Rebecca Read Online Free PDF Page A

He took her arm and turned her roughly toward the stairs. “Sit here,” he ordered, pointing to a bench. “I will handle the details of getting our accommodations, and then I will take you upstairs so you can ready yourself for dinner.”
    Chastised, although she did not understand what she had done wrong, she obeyed. She watched as several of the young boys came in with the luggage which had been tied to the top of the carriage. They stopped to speak to the innkeeper, then carried it upstairs. When they returned, Nicholas counted a generous amount of coins into their hands. She could hear the boys whooping in delight as they raced outside to share their largesse.
    Rebecca stared at her hands clasped in her lap. It seemed that her husband could be kind to everyone but her. As much as he seemed to enjoy talking to these youngsters, he delighted in being sarcastic to her. When she showed her lack of ease with the luxury he took for granted, he found it cruelly amusing. If she could not comprehend what his strange words meant, he viciously snapped at her. The only time he showed her any compassion was when he was trying to seduce her away from her love for Keith.
    She could not help flinching as Nicholas took her arm to lead her up to the second floor. He made no comment, but she could tell he was angry by the tightness of his jawline. Already she was becoming able to read the powerful emotions that he kept so closely restrained.
    At the top of the stairs, he opened a door. He motioned for her to precede him. Rebecca took a deep breath and walked into the room. She feared the moment had come when he would force her into bed. Alone in this nondescript, wayside inn partway to New York City, she would have no choice but to submit. Submit she would, but not freely.
    She stood in the middle of the worn carpet, her fingers clamped tightly around the strings of her bag. Her eyes surveyed the room. It was a pleasant space, far more opulent than she was accustomed to in her plain home. There was a dressing table and chair to one side by a changing screen. A bench was set near the hearth of the fireplace, which took up one whole wall. This she noticed later. What she saw first and solely was the large featherbed which dominated the room.
    Nicholas hefted Rebecca’s case onto the bed and flipped open the latches. With a smile, he said, “Get dressed for dinner, my dear. I will be back in fifteen minutes. I assume that will be enough time to wash the travel stains from your pretty face and make yourself presentable.” He lifted out a royal-blue gown decorated with lace she had tatted herself. “Is this your best?”
    â€œYes, Nicholas,” she said. She did not have to look to know that he was displeased with her limited wardrobe. He would want his Lady Foxbridge to dress in the highest fashion. Her clothes, with the exception of her precious wedding gown which had been worn for too short a time, had been made to endure wearing and washing over and over. Fancy clothes following the latest quirk of style were not part of her life.
    â€œFine. Would you wear it? The color will be perfect with your violet eyes.” He tossed it toward her, and her hands automatically rose to catch it. “Fifteen minutes, my dear.”
    As he walked to the door and put his hand on the latch, she turned in surprise and asked, “Where are you going?”
    He laughed the dark laugh which sent shivers along her spine. “If you wish, I will stay, Rebecca. I must admit that I am tempted to stay, but I thought that you would prefer me absent when you are in deshabille.” Once again, his eyes swept insolently along her. “If you would like, I will stay, although to do so might make us very late for supper.”
    Gazing at the floor, she moved toward the changing screen. As she reached it, she glanced over her shoulder. For a moment her eyes grew as volatile as his. She was tired of his barely veiled