The Widow's Scandalous Affair by Lucy Ashford

Author:Lucy Ashford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-09-09T11:19:09+00:00

* * *

Raphael had always thought his understanding of the English language to be good, but now surely he had misunderstood. Of course, there were tales that Lionel Willoughby had enjoyed all the usual male frivolities. But Raphael had assumed that Lady Serena, like many aristocratic wives, forgave her husband his foibles because she loved him—and her often-repeated declaration that she would never marry again was seen as proof of her devotion.

‘You said just now that your marriage was never a happy one,’ he said carefully. ‘May I ask why?’ He saw her emotion betray itself in the way she twisted her delicately gloved hands together.

Then she said with what was clearly an effort, ‘There were the usual reasons. He had affairs. He preferred his friends’ company to mine.’ She shrugged. ‘I’m afraid I’d built up this foolish image of married life and, in doing so, I’d deceived both myself and him.’

‘So you thought the failure of your marriage was all your fault?’

She nodded. Once more he remembered the way she’d spoken to those urchins at the school: drawing them close, touching their grubby hands, consoling them. She’d been tender. Caring.

She surely had a heart full of love, with nowhere to bestow it.

Just at that moment a ray of sunlight arrowed through the cab’s window and he saw how several silky strands of her hair had tumbled from beneath her plain bonnet to be transformed into spun gold. He also saw how her skin was like cream, her lips as pink and lush as crushed berries.

And suddenly Raphael wanted to make her believe in love again.

A crazy idea; because he had no right to. But how he longed to banish that sadness from her eyes, if only for a while.

And destroy her trust in men for ever? There was no future for him here. Mentally cursing his stupidity, he said, ‘I don’t think you’re a coward. I do not despise you and I don’t see how anyone who truly knows you could do anything but admire you. At the risk of repeating myself, let me tell you that I think your charity school is actually rather wonderful.’

She appeared to have regained her calm. ‘I’m glad you agree that the education of the poorer classes is vitally important. But I still feel that I’m doing far too little.’

‘Lady Serena, most women of quality don’t even notice the existence of anyone below their own rank unless they happen to be servants or dressmakers! You and your friends are different—you actually feel for the poor and you’re helping them in the most practical way possible—’ He broke off and grinned. ‘Mon Dieu. You must remind me that if I continue with this worthy talk, I’ll be in danger of losing my devilish reputation.’

She smiled back and he was glad. She said impishly, ‘So you’re not going to declare that you’re a reformed character from now on?’

He laughed. ‘No. Oh, no.’

‘Then I can’t raise my hopes that you might decide to cancel the remaining days of our agreement?’

‘Now, that,’ he replied, ‘is equally impossible.

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