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He must be speaking of Jane, Alice thought.
Patrick nodded. “You can give me the details later. In the meantime, I will witness the signing of the contract. Unless... perhaps you don’t wish to sign it anymore?”
Nick stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to say something. He lifted his hand, dropped it back to his side. “Alice?” he said softly.
Both men were waiting for her to speak, and Alice was never at a loss for words, so she squared her shoulders, found the fortitude to curve her lips into a smile, and grabbed the roll of parchment from Patrick’s hand.
“Of course we want to sign the contract.” She laughed carelessly. “Right, my lord husband? Nothing has changed. How could it in the space of only a few weeks?”
She untied the ribbon and spread the pages out over the desk.
I, Lord Hatherly, do solemnly pledge to allow my wife, Lady Hatherly, to travel. I will never seek to keep her in England for any reason, and I do hereby swear never to make demands upon her except that she be circumspect in her manner of living and she never seek to bear an heir by...
The words on the page swam in front of Alice’s eyes, marching in a line of stark, black letters spelling out precisely what she’d requested.
Shouldn’t her heart be lifting? Here it was, her writ of freedom and her license to leave.
“Everything appears to be in order. Lord Hatherly?”
Somehow she couldn’t call him Nick right now. Maybe never again. She had to stop allowing him beneath her skin and into her heart.
She must follow the plan, because it was the only part of her life that made sense right now.
Emotion swirled in the depths of his silvery eyes when he finally met her gaze. Regret. Remorse. Could there be... yearning?
Let’s tear this up,she thought with a strong surge of emotion. We don’t need this. Let’s start fresh. Forge a new contract. One where we promise to love one another until death do us part... and we truly mean the words.
Her mind was playing tricks on her, and her heart as well.
Telling her she cared for Nick.
Confusing physical intimacy for love.
Lovemaking wasn’t a language to learn. She couldn’t master it with hard work and memorization. Her heart had been too unpredictable.
There were no rules to follow in this game.
And she’d already lost.
Nick watched Alice sign her flourishing signature to the contract, and his heart didn’t do any of the things he’d expected it to when she’d demanded the document that day at Dalton’s house.
Shouldn’t he be gleefully contemplating a return to his bachelor freedoms?
No one waiting to question him if he came home late.
No one who cared.
Perfumed courtesans with no expectations. Empty pleasures that never satiated him in any lasting way.
Not like sweet, satisfying Alice with her naughty questions and bawdy sense of humor.
Caring, intuitive Alice.
Visiting the duke in his orchid conservatory.
Gifting her body to Nick with such abandon it left him breathless.
I don’t want to sign the contract.
