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Simon stared down at his eggs, wondering how she would react if she knew what he really used that room for. Would she regret marrying him? Would she fear him? He could never let that happen, therefore she must never find out.
He pushed his plate away and walked to the study to wait for her. Dishonesty was no way to start a marriage but he was protecting her by not telling her about his past. There were some things a wife didn’t need to know.
“Are you ready?” she asked from the threshold.
“Yes.” He walked over and took her hand. “Come with me.”
He led her down the back staircase and a long corridor lined with servants’ rooms. When he finally reached the back room, he opened the door and waited for her comment.
“This is amazing,” she said in awe. “What do you do in here?”
Two small windows filtered sunlight into the large room filled with dumbbells for lifting. The large sand-filled bag hung in the middle of the room. She walked up and pushed it.
“Is that what you do? Push it?”
Simon laughed. “No, I punch it.”
She turned around with her eyes wide. “With your hands? Doesn’t that hurt?”
He walked over to his leather gloves and held them up to her. “I put these on first.”
“Will you show me?”
He tossed off his jacket and waistcoat while she leaned against the wall to watch. He slipped the gloves onto his hands.
“Do you come down here alone?” she asked.
“Sometimes one of the footmen will come down with me and spar.”
“Spar?”
“It’s a pretend fight.”
Her face paled slightly. “So no one gets hurt.”
Most of the time. “Of course not.”
“Oh.”
He could hear the relief in her voice. “When I am down here for exercise I use the bag and the weights.”
“That explains...” her voice trailed as her cheeks turned red.
“Explains what?”
“Nothing.”
He lifted her chin with his gloved hand. “Mia?”
“The fact that you are built like a blacksmith,” she admitted.
He leaned in closer, inhaling her sweet scent. “And do you like that?”
She nodded.
“Good.” He walked away and slammed his fist into the bag of sand. He turned at the sound of her gasp. “Are you all right?”
“I didn’t expect the force. You’re very strong.”
