To Seduce a Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt

Author:Elizabeth Hoyt
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9780446406925
Publisher: Forever
Published: 2008-11-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

On the day that the trials were to begin, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of hopeful men stood outside the castle walls. A tall platform was built for the king to stand on so that all the suitors could hear. And from this platform, the king explained what was to happen. There would be three trials in all, in order that the man who would win the princess be thoroughly tested. The first test was to find and bring back a ring of bronze. This ring lay at the bottom of a deep and chilly lake. And in this lake there lived a giant serpent… .

—from LAUGHING JACK

Melisande awoke to a solitary bed. Suchlike must’ve let Mouse into the room during the night, for the dog was curled in a tight Vlisball at the foot of her bed. She lay for a moment, staring at the silk canopy overhead, sorting through her emotions. Their lovemaking last night had been wonderful—or at least she had thought so. Had Jasper left afterward because he was repulsed by her boldness? Or because it was simply a physical act for him and therefore he felt no need to stay and lay with her? Wasn’t that what she wanted in the first place? To share with Vale the physical part of marriage without engaging her unnaturally intense emotions? Melisande blew out a frustrated breath. She didn’t know anymore what she wanted, it seemed.

At the foot of the bed, Mouse uncurled himself and stretched, rump in the air. Then he padded softly toward her and nudged her hand.

“And what do you think, Sir Mouse?” Melisande inquired as she stroked his soft ears. “Has he quite tamed you?”

Mouse shook himself all over, then jumped from the bed and trotted to the door. He made his purpose known by scratching at the wood with a paw.

Melisande sighed and flung back the covers. “Very well, then. I suppose I won’t answer my questions lying abed anyway.”

She rang for Suchlike, and while she waited for the maid, she washed with the pitcher of rather chilly water on the dresser. Then, with the maid’s help, she dressed quickly and was soon pattering down the stairs with Mouse. She handed over the dog’s care to Sprat before making her way to the breakfast room, bracing herself to see Vale.

But the breakfast room was empty. Melisande hovered on the threshold for a moment before entering. The table had been cleared and cleaned, of course, but a few leftover crumbs made the case for her husband already having come and gone. She bit her lip. Why hadn’t he waited?

“Shall I bring some chocolate, my lady?” Sprat asked from behind her. He’d returned with Mouse.

“Yes, please,” she murmured automatically. Then she whirled, startling the footman. “No. Have the carriage brought ’round instead, will you?”

Sprat looked confused. “Yes, my lady.”

“And tell Suchlike to meet me in the hall.”

The footman bowed and left the room. Melisande went to the sideboard where a selection of buns and meats were already laid out.

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