Anna’s breath hitched, and her eyes quickly filled with tears.
Chapter 6
I remember three occasions when I finished reading a lovely tale and knelt by my bed and looked up at the brightest star in the night sky. My eyes brimming with tears, I wished to be free. For many years, I thought the star had forgotten me. Now I know that it had not. It sent me Ashden.
Colin was on the brink of threatening Hampton and Darpley with a pistol. He reached back and gently took Miss Hampton’s hand, taking a step back with her.
He had observed her throughout their trip from Hertfordshire and saw her gradually grow more anxious as they neared London. He was almost certain when the carriage stopped that she was afraid of something inside the house. Her father had looked concerned, but all Colin had to do was watch her to see how afraid she was.
Her parents also did not appear to be as concerned about Miss Hampton’s reputation as they ought to be.
Darpley took a step toward him but Colin glared at him with a warning, and he was sensible enough to heed it, because he stayed where he was. Lady Hampton stood to the side, regarding him warily.
“We are leaving now,” Colin said.
“She is my fiancée,” Darpley argued but he did not come closer.
“She is mine now,” Colin returned, his hand tightening possessively around Miss Hampton’s. “We have no wish to see you all again. Ever.” And with that, he turned around and led her out of the house to the waiting carriage. When they were seated across from each other, he rapped on the roof and the coachman began to pull away.
For a long while, neither of them said anything to the other. She was staring at her hands that wrung the fabric of her dress, while he was counting from one hundred down to zero to calm himself. Colin had not felt anger like this in a very long while. His father had been a very cruel man who had lashed countless times upon his mother.
Miss Hampton now reminded him of how frail and helpless his mother had been against his father. “Do you have any precious possessions you wish to have retrieved?” he asked at last.
She raised her dark eyes to his, her stiff shoulders relaxing slightly. “Only my journal.”
He nodded. “I will have it secured for you.” Then he leaned forward and took both of her hands in his. They were trembling, and he cursed inwardly. “You did not tell me of the danger that awaited you in your own home.”
“You were firm in your decision. Would telling you have changed your mind?” she asked, her voice as brittle as glass.
“Yes, it would have. I cannot abide revilement, and beating, even less. I will marry you.”
She released a low breath. “Thank you.”
Colin was inclined to raise her hands to his lips but he had a feeling that once her soft skin touched his mouth, he would want to give in to his building desire right here in this carriage. He was a man, not an animal, and he had to respect her.
Releasing her hands, he leaned back in his seat and gazed at her. The storm had done her a grave injustice, and he had seen just how lovely she was when she walked into the breakfast room that morning.
Her hair was as black as ebony, her dark eyes set deeply above high, noble cheeks. She was still incredibly pale and unfashionably tall, but her height suited him. He could feel his groin becoming engorged as he looked at her now, and thus, he had to make the terms of their marriage clear. After allowing her ample time to collect herself.
She stared out the window, likely not seeing anything. A red welt had formed on the underside of her jaw, and he felt his choler rising at the sight. Reaching under his seat, he drew out a stack of books. “Would you like to read something?” he asked her. “Reading calms the mind.”
She swallowed and nodded. He selected three volumes from the stack and gave them to her. The remaining two were treatises she might find tedious. Miss Hampton did not examine the books and simply selected the first her hand touched, which was the one at the top. She opened it, and he saw her take a deep breath. She was still shaken by what had happened.
Her dark eyes moved along the page for a moment before she turned to stare out the window again, placing her finger between the pages and closing the book. Her mind was too restless to be calmed by the written word, and he wished he could help her more. Colin decided to allow time to do it.
An hour passed and she opened the book. He surreptitiously watched her read two whole pages before she had to turn her eyes to the window again. However, she did not linger there before she started reading again, and he was glad. When he checked his watch again, they had been riding for more than two hours.
Colin was about to speak when she closed her book and asked, “Can we talk about the marriage?”
“Yes, but I need you to understand certain points before we marry,” he replied, and she tilted her head a little, giving him her attention. “This is not a love marriage.”
“No, certainly not.” Her face tightened a little. “Love does not exist in the world of the aristocracy.”
“Yes,” he agreed, “and I am pleased we understand each other on that subject.” He also did not believe in love. It had destroyed his mother, and his father had wielded it like a dagger. “When we marry, you are to have no visitors, especially your parents. You may visit your friends whenever you want, but Dawnton is where I have peace, and I wish to not be disturbed there.”
“I have no desire to see my parents again.” She removed the small gold brooch fastening her cloak before removing the garment, exposing small pale shoulders and a beautifully rounded bosom. Colin shifted in his seat, suddenly wondering if it would be wiser to ride outside.
“And I have no friends, but I do have a sister,” she continued, “Catherine, and she is dear to me. She married Lord Darpley’s brother, who died a year ago. She is kind to me, and so was her husband when he was alive. She lives in Scotland but occasionally visits England. I would like her to visit me.”
