The Rake to Ruin Her by Julia Justiss

Author:Julia Justiss [Justiss, Julia]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9780263898125
Goodreads: 16001018
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

A little over a week later, Caro stood before the glass in a guest bedchamber of Lady Gilford’s London town house. Lady Denby stood behind her, instructing the maid who was adjusting the skirts of her pale-green wedding gown.

Wishing she could soothe away the anxiety in her stomach as easily as the maid smoothed down the soft silken skirts, Caro studied her reflection critically. She couldn’t remember ever owning so flattering a garment. At home, she’d ordered a few gowns each year from the village seamstress, but they had been adequate rather than stylish, and during her aborted Season, she’d taken care to choose cuts and colours as unsuited to her as possible.

For her wedding, she’d wanted to wear something that at least wouldn’t make Max regret his decision the minute he saw her at the altar.

Would he find her appealing? Anticipation and unease skittered across her skin. In the few rushed days since their trip to Mr Henderson’s office, she’d not made any progress in bringing her response to him under control. She felt attraction curl in the pit of her stomach every time he handed her into a carriage or took her arm up the stairs. Each time, she longed to extend and lengthen the contact.

In fact, the more time she spent with him, the more powerful his allure seemed to become, to the point that she feared if he made any move to make their marriage a real one, even the threat of the Curse might not be enough to armour her against him.

Which made it all the more imperative for her to get this marriage business finished as soon as possible and leave him in London to tend his career while she returned to Denby Lodge.

‘Enough, Dulcie, you may go,’ Lady Denby was saying. As the maid departed, Lady Denby gave her a reproving look. ‘How lovely you are! I can’t believe you hoodwinked me into wearing those atrocious dresses!’

‘You have forgiven me, I hope.’

‘With you mending matters by marrying Mr Ransleigh after all, of course I have. I do hope you’ll be very happy.’

‘I hope to make him so,’ Caro said, thinking guiltily how robbing him of the chance to marry a lady he truly loved would make that goal more difficult. With society holding him responsible for her ruin, honour had given him little choice but to agree to her bargain.

‘You mustn’t worry about tonight,’ Lady Denby said, obviously noticing Caro’s nervousness. ‘You may know everything about breeding horses, but the human animal is quite different. I’m sure Mr Ransleigh will be gentle and careful with you.’

Would he? They’d said nothing more since the first night about that part of their agreement. Legally, she couldn’t deny him if he decided to ignore her request that theirs be a marriage in name only. Would he choose to do so...or not?

She came back from her reverie to find Lady Denby staring at her. ‘I’m not worried,’ she said a bit too heartily.

‘You must

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