As soon as his wife stepped foot into the room, he knew she had not come to demand he tell her where he had spent the night neither did she come to wish him salutations that morning,
What has her in a fit now, he wondered warily. The toast wasn’t to her liking or perhaps the butter and cream served her weren’t sufficient. He chuckled inwardly. Reclining in his chair and flicking his pen between his fingers, he regarded her with tender eyes.
Her lovely brown eyes reflected anger, so he avoided them in his perusal of her body. The lavender muslin gown that curved lovingly over her body moulded her breasts nicely and gave a hint of a cleavage. He didn’t know if he liked the upper parts of her breasts showing; he would speak to the dressmaker who had made her wedding trousseau. Although he hadn’t yet had the chance to feast his eyes on what he believed would fit nicely in his arms, he didn’t think he wanted men ogling his beautiful wife.
“Stop looking at me like that!” she curtly demanded, effectively snapping him out of his sensual thoughts.
With a winsome smile twisting his lips, he asked, “Like what!”
“Like a starving man staring at his first meal in days,” she returned tautly.
He clicked his tongue. “You can’t blame me. I believe I’m the only man in all of England and perhaps the entire world who hasn’t seen what his wife looks like under her clothes.”
“And you’re also the only man in the world who blackmailed his wife into marrying her just so he could inherit his aunt’s wealth!”
Hudson jerked as if he had been slapped. What was her preoccupation with his inheritance? He hadn’t pegged her as a gold digger. Possibly her gaming parlour wasn’t doing well and she needed some money to revive it. Maybe she was afraid he wouldn’t be able to take care of her and meet her needs.
“Are we back to this inheritance talk again?” His expression was that of a bored man.
It further served to increase her fury. With lithe steps, she moved to stand before him in front of his desk and leaned over to glare at him.
“Tell me you didn’t marry me just so you could inherit Aunt Agnes’s wealth!”
Her husband found it difficult to answer because he couldn’t keep his eyes off the creamy swell of her breasts, which she provided him ample view of due to her posture. His eyes moved from the delicious view to the leather sofa beside his desk. Perhaps they could continue what they had started before he foolishly left the room last night. Tempest had become putty in his hands, and it would have taken very little to have had her last night. But he hadn’t wanted their first time seeking and giving pleasure to be in anger. He had feared that he might be too rough with her and so had decided to give her time to adjust to being married to him first. Making love was one thing he was certain they would both enjoy; consequently, he didn’t want to put her off it for life by taking her like a common strumpet.
But now that his libido seemed to be controlling his senses, he was having second thoughts. Maybe showing Tempest how passionate she was and how much they went well together in bed would make her accept their marriage for good. But his study for crying out loud! No one would dare come in but then, he would have to shut the French windows, and if the gardener just happened to be working in the garden …
The thought of someone watching while he brought his wife to completion quenched his desire instantly.
“I didn’t marry you just so I could inherit Aunt Agnes’s wealth,” he finally replied.
She tapped her fingers on the table. “I don’t believe you!”
Sighing and leaning forward because he already knew she wouldn’t believe him given that she was a stubborn woman, he said, “Tempest, I don’t really care whether you acknowledge what I just said as the truth or not. I have no reason to lie to you.”
She straightened. “You might still need me around for a certain time to get your greedy hands on her money!”
“Of what use would that be when I already have my fortune!”
“You lie!” Her voice was filled with doubt.
Recognising that he had to be level with her and hope she believed him and stopped listening to gossip, he explained to her how years ago he inherited a fortune from an uncle who was also a fourth son in his family.
“I invested the money wisely and have tripled the capital.” A wry smile curved his lips. “So, my dear, I have no need marrying to get my greedy hands on Aunt Agnes’s money.”
Hudson could see that Tempest was beginning to doubt the authenticity of her earlier accusation. Her teeth worried her bottom lip. To buttress his point, he drew out a drawer from the desk, searched for the necessary document, and threw the file on the table.
“It’s all there. If you need proof, you’ll see everything in those files.” He brought out more files and threw them on the table. “These ones show the level of wealth I have amassed over the years.”
When she didn’t say anything but stare at the papers, he urged her to satisfy her curiosity.
“Go on, open them and go through them. I admit that I will receive a second fortune from Aunt Agnes, but it’s nothing compared to that of my uncle.”
