Lady Thief - By Rizzo Rosko Page 0,16

moved her lips against his, pressed herself closer and clutched his shoulders for balance. Her mouth parted and he groaned and plunged in. His body readily responded to her and he reminded himself that she only did so because she thought it was what he wished her to do, not what she wanted him to do.

For the second time, he made a decision concerning her that he knew he would likely regret.

He pulled his lips away from her mouth, pleased to see that they were fuller from his kiss and her cheeks were coloring the same shade as her hair, and he could tell ‘twas only the embarrassment that put the color there, not any fear he had caused.

He removed his hands from her and stepped back, relishing her confused eyes, and hands that were still held out to him.

He bowed his head. “Goodnight,”

He spun on his heel and left the room before his lust commanded him to go through with it, no doubt leaving her very confused in his wake.

***

A week passed, and most of the guests had their fill of food, drink, and music before departing for home with both her and William’s blessings.

Marianne still spent every night in William’s chamber, in his bed, waiting with shaking anticipation for him to come and take her. And every night he either slept next to her without so much as laying a little finger on her body, or he disappeared for the night to some mysterious place and she did not see him at all.

It made her strangely angry to think that he was most likely with a mistress, but there was naught she could do to stop or scold him in that respect but to glare at him at the table whenever they took their meals in their chamber.

He never spoke to her except to ask if she found her new living arrangements comfortable. Considering what she had expected of him the night she made Graystone her home, his concern irritated her. On that night he could barely keep his hands, or his anger, to himself. Now he never touched her.

Marianne was grateful for his distance at first, but as time went on it made her horribly lonely. Not for the first time since she had discovered the truth in that old church did she wish she had thought her plan through a little more carefully.

William’s footman, Adam, gave her a tour of her new home, the first she would receive since living at Graystone.

Judging by the healthy complexion and casual form of the tall, dark haired man, Marianne knew that William must be a good master who took excellent care of the needs of his servants.

Perhaps a little too good.

In the week that she’d lived in the castle, Marianne had seen little of anything other than William’s chamber, the great hall, and the gardens. While she saw naught but utter devotion from Adam when he did his chores, the other servants worried her.

Nearly every new morning she awoke to a chilled room. The maid was usually late to light the fire. Often times Marianne found either herself or William, when he bothered to sleep in his own bed, rising to set the logs ablaze. Her food was served cold, the gardens were in a decaying mess of weeds and bugs, and more than once she had walked down the halls to see several men and maids conversing among themselves as if they were the masters of the castle rather than the ones who kept it in fit condition. Some of the same servants she suspected had hid away from the wedding celebration to avoid their work.

Something had to be done, and Marianne wondered if this was the true reason William had agreed to marry her in the first place.

Her own words rang back in her ears, You will be rewarded with a suitable dowry, a woman of age to bear you children and handle the affairs of your home.

It was high time she started acting like she was the Lady of Graystone. She made a mental list of the things that needed to be done, a list she planned on presenting to her husband to prove that, despite their situation, she could show him that their bargain could work.

“These are the stables,” Adam said, leading her inside. The smell of earth and manure scratched her senses, but the stench was not strong enough that she needed to cover her nose. Once Marianne’s eyes adjusted to the dim lighting