The Sherbrooke Bride (Sherbrooke Brides 1)

Alexandra could have told him that Melissande would be shown a torn sheet and look bewildered.

Instead, she said, “Melissande also enjoys watercolors. She’s really quite talented. Whilst I am fully able to oversee darning sheets, she leaves such mundane tasks to those who haven’t her talent.”

Douglas didn’t know what to say to that.

“However, I can sing. I am not Madame Belle Orzinski but I have been told that my voice is quite nice. Also, flowers and plants of all kind respond to me. The Northcliffe gardens are in horrible condition.”

He said very quietly, his dark eyes glittering, “Are you trying to convince me that you would make me a good wife, Alexandra? You’re trotting out your other sterling qualities?” He was pleased when she paled, obviously unaware of what she’d said until he’d pointed it out.

“No,” she said. “I don’t want to be your wife any more. I want to go home. You cannot force me to remain here, my lord.”

“I can most certainly force you to do whatever I wish. It would behoove you not to forget that.”

Instead of hurling curses at him, Alexandra drew a deep calming breath. She was moderate in her behavior and thinking, she was in control, she was mild-tempered and now she would prove it, both to herself and to him. She would not attack him. “You said you wished to speak to me. About what?”

That was well done, he thought, pleased. “There is a rip beneath your right arm. Either from hurling the marquetry table at me or having

Sinjun sit on you and jerk your arms over your head.”

“If I wheedle, will you buy me a new gown?”

“Probably.”

“I don’t want anything from you! You would throw it up to me endlessly whenever I chanced to displease you, which would be every other minute.”

“A pity, because you’ve got me and all my bad habits. You’ve also got all my cursed relatives who have the sensitivities of goats, and a good two dozen meddlesome servants that come with me. No, don’t hurl invectives at me. Your calm is refreshing, albeit unusual. Now, I told you that I wouldn’t annul the marriage. I told you I accepted you as my wife. I have not changed my mind. Now, have you anything to say?”

“You are perverse.”

“No more than you are.”

He had a point there. She sat down, stretched and raised her arms to lie on the sofa back. She crossed her legs and dangled one foot. She looked amused. “So, I understand you now. You are doing this to avoid a scandal.”

“No, but that’s a good point. There would be a scandal, probably a vastly annoying one. But that isn’t the reason. I think, once you have recovered your more temperate humors, that we can deal reasonably well together.”

He was giving her what she’d wanted for the past three years, what she’d wanted so desperately that she’d even tried to seduce him. She’d taken off all her clothes and offered herself to him. And he’d turned her down and insulted her. Now she was dressed in a gown with a rip under the right arm and he was offering not to annul her. She couldn’t quite grasp it. On the other hand, what real choice did she have? Wasn’t this precisely what she wanted more than anything else?

She looked up at him then and said, “All right.”

Douglas smiled. Something loosened inside him. He hadn’t realized he was so very tense, hadn’t realized he was so very apprehensive about what she would say.

“You look very different when you smile.”

“I suppose you haven’t seen much humor from me.”

“No. I suppose you haven’t observed much placid behavior from me either.”

“No.”

She blurted out, “What do you intend to do now?”

He cocked his head to one side. “What do you mean? Do you wish to go riding? Since Sinjun is here, you must ask her if you can ride Fanny. I will buy you another mount. Perhaps you can go with me. There is a stud over at Branderleigh Farm that sells mares with fine bloodlines.”

“No, about this Juliette.”

“Ah, a diamond of the second water.”

“Yes! Currently being imported for your perusal. I can’t bear it, Douglas!” Alexandra jumped to her feet and began pacing. “And I can’t bear more comparisons, truly. This Juliette—goodness, named after a Shakespeare play!—will arrive and all your relatives will look from her to Melissande and then to me and they’ll show their displeasure at what has happened. They’ll be verbal in their displeasure. I can’t bear it, Douglas.”