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Elizabeth’s hands fisted in the sheets and she hid her sudden tears "I’ry"
Marcus nuzzled her throat "I apologize to you, as well"
"I accept, on the condition you share ain, a slow deliberate glide that left a dah, she closed her eyes She should have told him the truth when she had the chance Noould alonder why she hid it frohtly breathless
Her heart swelled with tenderness The urge to tell hi But noas not the time
She arched her hips upward impatiently "If itched locations, would you hurry?"
Lifting enough to allow her to her knees, he entered her frole powerful stroke
"Sweet Elizabeth," he groaned, his cheek to her back "We can switch rooms tomorrow"
Elizabeth waited in the far reaches of the garden Pacing with i footsteps
"Mr James! Thank God, you’ve co "Why have you sent for lanced around "Where is Lord Westfield?"
She took his ared him behind a tree "I require your assistance and Westfieldyour pardon? Your husband is the agent assigned to assist you"
She gripped his arency "Christopher St John approached me yesterday He claims to be brother to Hawthorne I must know the truth"
Avery was stunned into silence
Looking over his shoulder, she watched the path behind hi He left the house to search for St John" She lowered her voice "They exchanged blows"
Avery’s mouth quirked with a rare smile "Well, then All ell"
"How can you say that?" she cried
"Lord Westfield wassome steam in the process"
"How can you condone such rash behavior?"
"I do not condone it, Lady Westfield, but I can understand his ent I ao into the encounter without careful planning He would never have allowed emotion to rule his actions"
Elizabeth snorted "I assure you, he was highly strung when he departed"
Avery tried to look reassuring "I believe Lord Westfield isthis matter, if you will just trust hio to hily
"What is it you would ask of me that you would not ask of your husband?"
"I need you to research St John’s story If what he says is true, weon opposite sides of the lathorne was killed andSt John That cannot be a coincidence" She clutched his hand "And Lord Eldridge norant of this development"
"Why?"
"Because he would certainly tell Westfield I’m not certain how my husband will take the news I need some time to sort this out"
"You sound as if you believe"
Elizabeth nodded miserably "I have no reason not to The rese, and the tale is so fantastic how can it not be true?"
"I fear youa disservice to his lordship"
"A little ed "It’s all I ask I pro you discover"
He released a long-suffering sigh "Very well I will investigate, and keep ave a tiny leap of grateful relief "Thank you, Mr James You have always been a dear friend toa dull red, he said, "Don’t thank reed to this business"
Over the next feeeks, Elizabeth accustomed herself to married life with Marcus The Ashfords remained in residence at his insistence He rested easier knowing she was not alone and Elizabeth appreciated the company while he attended to his affairs
At Eldridge’s insistence, they attended the occasional Society event, ones ed to throw off the agents tracking his whereabouts and hadn’t been seen in London since the afternoon he’d spoken with her His sudden departure was a e
The threat to her was always on Marcus’s mind Guards were stationed in and around the house, dressed in Westfield livery to avoid arousing the suspicions of his fa ed aniether that he was a ht rein on his passions He unleashed the back When he was angry, he yelled When he was pleased, he laughed When he was aroused, he ardless of what time of day it was or where they were at the moment Twice he left the Lords in the middle of the afternoon to seduce her She had never felt so important to someone, so necessary Blatantly possessive, he showed no hesitation in speaking harshly to any man who acted too familiarly with her
For her own part, Elizabeth found that her jealousy did not ease with her nenership It was a miserable personality flaw to be cursed with in a society where dalliance was not only widespread, but expected Marriage only increased Marcus’s appeal to other wouid grace of a man ell-loved often by a passionate wo, during a ot the better of her As Marcus e tables, she noticed several wolasses Looking away in disgust, Elizabeth spied the Dowager Duchess of Ravensend co toward her
"Do you see the o froed "Masked events give license to cast off what little restraint Society clings to Note the shaking palht corner? Lady Grenville and Lord Sackton have abandoned their spouses in favor of soarden with twigs in her hair You should not be surprised they sniff after Westfield like rel bitches"
"I’m not," she announced curtly "But I won’t tolerate it Excuse me, Your Grace" With rapid strides, she moved into the next room to find her husband