The Sherbrooke Bride (Sherbrooke Brides 1)

She looked at him and understood and quickly said, “Oh no, Tony. It wouldn’t work, it wouldn’t—”

Douglas and Melissande came around a thick yew bush to see Tony on his knees in front of Alexandra, his arms around her, kissing her hair.

Douglas froze.

Melissande jerked back as if she’d been struck. She threw her watercolors to the ground, and yelling like a banshee, ran to the couple, grabbed Tony’s hair and yanked with all her might. He fell onto his back, grinned up at her, only Melissande wasn’t looking at him, but at her sister.

“You miserable husband stealer!” she yelled and threw herself on Alexandra, knocking her over backward. “How dare you, Alex! You have a husband, and you have the nerve to try to take mine!” She yanked at Alexandra’s hair.

“Stop it! For God’s sake—”

Douglas grabbed Melissande and picked her up, shoving her toward Tony, who caught her and held her arms to her sides. “I’ll make her bald, I’ll make her two inches shorter!”

“Hush, Mellie, hush now.”

Melissande turned on her husband and yelled not an inch from his nose, “Don’t call me that horrid name! What were you doing, kissing her hair? I have a beautiful hair, if you want to kiss hair, you will kiss mine! You faithless lout, I’ll pull out all her hair and then you’ll—Don’t you dare try to kiss me now, you miserable clod!”

Douglas heard the yelling behind him, but he didn’t move. He dropped to his haunches in front of his wife. She was shaking her head, as if to see if it were still on her shoulders. She was filthy, her face streaked with dirt, her eyes watering.

“Are you all right?”

“No, my scalp is on fire. I hadn’t realized Melissande was so strong.”

“It serves you right.”

“Yes, quite probably, it does.”

“I fancy it didn’t occur to Tony that she would attack you. It’s obvious his plan wasn’t at all well thought through.”

She looked up at him and saw that he knew exactly what had happened. “No, I imagine he was surprised. But pleased at the same time.”

“Yes. Come along now, you’re a mess, a greater one than I am. I won’t bathe with you or we’ll remain messes.”

They rose and turned to see Tony kissing his wife very passionately.

Douglas said mildly, “Yes, Tony proved something, didn’t he? Something he hadn’t counted on. Now he is greatly pleased with himself.”

Tony made love to his wife there next to a Greek statue and it was as violent and urgent a performance as his cousin would have given. Melissande actually didn’t give a single thought to her lovely gown or to grass stains or to possible interlopers coming along. She lost her reason, all of it, and it was quite delicious. When she told him she loved him and she would kill any woman who tried to take him away from her, he grinned like a blissful fool and said with a good deal of satisfaction in his voice, “I believe that I love you as well. Your fierceness pleases me, as does your jealousy. Yes, you please me, very much.”

As for Douglas: He sat brooding in his copper bathtub, his valet standing over him, wringing his hands, bemoaning the ruined boots and trousers.

CHAPTER

18

TYSEN SHERBROOKE STOOD tall and proud as a rooster, his eyes reverent as he said to Alexandra, “I would like to present Melinda Beatrice Hardesty. My sister-in-law, Lady Alexandra.”

So this was the flat-chested simpering pious young woman Sinjun detested. Alex smiled at her. “I am charmed, Miss Hardesty. Tysen has told us all so much about you. I hope you will enjoy yourself this evening.”

Melinda Beatrice, who knew her own worth, was nevertheless a bit shy with a countess, even though she appeared to be not a month older than Alex was. She gave her a graceful curtsy and said in her prim voice, “Thank you, ma’am.”

“I trust you and Tysen will enjoy the dancing.”

“Mr. Sherbrooke has asked my mama if I may dance with him. She has refused, naturally, for I’m not out yet.”

“A pity,” Alex said. “Perhaps you can play cards instead.”

“Oh no, ma’am. Why, that wouldn’t be at all proper and my mama would be most upset. Mama says that only wastrels play cards.”