The Puzzle of a Bastard by Sande Linda Rae

Author:Sande, Linda Rae
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Twisted Teacup Publishing
Published: 2020-05-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

About a Ring

Meanwhile, in the dining room at Woodscastle

James had thought to wait for the dinner bell to chime before going into the long dining room at Woodscastle, but curiosity had him perusing the sideboard and other furnishings as he waited for Emily to join him.

He had changed into dinner clothes, glad for the excuse to set aside the book he had been studying most of the day. The mindless act of undressing and dressing had allowed him to simply think.

Without conscious thought, images of Emily filled his mind’s eye. For the past few days, he found he had become obsessed with her.

He wondered what she was doing. What she was thinking. What she liked and disliked. What did she think of him? And why the hell had she agreed to become Henry’s wife?

The thought reminded him that she had never said why it was she had agreed to marry Henry. Just that Henry had claimed to love her.

And why had his brother thought it necessary to wait until all the other Grandby girls were married before calling on Emily? Wasn’t that an old-fashioned idea?

He stared at a porcelain figurine atop the sideboard, one positioned next to a vase featuring a feminine shape. The gentle curves of its silhouette had him wondering if Emily’s were similar. He knew she had the slender waist and a generous bosom—her dinner gowns emphasized her charms—but her hips were always hidden beneath the bell skirts that had become so popular this past decade.

Damn the French.

“Do you frown at it because it displeases you? Or because you’re thinking of something else?”

James turned and helped himself to Emily’s hand. He raised it to his lips and kissed the back of the silk glove. “I was cursing the French,” he admitted.

“Oh.” She dipped a curtsy. “Liquor? Or fashions?”

“Why, fashions, yes, if you must know.” His gaze dropped to her skirt—this one wasn’t nearly as wide as some of the others she had been wearing. The shimmering peacock blue silk draped in soft folds from her waist—and he allowed a brilliant smile when the silhouette of one of her thighs was briefly in evidence. The same fabric sheathed her bodice, but was cut low enough to display the tops of her breasts.

The only item that appeared out of place was the gold ring that hung on the chain around her neck. The sapphire stone was at odds with the greener blue of the silk.

“You look stunning.”

Emily couldn’t hide her first reaction. “Now you have me suspicious,” she warned as she moved to take her seat at the table.

“Rightly so. I was trying to imagine the shape of your bum.”

She sat down. Hard. “If your intention was to shock me, Mr. Burroughs, you have managed to do so,” she replied, barely able to suppress a grin.

James joined her at the table. “I cannot believe I just said that out loud,” he murmured. “You must think me mad.”

Pretending she had already come to that conclusion, Emily waved for a footman to see to the first course.

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