“I... haven’t been wearing it to bed. I would hate for the chain to break in my sleep.”
“I can buy you a new chain.” His thumb pressed harder against her throat until it cut off her air. Her breath stopped. Hermouth opened instinctively, but no air came rushing in. Then her lungs began to burn under the sudden starvation of air.
She flexed her fingers at her sides, but he only held her tighter.
The seconds dragged—one, then two, then three—before he released her with a low chuckle and stepped back.
She heaved in a breath, her lungs aching for air, then pressed a hand to her tender throat.
Leeland’s eyes raked down her again, pausing on her heaving chest, then continued down the rest of her body in a way that felt both mortifying and indecent. Never mind that the fabric of her nightgown covered everything from the top of her ribs down to her ankles.
“You’re wearing my ring on your finger. Next time I see you, my sapphire better be around your neck too. And every time after that. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night and you’re in your nightgown. Do you understand?”
She forced herself to nod.
“Good.” He watched her for another moment, then turned and stalked down the hallway, his frame so large the floorboards creaked beneath his weight.
She stood against the wall, hand still pressed to her neck, until his footfalls disappeared into the dark.
He hadn’t hit her, hadn’t even hurt her, really. There might be a small bruise on her neck come morning, but it was nothing she couldn’t conceal with some powder.
And yet, she couldn’t stop shaking. If this was how Leeland treated her before the wedding, what would happen after, when it was too late for her to get away?
21
Yuri couldn’t stop himself from whistling as he let himself in the back door of the temporary library building. Not only had McCreedy dropped off lumber for shelves first thing this morning, but the sun was shining today. Actually shining. In the middle of winter. It was a rare day indeed, and he planned to spend as much of it as possible outside.
If he worked quickly, he might be able to mount shelves on two walls before lunch. He reached for the toolbox in the storeroom, but a series of thuds echoed from the front.
Had McCreedy returned, thinking he would help? Hopefully so. The work would go twice as fast with an extra set of hands.
He headed through the storeroom, with its adjoining office at the back of the building, then entered the storefront. But Angus McCreedy wasn’t the one making noise. Rosalind stood by the shelves against the wall. Sunlight caught the golden tones in her hair, and the light green shade of her dress made her look like spring itself had walked in early.
She moved briskly between the boxes and shelves, putting away books with a speed that bordered on careless. A spine caught against the edge of the shelf, and she shoved it in anyway.Another book slipped from her hands and landed on the floor. She muttered something under her breath, crouched to pick it up, then stood and smoothed her skirt in one long, distracted motion before resuming her work.
“Good morning.”
At the sound of his voice, she jumped, then whirled toward him, a hand pressed to her chest. “Yuri, you scared me.”
He nodded toward the toolbox in his hand. “I didn’t mean to. I’m here to build shelves, which it appears we’re going to need before lunch at the rate you’re working.”
Her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. “Am I working too fast?”
“I doubt there’s such a thing as working too fast. The sooner the books are ready, the sooner we can open. But don’t feel as though you need to spend every waking hour here. I’m certainly planning to enjoy the sunshine later.”
“The sunshine. Right.” She gave a sharp nod, then turned to start shelving the books again.
Yuri set the toolbox down and came closer. “Is something wrong? You seem...” He wasn’t sure quite what word to use.Nervousmaybe?Flustered?
She put another book on one of the shelves. “I’ve decided to take you up on your offer.”
“My offer?”
“To help me leave Sitka.”
“You have?” He should have been happy to hear such a thing, but something in him ached at the way she said it. Her voice was flat and her eyes dull. It didn’t seem like she was asking for help so much as surrendering. “What happened to change your mind?”
Her hand moved to the pendant lying against the base of her throat. It was large and dark and blue, a lovely necklace that matched her engagement ring, even though both items looked abit too big and gaudy with the simple dress she was wearing. “I can’t marry Leeland, which means I need to get away. But I still need time to see if I can find proof of my father bribing Marshal Hibbs.”
