sound of her slippers. “We will not marry. I’m sorry about the fuss I’ve caused.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “Fuss?” His jaw set. “Why will we not marry?”
She might as well say it all. “You made love to me under the influence of laudanum,” she pointed out, proud that her voice was steady. “I would much dislike to have to drug my husband before we could produce any children. I have changed my mind.”
“You cannot change your mind. We have consummated our relationship, if not our marriage.”
“We don’t have a relationship! We never had one, except in my imagination. You needn’t worry about me. I have to go,” she cried, turning. “I just—I have to go.”
And she fled, out the door and up the stairs, even though she heard him shout her name. He had the bellow of a sea captain who could be heard over hurricanes and squalls, but she didn’t stop.
The inn’s best bedchamber was at the top of the stairs. She slammed through the door as if the Furies were at her back, and looked about wildly. Her heart was thudding in her throat. She couldn’t take the shame. No woman should have to bear this measure of humiliation.
Why had she admitted to loving him? She could have kept it to herself rather than voicing it.
Tears were coursing down her cheeks and she impatiently dashed them away, grabbing up her travel bag only to remember that it still contained her ripped garments. She flung them to the side, realizing she didn’t even have another chemise until her trunk arrived tomorrow. All she had was her water paints and sketchbook.
That was enough. She was leaving… going somewhere. Anywhere.
If she were a more resolute type of woman, she would throw herself in a rushing river, the way heroines always did in two-penny plays.
No. She would never do such a thing for a man. Not even for Colin. Not for anyone.
But she would run away. She would go to a different inn and be alone for a day or two. Think. Try to decide what she wanted to do. She could send a groom to her family and they would rescue her.
She threw open the door of her bedchamber.
Don’t miss
Part Three
On sale March 26, 2013
From Avon Impulse
And if you haven’t read the earlier books in this series,
you’ll love The Ugly Duchess and “Seduced by a Pirate.”
Copyright
“With This Kiss: Part Two” was originally published in As You Wish in April 2013 by Avon Books, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
WITH THIS KISS: PART TWO . Copyright © 2013 by Eloisa James. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition MARCH 2013 ISBN: 9780062276940
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB,
He folded his arms over his chest. “Fuss?” His jaw set. “Why will we not marry?”
She might as well say it all. “You made love to me under the influence of laudanum,” she pointed out, proud that her voice was steady. “I would much dislike to have to drug my husband before we could produce any children. I have changed my mind.”
“You cannot change your mind. We have consummated our relationship, if not our marriage.”
“We don’t have a relationship! We never had one, except in my imagination. You needn’t worry about me. I have to go,” she cried, turning. “I just—I have to go.”
And she fled, out the door and up the stairs, even though she heard him shout her name. He had the bellow of a sea captain who could be heard over hurricanes and squalls, but she didn’t stop.
The inn’s best bedchamber was at the top of the stairs. She slammed through the door as if the Furies were at her back, and looked about wildly. Her heart was thudding in her throat. She couldn’t take the shame. No woman should have to bear this measure of humiliation.
Why had she admitted to loving him? She could have kept it to herself rather than voicing it.
Tears were coursing down her cheeks and she impatiently dashed them away, grabbing up her travel bag only to remember that it still contained her ripped garments. She flung them to the side, realizing she didn’t even have another chemise until her trunk arrived tomorrow. All she had was her water paints and sketchbook.
That was enough. She was leaving… going somewhere. Anywhere.
If she were a more resolute type of woman, she would throw herself in a rushing river, the way heroines always did in two-penny plays.
No. She would never do such a thing for a man. Not even for Colin. Not for anyone.
But she would run away. She would go to a different inn and be alone for a day or two. Think. Try to decide what she wanted to do. She could send a groom to her family and they would rescue her.
She threw open the door of her bedchamber.
Don’t miss
Part Three
On sale March 26, 2013
From Avon Impulse
And if you haven’t read the earlier books in this series,
you’ll love The Ugly Duchess and “Seduced by a Pirate.”
Copyright
“With This Kiss: Part Two” was originally published in As You Wish in April 2013 by Avon Books, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
WITH THIS KISS: PART TWO . Copyright © 2013 by Eloisa James. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition MARCH 2013 ISBN: 9780062276940
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB,
Similar Books
![Jordan Summers - [Dead World 01]](https://fs.collectorofbookboyfriends.com/474996/thumbs/152x264/jordan-summers-dead-world-01.jpg)
