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"You are fa a wife"

Like sand settling to a riverbed, dread sank in the pit of her belly She braced herself, knowing he would sayshe had been a fool to coainst such longings

"Indeed" Her legs trembled beneath her "You wished for a wife that could care for your sister

Oh, and provide the requisite heir"

His brown eyes gliave a quick nod "Anything more is superfluous"

Superfluous

The word blew a chill through her heart

Instead of fleeing as coed, she fiddled with the ribbon that tied her wrapper at the front

His gaze dropped to that gossae of energy filled the air, raising the tiny hairs at the back of her neck

His hand lifted with a dreaed in her throat He stepped closer

Eyes wide and unblinking, she watched as his fingers unraveled the ribbon and pushed her wrapper from her shoulders in one s around her bare feet

His fingers skiown, down between the valley of her brsts

Eyes darkening, his touch grew bolder,the rounded outline with agonizing gentleness

Her breathing grew ragged, filling the silence His hand, large and burning through the thin cotton of her gown, uncurled over her rib cage, sliding upward until he lifted her breast higher between his forefinger and thuled with her own His thu the peak She bit her lip to stop fro in s fir her nipple between two fingers, the sweet pain of it ripping a loud sob from her throat

As if her cry woke hi his throat, he dragged a shaking hand through his hair

Lifting his glittering gaze, he coo"

Bewildered, she shook her head "I don’t understand--"

"Go!" he shouted

Sucking in a ragged breath, she snatched her wrapper off the floor With as ed into it

In a blink, she was nineteen again, stu upon Marcus with Berthe On that day, she had realized he had no need for her either

And now, e, another husband had turned her from his bed The humiliation burned at the backs of her eyes

"I see" And she did Perfectly Resisting the overwhele to lash out at him, to wound as she felt wounded, she spun around to leave

"Jane, wait" His hand fell on her arranite as he forced her around

Before he could say anything, words tumbled from her mouth in a furious torrent, "I don’t suppose _you _ shall live as a

She snorted, atte to twist free from his hold "I know all about the faithfulness of husbands _You _ shall not be lonely, I a in the brown of his eyes softened "Was that the way of it, then?"

"No," she snapped, despising him in that moment She would not have his pity The need to hurt, to lash out, burned a fire in her chest, fueling her Before she could consider the wisdom of her words, she spit out, "We may not share a bed, but don’t expect me to live as a nun I’ve walked that path before and I won’t again"

"Tread carefully, dear _wife," _ he growled, the endearment a foul epithet on his lips as he pulled her closer "No man will have what is hly on her ears

" Yours?" She struggled against his hold, laughing wildly "It takes more than the words of a reverend to accomplish that"

He shoved his face closer, brown eyes so close she could see the countless flecks of a feverishly in the centers "Don’t push led His eyes dropped to her ht he would kiss her-- _prayed _ he would Instead he flung her frohed mirthlessly "Days married and already at each other’s throats"

Yes And why? Because of her Because she wanted more Wanted him Would she have a child’s tantrum because her husband did not want her in his bed?