheedle, will you buy me a new gown?”

“Probably.”

“I don’t want anything from you! You would throw it up to me endlessly whenever I chanced to displease you, which would be every other minute.”

“A pity, because you’ve got me and all my bad habits. You’ve also got all my cursed relatives who have the sensitivities of goats, and a good two dozen meddlesome servants that come with me. No, don’t hurl invectives at me. Your calm is refreshing, albeit unusual. Now, I told you that I wouldn’t annul the marriage. I told you I accepted you as my wife. I have not changed my mind. Now, have you anything to say?”

“You are perverse.”

“No more than you are.”

He had a point there. She sat down, stretched and raised her arms to lie on the sofa back. She crossed her legs and dangled one foot. She looked amused. “So, I understand you now. You are doing this to avoid a scandal.”

“No, but that’s a good point. There would be a scandal, probably a vastly annoying one. But that isn’t the reason. I think, once you have recovered your more temperate humors, that we can deal reasonably well together.” He was giving her what she’d wanted for the past three years, what she’d wanted so desperately that she’d even tried to seduce him. She’d taken off all her clothes and offered herself to him. And he’d turned her down and insulted her. Now she was dressed in a gown with a rip under the right arm and he was offering not to annul her. She couldn’t quite grasp it. On the other hand, what real choice did she have? Wasn’t this precisely what she wanted more than anything else?

She looked up at him then and said, “All right.” Douglas smiled. Something loosened inside him. He hadn’t realized he was so very tense, hadn’t realized he was so very apprehensive about what she would say.

“You look very different when you smile.”

“I suppose you haven’t seen much humor from me.”

“No. I suppose you haven’t observed much placid behavior from me either.”

“No.”

She blurted out, “What do you intend to do now?” He cocked his head to one side. “What do you mean? Do you wish to go riding? Since Sinjun is here, you must ask her if you can ride Fanny. I will buy you another mount. Perhaps you can go with me. There is a stud over at Branderleigh Farm that sells mares with fine bloodlines.”

“No, about this Juliette.”

“Ah, a diamond of the second water.”

“Yes! Currently being imported for your perusal. I can’t bear it, Douglas!” Alexandra jumped to her feet and began pacing. “And I can’t bear more comparisons, truly. This Juliette—goodness, named after a Shakespeare play!—will arrive and all your relatives will look from her to Melissande and then to me and they’ll show their displeasure at what has happened. They’ll be verbal in their displeasure. I can’t bear it, Douglas.”

“No, it wouldn’t be pleasant for either of us. Let me think about it.

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