Page 53 of Harpy of the Ton
Uncouth beast he might be—she’d called him as much. But he was not a man to take a woman unwilling, no matter how her body responded to his touch.
His cock twitched, almost in reproach at being denied the pleasure of her body, and he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, then pushed her back.
“I’ll be off now to the Oak, to fetch a bit of supper,” he said. “I’ll not be long.”
He almost sprinted down the stairs. Once outside, he breathed in a lungful of fresh air to subdue his raging cock.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to play out. She was to cook, clean, and keep house for him until he considered she’d worked off her debt. That was all.
The last thing he wanted to do was bed her, much less harbor any affection for her.
Chapter Eighteen
“How do youlike the stew, love?”
The man across the table—no, she must think of him as her husband, no matter how distasteful the notion—tucked into the stew with gusto, shoveling it into his mouth.
She stabbed a piece of meat with her fork and bit into it. The texture resembled the soles of an old boot and presented a very real risk of loosening a tooth. Hunger overcame revulsion, and she swallowed, wincing as it slid down her throat. She followed it with a large gulp of water. She’d have preferred wine, but he’d said they couldn’t afford something so fancy, and she’d never stoop so low as to drink ale.
She lifted her fork for another bite, then set it down. One mouthful was enough.
“It’s your favorite,” he said, nodding toward her bowl.
“Then I dread to think what else you’ll place before me at the dinner table.”
He laughed. “Isn’t Mama amusing, children?”
The urchins watched her, wide eyed, as if she were some otherworldly creature they’d never seen before.
“It’s rude to stare!” she said.
“It’s also rude to not finish your meal, Bella, love, when there’s others less fortunate.”
She pushed her bowl aside. “Then the less fortunate—if such people exist—are welcome tothat.”
“We’re unlikely to have this again for supper—cost me a packet, that did. But Ned said he’d send his Sophie round tomorrow with a bit of scrag end for you to cook.”
“Must you speak with your mouth full?” she said. “I can see everything you’re eating.”
He grinned and opened his mouth once more, revealing partially chewed meat. Her stomach churned and she looked away.
“Beast!” she hissed. But her retort was met with laughter.
When she’d taken in a deep breath and turned her attention to the table once more, she caught sight of three little mouths wide open, like chicks begging for food—only they, too, were filled with pieces of stew.
“Children!” the Beast cried. “Not at the table—you’ll upset your mother.”
His admonishment might have carried more meaning had his voice not been filled with laughter.
The twins closed their mouths and continued chewing, but their brother burst into a fit of giggles, spraying half-chewed food onto the table.
Bella leaped from her seat, knocking her chair over. “This is intolerable!” she cried, her eyes stinging with the weak tears she’d fought to control ever since he’d shown her that bedchamber earlier and made all those crude remarks.
“Quite right,” the Beast said. “Apologize to your Mama, Jonathan.”
The child shook his head and poked out his tongue.
“There’s no way I can be mother to that vile creature,” she said. “It’s the spawn of the devil—and the devil isyou!”
