The Star-Crossed Bride by Kelly McClymer

Author:Kelly McClymer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction
Publisher: Kelly McClymer
Published: 2011-08-16T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

He came to her that night, as he had promised. Nancy let him in and then locked them in together alone. But not before she whispered saucily, "I don't expect to be 'earing from you two until morning."

For a moment Emily was shocked, and then she realized that, as far as Nancy was concerned, they were married and there was nothing wrong with a man and his wife spending the night together without a chaperon. It was a heady realization.

But Valentine's expression contained concern, not desire. Before she could say anything, he asked curtly, "How badly did he hurt you?"

She blinked and hesitated, not understanding his question at first. And then she remembered he had been in the garden when Granbury grabbed her wrist. She waved her hand in dismissal, and shook her head to reassure him. "Not too — "

Impatiently, he cut her off. "I saw you wince, Emily."

"He startled me, that's all."

He sighed as he put out his palm. "Let me see."

She put her fingers against the warmth of his palm reluctantly.

He grasped her hand gently and brought her wrist to the light. Her sleeve slipped away revealing the purple thumbprint, dark against the pale skin. His tone was grim. "I should have killed him last night."

All the consequences of such an importunate action rushed through her thoughts — ending at last with the image of Valentine, a noose around his neck. "Don't say that. He is the murderer, not you."

"He marked you." Valentine pulled her into his arms, resting his cheek atop her head. It felt so right to be held by him this way, she wished they could stand so forever. "He deliberately put his mark on you. And I, yet again, could not protect you."

Emily had been so relieved in the garden, when the "footman" had not intervened, that she had not realized how hard it must have been for him to see her hurt and not come to her rescue. To reassure him, she repeated the truth, "You have given me the best protection I could ever have against Granbury."

His arms tightened around her. "The best protection I could offer you would be to see him hanged."

She said solemnly, as she stretched up to kiss him lightly on the chin, "And we will do that. But until then, you offered me the protection of your name." Carried away by a wave of daring, she kissed his chin again and then looked into his eyes, pleased to see that she had sparked an ember of desire to life. "You married me so that he cannot."

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