Page 45 of Never Leave Me
Lord Worth released Ellen’s chin and lifted his hand as though to strike her. Instinctively, she raised her arm in self-defense and in so doing the sheet slipped down.
His attention shifted to her shoulder, bare except for the shoestring strap of her chemise.
She groped the linen and attempted to cover herself, but before she could pull it back up, his fingers came down onto her shoulder and blocked her. He didn’t move for several heartbeats. Then he stroked his thumb across her collarbone, his eyes following the trail and filling with undeniable desire.
The touch made her skin crawl. She took a step away but found herself pressed against the window ledge with nowhere to run.
“Tell me, Lady Ellen, are you wed?”
She wanted to tell him she was happily married and to leave her alone. But then he’d likely ask her all kinds of questions about who her husband was—questions she was unprepared to answer. “No, I’m not wed.” She was better off sticking to as much of the truth as she could. “I’ve been ill in recent years and didn’t expect to live long enough to be married.”
His gaze lifted to meet hers, his irises still wide and dark with wanting. “You do not appear to be ill.”
What if he decided to violate her? No one would stop him. She needed to tread carefully, or she’d only make things worse for herself—if that were possible. “Thankfully, I’ve been healed in recent weeks and am feeling much better.”
“Healed?” He assessed her with new interest. “By holy water?”
Ellen hesitated, sensing her answer was important but not sure how much to divulge.
He gave her a rough shake. “Speak the truth, Lady Ellen, and save my captain of the guard the trouble of forcing the truth from you with methods that may offend your delicate sensibilities.”
What difference did it make whether he knew? At this point, self-preservation was more important than keeping secrets. “Yes. I drank holy water.”
He studied her again, and his lips turned up into a thin, calculatingsmile. “I heard rumors this past year of healings wrought by the holy water. One such rumor has to do with your brother-in-law, Lord Durham, that he was healed of life-threatening injuries.”
Marian had told tales of her husband, William, receiving mortal wounds while defending the king. Marian claimed she’d given William holy water to save his life. At the time, Ellen hadn’t believed any of Marian’s stories about the past, but now after all that had happened to her and Harrison, she had no doubt William had been healed. It was no wonder Lord Worth was curious to know more.
“Heretofore, Lord Durham has been unwilling to open the wellspring at St. Sepulchre, has indeed prevented us from taking even a drop.” Lord Worth continued with his tight smile. “Mayhap, I have discovered a means to gain his cooperation.”
She wanted to pretend she didn’t know what he was referring to, but this had to be the wellspring Dr. Lionel had mentioned. She started to shake her head, but his grip returned to her chin with bruising force and was followed by his mouth coming down upon hers, crushing her lips and suffocating her.
She attempted to wrestle free and slap his face. Before she could manage, he broke away, spun around, and stalked across the room.
She wiped her hand across her mouth, disgusted and angry all at once.
When he reached the door, he stopped.
She couldn’t keep from glaring at him.
His demeanor was calm, almost casual. “I shall not tolerate insolence or lack of submission. The sooner you learn that, the better you will get along.”
What did he mean? Was he expecting her to submit to his kisses or more? “If you misuse me, my sister and brother-in-law will learn of it.”
“They will also learn I may do as I please to my wife.”
“Wife?”
“My children have need of a new mother, and I have need of a new wife. I shall enjoy one as comely as you.”
“I’m not interested—”
He waved a hand, cutting her off. “I shall use the marriage to ally with Lord Durham. Such a union will surely be beneficial for both families.”
“I haven’t come here for marriage.”
“You came to me, to my home. If not for the purpose of forming a union, what other reason would a young woman have for being here?”
The question baited her to divulge the truth, to spill everything—the fact that she didn’t really belong in this era, that she’d fallen into a coma and woken up here. But he would think she was telling wild tales, might, in fact, think she was a lunatic. Her only hope was to get word to Marian.
