Read Online She Will Rejoice by Becky Riker - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Becky Riker
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depend on you to assist me in this manner, Finn.”
This was not how he wanted to return home . He had been in a pleasant mood until his mother’s dismissal. Now he was being rude to his wife who had more right to be offended by the slight than he. Finn thought it would help to apologize for his casual dismissal of Naomi’s concern, but he pushed it aside. There was no need for her to react in such a prickly manner.
“It was a jest, Naomi,” he led her into her room and yanked open another door. “This leads to our shared bathing chamber. Through it is my room.”
She barely glanced around.
“Will you need anything else?” he tapped his foot impatiently.
She blinked at him, and his heart nearly broke. There were tears on her lashes – tears that he had caused.
“I am so sorry, Naomi,” he rushed to draw her into his arms.
“What did I do?” her voice trembled.
“Nothing,” he assured her, pulling her closer. “You did nothing. It was I who was wrong.”
She pressed her hands against his chest.
He let her push away from him.
She did not leave him, however, as he expected her to do. She apparently just wanted a good look at his face while he spoke to her.
“I am sorry,” he spoke up again when it became clear she wasn’t going to say anything. “I am a little frustrated right now, and,” he stopped talking to rethink what he was going to say.
“Frustrated? With me?”
“No,” he pulled her to the set tee at the end of her bed. “Not with you. It has nothing to do with you.”
“We’ve been home for twenty minutes, Finn,” she pointed out the flaw in his logic. “You’ve had little to frustrate you, save me.”
“It is my mother,” he admitted softly. “I am sorry my mother will not meet you.”
Naomi reached for his hand, and he could see the compassion in her eyes, “I am sorry, Finn. I didn’t realize it meant so much to you. She is likely not feeling well. . .”
Finn’s laugh came out harshly, “Not feeling well. My mother hasn’t been feeling well for more than twenty years.”
“I didn’t realize she had been ill that long.”
Finn took a deep breath, “She’s not ill, Naomi. She’s a drunk.”
CHAPTER TEN
Naomi couldn’t be more surprised. Surely she must have heard him wrong.
“A drunk?”
He leaned over and rested his elbows on his knees, facing away from her, “She generally starts drinking in the late morning or early afternoon.”
Naomi rested a hand on the back of her husband’s neck.
“Tessa and John took her into their home for a time. They locked up the drink.”
He stood up and paced away from her, “Mother bribed a servant to get the key.”
Naomi watched her husband stand as far from her as he could without leaving the room. He faced away from her, his shoulders were bunched, and, even from this distance, she could see the vein on his neck throbbing.
“Finn,” she held her seat, “I am sorry.”
“Why should you be sorry?” he spun back to her. “You are not the one who spent her son’s childhood in a drunken stupor.”
Naomi tried not to react.
“I bring back my wife, the woman I married because my dear mother told me I must or endanger the inheritance left by my grandfather. What do I get in return? Tthat very woman,” he spat out the word, “is too full of gin to see me or meet you.”
Naomi cringed at his implication that she was no more than a bargaining chip.
He saw it.
Finn hurried to her and dropped to his knees, “I am sorry, love,” he took her hands in his. “Please forgive me, Naomi.”
Her heart ached at his words. She should have known there was another reason for his hasty marriage.
“I believe I would like to be alone tonight, Finn,” she rose and moved away from him, hoping he would
This was not how he wanted to return home . He had been in a pleasant mood until his mother’s dismissal. Now he was being rude to his wife who had more right to be offended by the slight than he. Finn thought it would help to apologize for his casual dismissal of Naomi’s concern, but he pushed it aside. There was no need for her to react in such a prickly manner.
“It was a jest, Naomi,” he led her into her room and yanked open another door. “This leads to our shared bathing chamber. Through it is my room.”
She barely glanced around.
“Will you need anything else?” he tapped his foot impatiently.
She blinked at him, and his heart nearly broke. There were tears on her lashes – tears that he had caused.
“I am so sorry, Naomi,” he rushed to draw her into his arms.
“What did I do?” her voice trembled.
“Nothing,” he assured her, pulling her closer. “You did nothing. It was I who was wrong.”
She pressed her hands against his chest.
He let her push away from him.
She did not leave him, however, as he expected her to do. She apparently just wanted a good look at his face while he spoke to her.
“I am sorry,” he spoke up again when it became clear she wasn’t going to say anything. “I am a little frustrated right now, and,” he stopped talking to rethink what he was going to say.
“Frustrated? With me?”
“No,” he pulled her to the set tee at the end of her bed. “Not with you. It has nothing to do with you.”
“We’ve been home for twenty minutes, Finn,” she pointed out the flaw in his logic. “You’ve had little to frustrate you, save me.”
“It is my mother,” he admitted softly. “I am sorry my mother will not meet you.”
Naomi reached for his hand, and he could see the compassion in her eyes, “I am sorry, Finn. I didn’t realize it meant so much to you. She is likely not feeling well. . .”
Finn’s laugh came out harshly, “Not feeling well. My mother hasn’t been feeling well for more than twenty years.”
“I didn’t realize she had been ill that long.”
Finn took a deep breath, “She’s not ill, Naomi. She’s a drunk.”
CHAPTER TEN
Naomi couldn’t be more surprised. Surely she must have heard him wrong.
“A drunk?”
He leaned over and rested his elbows on his knees, facing away from her, “She generally starts drinking in the late morning or early afternoon.”
Naomi rested a hand on the back of her husband’s neck.
“Tessa and John took her into their home for a time. They locked up the drink.”
He stood up and paced away from her, “Mother bribed a servant to get the key.”
Naomi watched her husband stand as far from her as he could without leaving the room. He faced away from her, his shoulders were bunched, and, even from this distance, she could see the vein on his neck throbbing.
“Finn,” she held her seat, “I am sorry.”
“Why should you be sorry?” he spun back to her. “You are not the one who spent her son’s childhood in a drunken stupor.”
Naomi tried not to react.
“I bring back my wife, the woman I married because my dear mother told me I must or endanger the inheritance left by my grandfather. What do I get in return? Tthat very woman,” he spat out the word, “is too full of gin to see me or meet you.”
Naomi cringed at his implication that she was no more than a bargaining chip.
He saw it.
Finn hurried to her and dropped to his knees, “I am sorry, love,” he took her hands in his. “Please forgive me, Naomi.”
Her heart ached at his words. She should have known there was another reason for his hasty marriage.
“I believe I would like to be alone tonight, Finn,” she rose and moved away from him, hoping he would
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