Tentatively, Tempest opened the first file and went through it. He leaned back and watched as her eyes widened when she saw the figures on the paper. After flipping through a few pages, she snapped shut the file.
Pursing her lips, she stepped back with an unreadable expression on her face. Although he ought to gloat, he didn’t. This humble-looking Tempest wasn’t to his liking. Her feistiness was one of the things he loved about her.
“It appears I was mistaken,” she at last said, still avoiding his gaze and looking down at her shoes.
“Apparently,” he said shortly.
“I apologise for flying off the handle for a moment there.”
“Apology accepted. Now you know better, so I can’t hold your ignorance against you.”
He loved the colour that came back to her cheeks. Her mouth parted to instinctively throw a barbed word at him. Then she evidently remembered that it was in the wrong and kept shut.
He grinned. “Tell me, where do you get such outrageous stories from?” When his wife didn’t reply but blushed crimson red, the penny dropped. “Ah, Valerie is at it again I see. I have to give credence to her. She does know how to get you going.”
Without saying a word, Tempest whirled around and walked to the door leaving Hudson to ponder on how he was going to keep her as his wife because he desperately wanted to.
Chapter 27
I swear I’ll go mad if I have to endure one more day of this!
The old biddies continued chattering, having no idea that their host was bored to tears. She had tried getting used to life as Hudson’s wife, but after a week in the manor, she was ready to pull out her hair in frustration.
Tempest knew nothing about running a household, and she had told Hudson that fact a hundred times.
“You’ll learn,” he would simply tell her when she gritted her teeth if Cook sent word that she would like to know what meals would be prepared that day. Of what business of hers was what the silver service had to be done with? Wasn’t the house running on its own before she was kidnapped there or before she became Hudson’s wife. Why then did she have to be consulted about every blasted little thing, no matter how trivial?
“It’s your due,” her husband had told her when she complained bitterly about not having peace, “they’re according you the respect you deserve as the mistress of the manor.”
Well, she didn’t want to be mistress of the manor anymore. As a matter of fact, she didn’t want to be mistress of anything. All she wanted was to return to London and her gaming parlour. That was what she knew how to do, not instruct maids and servants all over the place.
“Think of it as a bigger gaming parlour. You run your establishment successfully, so I don’t see why you’re finding it hard running a mere household.”
“They’re different, and you know it,” she had retorted petulantly.
&nb
sp; Observing her keenly, he had said, “Is it? Or isn’t this one more excuse from you why you can’t continuing being Mrs Danvers?”
As he astutely guessed her thoughts, she had blushed and walked away from the study where she had gone to accost him. Although she didn’t know much about married couples, she could clearly say that she and Hudson weren’t acting like one.
They barely saw each other. Although they lived in the same bedchamber, she retired to the room adjoining his, waiting in trepidation … and hope if she was truthful to herself that he would come to her. But he never did.
After dinner, they would retire to the lounge where he would either read a book or demand they play a card game. After the first two nights when she had enjoyed herself so much sparring with him as they played card and board games, she had decided not to engage in the activity again.
It drew so much emotion from her that when he had tried to kiss her after their entertaining game the second night, she had given in, and he almost had her in the lounge if she hadn’t pulled away at the last minute. Being near Hudson was absolutely dangerous, and loving him made matters worse.
So, from the following night, she went to bed immediately after dinner to avoid further temptations. It broke her heart anytime she heard him come in later in the night, speaking to his valet as the man helped him undress, but there was nothing she could do about it. Many a time she had gone to the door separating their rooms to beg him to take her because the longing was beginning to drive her crazy. But in the end, she would pull back and return to bed as frustrated as ever. .
Afraid that she might one day go to his bed and beg him to make love to her, coupled with the fact that she still didn’t know how to run a household, had her freedom limited, had to entertain silly women, and sip tea all day, she decided to give in to her inner struggles. She would flee from the manor since she was so unhappy.
The knowledge that she would be leaving Hudson and their marriage behind filled her with despair, but it couldn’t be helped. There was nothing for her here. He had his inheritance and his aunt while she had her gaming parlour to return to. She hoped that when she finally made good her escape, he would understand why she had to leave.
An opportunity finally arose one afternoon when she heard the valet talking about disposing Hudson’s old clothes. An idea quickly formed in her mind. She rushed to the door to listen if Hudson was with his valet as the old man was fond of talking to himself; Tempest sighed with relief when she didn’t hear the voice of her husband.
