entered.
"Lord Gladstone?" she whispered. When she received no reply, she called more loudly, "Jamie?"
There was a candle lit in his bedchamber, and bold as brass, she marched over and peeked in, but the sight that greeted her was so shocking she couldn't comprehend what she was seeing.
"Ophelia?" she said, the name thick on her tongue.
Her cousin glanced over and chuckled as if she and Lord Gladstone had shared a joke; then she raised up so that her naked breasts were fully visible. Gladstone was naked, too, their nude flesh pressed together. Even the most sheltered of virgins could figure out what was transpiring.
"Anne, what are you doing here?" Ophelia smiled a sultry, malicious smile, intended to humiliate and wound. "Isn't it a little late to be roaming the halls?"
"Ophelia?" she naively repeated.
She was very hurt, very angry, and a surge of potent jealousy rushed through vein and pore. Her accusing gaze shifted to Lord Gladstone, letting him witness how he'd betrayed her, how he'd broken her heart.
"Dammit!" he cursed.
Anne whipped away and fled.
Five
“Where is your sister?" "I don't have any idea." Jamie glared at Sarah Carstairs, as the clock chimed the half hour, taunting him with how many minutes it had ticked past eleven.
Jack's boots pounded down the hall, and shortly he entered the parlor where the family was assembled for the ceremony.
"Well?" Jamie asked.
"She's gone. I questioned the maids and had them search her bedchamber. They say a satchel and some of her clothes are gone, too."
"Did she leave a note?"
"If she did, it wasn't in her room."
"Was she observed sneaking out?"
"One of the grooms believes he saw her, about seven o'clock this morning, walking down the road to the village."
Jamie's expression became lethal, and he focused it on Sarah Carstairs.
"I repeat: Where is your sister?"
"It sounds as if she left," Miss Carstairs replied, calm as you please.
"What was her destination?" "I haven't a clue."
Her pretty green eyes were guileless, open wide, brimming with candor, but she was absolutely lying.
He towered over her, but she wasn't intimidated, which made him even more irate. He couldn't abide obstinate females.
"Can the two of you actually presume to best me?" he hissed. "Have you any notion of what I can do to you? To her?"
"I'm not afraid of you."
He was humored by her bravado, but it was so pitifully misplaced. Here on his estate, he could behave in any foul manner he chose, and no one would gainsay him.
"You have managed to incur my wrath. I haven't the slightest concern over you or why you would deem it appropriate to intervene in my personal affairs, but pray tell, why would she dare defy me?"
"In light of your monstrous ego, I'm sure this will come as a huge shock, but she doesn't care to have you as her husband. She wasn't overly impressed by the company you keep."
Her gaze drifted to Ophelia, letting Jamie know that Anne had informed her of the debacle in his bedchamber. Under Sarah's hot scrutiny, Ophelia preened, looking smug, as if she and Jamie had intentionally set out to hurt Anne, which had been the furthest thing from his mind.
Who could have predicted that Anne would return in the middle of the night? What had she wanted? Why had she done it?
She'd seen him with Ophelia! They'd been mostly naked, and though Jamie hadn't planned on any serious mischief, and would never have dabbled with Ophelia in any way that mattered, it had appeared as if they were about to engage in a sordid session of incestuous sex.
Was it any wonder Anne had fled? Considering what she'd witnessed, what woman would have stayed?
Percy stepped forward, determined to butt his nose into the mess. "Jamie, I'm so sorry about this. I counselled her to accept the match. I can't imagine what she was thinking."
"Can't you?" Jamie sharply retorted.
"I've advised her that I can no longer support her. She understood the enormous boon you'd extended."
"Obviously, she failed to
"Lord Gladstone?" she whispered. When she received no reply, she called more loudly, "Jamie?"
There was a candle lit in his bedchamber, and bold as brass, she marched over and peeked in, but the sight that greeted her was so shocking she couldn't comprehend what she was seeing.
"Ophelia?" she said, the name thick on her tongue.
Her cousin glanced over and chuckled as if she and Lord Gladstone had shared a joke; then she raised up so that her naked breasts were fully visible. Gladstone was naked, too, their nude flesh pressed together. Even the most sheltered of virgins could figure out what was transpiring.
"Anne, what are you doing here?" Ophelia smiled a sultry, malicious smile, intended to humiliate and wound. "Isn't it a little late to be roaming the halls?"
"Ophelia?" she naively repeated.
She was very hurt, very angry, and a surge of potent jealousy rushed through vein and pore. Her accusing gaze shifted to Lord Gladstone, letting him witness how he'd betrayed her, how he'd broken her heart.
"Dammit!" he cursed.
Anne whipped away and fled.
Five
“Where is your sister?" "I don't have any idea." Jamie glared at Sarah Carstairs, as the clock chimed the half hour, taunting him with how many minutes it had ticked past eleven.
Jack's boots pounded down the hall, and shortly he entered the parlor where the family was assembled for the ceremony.
"Well?" Jamie asked.
"She's gone. I questioned the maids and had them search her bedchamber. They say a satchel and some of her clothes are gone, too."
"Did she leave a note?"
"If she did, it wasn't in her room."
"Was she observed sneaking out?"
"One of the grooms believes he saw her, about seven o'clock this morning, walking down the road to the village."
Jamie's expression became lethal, and he focused it on Sarah Carstairs.
"I repeat: Where is your sister?"
"It sounds as if she left," Miss Carstairs replied, calm as you please.
"What was her destination?" "I haven't a clue."
Her pretty green eyes were guileless, open wide, brimming with candor, but she was absolutely lying.
He towered over her, but she wasn't intimidated, which made him even more irate. He couldn't abide obstinate females.
"Can the two of you actually presume to best me?" he hissed. "Have you any notion of what I can do to you? To her?"
"I'm not afraid of you."
He was humored by her bravado, but it was so pitifully misplaced. Here on his estate, he could behave in any foul manner he chose, and no one would gainsay him.
"You have managed to incur my wrath. I haven't the slightest concern over you or why you would deem it appropriate to intervene in my personal affairs, but pray tell, why would she dare defy me?"
"In light of your monstrous ego, I'm sure this will come as a huge shock, but she doesn't care to have you as her husband. She wasn't overly impressed by the company you keep."
Her gaze drifted to Ophelia, letting Jamie know that Anne had informed her of the debacle in his bedchamber. Under Sarah's hot scrutiny, Ophelia preened, looking smug, as if she and Jamie had intentionally set out to hurt Anne, which had been the furthest thing from his mind.
Who could have predicted that Anne would return in the middle of the night? What had she wanted? Why had she done it?
She'd seen him with Ophelia! They'd been mostly naked, and though Jamie hadn't planned on any serious mischief, and would never have dabbled with Ophelia in any way that mattered, it had appeared as if they were about to engage in a sordid session of incestuous sex.
Was it any wonder Anne had fled? Considering what she'd witnessed, what woman would have stayed?
Percy stepped forward, determined to butt his nose into the mess. "Jamie, I'm so sorry about this. I counselled her to accept the match. I can't imagine what she was thinking."
"Can't you?" Jamie sharply retorted.
"I've advised her that I can no longer support her. She understood the enormous boon you'd extended."
"Obviously, she failed to
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