A Bride by Morning (Private Arrangements) by Kendrick Katrina

Author:Kendrick, Katrina
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2023-08-03T00:00:00+00:00

17

Lydia stared at her husband, sitting on the other side of the carriage as they travelled back to Meadowcroft.

The lone swaying lamp near the window cast deep shadows across Gabriel’s austere face, leaving no softened edges. Instead, his harsh features communicated a warning as clear as the stare of a lethal animal: Stay away. Approach me at your risk.

What on earth happened while Lydia was saying goodbye to Lady Arundell? She’d noticed Gabriel’s aloofness when she rejoined him in the hall, where he waited with the Duchess of Hastings. Oh, he was still polite – as they said their farewells to the other guests, his smile had been as bright and dazzling as a spring day. Lydia, too, had almost been convinced she’d imagined it.

But when he took her arm, Gabriel’s touch hadn’t lingered. There were no scorching glances. When he shepherded her into the carriage with a hand on her back, the contact was brief and impersonal.

And once the door shut, Gabriel’s deceitful smile had vanished, and he settled into his seat with the cold immobility of a statue.

The transformation left Lydia’s thoughts discordant. Each passing mile of their journey matched the distance between them. How could he be a mere arm’s length from her and still seem so far away? He was as isolated as a ship anchored in the broadest ocean.

How was this the same man who’d gazed at Lydia earlier as if she were a strange and beautiful treasure?

Now, she was left with her armour shattered. He’d impaired her defences and left her vulnerable to the elements. Open to harm.

Utterly, utterly exposed.

A surge of anger and frustration flared within her. How could Gabriel sit there so calmly while she was frayed and damaged? Her fingernails curled into her dress. She wanted to smash through Gabriel’s own fortifications, crack him apart, leave him unguarded. Let him know how it felt to be raw and exposed.

An idea came to her as she stared at him in the dimmed carriage. She did not have to bear the weight of her vulnerability alone; the darkness could give her courage.

Lydia leaned forward and put her palm on his trouser-clad knee. His sharp intake of breath gratified her as she ran her fingers slowly up his muscular thigh.

Gabriel’s hand came down over hers. “What are you doing?” His voice was as cold as tundra, but she had heard the involuntary intake of breath, and knew her husband was a consummate actor.

“Touching you. I should think that was obvious.”

But when she tried to move again, he gripped her. “Lydia.”

Very well, she had other means. Lydia pulled his hand towards her and pressed her lips to his knuckles. “Gabriel.”

She grazed the back of his wrist with her teeth, and Gabriel made a faint noise. “When I married you, I hadn’t realised I’d wedded the most concupiscent woman in the country.”

Lydia wondered if he intended these sharp words to drive her away. Instead, it only hardened her resolve. She leaned forward, her lips finding his with unerring accuracy.

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