Common sense and his own experience with negotiations told him that he should seek out Kate and wrench the truth from her, but he felt an uncommon reluctance to do so.In all his life, he had never known rejection, and he did not want to ask her any more questions, especially on the eve of their wedding, for one simple reason.
He was not sure he wanted to hear the answers.
Chapter Fourteen
In the end, Kate decided to be sensible, as usual.It was pointless to fight against a will stronger than her own and toss away her only chance for a future not mired in toil and deprivation.
She had to consider the possibility that Uncle Jasper might never return, that Hargate might be lost and she forced to make a living out in the world—at best as a governess or companion, at worst as a servant, with no life to call her own.Faced with such choices, marriage to Grayson seemed the lesser of evils, so she ceased her arguments.
She approached the arrangement logically, telling herself that she was entering a marriage of convenience, for that was surely how the marquess saw it.He would expect nothing of the union, and she must not, either, for such were the ways of theton, where legal ties meant little and fidelity even less.
If she was lucky, Grayson would be satisfied to tuck her away at Hargate, while he returned to London.Then the only difference between her old and new life would be a slight change in circumstances among the household and one small document that bound her to a man who did not care for her.
And if her heart was broken in the process, that could not be helped.It would mend someday, as had every other hurt in her life, making her stronger.She drew upon that strength to maintain her composure throughout the brief ceremony and the depressing celebration that followed.
Only later, when Grayson hinted at retirement and the little maid led her to her mother’s old room, did Kate balk.Her cheeks flamed at the thought of sharing a bed with a husband who had offered for her only after pressed by her old coachman.
She halted before the door, disinclined to enter, but Dora’s presence kept her from protesting.Although the servants were undoubtedly privy to the reasons for the sudden nuptials, perhaps these new arrangements were meant to quiet their wagging tongues.A useless effort, Kate was sure, yet she swallowed her arguments and stepped over the threshold.
She let Dora help her from her new gown, just as if she always slept here, but once the fancy dress was hung in the wardrobe, she dismissed the girl, whose bright blush and sly smiles were a painful reminder of what this night should have been.
Clad in her shift, Kate bent down to remove her slippers and stockings.She was accustomed to doing for herself and needed no assistance donning her old nightgown, but when she pulled open the dresser drawers and peeked in the cupboard, it was not there.Although some of her clothing had been moved, she could not find that serviceable garment.
Turning, Kate glanced around the room irritably until she spied something laid out upon the bed.When she moved closer, she drew in a sharp breath at the sight of the gossamer-and-lace confection waiting for her.
She picked it up, ignoring the delicious texture to gape at a material so sheer it would hide nothing.She had never thought to wear anything like it in her life, and she certainly was not going to do so now, when her wedding night was only a mockery of what it should be.
The longer she looked at the absurd attire, the more Kate wanted to wring Grayson’s neck with it.All her rage at his arrogant machinations, and all the hurt she felt at this pretense she must endure surged up in her chest, clogging her throat.He probably was amused at the prospect of her flaunting herself before him in this filmy fabric.
Gripping the excuse for a garment in one hand, Kate marched over to the door that linked the two rooms and yanked it open, stalking to the middle of the worn carpet.Grayson was standing near an old settee that he had scavenged from another part of the house.He turned in surprise, and despite her ill mood, Kate swallowed hard when she saw him.
He had removed most of his clothing and stood before her wearing only his trousers.She had forgotten just how beautiful his body was, from the mass of hard muscle and dark hair that was his chest to the clean bones of his feet.For a moment, she was speechless.
“Kate?”His voice, low and amused, brought her gaze back to his face, where one of his dark brows lifted in question.
“My belongings have been moved.”
That infernal brow only climbed higher as he gave her an arrogant nod.“It is customary for a husband and wife to have adjoining rooms, although I would be happy to share this one with you.”
He smiled—a small, erotic curving of the lips that left Kate short of breath.Dimly she was aware of his tendency to steal her wits, but not this time.She refused to be the object of his charity or the butt of his humor.
“No.”
“No?”He looked slightly bemused.
“No,” she said, more firmly.“And I am not going to wearthis,either!”She tossed it at his chest, and it slid down his body in an arresting manner that nearly made her forget her anger.
Drawing in a deep breath, Kate recaptured it quickly.“So you can take that smirk off of your face.This marriage is a sham, and we both know it, so there is no need for you to pretend otherwise.”
“A sham?I assure you it is not.It is entirely legal and binding.”He looked so cool, so composed, standing there half-naked, that Kate wanted to punch him.Instead, she sought desperately to match his detachment.
“Do you think me a fool?I realize that you only wed me because you had to, because of what people would think if you did not.”
Did surprise flicker in his eyes, or had she imagined it?One side of his mouth quirked upward.
“Kate, I assure you that I have never worried in the slightest about the thoughts of others.Do you really believe that the inane prattle of creatures like Pimperington would concern me enough to make such a sacrifice?”
Although he seemed as arrogant as always, Kate noticed a sharpness around his mouth that spoke of some strain.“But you said—”
