Page 84 of A Whisper of Desire
He nodded and dropped her hand. “Have you seen Marisa? I hope she hasn’t tired herself out today. I know she has a tendency to overdo things.”
Priscilla reached out and squeezed his arm, a huge smile on her face. “I suggested she rest this afternoon. She is in her room, waiting for you. Go on…”
Did Priscilla just wink at him? He turned and made his way to Marisa’s room, a lightness in his step. Priscilla’s smile saw him hurrying. Marisa had been trying to get him to make love to her for the past two days, another sign she was feeling well. Was a seduction in the cards? His body hummed at the idea. He almost ran the rest of the way.
He knocked and entered and saw her on the floor by the fire, curled in a ball. His blood ran cold and he raced across the room, calling for help. He’d been a fool to leave the house this morning. The doctor said she was better, Marisa told him to go, but obviously something was wrong.
Little Simon appeared in the doorway and gave a startled cry when he saw Maitland pick up Marisa.
“She told me she called the doctor today simply to change her dressings. She told me she was fine,” the boy cried.
Marisa stirred in his arms. “I’m fine, Simon, I just fell asleep by the fire. There is no need to fuss.”
The little boy calmed down.
“Send for the doctor, Simon.” Maitland didn’t like the pallor of her skin. Her face looked so pale.
“He’s only just been. I’m fine,” she insisted.
Priscilla arrived in the doorway, looking worried. “What has happened?”
“Nothing, Priscilla. The doctor just gave me some bad news and I haven’t taken it very well.”
Maitland tensed, and when he saw the accusing gaze firing at him from within Marisa’s eyes he understood.
She knew.
“Priscilla, take Simon downstairs. There is no need to send for the physician. Her Grace is simply tired.”
“Do we need to cancel tonight?” Priscilla asked, as she shepherded Simon out of the door and shooed away the staff that had answered Maitland’s call.
“Yes.”
“No,” called Marisa. “More than anything, I want to hear what Arend has found,” she said in a brittle voice, low, so only he could hear. “I want revenge.”
Indecision tore at him. He could almost feel the anger thrumming through Marisa’s body. He owed her. “If my wife feels up to entertaining, then we will.”
Priscilla nodded and closed the door after her, leaving him standing helplessly in the middle of the room with his devastated wife in his arms.
“You can put me down.”
He looked at her as he held her in his arms, and fear entered his being like a poison. Her eyes were cold, lifeless, as if all the joy in the world had fled. Suddenly he realized, she might be enough for him, but perhaps he was not enough for her. She might have wanted children more than she wanted him.
“I love you, Marisa. More than life itself. More than—more than—any children we may have had.”
She lay in his arms searching his face. “You are a duke. You deserve an heir. You must divorce me and remarry.”
He sucked in a breath and strode to the bathing chamber door, anger feeding his strides. He gently lowered her to her feet.
“There will be no divorce.Youdidn’t want to cancel the dinner this evening, so we will talk about this later tonight. Guests will be arriving in an hour and we both need to dress and compose ourselves.”
“She’s won, hasn’t she?” A bitter laugh choked in her throat. “Your line dies with you unless…”
“There is no unless. So it dies, but we still have each other.” He pulled her close, hard against his chest. “She hasn’t won because I have my heart’s desire right here. If she’d taken you from me, then she would have won.”
Marisa stood seething, fury engulfing her as she stood in his embrace. The villainesshadwon. Marisa wanted to find her and kill her for what she had taken from them.
Maitland married her for an heir. That was what he’d wanted. He might say it didn’t change his feelings for her, that she was his heart’s desire, but over the years would that love be twisted and would bitterness rise between them? As he got older would he come to hate her for all he’d lost? They’d lost?
