“I am not sure why that is a concern of yours, Kincaide. I imagine you have other things in Liverpool to keep you occupied,” she said with disdain in her voice.
His brows wrinkled in confusion. “What?”
Her poise disappeared, and she leaned forward. Her chest heaved up and down; for a moment Sam thought her bosom would spill out of her dress. He cursed his reaction to her. His eyes connected with hers, and she said, “You know what I mean. You told me to live as I please.”
He could feel the fury growing in him again. “I did not tell you to attend the most scandalous ball of the season and find a lover.”
She laughed contemptuously. “What do you care? You left and have not sent a single letter since.”
“I was trying to give you time to adjust and space after unexpectedly having to marry me.”
She arched a haughty brow at him in disbelief. “Yes, such the gentleman you are. You pack up with your mistress and leave me here.”
He looked at his wife in disbelief. Mistress? He stalked over to her and placed his hands on the arms of her chair. “I do not have a mistress.”
Her mouth twisted into a scowl. “I don’t need your lies. As we said, this is a marriage of convenience.”
Sam looked at her, shocked that she honestly believed he was up frolicking in Liverpool with a mistress. Her red-painted lips were pursed together in a pout. His body ached to touch her, but he pushed himself away from her.
He strode to the fireplace and stared into it. “There is no mistress. I would recommend not reading the scandal sheets to learn about my actions.”
“How else would I learn about you?”
“You could have written,” he pointed out.
Perhaps that was the wrong thing to say because her eyes flashed with anger. Why did he say that? He also was guilty of not writing. “There is no mistress,” he reaffirmed.
“Do you expect me to believe you? Not that I really care.” she said, waspishly.
He couldn’t believe his wife believed such drivel. “Why did you want me to know that you were at the Ball of Sin, if you don’t care?”
She looked at him speechless then finally said, “It was a crazy scheme Addie, Mercy, and Annie planned.”
He sat in a chair across from her. “You went along with it. Even suggesting Sebastian Devons was to be your lover.”
She gasped. “I never suggested that.”
His mouth twisted into a smirk. Ahh…Clara was not privy to all their schemes. “Did you want me to return?”
She was quiet, and she played with her skirts. He leaned forward and stilled her hands with his. “Why didn’t you write?”
For a moment Sam felt the easiness that existed between them, but she squared her shoulders and pulled away. “Why didn’t you? Did you even think of me? Or were you preoccupied with your mistress?”
He rolled his eyes. “There is no mistress. Why do you keep saying that?”
“I have read the papers,” she stated.
A bark of laughter escaped him. “You judge me on the scandal sheets.”
Her eyes flashed, and she stood, glaring down at him. “You told me yourself that our union was nothing more than a marriage of convenience. We did not even consummate our marriage.”
“I wanted to give you space. To figure out what you wanted this to be. You have already had one man forced upon you. I didn’t want to presume that you wanted me in your bed,” he said.
Did she really think he didn’t desire her? She paced back and forth. He stood and blocked her path, but she wouldn’t look at him. “Clara, do you want me in your bed?”
He tilted her chin up, so she was looking at him. “Clara?”
Her eyes flashed. “I do not want a man I have to share with his mistress.”
