Page 38 of A Second Chance for Carys
When he lifted his chin, Carys carried on. “She confided she had tricked you into sleeping with her, or rather that she had not rectified your mistake when you mistook her for Joanne one night.”
“Mistake her?” How in the name of all that was holy would he mistake his beloved wife for another woman and not know thedifference? He waited while Carys gathered the courage to speak because he could not think of a single explanation.
“She said something about her cousin’s wedding.”
His insides, which had somehow recovered from realizing Carys had revelations to make, dissolved again, this time completely.
Oh, God.
The wedding. The tryst by the pond later in the evening…That had been Margaret?
He remembered the encounter well enough, even if he’d drunk more than usual. After a whole day of revelry he had gone to relieve himself behind a hedge by the village pond and ended up making love to Joanne on the mossy ground.
Except…except now he was told it had not been her at all.
Feeling unsettled by the whole episode, he had never dared mention it to Joanne afterward and she had never alluded to it either. Now he understood why. Because she had not been the woman kneeling at his feet in the darkness and begging to be taken there and then. That bold behavior had been out of character for his wife, there was no denying it. He’d put it all down to the heat of the moment, and the quantity of mead she had consumed, but it had not stopped him from feeling guilty. That night he had been unusually vigorous. And the woman on all fours in front of him unusually wild.
Now he knew why.
How had he not suspected something was not right? He should have guessed…But how could he have imagined anyone other than his wife would have come to him, demanding to be taken? It had been a moonless night and, in the darkness, nothing he’d seen had been enough to raise his suspicion. The hair he’d fisted while she’d pleasured him had been the exact same shade of brown he expected it to be, the hips he hadgrabbed as he’d pumped into her had been just as slender as the ones he was used to.
Fury, shame, disgust, slammed into him. What had Margaret done? What had she made him do that night? Thank God he had not said anything about the encounter to Joanne because questions would have been raised. It would not have taken them long to find out what had really happened but it was better his wife had gone to her grave never knowing her sister had betrayed her so.
“I’m sorry, I can’t tell you much more, as I didn’t ask for any details,” Carys said, mistaking his reaction for confusion. She thought he had no idea what night Margaret was talking about. He didn’t tell her that, unfortunately, he knew all too well. It was humiliating enough as it was. “As soon as I’d heard what I needed to reassure you, I left. I found the whole conversation distasteful in the extreme.”
Yes. As anyone would. Would there be no end to his sister-in-law’s depravity? He’d thought her mind had been addled by the shock of her children’s death but if she had already done such an outrageous thing as to let him take her when he was convinced he was making love to his wife, then he could seriously doubt her sanity. That encounter had taken place more than twenty years ago. Had she been mad all this time?
Dear God. He hated her for making him feel he had betrayed Joanne.
“Let me finish cleaning the blood now,” Carys said gently.
Yes. If only she could also clean the guilt and shame away.
Chapter Ten
“Are you leaving already?”
Carys understood she had spoken out loud again when James gave a side smile. He was carrying a blanket and what looked like provisions for the road. Had he come to say goodbye before taking Margaret home? Was that what it was?
Her stupid heart skipped a beat at the idea of watching him ride away. Foolishly, she had hoped he would come to his senses and ask someone else to take his sister-in-law home. Of course, he would do no such thing. He would consider it his duty to see her safe. Regardless of what she had done, she was Joanne’s sister. That was enough to ensure his protection. After what had happened, there was no chance he would stay in her village, much less in her cottage, but still the idea of him going away disturbed Carys. What if he fell ill again and never recovered? What if he met someone while he was away? What if he?—
“No, I’m not leaving today. Margaret will have to spend another day as her prisoner in her room because before I go, there is something I need to do. It’s most important.”
“Oh?”
Carys berated herself for the most uninspired answer in the world but she did not seem to have the presence of mind to say anything else. Fortunately, James didn’t seem to mind her lack of originality, or even notice it.
“Yes.” He gestured to the items in his hands. “I’m taking you to the beach.”
It was not a question, but a statement. And there was only one thing she could answer.
“Yes. Please.”
A moment later, they were gone.
Without even discussing the possible options, they took the same horses they had taken the other day, and went to the same spot in the bay. It was a glorious day. The sky stretched above them, as blue as she imagined Heaven might be, and the water appeared to have been strewn with a myriad of sparkling diamonds. The beauty of the scene made Carys’ heart sing. Why had she waited so long to discover the sea? She already knew it would be a long-lasting passion of hers and she would be back as often as she could.
Disbelief made her shake her head. Was she really falling for something new so late in life? It would appear so.
