[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
chose to humor you."
"It was not simply because I had said no?" she asked. Her voice was so soft that he could scarcely hear
her.
He thought for a moment. "Yes," he said, "for that reason too. I would never force myself on a woman
who had said no."
"Does your wife qualify as a woman?" she asked.
Oh, good Lord! He thought about it. "Yes," he said at last, as softly as she. "Are you going to say no
tonight?And tomorrow night?"
She said nothing for so long that he thought perhaps she intended never to speak to him again. But she
spoke at last.
"I suppose,"she said, "I must be thankful for that bonnet and that cloak. If I had been my usual gray
self gray like my name you would not have afforded me even a second glance. You would not have
stopped to take me up. I would have starved and perhaps died. I would probably have been ravished.
Your error saved me." Bitterness was heavy in her voice. "But despite that, I need no longer feel
beholden to you. I believe, when I have recovered from my shock, I may find that fact enormously
freeing. Why did you tell me? You might have kept it secret for the rest of our lives. I would never have
suspected. I would have been your willing slave for a lifetime."
His own voice too was bitter when he spoke, though he knew he had no cause for bitterness. "Perhaps I
do not want a slave," he said. "Perhaps I want a wife."
"Oh, you have that," she said. "I married you yesterday, if you will recall. We shared a marriage bed last
night. I tried so very hard to please you, because I thought you were like a god. I might have better spent
the time pleasing myself."
"By sending me away?" he said."By saying no?"
"No," she said and laughed harshly."Oh, no, not that."
They must be nearing the inn where they were to spend the night. He looked out through the window for
familiar landmarks. He had traveled this road hundreds of times. Neither of them had spoken for several
minutes. He wondered why he was feeling strangely calm. And he realized with a grim smile that it was
because he now for the first time had a real relationship with her.A disastrous relationship, perhaps no,
probably.But real, nonetheless. It was better than what he had had with her before.
He would rather live without her than have her as a slave. It was a surprising and quite bleak realization.
"We will be at the inn soon," he said. "I have had a suite of rooms reserved. You will have your own
bedchamber.You will be under no compulsion to receive me there. You will not be relegating me to a
distant attic if you say no."
She said nothing. She was sitting straighter than before. She was less relaxed.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"May I come to your bed tonight?" he asked.
"No," she said after a slight hesitation. "Not tonight, Alistair. Maybe not tomorrow night either. I do not
know. I need some time."
He nodded. "I will ask again tomorrow," he said.
His carriage was making the turn into the large stable yard of the Bull and Horn, and ostlers and grooms
were converging on his familiar carriage.
Chapter 15
It was a relief to arrive at Wightwick Hall, principal residence of the Duke of Bridgwater in
Gloucesterhire. If they had arrived just this time yesterday, Stephanie thought, it might have been no relief
at all. If she had been amazed at the sight and size of Sindon Park a little over a month ago, she would
have been awed to incoherence by Wightwick with its massive stone gateposts and wrought iron gates,
its twin gatehouses, which seemed almost small mansions in their own right, by the seemingly endless
curved driveway flanked by oak trees, by the three-arched stone bridge over a river or stream, and by
the long, sloping lawns and groves and flower arbors leading past the large stone stable block up to the
stately Palladian house.
She would have been awed by the sight of grooms in livery lined up on the terrace far more than
would be needed to tend the four horses and the carriage, and by the almost regal figures, dressed all in
black, of the butler and housekeeper, standing at the foot of the marble steps leading to the main entrance
doors. She would have been overwhelmed by the high domed grand hall and by the sight of two
motionless lines of house servants awaiting her inspection.
She was not awed only relieved.Relieved to be away from the oppressive silence of her husband's
presence. Not away exactly, of course. He walked slightly behind her right shoulder, presenting her to his
head groom, who had handed her down from the carriage, and then to the butler and housekeeper. He
followed her along the lines of servants and spoke quietly to a few of them as she had a word and a smile
for each one.
He and his wife had scarcely spoken all day. After she had assured him that yes, she had slept very well,
thank you she had not and that yes, the sky did look overcast but no, it did not look quite as if it
would rain, there had been no further conversation at breakfast. Through the day in the carriage he had
tried a few times to draw her into conversation, but her monosyllabic answers had discouraged him each
time.
It was not that she was being deliberately sullen. It was just that she was totally bewildered. All the
worlds she had ever known, and now this new one into which she had tried so hard to fit all of them
had crumbled. She no longer knew who she was or where she belonged.
"You will wish to see your apartment, Your Grace," the housekeeper murmured when the inspection had
been completed, "and freshen up. I will have tea served in the drawing room in half an hour's time."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Stephanie smiled at her.
"Her Grace has had a tiring journey, Mrs. Griffiths," her husband said. "She will take tea in her private
sitting room. Parker will bring something more appropriate to me in the library." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
chose to humor you."
