with another’s husband is not a tramp?” she spat. “Please, James, spare me your misplaced honor where she is concerned. You were happy to warm my bed once. What has changed? What makes her so much better than your wife?”
“You want the truth, Evelyn? Fine, here is the truth. I have never been attracted to you. Your hair is too dark, your breasts are disgustingly large; your waist is small, I will grant you that, but it only emphasizes your big hips.”
Prudence peeked around the corner of the desk at her mother. Prudence had always thought her mother beautiful, but then again, she’d had few opportunities to compare her mother to other women.
“The only reason I entered your bed was to beget an heir,” her father continued, “and you couldn’t even give me that! Now you want me to give up a woman I do find attractive to be with a woman who excites me not at all? I think I have had enough of this farce of a marriage.”
Mama was sobbing harder than Prudence had ever heard her do so before. With a mournful cry, her mother turned and ran from the room. A moment later, Prudence heard a door slam, and her father let out a deep sigh. He sat heavily in a nearby chair.
“Damn it, Evelyn. I didn’t want it to go that far,” he said softly.
Her mother hadn’t run to her room, as Prudence had thought; instead, she had rushed out the front door on the coldest winter night on record. A search party had been dispatched, but had to be called off due to the blinding storm that night. Her mother’s body had been found early the next morning near the road leading to town.
Prudence shook off the memory of the dark night, which had changed her life so dramatically. It still haunted her, especially when she looked in the mirror. She shared her father’s unusual changing shade of blue-green eyes and slight up-tilt at the corners, but other than that she was the perfect image of her mother. The woman her father found so unattractive, so useless.
And now, twenty years after her mother’s death, she too faced marrying a man who didn’t really want her. Oh, he said he found her attractive – even beautiful – but that would change as soon as they went out in society and he was able to compare her to the truly beautiful women it hosted.
“Why do you fight the idea so, Pru?” he asked earnestly, reaching out to trace her jaw with his fingertips.
“I am not cut out to be a countess,” she admitted, shoving the past back into the neat little box where it belonged. “I am not beautiful and vivacious, nor am I socially inclined. I would make a horrible wife, and you would come to resent having to marry me. I-I don’t think I could live with that.”
Kolton blanched, his face registering shock. “I don’t know which untruth to address first,” he said slowly.
“But it is the truth. There is no use ignoring it, or trying to sugarcoat it,” she replied with a resigned sigh.
“Damn it, Pru!” he growled. Kolton climbed out of bed and began pacing, heedless of his nakedness. “Where did you get the idea I would resent you? My God, you make yourself purposely unattractive and hide yourself away. You don’t even make an attempt to socialize,” he stated with a frustrated waive of his hand. “Yes, this bothers me, not because I think you are lacking in any way, but because I have had the chance to see glimmers of the real Prudence. The Prudence who is smart, who has a delightful sense of humor, whose giggles are enchanting, and yes is , whether she wants to see it or not, beautiful.” He stopped and turned to face her. “If you would only be yourself, throw off the chrysalis, and spread your wings, you would see there are others – many others – who would see you just as I do.”
Prudence rolled her eyes. “Even if I did agree to ‘spread my wings’ as you so poetically put it, I would not have to marry you to accomplish such a tremendous feat,” she pointed out.
“No, you wouldn’t,” he
“You want the truth, Evelyn? Fine, here is the truth. I have never been attracted to you. Your hair is too dark, your breasts are disgustingly large; your waist is small, I will grant you that, but it only emphasizes your big hips.”
Prudence peeked around the corner of the desk at her mother. Prudence had always thought her mother beautiful, but then again, she’d had few opportunities to compare her mother to other women.
“The only reason I entered your bed was to beget an heir,” her father continued, “and you couldn’t even give me that! Now you want me to give up a woman I do find attractive to be with a woman who excites me not at all? I think I have had enough of this farce of a marriage.”
Mama was sobbing harder than Prudence had ever heard her do so before. With a mournful cry, her mother turned and ran from the room. A moment later, Prudence heard a door slam, and her father let out a deep sigh. He sat heavily in a nearby chair.
“Damn it, Evelyn. I didn’t want it to go that far,” he said softly.
Her mother hadn’t run to her room, as Prudence had thought; instead, she had rushed out the front door on the coldest winter night on record. A search party had been dispatched, but had to be called off due to the blinding storm that night. Her mother’s body had been found early the next morning near the road leading to town.
Prudence shook off the memory of the dark night, which had changed her life so dramatically. It still haunted her, especially when she looked in the mirror. She shared her father’s unusual changing shade of blue-green eyes and slight up-tilt at the corners, but other than that she was the perfect image of her mother. The woman her father found so unattractive, so useless.
And now, twenty years after her mother’s death, she too faced marrying a man who didn’t really want her. Oh, he said he found her attractive – even beautiful – but that would change as soon as they went out in society and he was able to compare her to the truly beautiful women it hosted.
“Why do you fight the idea so, Pru?” he asked earnestly, reaching out to trace her jaw with his fingertips.
“I am not cut out to be a countess,” she admitted, shoving the past back into the neat little box where it belonged. “I am not beautiful and vivacious, nor am I socially inclined. I would make a horrible wife, and you would come to resent having to marry me. I-I don’t think I could live with that.”
Kolton blanched, his face registering shock. “I don’t know which untruth to address first,” he said slowly.
“But it is the truth. There is no use ignoring it, or trying to sugarcoat it,” she replied with a resigned sigh.
“Damn it, Pru!” he growled. Kolton climbed out of bed and began pacing, heedless of his nakedness. “Where did you get the idea I would resent you? My God, you make yourself purposely unattractive and hide yourself away. You don’t even make an attempt to socialize,” he stated with a frustrated waive of his hand. “Yes, this bothers me, not because I think you are lacking in any way, but because I have had the chance to see glimmers of the real Prudence. The Prudence who is smart, who has a delightful sense of humor, whose giggles are enchanting, and yes is , whether she wants to see it or not, beautiful.” He stopped and turned to face her. “If you would only be yourself, throw off the chrysalis, and spread your wings, you would see there are others – many others – who would see you just as I do.”
Prudence rolled her eyes. “Even if I did agree to ‘spread my wings’ as you so poetically put it, I would not have to marry you to accomplish such a tremendous feat,” she pointed out.
“No, you wouldn’t,” he
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