Page 3 of Foolish Bride
“I want…I do not know.” Her tongue touched his ear.
Grabbing her bottom, he pressed her roughly against his arousal.
Surprised but not afraid, she arched against him.
His lips found hers roughly and he caressed her everywhere. He pulled her deeper into the thick garden shrubs. His breath came hard. He kissed her ear, her neck, then moved down to her throat. He caressed the top of her bodice, then tugged gently, releasing her nipple.
The cool air was odd and delightful on her sensitive skin.
He grazed it with his thumb, then his mouth covered her. She pulled him closer, wanting something but not knowing what she needed. Everything spun the way it did when she drank too much wine. It was wonderful and terrible all at once. She gripped his arms tighter, never wanting to let go.
He pushed her away. “No.”
Longing for more, she clutched at him.
He fixed her dress and pushed a stray curl behind her ear. “I must go. It is too difficult to be here in the dark alone with you. I will not be able to stop myself.”
“I did not ask you to stop.” She surprised herself with her boldness.
He grinned. “No, you did not, but I will wait and take you when you are mine, my love. We can wait for our wedding night, and I promise it will be worth the wait.” He kissed her nose, then was gone.
Chapter 1
See the dressmaker
Find just the right gift for Michael
Ask Mother for pin money
Write to Michael so he will know I am thinking of him
Elinor had many more items to add to her morning list. A knock on her door forced her to put down her quill. “Yes.”
Mother stepped inside. “Your father wishes to see you in his study, Elinor.”
“Why so formal, Mother?”
“The matter is quite urgent.” Virginia Burkenstock folded her hands and grimaced; her sour face much different from her normal serene expression.
Elinor placed her list inside her desk, stood, and shook out her skirts. When she reached her father’s study, nerves twisted her stomach. She entered, her mother close at her heels
Rolf Burkenstock scratched his belly where it hung over his trousers, then tugged on his morning coat. He pointed at the chair near his desk. “Sit, daughter.”
She obeyed.
“You will not marry Sir Michael Rollins.” Clearing his throat, he fiddled with a document on his desk.
For a full thirty seconds, Elinor couldn’t respond. It was so outrageous for him to be cancelling her wedding a mere month before the much anticipated day, she was sure she had misunderstood. She stared at him for some sign that he would say more or make her understand. “Father?”
“We’ll say no more on the subject, Elinor. It’s bad enough that we will have to deal with some gossip for breaking the engagement. The man should be left with some dignity.” Her father’s new earldom meant that Sir Michael Collins was now beneath her, but she never dreamed that either man would go back on their word. Recently raised to the rank of Earl of Malmsbury by the crown, Rolf had a new sense of his own worth. He stood prouder, had lost much of his natural modesty, and lived in fear of gossip and scandal.
Lady Virginia’s eyes were puffy and her nose red. She bit her lip and sniffed, which she always did when trying to contain her tears. Several strands of her blond hair had escaped her usually neat chignon.
Father hadn’t cried, of course. His imposing height and piercing pale blue eyes usually intimidated Elinor, but now he wouldn’t make eye contact, looking from a spot on the wall to one in the carpet. As a diplomat for the crown, he met with kings and princes on a regular basis, but his own daughter made him uncomfortable.
“Has Sir Michael cried off?” Elinor was calmer than she would have thought possible.
Now neither of her parents would look her in the eye.