"It was not simply because I had said no?" she asked. Her voice was so soft that he could scarcely hear
her.
He thought for a moment. "Yes," he said, "for that reason too. I would never force myself on a woman
who had said no."
"Does your wife qualify as a woman?" she asked.
Oh, good Lord! He thought about it. "Yes," he said at last, as softly as she. "Are you going to say no
tonight?And tomorrow night?"
She said nothing for so long that he thought perhaps she intended never to speak to him again. But she
spoke at last.
"I suppose,"she said, "I must be thankful for that bonnet and that cloak. If I had been my usual gray
self gray like my name you would not have afforded me even a second glance. You would not have
stopped to take me up. I would have starved and perhaps died. I would probably have been ravished.
Your error saved me." Bitterness was heavy in her voice. "But despite that, I need no longer feel
beholden to you. I believe, when I have recovered from my shock, I may find that fact enormously
freeing. Why did you tell me? You might have kept it secret for the rest of our lives. I would never have
suspected. I would have been your willing slave for a lifetime."
His own voice too was bitter when he spoke, though he knew he had no cause for bitterness. "Perhaps I
do not want a slave," he said. "Perhaps I want a wife."
"Oh, you have that," she said. "I married you yesterday, if you will recall. We shared a marriage bed last
night. I tried so very hard to please you, because I thought you were like a god. I might have better spent
the time pleasing myself."
"By sending me away?" he said."By saying no?"
"No," she said and laughed harshly."Oh, no, not that."
They must be nearing the inn where they were to spend the night. He looked out through the window for
familiar landmarks. He had traveled this road hundreds of times. Neither of them had spoken for several
minutes. He wondered why he was feeling strangely calm. And he realized with a grim smile that it was
because he now for the first time had a real relationship with her.A disastrous relationship, perhaps no,
probably.But real, nonetheless. It was better than what he had had with her before.
He would rather live without her than have her as a slave. It was a surprising and quite bleak realization.
"We will be at the inn soon," he said. "I have had a suite of rooms reserved. You will have your own
bedchamber.You will be under no compulsion to receive me there. You will not be relegating me to a
distant attic if you say no."
She said nothing. She was sitting straighter than before. She was less relaxed.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"May I come to your bed tonight?" he asked.
"No," she said after a slight hesitation. "Not tonight, Alistair. Maybe not tomorrow night either. I do not
know. I need some time."
He nodded. "I will ask again tomorrow," he said.
His carriage was making the turn into the large stable yard of the Bull and Horn, and ostlers and grooms
were converging on his familiar carriage.
Chapter 15
It was a relief to arrive at Wightwick Hall, principal residence of the Duke of Bridgwater in
Gloucesterhire. If they had arrived just this time yesterday, Stephanie thought, it might have been no relief
at all. If she had been amazed at the sight and size of Sindon Park a little over a month ago, she would
have been awed to incoherence by Wightwick with its massive stone gateposts and wrought iron gates,
its twin gatehouses, which seemed almost small mansions in their own right, by the seemingly endless
curved driveway flanked by oak trees, by the three-arched stone bridge over a river or stream, and by
the long, sloping lawns and groves and flower arbors leading past the large stone stable block up to the
stately Palladian house.
She would have been awed by the sight of grooms in livery lined up on the terrace far more than
would be needed to tend the four horses and the carriage, and by the almost regal figures, dressed all in
black, of the butler and housekeeper, standing at the foot of the marble steps leading to the main entrance
doors. She would have been overwhelmed by the high domed grand hall and by the sight of two
motionless lines of house servants awaiting her inspection.
She was not awed only relieved.Relieved to be away from the oppressive silence of her husband's
presence. Not away exactly, of course. He walked slightly behind her right shoulder, presenting her to his
head groom, who had handed her down from the carriage, and then to the butler and housekeeper. He
followed her along the lines of servants and spoke quietly to a few of them as she had a word and a smile
for each one.
He and his wife had scarcely spoken all day. After she had assured him that yes, she had slept very well,
thank you she had not and that yes, the sky did look overcast but no, it did not look quite as if it
would rain, there had been no further conversation at breakfast. Through the day in the carriage he had
tried a few times to draw her into conversation, but her monosyllabic answers had discouraged him each
time.
It was not that she was being deliberately sullen. It was just that she was totally bewildered. All the
worlds she had ever known, and now this new one into which she had tried so hard to fit all of them
had crumbled. She no longer knew who she was or where she belonged.
"You will wish to see your apartment, Your Grace," the housekeeper murmured when the inspection had
been completed, "and freshen up. I will have tea served in the drawing room in half an hour's time."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Stephanie smiled at her.
"Her Grace has had a tiring journey, Mrs. Griffiths," her husband said. "She will take tea in her private
sitting room. Parker will bring something more appropriate to me in the library." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]