“Why lie about it now? The truth will out. I am not likely to be fooledby the bladder of blood hidden in the bedroom to stain the sheets.”
Beth took a deep breath. “I am telling you the truth, my lord. I amuntouched. I ... I said what I did that first night in the hope you wouldend the engagement. I didn’t realize you couldn’t.”
He walked over to her thoughtfully and raised her chin with a finger.Beth knew there were tears in her eyes and hoped they would work forher.
“The trouble with a lie, Elizabeth, is that it poisons truth. How do Iknow you are telling the truth now?”
“As you said,” Beth replied hoarsely. “You will know.”
He released her sharply and strode away to stand looking out at thestable yard. “You don’t know how strong is the temptation, Miss Armitage,to ravish you here and now. If you spoke the truth before, it is doubtlesswhat you want. If you lied, it is what you deserve. No matter howuntouched, no decent woman could have spoken so.”
“You choose to define ‘decent woman’ to suit yourself, my lord,” saidBeth angrily. “Yes, I believe marriage to be an oppressive institutionbest avoided by women, but lust is another kind of prison. I would nevergive myself to a man I did not love and trust, and,” she added formidably,“I have not met such a man yet.”
He turned then, eyes cold and hard. “And if you meet him after we aremarried? I meant what I said. I will not be cuckolded.”
Beth raised her chin. “I will keepmymarriage vows if I make them,” she said with something of asneer. “Will you, my lord?”
She was pleased to see him flush, but her sense of victory wasshort-lived. He stepped closer and smiled unpleasantly. “It all depends,”he said with smiling menace, “on how well you serve me, my sweet. Let ushope the men who have handled you have taught you something.”
Beth gasped. “No men have handled me!”
He raised his brows. “And yet you stood so coolly as I did? Come now,Elizabeth, let’s not stretch credulity too far. I’m willing to believe,with admiration, that you have controlled your swains so as to retain yourmaidenhead, but that you have never been handled in that manner before?No.”
Tears were streaming out of her, and Beth could hardly see. She presseda hand over her eyes as if to push the weak tears back. “Oh, let me be, mylord. I am sorry, truly sorry, to have said what I did ...” She shook herhead and swallowed. “And now I am punished.”
She tried to push past him, but he grabbed her roughly by theshoulders. “You consider this punishment? You deserve a whipping!”
Beth pulled against his tight hands. “Let me go!”
Someone nearby cleared his throat.
Shocked, Beth and the marquess turned to see Jarvis, the head groom. Helooked white and scared to death but he said, “Perhaps I could escort MissArmitage back to the house, my lord.”
The marquess sucked in a sharp breath and his hands tightened on Beth’sshoulders so that she gave a choked cry.
“If you want your post, Jarvis, leave now,” said the marquess in avoice of ice.
The man said nothing, but stood there.
Beth knew that in a moment the marquess would vent all his frustratedfury on the gallant man. He’d probably kill him. He was also well on theway to destroying the credibility of their betrothal. As it seemed theymust go through with it, Beth wanted as little talk as possible. She justhoped she was as good an actress as he thought.
“My lord,” she said softly. “Jarvis thinks you mean to hurt me. Hedoesn’t know you would never do such a thing.”
She dragged out a smile and raised a shaking hand to touch themarquess’s cheek, hoping he would stop looking death at the servant. Heturned to her, and she flinched at the flame of fury still burning in hiseyes.
“Our lovers’ quarrels,” she said in a whisper, for it was all sheseemed to be able to produce, “must seem real to him. Surely you do notblame him for wanting to protect me?”
Control smoothed the frown from his face and he too smiled, though hiseyes still betrayed his feelings. “Of course not, my darling. I can onlybe pleased you have such champions.”
He moved his hands to lay an arm at her waist and hold her close. Veryclose. Beth had to fight not to pull away from his body. “Don’t beconcerned, Jarvis,” he said calmly. “Both Miss Armitage and I are merelysuffering from prenuptial nerves.”
The man, visibly relieved, touched his forelock and moved off. Beth letout a long shuddering breath.
“You keep your wits remarkably,” said the marquess softly.
“Please let me go,” said Beth, pulling away. But his arm was like iron.If anything, he pressed her closer, so that she could feel the hard shapeof his chest, his hip, his thigh . . .
“Why?” he asked, grasping her chin and turning her face up toward him.“Don’t you think an open demonstration of our fondness would be inorder?”
