The Wedding of the Century & Other Stories by Mary Jo Putney, Kristin James, Charlotte Featherstone Page A

warnings haunted her—the possibility that Justin might have a mistress. Could that be the real reason for his business trips? She loathed the thought that her husband might be doing those intimate, dark-of-the-night things to another woman. She tried not to think of it.
    The dull afternoon had darkened to twilight, so she summoned Daisy and headed toward the house. If the best part of the day was riding with Justin, the worst was dining with the dowager duchess. Familiarity had not improved her opinion of her mother-in-law. Most of the dowager’s cutting remarks were directed at Justin, but she also made edged comments about Alexandra’s lack of looks and dim marital prospects. She usually spared Sunny, rightly suspecting that her daughter-in-law might strike back.
    Sunny wondered how long it would be before she disgraced herself by losing her temper. Every meal brought the breaking point closer. She wished that Justin would tell his mother to hold her tongue, but he was too courteous—or too detached—to take action.
    When she got to the house, she found that her husband was in the entry hall taking off his wet coat. She thought his expression lightened when he saw her, but she wasn’t sure; it was always hard to tell with Justin.
    â€œHello.” She smiled as she took off her mackintosh. “Did you have a good trip to London?”
    As the butler took away the coats, Justin gave Sunny a light kiss on the cheek, then rumpled Daisy’s ears. Hewas rather more affectionate with the dog. “Yes, but I’m glad to be home.”
    He fell into step beside her and they started up the main stairs. The thought of a possible mistress passed through Sunny’s mind again. Though she knew that it was better not to probe, she found herself saying, “What are all these trips about, or wouldn’t I be able to understand the answer?”
    â€œThe Thornborough income has traditionally come from the land, but agriculture is a chancy business,” he explained as they reached the top of the stairs. “I’m making more diverse investments so that future dukes won’t have to marry for money.”
    She stopped in midstride, feeling as if he had slapped her. When she caught her breath, she said icily, “God forbid that another Aubrey should have to stoop to marrying a mongrel American heiress.”
    He spun around, his expression startled and distressed. “I’m sorry, Sunny—I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
    Her brows arched. “Oh? I can’t imagine any meaning other than the obvious one.”
    When she turned and headed toward the door of her suite, he caught her arm and said intensely, “You would have been my choice even if you weren’t an heiress.”
    Her mouth twisted. “Prettily said, but you needn’t perjure yourself, Justin. We both know this marriage wouldn’t have been made without my money and your title. If you invest my money wisely, perhaps our son, if we have one, will be able to marry where he chooses. I certainly hope so.”
    Justin’s hand fell away and Sunny escaped into her sitting room, Daisy at her heels. When she was alone, she sank wretchedly into a chair. She had been better off not knowing what Justin really felt. Before she had wonderedif he had a mistress; now, sickeningly, she wondered if he had a woman who was not only his mistress, but his beloved. There had been a raw emotion in his voice that made her think, for the first time, that he was capable of loving deeply. Had he been forced to forsake the woman he loved so that he could maintain Swindon?
    Sensing distress, Daisy whimpered and pushed her cool nose into Sunny’s hand. Mechanically she stroked the dog’s silky ears. What a wretched world they lived in. Yet even if Justin loved another woman, he was her husband and she must make the best of this marriage. Someday, if she was a very good wife, perhaps he would love