The Seduction of His Wife Read Online Free PDF

shame really. And you are a fine woman, Em. Don’t let that blackguard husband of yours make you think otherwise.”
    “I don’t think otherwise.”
    “I’m glad to hear that.” Abby tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and let the sun warm her face.
    “You know things could change for the better if he does come home,” Grace interjected. “You got on well enough when you were younger. People change over time.”
    Never could a statement be truer. She had changed a great deal over the years, mostly in the last three years since Richard’s father had passed away. The man had been like a father to her. Her father-in-law had given her wings and set her free. He’d been a good man and was everything Richard apparently was not.
    “I never spent any time with Richard outside the watchful eye of our chaperone. Someone was always five feet behind us making sure we acted appropriately. Most visits, we hardly had the opportunity to talk.”
    “Yet in those allotted times, he was always pleasant with you,” Grace pointed out.
    “I wonder if it was an act. Something to keep his father happy. I can’t blame him for leaving; he was a young man bent on adventure. I was still a child in his eyes.”
    From the moment he’d entered her bedchamber on their wedding night, she’d started to cry. And she’d continued to cry for the remainder of the evening. She’d ruined a perfectly good wedding day by turning into a sniveling, whining young woman. He’d done his duty, and of course she’d let him. Without so much as a good-bye, he had left her that very night.
    She shivered despite the warmth outside. She didn’t like these memories resurfacing. It had taken her years to bury the happy and sad memories in the back of her mind. She wished she could banish Richard completely from her thoughts, but doubted he’d ever completely disappear from them.

Chapter 4
    How can you miss that which you do not know?
    The housekeeper opened the door instead of the butler. The older woman stared at him in shock. Richard couldn’t blame her. He’d not set foot in his town house since his father’s death. The woman looked as though she’d faint from his presence.
    “My lord,” she said on stepping away from the doorway to admit him into the house.
    “Is my wife in residence?”
    That had been on his mind all morning. Had she stayed in Town, or had she left for Mansfield Hall at first light?
    “Not at the moment, my lord.” Richard had always been careful to avoid staying at the town house whenever Emma was in residence. He had no plans to avoid her this time. “She’s gone for a walk with Lady Grace and Miss Abigail.”
    “Send your mistress into the parlor when she’s back. And have the master bedroom set up for me. Mr. Lioni will occupy the guest room closest to the stairs.”
    “Right away, my lord.”
    The woman walked down the hall at a clipped pace to do as he bid. Dante came through the door the next moment.
    “How long are we staying?”
    “I haven’t decided. We might travel north to my family estate.” Much depended on his wife. He was looking forward to seeing her again. “If anyone knows I’m in London, there’s nothing to stop them from calling on me. I can’t see anyone with this obvious pain in my side. I won’t reveal any weaknesses to potential enemies.”
    “We should consider leaving London immediately.”
    “I’m in too much pain to be jostled around in a carriage. We’ll go in a few days.” His wife was sure to flee for their country home after seeing him. “You’ll have to book passage on the rail to Matlock. We’ll take a carriage the rest of the way.”
    He hadn’t been home to the estate since his wedding day. What would Emma think of his return? Strange that he’d not been able to rid his mind of his wife since last night. She was turning into a damnable nuisance. This desire to see her baffled him. His business took precedence. Always had. Or so it had always seemed in the