Read Online Jo Beverley - [Rogue ] by An Arranged Mariage - Free Book Online

passing day. If her husband would be difficult to handle, at least he was no monster, and she would doubtless see little of him.
    Yes, it was all working out very well.
    Until she realized that this was her wedding night. Was it possible that her bridegroom intended to inflict himself upon her once again? Surely not. But how embarrassing it would be if he came to her and she had to send him away. He might, after all, think she... she expected it.
    With sudden resolution she knocked on the door to the adjoining room. It was opened not by her husband but by a thin, swarthy servant. His valet.
    "I am Clintock, ma'am. May I help you?"
    "Mr. Delaney is not here?"
    "He is still below with his lordship, I believe, ma'am."
    She hesitated, but she knew she would not be able to sleep with uncertainty hanging over her.
    "I think I will leave him a note," she said.
    Amenably, the manservant produced a traveling desk that opened to reveal supplies of paper, pens, and ink. He held a chair for her and arranged everything with a slow deliberation that made her want to scream, expecting as she did to hear her husband's footsteps at any minute.
    When Clintock had retreated she sought words to express herself. How impossible it was.
    In the end she wrote:
    As our marriage has already been consummated, after a fashion, I would be grateful if you would respect my privacy,
    Eleanor.
    It was terse and ungracious, but she could think of no way to better it and she wished to be gone from this room. She sanded it, folded it, and wrote her husband's name on the outside. There was no seal or wafers, and surely no necessity.
    Eleanor left the note there and beat a hasty retreat.
    Clintock's voice stopped her. "Would you wish me to take this down to Mr. Delaney, ma'am?"
    "No, no. That will not be necessary."
    "Very well, ma'am. And please accept my best wishes on this happy day."
    Blushing, Eleanor stammered her thanks and fled. So, his valet was in his confidence. She supposed there was no help for that.
    Next she checked the door for a key and did not find one. She shrugged. She did not think the man she had married today would force himself upon her, no matter what had happened a few weeks ago. So long, she supposed wryly, as he was not now downstairs drowning his wits in brandy.
    She prepared for bed without ringing for a maid. She was well accustomed to managing for herself and valued the privacy. As she sat before the mirror in one of her voluminous nightgowns, brushing her hair with long, sweeping strokes, she considered the events of the evening.
    It would appear her husband had enemies. Well, it was said those who supped with the devil should have a long spoon. She supposed he was able to look after himself, but she hoped she would not become embroiled in any of his disreputable doings. She had had enough of such matters in her brother's house and longed only for placid respectability.
    The adjoining door opened.
    Nicholas stood leaning against the frame, the note between his long fingers. He had removed his jacket, waistcoat, and cravat. In his open-necked shirt he looked like a pirate. Eleanor's heart began a frantic beating and the brush fell from her fingers.
    His expression was unfathomable but his voice was crisp and cold as he came into the room, shutting the door behind him. "Never write such an indiscreet note again, please. It could have been read by anyone."
    Irritation overcame her fear. "Who on earth would read it except possibly your valet, whom you appear to trust?" Her voice sounded shrill to her own ears.
    "Anyone could have entered the room while Clintock was elsewhere," he said, as if explaining to a bothersome child. "This whole exercise is an attempt to preserve your reputation. That note could throw it on the dung heap."
    Eleanor knew she had gone red under this reprimand, and she dearly wished to throw the responsibility for her precarious reputation precisely where it belonged: in his lean, cool face. She knew, however,