Page 4 of When Bones Whisper
It was almost two days until the wedding, and she had exhausted all other options. If she was going to have any chance at happiness, they needed to be gone.
She wasn’t certain what time she had fallen back to sleep, but by the time she awoke to heavy footsteps echoing down the long corridor, Duke was gone, and sunlight arrowed through thewindow. Her heart hammered against her ribs as the pounding grew louder.
Damned and Hell.She must have missed tea with the Grantham family.
Charlotte scrambled to her feet as the door flung open with a loud bang, making her jump. She stepped back, pressing her back against one of the wood columns of her bed.
“You missed the tea,” her cousin bellowed, his long face heated red. “Are youtryingto embarrass me?”
Her lips parted, but the words were trapped halfway down her throat.
“Answer me,wife.”
The word shot through her like an icy splash of water, but she knew better than to remark that they were not yet married. Instead, she lifted her eyes to meet his narrowing stare. “I apologize. I did not sleep well.”
“That is no excuse. Do you know what pains I went through to secure an invitation after everything your family has done? Your maids said they could not wake youagain!”
Tension carved through her jaw, and her fingers gripped the wood post of the bed. It was his family too and if he was referring to the murders, then it was only one man’s fault.
“Speak!” he spat and she jumped.
Inhaling deeply, she uncurled her fingers and looked at him. In her gentlest voice, carefully crafted and perfected over the years, she whispered demurely, “I am so sorry, William. I know you have done a lot for us.”
Lies.All of it lies.
His eyes traveled to her white chemise, and she instinctively covered her chest. He turned his stare to her bed, spotting the cat fur against her white blankets. “What did I tell you about letting that fleabag in the house?”
She looked at the floorboards, hoping her silence would quell his rage. If she said what she really thought of him, she would be in an asylum by the end of the day, or worse.
After a long sigh, his shoulders relaxed. He wasn’t much taller than Charlotte’s five-foot five stature, but when he closed the distance between them, she felt tiny, like a caged animal.
“Hmm.” He brought his thumb to her bottom lip and dragged it down, pressing his fingerprint against the fleshy inside of her mouth before allowing it to flick back. “You are fortunate you know,” he said and brushed his fingers over her cheek. “No one else wanted you.”
Defiance laced her eyes, but she didn’t dare let her mask of civility slip, no matter how much she wanted to shove him away. She didn’t care if no one in society wanted to marry her. Not that she was averse to the idea of taking a husband, but she had always held out hoping to find love or friendship. It was ironic that now she would get neither.
He brought his fingers to her long curls, drawing closer, as if he might kiss her. His whiskey-laced hot breath lingered around her face, and she scrunched her nose.
“There are ways you may make it up to me, to show me how grateful you are,” he said.
“Please,” she whispered in a voice that swallowed itself. “We are not yet married.”
“There is no need to be shy.” He pressed his body against hers, and she could feel everything, including the small bulge in his pants. “You cannot deny the feelings between us,” he said. “It is only two days until our wedding. No one will be any the wiser if you become with child now.”
She wanted to crawl out of her skin. It wasn’t because her virtue was at stake. God knew that had been taken by another long ago, when she was young and believed herself in love with someone who did not deserve it, but she couldn’t reconcile herself to being intimate with William of all people.
Not that he knew that. Her purity was her only card to play.
“Please,” she begged. “I want to wait until our wedding night.”
“You need not play coy, my sweet, innocent girl,” he said wheezily, with eyes that promised to take that from her. “Let me show you the ways a woman can be pleasured.”
Her face blanched. “I said no.” It was a word that felt heavy on her tongue, usually unspoken. As soon as she said it, she knew she’d made a mistake.
His eyes narrowed. “What did you say?”
“I…Please, don’t do this.” She looked at him with soft eyes, pressing her lips tight. Normally, her cousin liked it when she begged, and it was enough to avoid too much conflict with him. Except, this time, it wasn’t working.
She glanced up and stared directly into his bright green eyes, which was her first mistake. He mistook her look for somethingmore and pushed his lips to hers. His all-too wet tongue darted through her lips before she could stop him. He tasted of tobacco and liquor. She pushed against his chest, but he only groaned in response. Her muffled protests were lost in his lust as he pushed his long skinny fingers down the front of her chemise, grasping at her chest as if he was kneading dough.
