The scoundrels bartered.., p.26
The Scoundrel's Bartered Bride, page 26
He hardened his heart again, knowing he must break hers.
‘Return to your father’s house and, in time, ye’ll see I was right. What ye feel for me isna love. It’s infatuation. And, even were we equals, I am but one-and-twenty and in no mind to marry for a verra long time.’
He succumbed to the urge to touch her once again. He cupped her face and looked deep into those tragic grey eyes, the eyelashes spiky from her tears. ‘When you meet the man who will be your husband—a man who is your equal in society—ye will look back and ye will see I was right, and ye will be grateful to me.’ His hands dropped to rest briefly on her shoulders before sliding down to clasp her upper arms. He squeezed gently before releasing her and then stepping away. ‘I have to go. We leave at first light. God bless ye, Kitty.’
He spun on his heel before she could reply; before her pleas could wring a promise from him that he could not honour. A clean break. It was for the best...he must do the right thing for Kitty even though it tore his heart into shreds.
He strode off through the woods, the fallen leaves crunching beneath his boots, his throat aching as he tried, unsuccessfully, to hold back his tears.
He did not look back.
Copyright © 2020 by Janice Preston
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ISBN-13: 9781488065774
The Scoundrel’s Bartered Bride
Copyright © 2020 by Susan Merritt
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Virginia Heath, The Scoundrel's Bartered Bride
