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innuendoes about her lack of interest in his often-expressed desire to consummate their marriage. All day she had tried to control her temper and not speak the words she wished to say. She could not keep her true feelings hidden any longer.
    â€œGo, Nicholas. Leave. Let me tell you before you go that I don’t care if you ever come back. You have ruined what should have been the best day of my life. You have forced me to leave the man I love with all my heart. You are expecting me to be grateful for some title I have never heard of. I don’t want to be Lady Foxbridge. More exactly, I don’t want to be your Lady Foxbridge. If this is how you pay back a kindness, I would hate to see how you treat your enemies.”
    â€œAre you finished?” he asked quietly. “If you are, I have a few things to say to you.” Deliberately he crossed the room. Grasping her arms, he twirled her into his strong embrace. Before Rebecca could react, his mouth covered hers. Gently he loosened her braids and undid them to allow the silken tresses to flow along his arm. His fingers entangled in it to hold her motionless. At her waist, his other hand slowly stroked the soft angles of her body.
    Although she was tensed for what she expected would follow, Nicholas continued merely to kiss her and hold her as if she was made of the finest crystal. Like a treasured piece of art, he carefully and most tenderly examined her without doing anything to damage her.
    She was not fooled by his chivalrous behavior. She could not be mistaken about the yearning he held so closely in check. Nicholas wanted her. She could see it in every motion he made, but she did not want to be his. Her hands pushed against his chest to free herself from this unwanted embrace.
    Only when he chose was she able to step away. He picked up the gown she had dropped. Handing it to her, he said, “You are my wife, Rebecca. You are my Lady Foxbridge. I will be back in fifteen minutes. You had best be prepared for dinner, or you may learn how I treat my enemies.”
    Without waiting for her response, he walked to the door. When it closed with a distinctive click, she ran to the door. She breathed heavily with fear as she dropped the bar into place. She knew very little of this man who was her husband, but she had learned enough to know he would do as he pleased. If it meant returning immediately to rape her savagely, he would be surprised to learn that his wife was not the docile lass he expected her to be.
    Quickly she dressed. She brushed her hair back into the style she had worn to the wedding. Her chin rose defiantly as she tried not to think of the day’s events. The woman in the mirror appeared unchanged, but there was a hardness in her heart which had never been there before. Whether it was the core of her pain or the bitterness of learning how truly cruel another human being could be, she did not know. All she knew was that Nicholas would not find it easy to transform her into his lady. She would fight him every inch of the way as she waited for her darling Keith to come for her. When this marriage was dissolved, she would marry Keith immediately. Then they would resume the life they had lost.
    When a knock sounded, she asked, “Who’s there?”
    â€œIt’s been fifteen minutes, Rebecca.”
    Even the sound of his stygian voice set her heart racing, but she would not let him know how much she feared him. “One moment.”
    Checking her appearance a final time in the mirror, she turned to the door. The key clanked loudly as she unlocked it. She lifted the latch, then turned away as if she was not concerned about the man entering the room.
    â€œYou look lovely, sweetheart.”
    Her heart contracted as she heard the endearment that Keith had used so often. Her pain did not show as she looked at Nicholas. Her face was as cold as her voice. “Thank you, Nicholas.”
    Although she hated the man who stood in the room, she