Pushing open the double doors, she swept into the room. The valet turned to look at her and smiled warmly.
“Good day to you, Mrs Danvers,” the man called heartily.
“Good day to you, James. I was wondering if you could summon the butler. I want to have a word with him.”
“Yes, mistress,” the old man said and hastened out of the room to do her bidding.
Satisfied that she was now alone in the room, Tempest swiftly sorted out a pair of black trousers and a black shirt from the pile on the bed. She rushed to her room and hid her package under the bed waiting for the valet to return.
As Tempest waited with her heart beating a rapid thud against her chest, she tried to come up with a plan on how to leave the manor. Regret filled her at not taking her husband’s offer to learn how to ride. She had rejected the idea because he had told her he would love them to ride together every morning. Afraid that she would fall more in love with him and decide never to leave even though she was unhappy there, she had declined his offer.
“I’ll just have to find another means of leaving,” she muttered to herself.
When the young woman heard a brisk knock on the door to her room, she was glad that an idea had already taken shape in her mind.
“Mr Bridges,” she said to the grey-haired man after they exchanged pleasantries. “My husband wishes to have a word with you and all the footmen in the stables immediately. The groomsmen as well.”
The man’s brows shot up, but Tempest ignored it as she continued fibbing, “I will be abed all day as I need to rest and don’t want any form of disturbance.”
“Yes, mistress,” the man promptly replied.
“Do well to summon each and every one of them now. The maids are also to help Cook in the kitchen. I’m planning a surprise for your master.”
Hudson would be surprised indeed when he discovered that she had bolted. She had overheard him telling his valet that morning that he would be tied up in a series of meetings all afternoon. By the time he realised she was gone, she hoped she would be halfway to London.
Mr Bridges smiled and left to carry out her instructions. Tempest quickly divested herself of the muslin gown she had on and put on Hudson’s clothes. Of course, they were big for her, but she rolled up the sleeves of the dress and the hem of the trousers. Her clothes were rolled into a bundle.
Her heart slammed painfully in her chest as she reached the door, opened it, and peered out of it. There was no one about, which she had made sure of by sending the various servants in different directions. All the men would be assembled in the stables while the women would be in the kitchen.
She crept down the stairs, praying that none of the servants would surface to ask her questions and Hudson wouldn’t suddenly remember he had something to do upstairs. She also prayed that one of his business partners wouldn’t decide at that moment to leave.
Her heart kept beating rapidly and her palms grew moist as she made her way down the stairs.
Had the stairs always been this long? They seemed to be never-ending!
At last she reached the bottom and sighed. Quietly, she walked to the front door and gently opened it although it usually didn’t creak. Swiftly, she darted out of the house, ran down the short flight of steps, and hastily strode away, avoiding the main road the estate offered and walking alongside the trees, shrubs and bushes to keep out of sight.
Her heart was heavy when she finally left the estate through one of its small gates. For a moment, she paused to look around, wishing things could be different; knowing she was leaving the man she loved.
“It can’t be helped. It can’t be helped. I have to go back to London,” the distraught woman murmured repeatedly as she continued her journey.
Tempest wished she had brought a cloak along with her as the cool spring breeze wafted across her body. She shivered slightly and hoped she would find help soon enough.
Hudson had said their nearest neighbour was miles away, but she hoped she would see a farmer returning to the farm with his produce so that she could ride with him on his wagon. And perhaps be offered something to eat for she was suddenly starving. Too tensed, she hadn’t thought of taking any food with her. It would have even been impossible because had she rung for a made to bring her lunch, she would have been held back, and her plan might have been foiled.
Yawning, she acknowledged that she would just have to manage until she found a place that offered food. She didn’t have any money also which made her situation quite difficult.
Tempest didn’t know how long she had walked, avoiding the dirt road, looking behind her constantly, and walking in the bushes which wet the rolled-up hem of Hudson’s trousers when she saw a building ahead.
The lying lout! Even through her relief because she had feared that she would walk for hours before she got help, she registered that Hudson had lied about their neighbours being faraway.
As she approached the single storied building with white stone walls, Tempest realised that she was at the local tavern. Her heart lifted with joy for she knew she would find food there.
Hastening her steps, she climbed up the broken stone steps into the establishment. The place was empty save for a man behind the bar serving another man a large glass cup of ale.
The Irresistible Lady Behind The Mask (Historical Regency Romance) Page 24
