The Husband Trap Read Online Free PDF Page B

Europe would have to be postponed for several months due to difficulties at Winterlea, his primary estate, in Derbyshire. He had thought for a moment, after he delivered the news, that she might burst into a messy fit of tears right there in her mother’s silk-lined drawing room, her face had grown so flushed. And when he suggested a week by the seashore at one of his lesser estates, in Dorset, she’d gaped and stared at him as if he’d asked her to honeymoon inside a hermit’s cave. Adrian had almost expected her to call off the wedding then and there. Perhaps a part of him had been hoping she would.
    He could have chosen Brighton to placate her, to smooth things over, since word had it the Prince Regent would be relocating his Court to the popular seaside town in the next day or two. But Adrian didn’t want to go to Brighton, where half the Ton would be descending to while away the last of their summer boredom. He wanted some privacy, away from Society’s demands, and thought perhaps the quiet would give him and Jeannette some time to get to know each other better.
    She shifted in her sleep on the opposite end of the seat from him, pushing her hat to one side, so the ribbon under her chin was yanked tight against one cheek. It looked far from comfortable. Taking pity, he leaned across and tugged the bow loose, letting the ribbons trail freely under her chin. Relieved of the pressure, she settled more deeply, breathed more evenly in her sleep.
    He hadn’t entirely believed her excuses concerning her late arrival at the church this morning. There was more to that story than a simple case of ill-arranged hair, but he had decided not to force the issue. She had done her duty, had not embarrassed him in front of his peers. In the end, weren’t those the things he really expected of her?
    Duty and discretion.
    The coach hit a rut, jostling them both despite the excellent springs in the vehicle. She roused briefly, giving a small cry of alarm. Her eyes fluttered open for a moment before drifting downward once more, her head coming to rest behind her at a very awkward angle.
    He couldn’t leave her like that, Adrian decided. A few minutes in such a position might result in a painfully stiff neck, one that could linger for days. His lips quirked upward at her decidedly humorous posture before he reached out and gently pulled her into an upright position. She sank forward against him, murmuring in her sleep. The brim of her elegant chip-straw bonnet dug sharply into his neck.
    With the nimble fingers of a man well used to assisting women out of their garments, he tugged the little bonnet loose from its moorings. Then cast it across to the opposite seat with scant regard for its fashionable perfection. Settling back into his own corner, he tucked her against him so she could use his shoulder as a pillow.
    He glanced downward, noting the way her pale golden lashes fanned out against the porcelain smoothness of her fair cheeks. Her lips, tinted a delicate, sunset pink, lay slightly parted, ripe for a kiss. Mere inches and his mouth would be on hers, stealing soft kisses at first then progressively harder ones until she awakened to find herself in his arms. But Adrian didn’t know how far things might progress if he gave in to temptation now. And he did not want their first time together to be in the inside of a coach, even one as comfortable as this. There would be time for that sort of loveplay later, he consoled himself, plenty of time.
    As if she sensed his intent regard, her eyes opened, her irises translucent as the finest aquamarine gemstones. Still more than half asleep, she locked her sights upon him. “Adrian? What are you doing here?”
    He gave her a slow, indulgent smile. “Traveling with you, my dear, on our honeymoon journey.”
    She frowned slightly as if perplexed. Then she lifted a hand to his cheek, stroking up and down over his skin in a way that made his body ache with desire.
    “Rough. You need to