Page 26 of The Baron Takes a Bet
Dropping his hand immediately, he looked away to clear his throat. No. He shouldn’t kiss her. Holly was not the type with whom he could play those sorts of games. She was the kind of woman who would only love one person, wholly and most keenly. And whoever that man might be, Gavin knew it wouldn’t be the man she had been tricked into marrying. And since the only thing keeping their marriage from being legitimized was consummation, well, he simply had no choice but to not kiss her.
“You shouldn’t have told them we were married. Now our annulment will be in jeopardy,” she said after a moment, her voice rather huskier than a moment ago.
God, how it pierced him.
“Have no fear about that,” he said. “Our marriage was done without either of our consents and as confounding as the Catholic church can be, it certainly won’t hold in a court of law. And when it does go through, we will be able to part ways.” Hegave her a reassuring smile, though he wasn’t pleased. “But until then, I won’t have my wife disparaged as some sort of bad luck charm.”
Holly’s eyes opened, her gaze locking onto his.
“You can’t stop people from seeing me how they do, especially the Paynes.”
“I can and I did.”
Holly frowned.
“Yes and now everyone in town will know that we’re married. And regardless of what you say, I’m sure that will make our annulment harder.” Holly sighed. “Whatever possessed you to tell them the truth?”
For a moment neither spoke and silence hung between them. But after a moment, Gavin shook his head.
“They pitied you,” he said lowly. “I didn’t like it.”
Holly stared at him as if unable to comprehend his words and what they meant.
“No one likes being pitied, but some of us have no choice.”
“I don’t pity you, Holly.”
“Are you sure? Everyone seems to.”
“No,” he said, inching ever slightly closer to her. “I don’t.”
His tone was serious, and his eyes fell on her lips. For a moment, he had the urge to move his hands down her arms, perhaps pull her into his chest in some sort of comforting grasp, but instead, he swallowed.
“I’m sorry for telling your friends the truth about our situation.”
Holly seemed conflicted as she gazed back at him.
“It’s all right, I suppose. But I warn you, all of England might know before the weeks’ finished. Charlotte is a notorious gossip.”
“I’m not particularly put off by that idea.”
“What idea?”
“All of England knowing that you’re my wife.”
Her mouth opened slightly as a small crease pinched between her brows. Gavin found that he rather enjoyed the way her eyes widened at his words and his body seemed to react to her in a visceral way, particularly when he called her his wife.
Holly must have felt something, too, for the next moment, she took a step back and turned, leaving him alone in the parlor. Gavin watched her as she left, unsure of what to do next. A part of him wanted very much to follow and see where this thread of near constant yearning might lead, but the lessons of his youth remained steadfast.
When he wanted something, Gavin made it a point to avoid it. The slightest chance of not getting what he desired caused him to want to pursue every possible avenue to get it. But their marriage wasn’t something he could have. Not for long, anyway. He couldn’t let himself forget that.
*
For the nextseveral days, Holly avoided him while he took great pains to learn all that he could about her. He made a few inquiries with the staff, but everyone who worked beneath Kingston House’s roof only had high praise for Holly. It wasn’t that he was searching for uncouth details about her, but he had never met a woman without any apparent faults or, at the very least, a past. Why he was so intent on knowing about her, he couldn’t comprehend, but his gut urged him on.
One afternoon, when the skies had turned dark, canceling his plans to inspect the brewery that sat on the property’s northern edge, he overheard Holly and her sister in the family parlor. He had planned to write his friend Derek Trembley to see about a card game when they reached London, when all of a sudden heheard Holly’s throaty, surprising laugh, causing him to stop dead in his tracks.
What a voice, he thought as he unwittingly followed the sound. It had surprised him the first time he heard her speak and had become the singular thing he most anticipated when he woke up each morning.
