A Scarlet Bride (23 page)

But last night had shown her she was normal and that Gordon, not herself, was the abnormal one. After all these years, it was an astonishing thought.

Sunlight streamed through the curtains, dust motes shimmering in the light. The noise of men working in the barns drifted through the open window. Connor would be waking any moment now. Though they were man and wife, the thought of dressing together was completely unnerving. She was still trying to adjust to the fact they were married in the truest sense of the word.

She eased out from under his leg and arm, and sat up in the bed. The floor was strewn with clothing that had been hurriedly shed. As she stood she felt tired and sluggish, and realized her body was tender in places. But that didn't matter as she hurried around the room picking up her undergarments. She glanced back at Connor, who slept on undisturbed. Lord, even in daylight, one glance at the man made her blood quicken.

Tiptoeing, she hurried to her dressing area. She was not ready to face Connor in the daylight, look him in the face recalling the night before. Having sworn never to remarry, never to be intimate with a man again in her life, she needed time to adjust to last night's events. Connor had become a major complication in her life, one she had no idea how to handle.

Hurriedly, she sponged off her body and dressed. When she was ready, she left her
screenedoff
area and made her way to the door. Pausing, she took one last look at the man who had broken down all of her barriers, the man who'd given back her womanliness. Even in sleep he was handsome. The sheet was draped across his buttocks, his muscular thigh sticking out from under the covers, his face relaxed in sleep.

Oh, Lord, what was she going to do now? She could not fall in love with this man. There was no room in her life for a fancy man, especially one like Connor. Her heart had already been broken once. She would not risk it a second time.

***

A loud banging penetrated Connor's fog of sleep. His eyes opened with a start and gazed around the room, surprised that he slept in Alexandra's room.

Leona called through the door, "Mr. Manning? Mr. William is here to see you."

He rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Thanks, Leona. I'll be right down," Connor said, throwing back the sheet. Memories of the night before came rushing back with a heated fever.

The way the moonlight had looked shining down upon her ivory breasts.
The feeling of being lost in her silken curls.
The husky sound of her voice crying out in passion.
He'd never dreamed it could be this good. He'd never dreamed this woman would give him such pleasure. He'd never dreamed that this woman, more than anyone else, could make his heart sing for joy. He'd never dreamed that she would leave him craving for more.

Yet that was exactly what she'd done. Left him believing that last night had been naught but a dream, a dream that left him aching to find her and mold her to his body. To lock them both together in this room until he'd had his fill.

But the way he felt right now, he didn't know when that would be.
Next week or when he was eighty.
He only knew he had to find her, see her in the morning light
Make
sure she felt as gloriously happy as he did this morning.

He stood and stretched. Damn, but it was great to be alive! Glancing out the window, he realized things were going to work out after all. Many more nights like last night and Alexandra would soon be pregnant and the future of River Bend would be secured. He planned on spending every night in Alex's arms.

River Bend would be saved and he would be a father.

With a plunk, he landed on the feather bed, his heart pounding.
A child.
A son to continue River Bend.
Before this moment he'd not given much thought to the child he must produce to save his family home. But suddenly, he realized this would be his own flesh and blood. His and
Alexandra's
together.

The image of a baby suckling at her breast a toddler running from room to
room,
filled his mind with excitement. The years flashed before his eyes, the two of them watching their children grow. Holidays and birthdays— the house filled with love and laughter. He could barely contain his enthusiasm.

Then he sobered. Though marriage to Alexandra had been nothing like he'd expected, he couldn't let himself be lured into a safe feeling of security. Women were deceitful characters, and he would do well to remember what Georgiana had done to him. How he had lost his best friend because of her treachery.

The rumors said Alexandra was an
adulteress
. Yet somehow, she didn't quite fit his picture of an accomplished adulteress. Last night she had displayed an innocence he had not expected, a naiveté usually not found in women like her. Women who were accomplished flirts, who flitted from man to man, were easily recognizable in bed. They knew what they wanted and needed in sex, and usually liked to show their prowess.

There had been women since die time he turned seventeen, but no one compared to Alexandra. She was a puzzle that was quite intriguing.

Alexandra had displayed a naive, unpracticed passion that had gently swept him away.
A passion that was not rehearsed or coquettish, but an honest response that had surprised and pleased him.

More and more, he realized there was something about this enigma called Alexandra that didn't seem to fit.

William would have the clues.
William and Aunt Clara.
Somehow he had to find the truth.

Shrugging into his robe, he couldn't help but wonder where Alexandra was this morning. Heaven forbid she was downstairs alone with William. The man was worse than a woman when it came to gossip, not to mention the many times Connor had watched his friend flirt outrageously.

Quickly, Connor went to his room and changed into clothes and hurried downstairs. He approached the parlor, relieved to find William alone.

"Good morning, friend," he called, strolling into the room.

William stood and clasped Connor's hand."
You rascal, you.
I arrive back into town and find my best friend has tied the knot while I was away. Why didn't you telegraph me?"

"It was rather sudden," Connor said as he slapped William on the back. "It's good to see you."

With raised eyebrows, William said, "I'd say you went to extremes to win our wager."

Connor laughed. "To tell you the truth, in the last few days I'd forgotten all about our bet."

"You do look a little tired. Married life must be difficult on you." William returned to the love seat and sat.

