Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
“I’ll be back shortly with the chocolate, miss.” The maid closed the door behind her and left her alone.
Unsure of where to start, Rosamunde didn’t move, simply smiled. All the adventure in this room merely waiting for her to jump in.
After a few moments of absorbing the extent of what had been presented to her, she moved deeper into the room. Large, with two fireplaces, one on either side, she didn’t feel any chill as she headed to the nearest bookcase. The wood was all dark and polished to a veritable shine. The large windows had heavy velvet drapes drawn over them but she imagined how it would look with those open, allowing the moonlight to stream in during the warmer months.
A single knock preceded the maid’s return. She set the serving tray down on a squatty table by the fire and clasped her hands before her.
“Anything else for you tonight, miss?”
“No, thank you.”
“Goodnight, miss.” A curtsey and she was gone.
A single look to the chocolate and she was again focused on the titles before her.
“Most women would go for the chocolate and ignore the books.”
Her body lit up at the low thrum that skated through the room.
Rosamunde bit her lower lip but she didn’t turn from the shelf.
The array of author names and book titles was incredible. Jonathan Swift. Voltaire. Daniel Defoe. Frankenstein. Gulliver’s Travels. Leaves of Grass. Some Jane Austen. Marquis de Sade.
“Do you think staring at a bookshelf will stop me from speaking to you, lioness?”
“I’ve discovered that you will do anything you wish, my lord.”
His chuckle reverberated through her, and she realized this man could be detrimental to her on so many levels. It would be so easy to fall for a man like him. His protective streak was huge and she envied the woman that would be directed toward.
“That is true. Ask my mother, she knows I tend to do what makes me happy.”
He moved up behind her and she swallowed hard.
“Perhaps you want to read something more along these lines.” He dragged his finger along several spines.
She looked at them, a series called The Merryland Books. “Why?”
“They have been described as showcasing ‘The female anatomy metaphorically as land ripe for exploration’. And I for one think you should be explored.” He braced his hands on either side of her, nuzzling her neck.
“Personally,” she said, having found some strength not having his intense gaze upon her face, “I’ve wanted to explore male anatomy over the female form.”
“You’re a lot more than you want people to see, lioness.”
The sob burst from her with such haste she couldn’t begin to stop it. Cheeks heating with an embarrassed flush, she hated how she couldn’t stop the subsequent ones.
“Let it go, baby. No one here but us. No one will know if you allow yourself to feel.”
“I’m not your baby,” she snapped. “I’m unwanted and unloved!” The words tumbled from the darkest part of her heart, pushing beyond the fear that had them locked away.
He nipped the shell of her ear. “Let it go.”
Turning so they were chest to chest, she let her fists fly. She screamed, raged and cried until she had nothing left. Then, body sagging, she barely comprehended being lifted and moved.
More heat pushed against her and she realized he’d repositioned her by the fire on a lounge. But it was more than that. She sat tucked tight against him, her head beneath his chin and his strong arms around her. Protective. Caring. Silent in their strength.
“I overheard her today.”
He skimmed a hand up and down her arm. “What did she say?”
Rosamunde wasn’t sure how he knew who she spoke about or if he simply didn’t care. As he didn’t ask who, she didn’t say, merely answered his question.
“Said I wasn’t hers. I was an embarrassment to the entire family because he slept around and got a scullery maid with child.” Full shudders wracked her body. “It’s why she has never been nice to me. Why she hates me so much and why she’s perfectly fine to sell me out to save the others. I’m. Not. Hers.”
Sinking into his broad chest, she fought to slow her breathing. His touch was soothing and constant as he moved it up and down her arm. He didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered by the fact she’d soaked his shirt or that she—no better than a stranger—had fallen apart in front of him.
“If I had the words to take away your pain, lioness, I would.” His tone was low and his breath fanned over her ear, awakening another heat in her belly. “Nothing I say can make you hurt less.”
“You must think the worst of me.”
Bryn leaned her away enough to tip her chin and find her gaze. “You can’t possibly know what I think of you other than that I’m completely in awe of how strong you are.”