This Tender Prize by Nancy Morse

Author:Nancy Morse
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, adventure, england, historical, caribbean, pirates, revolutionary war, high seas, desert prince
Publisher: Nancy Morse

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From her bedroom window Juliette recognized the carriage and matching pair of bays being led to the stables, and frowned. What was Lord Alfred doing here? Ever since her encounter with him in the study their relationship had been limited to terse recognition, although on occasion she’d been forced to remind him of his place with a flash of fiery temper.

He was examining the mail that had accrued in his absence when she entered the study. “Juliette, what a pleasant surprise. I was hoping you would be down before long. I was about to ring for tea. Would you join me?”

Her first impulse was to refuse, but instead, she answered, “Yes. It will give us a chance to talk.”

His curiosity was instantly aroused. “Talk? That is rather unlike you, isn’t it, my dear?”

“Why your Lordship, whatever do you mean?” she said in a honeyed voice.

“We both know my company appeals to you as much as a bad headache,” he replied.

“Yes, you could compare it to that,” she said. “Particularly the variety of headache my husband suffers from.”

He exhaled with impatience as he rifled through the mail. “I do not care to play games with you today. I’m sure you can find someone else to amuse yourself with.”

“And who would that be? My husband is always too busy in London.”

“The Duke is a very busy man. He does not have time to cater to the whims of a frivolous woman.”

“Without a doubt,” she replied. “But I was referring to my husband, not the Duke.”

Clairborne glanced up sharply. “Your riddles are a bit over my head.”

She approached close enough to see his jaw muscles tighten, proof that she had struck a sensitive nerve. “Try this riddle then,” she said. “What happens when a young woman discovers that the man she married is not the man she thought she married?”

He let the mail drop from his fingers onto the table. A look partly of surprise, partly of admiration, showed on his face. “So, you have found out.”

“Yes. And since it is now within my power to have my marriage annulled, it really should not matter if you tell me the truth. Let me put it to you this way. If you do not tell me the truth, I will have the marriage annulled. Think of the scandal that would cause.” She knew the possibility appalled him and pressed on. “I want to know why I was led to believe that Trevor is the Duke of Amherst. I want to know what his part is in this charade. And I want to know where Christian fits in.”

They remained glaring at each other as Martha Ruddy entered with a silver serving tray and set it down. When she was gone, Lord Alfred tore his eyes from Juliette and filled his cup. When he spoke, his voice was void of emotion.

“Our grandmother, the Dowager Duchess, threatened to disown Edmund if he married that chippy, that crude French actress he was so taken with. The old hag would have done it, too, but she died before she could make her wishes known to her solicitors.

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