Connor smiled. "Actually, it's better than I ever expected."

William shook his head in disbelief. "I should have known better than to bet against you. When the odds are the highest, you always seem to come through. But to marry Alexandra Thurston, a divorced woman, was something I never imagined even you doing."

"Why? She works well with Suzanne. The house is looking better than it has in years. And she intrigues me. She has refinement. Something I've always seemed to be lacking."

"I don't believe for a moment that Charleston County's greatest bachelor would willingly submit to marriage," William said, his voice rising in laughing disbelief. "Admit
it,
you married her just to win our wager."

"Stranger things have happened," Connor acknowledged with a knowing wink.

William reached into his pocket and pulled out five
onehundreddollar
bills. He laid them in Connor's hand grudgingly one at a time. "Hell of a way to win a bet. You just had to fuck her to win, not marry her."

A sudden crash turned Connor's head to the door, and he felt his world start to crumble.

Framed in the portal with a silver tea service scattered at her feet stood Alexandra.
Her face was a ghostly shade of white.

Damn!

She'd overheard them. She had seen William place the money in Connor's hand, probably had heard him talk about their bet. But worst of all was the expression on her face. He'd never seen such naked raw pain.

His gut twisted with agony at the anguish that shimmered from her eyes, the way her fists clenched at her side as if she strained to keep them away from him.

Oh, God, he had not meant to hurt her!

***

A powerful buzzing filled Alexandra's head as she stood swaying in the doorway. Her heart felt as if it were lying at her feet along with the tea service. Unbidden, her hand came up to her throat. The urge to flee, get away from the watchful eyes of the two men who had deceived and tricked her, was powerful.

Lifting her
waterspotted
skirt, she turned to leave, her back ramrod straight, her head held high.
Hurry! Hurry, before you break down in front of them. Hurry, so they can't see your heart breaking inside
.

"Alexandra, wait," Connor called, racing after her.

She ignored his plea. Why had she ever believed in this man? Last night had been a lie.
A horrible, insidious lie.
The stairs leading to her bedroom were behind her— she couldn't turn and face him. Pushing her way through the door leading to the outside gardens, she heard footsteps running behind her.

"Wait, Alexandra."

She hastened through the door, slamming the wood against the house. Tears stung her eyes as she sprinted down the steps into the garden. The smell of roses drifted across the late summer breeze, their pungent odor a reminder of the flowers Connor had once given her. She felt like wreaking havoc on the entire garden.
Tearing off the delicate blooms, beating the bushes, pulling up the perennials, burning the roses.
Instead she reached the farthermost corner trapped between two rose trellises.

How, after everything that Gordon had done to her, could she still hurt so much? How could she have been so stupid, so naive as to have given herself to the county's biggest rake? To a man who had coerced her into marriage, only to find out that he had done it not to save her reputation, but to win a
bet.
A wager that netted him a measly five hundred dollars!

At least now she knew the real reason for their hurried marriage.

"Alexandra!" Connor called, out of breath.

She whirled around to face the nemesis of her heart, her body rigid.

"Leave me alone."

"Please, listen to me." His face was white, his eyes wide with alarm.

"What kind of pitiful argument can you give me after what I heard in the parlor? How can you look me in the face after what you've done?"

"Let me explain. It's not as bad as it sounds." He tried to touch her and she drew away.

"Don't lie to me. You're only saying that because you were caught. Now I understand why you married me. I'd gladly have given you the five hundred dollars, just so you would have left me alone."

He stood dejected, his hands at his side. "That's not why I married you."

"Oh? Did you bet double or nothing? Did you make a wager on how long it would take for you to divorce me too?"

"No, Alexandra. I have no intention of ending our marriage. We'll be together forever." His voice was quiet and gentle.

"Nothing lasts forever!'' she insisted, her voice
raising
.

"Alexandra!"

She paced the small area of the garden like a trapped animal. "Did you ever consider how I would feel if I found out? Am I not a human being with feelings?"

"Foolishly I didn't. The bet was made months ago," he said dejectedly.

She wrung her hands. "What difference does time make? You still made a wager about bedding me! A wager that would have completely destroyed what little reputation I have left."

Connor hung his head. "You have every right to be angry. When I made this bet, I didn't know you. I thought with your past, you would be an easy conquest." He paused and ran his hand through his hair. Raising his head, he looked into her eyes. "I didn't know how it would be between us. I didn't know last night would be the best night of my life."

Memories of what they had shared the night before suddenly turned her stomach sour.

"Were you lying beside me last night counting your cash? Did you wager with anyone else? Should I run a statement in the paper admitting we consummated our marriage so you have no trouble collecting from the others?"

"There were no other bets."

"Or better yet, should I contact Lizzie and ask her if you also told her she was the only woman who made you burn with passion?"

The tears she had held at bay suddenly welled up in her throat. She gulped, trying to keep them from falling, knowing once they started, they would not soon quit.

He raised his hands, palms up in exasperation. "I made that bet the very first night I met you. It was a stupid, heartless act, but at the time I didn't know you. I didn't know we would be married. By last night, I'd forgotten all about the wager I'd made with William."

A single tear rolled down Alexandra's cheek. She quickly swiped it away, only to be followed by another. Soon the tears fell faster than she could control them, and with a desperate sob, she picked up her skirts and practically ran.