Page 11 of Temptress in Disguise
He had no desire to come to Miss Fontaine’s aid but nodded. “If, at any point, you reveal the truth about our bargain, I shall prosecute you. I’ll need that in writing. When the time comes to part, I will decide the narrative we use to explain our estrangement.”
She laughed. “Anything else?”
“We will live separately, though as your husband, I reserve the right to bed you at my convenience.” While the need to have her drummed in his blood, it would likely be twice before he found it tiresome.
The lady’s delectable mouth fell open. “If you bed me, we cannot have the marriage annulled. What if you wish to marry at a later date?”
“I won’t.” He could not envisage ever marrying. He’d not raise a child in a world he considered cruel and corrupt. So why be lumbered with a burden? “Nor will I allow you to make a spectacle of me in court by suggesting the marriage is a sham. If we marry, it’s for life. Those are my terms.”
Miss Grant sagged back in the seat. “Well, I have a lot to consider. Indeed, you make marriage sound daunting.”
Marriage to him would be challenging at best.
“Count your blessings. Had any other woman suggested an alliance, she would have felt the sharp lash of my tongue.” Miss Grant would feel the soft stroke of his tongue in every intimate place. “While you decide, let me offer a word of caution. I’ll be dominant in bed. I expect you to accommodate me. To pleasure me at will. That’s the price you must pay for vengeance, Miss Grant.”
The lady paled.
Rightfully so. He would ruin her for other men.
Seconds passed before she spoke. “If I agree to your price, may I ask for one thing in return? I, too, will want it in writing.”
“I’ll not give you a child. Don’t think you can persuade me otherwise. It’s not open to negotiation.”
She smiled. A smile so warm and sweet it was in danger of stealing past his defences. “No matter what happens, I ask that you’re always honest with me. I shall afford you the same courtesy.”
Stunned by her proposal, Aramis dragged a breath into his lungs. She could have asked for a diamond bracelet or a pledge he’d not bed another woman until they parted. She could have asked him to be gentler in bed, and he might have conceded.
“Agreed.” He felt like he’d won a coveted prize at auction. “I shall make no allowances for my blunt manner.” When a man had been tricked into believing a lie, he made sure everyone understood his meaning.
Her eyes brightened. “It’s nice to know we can agree on something. It bodes well for the future.”
He might have told her he lived for today, but the carriage rumbled into the yard of the Copper Crown, and he turned his attention to the group of men shouting near the stables.
Two thugs stood, fists raised, engaged in a bare-knuckle brawl. Amongst the rowdy rabble surrounding them, three men held lit lanterns aloft. Another battled to stop his savage dog from joining the fray. A fellow stood on a wooden crate, scribbling in a notebook with a stubby pencil, the bets coming as fast as the punches.
The second Aramis stepped down from the carriage, he could almost taste the tangy essence of blood. “Wait here, Miss Grant.”
Excitement thrummed in his veins, coupled with the familiar tinge of fear. Old memories surfaced. Accompanying Aaron to the fighting pits always filled him with dread. His brother fought to put food on the table and clothes on their backs. A win brought a rush of elation. Not because the money helped to fill their bellies but because Aaron hadn’t died.
Aramis pushed through the throng of unruly men. The expert cut of his coat marked him as fodder for the felons. Their greedy gazes found him in the gloom. In their minds, they were already appraising his gold pocket watch, eyeing the large onyx in his sovereign ring.
Woe betide the first man who touched him.
But it wasn’t a man who dared to tap him on the back.
“Mr Chance, it’s not safe to linger out here. We must go inside at once, or we’ll encounter more trouble than we bargained for.”
He turned to see the petite Miss Grant standing amongst a crowd of cutthroats. “I told you to remain in the carriage. Do not disobey me, madam.” Else they would both be found dead in a ditch come the morning.
“You’re not my husband yet,” she whispered for his ears only before parting her cloak and revealing the pistol hidden inside a deep pocket. “I have adequate protection.”
For the love of God!
This woman would be the death of him.
These villains didn’t need to raise a finger.
“Happen you should listen to the lady.” A toothless blackguard staggered out from the shadows. “Seems she has the measure of the situation.”
