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Authors: Sally Mackenzie
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something to make things better. Lizzie shifted onto her side and glanced up. Meg had a very peculiar expression. Lizzie leaned up on one elbow.
“Why are you looking at me that way?”
“I just can’t…” Meg turned bright red. “So, you mean…But you told Lady Bea….” Her hands fluttered at Lizzie’s middle. “So, last night, in your room…Robbie did…” She clasped her hands together finally. “You know.”
“I don’t know. I have no idea what you are getting at.” Lizzie dropped back down and covered her face again. “And anyway, last night was nothing compared to this afternoon.”
“This afternoon!” Meg grabbed Lizzie’s hands and pulled them away from her face. “You mean he actually…In the daylight? Out of doors?!”
“Yes.” Lizzie flushed and turned away. Meg didn’t have to look so very shocked.
“And he didn’t offer for you? After doing…that?”
“No, he didn’t.” The words came out as a wail.
Meg patted her on the shoulder, but she was clearly distracted. “I just can’t believe Robbie would be so heartless.”
“Well, believe it.” Lizzie shrugged off Meg’s ineffectual hand and sat up. Robbie should definitely not have done what he did, but he wasn’t the sole participant in the activity. She could have stopped him. Should have stopped him.
She should have had a colossal fit of the vapors.
No, no matter how much she would like to think of Robbie as a beast, she just couldn’t do it. She sighed. “I’m certain it was mostly my fault.”
“Ridiculous! He is much more experienced than you. He knew what he was doing. I just can’t believe he would do it without offering for you.”
“Neither can I.” Lizzie was wailing again. She covered her mouth with her hands and flopped back on the bed. “I was so sure…. I would never have done…would never have let him….” She shuddered. “I thought he meant marriage.”
“Of course you did. Anyone would. I still can’t believe….” Meg shrugged. “How could you have guessed Robbie had this side to his personality?”
No, how could she have guessed? Robbie had never given a sign of it before, and she had spent many hours in his company. The most he had ever done was kiss the air above her hand. He had never even kissed her cheek, let alone her lips.
Well, if she were completely truthful, she had been the one to introduce that activity, though she had had no idea of where it would lead.
Perhaps that was it. Perhaps men did turn into beasts when given suitable provocation.
She closed her eyes. She had not been behaving like a lady. What lady ran her hands over a man’s pantaloons, especially while they were still on the man’s body?
Perhaps Robbie had felt he was only being courteous to an elderly spinster.
Her breasts throbbed as she remembered his mouth on her nipples.
He didn’t have to be that courteous.
“Don’t worry, Lizzie. We’ll tell Lady Bea. She’ll tell your brother and he will insist Robbie marry you.”
“No, I don’t want Robbie that way. I don’t want to be married to a man who doesn’t want me.”
“I thought the problem was that he did want you.” Meg patted her shoulder again. “Chances are it was just the thought of marriage that frightened him for a moment. Many men have an irrational fear of matrimony, but once the knot is tied they settle down quite nicely. A bit like a horse being broken to bridle.”
Meg’s words did not lighten the leaden feeling in Lizzie’s stomach—if anything, they added a stone or two.
“I really don’t think—”
“No, don’t think. The deed is done. You have no choice—nor does Robbie. I’m sure he’ll realize that—most likely he has already realized it. If he hasn’t, your brother will help him see the situation quite clearly.”
“Perhaps.” Lizzie stared up at the bed canopy. She did not relish having a bridegroom who needed a pistol at his back to pronounce his vows.
Meg shifted on the bed. “There is
“Why are you looking at me that way?”
“I just can’t…” Meg turned bright red. “So, you mean…But you told Lady Bea….” Her hands fluttered at Lizzie’s middle. “So, last night, in your room…Robbie did…” She clasped her hands together finally. “You know.”
“I don’t know. I have no idea what you are getting at.” Lizzie dropped back down and covered her face again. “And anyway, last night was nothing compared to this afternoon.”
“This afternoon!” Meg grabbed Lizzie’s hands and pulled them away from her face. “You mean he actually…In the daylight? Out of doors?!”
“Yes.” Lizzie flushed and turned away. Meg didn’t have to look so very shocked.
“And he didn’t offer for you? After doing…that?”
“No, he didn’t.” The words came out as a wail.
Meg patted her on the shoulder, but she was clearly distracted. “I just can’t believe Robbie would be so heartless.”
“Well, believe it.” Lizzie shrugged off Meg’s ineffectual hand and sat up. Robbie should definitely not have done what he did, but he wasn’t the sole participant in the activity. She could have stopped him. Should have stopped him.
She should have had a colossal fit of the vapors.
No, no matter how much she would like to think of Robbie as a beast, she just couldn’t do it. She sighed. “I’m certain it was mostly my fault.”
“Ridiculous! He is much more experienced than you. He knew what he was doing. I just can’t believe he would do it without offering for you.”
“Neither can I.” Lizzie was wailing again. She covered her mouth with her hands and flopped back on the bed. “I was so sure…. I would never have done…would never have let him….” She shuddered. “I thought he meant marriage.”
“Of course you did. Anyone would. I still can’t believe….” Meg shrugged. “How could you have guessed Robbie had this side to his personality?”
No, how could she have guessed? Robbie had never given a sign of it before, and she had spent many hours in his company. The most he had ever done was kiss the air above her hand. He had never even kissed her cheek, let alone her lips.
Well, if she were completely truthful, she had been the one to introduce that activity, though she had had no idea of where it would lead.
Perhaps that was it. Perhaps men did turn into beasts when given suitable provocation.
She closed her eyes. She had not been behaving like a lady. What lady ran her hands over a man’s pantaloons, especially while they were still on the man’s body?
Perhaps Robbie had felt he was only being courteous to an elderly spinster.
Her breasts throbbed as she remembered his mouth on her nipples.
He didn’t have to be that courteous.
“Don’t worry, Lizzie. We’ll tell Lady Bea. She’ll tell your brother and he will insist Robbie marry you.”
“No, I don’t want Robbie that way. I don’t want to be married to a man who doesn’t want me.”
“I thought the problem was that he did want you.” Meg patted her shoulder again. “Chances are it was just the thought of marriage that frightened him for a moment. Many men have an irrational fear of matrimony, but once the knot is tied they settle down quite nicely. A bit like a horse being broken to bridle.”
Meg’s words did not lighten the leaden feeling in Lizzie’s stomach—if anything, they added a stone or two.
“I really don’t think—”
“No, don’t think. The deed is done. You have no choice—nor does Robbie. I’m sure he’ll realize that—most likely he has already realized it. If he hasn’t, your brother will help him see the situation quite clearly.”
“Perhaps.” Lizzie stared up at the bed canopy. She did not relish having a bridegroom who needed a pistol at his back to pronounce his vows.
Meg shifted on the bed. “There is
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