go!”
“I’ll not! I’ll have tonight what you’ve offered from the start, and when you’re forced into a wretched marriage, then you’ll understand. It will happen. The day will come, and your father will force you into wedlock with some monster, an old goat perhaps, and then you’ll come to me. You’ll know the world is not perfect, no fairyland, milady.”
“Let me go!”
He did not. His lips came down upon hers, hard and suffocating. She slammed against his chest, to no avail. He was making her dizzy, and she wondered how long she could fight. And she couldn’t believe that she had to fight, that love had turned to nightmare, that her dreams were being shattered one by one, here in the Venus garden, beneath the summer moon.
“No!” she cried out, wrenching from his lips, horrified when his fingers latched hard upon the velvet ties to her bodice. Desperate, she twisted in his arms, certain that she had not lost as yet and determined to kick him into agony. But just as she freed herself enough to strike he leapt forward and she fell hard upon the ground, the breath knocked from her. He jumped down upon her and started to speak.
“Amanda—”
His word was cut cleanly from his lips as he was grasped from behind and lifted high and tossed into the bushes. Stunned, Amanda gazed past her fallen foe to see the tall man standing before her, watching Robert where he had fallen, with immense distaste.
Cameron. Lord Cameron!
“How dare you!” In a rage, Robert was up and on his feet. Bellowing like a wounded bull, he lunged forward.
Cameron sidestepped him neatly, then delivered a hard chop upon his nape, sending Robert down into a heap at his feet. Robert groaned, then staggered up again.
“You! What right have you here! None at all. This is a private affair!”
“Oh?” Cameron said, not even breathing hard. He crossed his arms slowly over his chest and his eyes fell upon Amanda. “I don’t think that there is anything between the two of you anymore, do you?”
“It’s none of your business!” Robert repeated.
“I’m afraid that it is. She asked you to let her go—I heard her.”
“This is none of your affair!”
Amanda’s cheeks blazed despite herself. She could not believe that she had been dragged into this horrible and humiliating position. She longed to skewer both men through.
“You … bastard!” she breathed.
“Amanda—” Robert began.
“Robert, you’re a mewling coward, and I hate you, I swear it.”
Robert glanced at Eric Cameron and took a sudden, wild swing at the man. It was almost pathetic, the ease with which Cameron caught the flailing arm and twisted it.
“Well, Milord Tarryton,” Cameron said softly, “I can well believe that the lass has elicited a fire in your loins, and I do believe that she could tease and tempt a man to hell and back again. But still, she said no. And you, sir, are considered an aristocrat. Hardly the manners one should expect, eh?”
Amanda gasped enraged that he should speak of her so—and witness so much of her humiliation. She couldn’t be grateful to him. She swallowed hard and took a step toward him. “Lord Cameron …” She kept her voice soft and quiet, demure. Ladylike. “You! You again! You are the plague of my life!” she charged him softly.
Then she slapped him.
His features went rigid but he barely blinked. “Once, milady, you may take that liberty. Don’t take it again. As to you …” He shoved Robert forward. “The night, milord, is over.”
Robert’s head bowed. “I still say that it’s none of your affair!”
“But that, sir, is point two. The lady’s behavior is every bit my concern, as is her welfare. Tonight, Lord Tarryton, we have sparred and played. Touch her again, and I might well determine to kill you.”
“What?”
“I am that horrible, wretched, monster man she will be forced to marry, Lord Tarryton. The old goat. I have asked her father for her hand, and he has most graciously
“I’ll not! I’ll have tonight what you’ve offered from the start, and when you’re forced into a wretched marriage, then you’ll understand. It will happen. The day will come, and your father will force you into wedlock with some monster, an old goat perhaps, and then you’ll come to me. You’ll know the world is not perfect, no fairyland, milady.”
“Let me go!”
He did not. His lips came down upon hers, hard and suffocating. She slammed against his chest, to no avail. He was making her dizzy, and she wondered how long she could fight. And she couldn’t believe that she had to fight, that love had turned to nightmare, that her dreams were being shattered one by one, here in the Venus garden, beneath the summer moon.
“No!” she cried out, wrenching from his lips, horrified when his fingers latched hard upon the velvet ties to her bodice. Desperate, she twisted in his arms, certain that she had not lost as yet and determined to kick him into agony. But just as she freed herself enough to strike he leapt forward and she fell hard upon the ground, the breath knocked from her. He jumped down upon her and started to speak.
“Amanda—”
His word was cut cleanly from his lips as he was grasped from behind and lifted high and tossed into the bushes. Stunned, Amanda gazed past her fallen foe to see the tall man standing before her, watching Robert where he had fallen, with immense distaste.
Cameron. Lord Cameron!
“How dare you!” In a rage, Robert was up and on his feet. Bellowing like a wounded bull, he lunged forward.
Cameron sidestepped him neatly, then delivered a hard chop upon his nape, sending Robert down into a heap at his feet. Robert groaned, then staggered up again.
“You! What right have you here! None at all. This is a private affair!”
“Oh?” Cameron said, not even breathing hard. He crossed his arms slowly over his chest and his eyes fell upon Amanda. “I don’t think that there is anything between the two of you anymore, do you?”
“It’s none of your business!” Robert repeated.
“I’m afraid that it is. She asked you to let her go—I heard her.”
“This is none of your affair!”
Amanda’s cheeks blazed despite herself. She could not believe that she had been dragged into this horrible and humiliating position. She longed to skewer both men through.
“You … bastard!” she breathed.
“Amanda—” Robert began.
“Robert, you’re a mewling coward, and I hate you, I swear it.”
Robert glanced at Eric Cameron and took a sudden, wild swing at the man. It was almost pathetic, the ease with which Cameron caught the flailing arm and twisted it.
“Well, Milord Tarryton,” Cameron said softly, “I can well believe that the lass has elicited a fire in your loins, and I do believe that she could tease and tempt a man to hell and back again. But still, she said no. And you, sir, are considered an aristocrat. Hardly the manners one should expect, eh?”
Amanda gasped enraged that he should speak of her so—and witness so much of her humiliation. She couldn’t be grateful to him. She swallowed hard and took a step toward him. “Lord Cameron …” She kept her voice soft and quiet, demure. Ladylike. “You! You again! You are the plague of my life!” she charged him softly.
Then she slapped him.
His features went rigid but he barely blinked. “Once, milady, you may take that liberty. Don’t take it again. As to you …” He shoved Robert forward. “The night, milord, is over.”
Robert’s head bowed. “I still say that it’s none of your affair!”
“But that, sir, is point two. The lady’s behavior is every bit my concern, as is her welfare. Tonight, Lord Tarryton, we have sparred and played. Touch her again, and I might well determine to kill you.”
“What?”
“I am that horrible, wretched, monster man she will be forced to marry, Lord Tarryton. The old goat. I have asked her father for her hand, and he has most graciously
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