Read Online Unleashed by Abby Gordon - Free Book Online

have you as my wife.” He could tell she wanted to say something. Her face went pale and her eyes dropped to their hands. He felt his confidence waver, and he floundered for the right words to say. “Today has been very difficult for you. Think on it tonight then,” he suggested. “Perhaps tell me in the morning.”
    She looked at him, a mixture of horror, shame, and longing in her eyes. With a strangled cry, she jumped up from her chair and fled the room. Astonished at her reaction, Wulfgar could only stare at her empty chair. Mrs. Anders was in the room immediately.
    “What did you say to the poor girl?” she demanded. “She was in tears.”
    “I asked her to marry me. I hardly think that would drive a girl to tears,” he replied, insulted by both female’s reactions. How had his housekeeper switched loyalties? That bode well for the relationship between the two women, but still, Amanda was not yet Lady Socton.
    “Well, something has absolutely terrified her. She looked like she’d seen a ghost. You better find out what it is. You can’t ask a girl to marry you and then not keep her safe.”
    Remembering Amanda’s comments about her brother’s friends, Wulfgar nodded.
    “I’ll find out now.”
    He strode from the dining room and glanced about. Timson pointed toward the library and bowed at his lord’s thanks. Amanda was curled up in a chair in front of the fireplace. The expression on her face as he entered told him that she hadn’t thought he would find her so quickly.
    “Amanda, who or what is frightening you?” he demanded, striding toward her.
    She just looked up at him. A sudden, dire thought crossed his mind and he hooked a stool closer with his foot. Sitting down, he gently took her hands.
    “Do I frighten you?” he asked quietly.
    “No, milord,” she protested with such sincerity that his relief must have been visible on his face. She smiled. “It’s not you. It’s…”
    “Your dreams?” he guessed, fearing the worst now. But that means she remembers them. They’ve affected her. “Your dreams frighten you?”
    “Not frighten. Just…” She sighed. “I’m sorry, my lord. I’m not usually so flighty. Nor do I let dreams unsettle me. It’s just…”
    “Things happen in your dreams that you don’t understand?”
    “Things I know nothing about, so how can I be dreaming them?” she fretted.
    He chose his words carefully.
    “Amanda, sometimes dreams are the way our hearts and minds give us answers. It’s how we prepare ourselves for something or find the courage to change our lives.”
    “They could use things I understand,” she grumbled.
    He smiled at her spunk and thanked God. He wanted a wife who accepted his decisions, but also was strong in her own right. Any woman marrying into his family had to be.
    “Perhaps your dreams are telling you that you need to be ready for a change.”
    She frowned at that. With a slow smile, she nodded.
    “Thank you for being so patient with me, milord,” she smiled. “I promise to ask my dreams for an answer to your proposal.”
    “Just don’t have a nightmare?” he requested, standing and helping her to her feet.
    She laughed, a dimple flashing. He escorted her out of the library toward the grand staircase.
    “I don’t think I’ve had a nightmare since I was a little girl.”
    “What was it about?”
    She paused, a sudden odd expression on her face. He watched her intently, not daring even to breathe.
    “I was in an unknown woods,” she replied, her voice soft as she remembered. “I was being chased by men. The snow was very deep. Up to my knees. I could hear someone ahead of me shouting my name. Someone I wanted to get to, but the men behind me were closer. I was very frightened because I knew that whomever was trying to save me wouldn’t get to me before the men did.”
    “Is that when you wake up?” he asked, his mind pulling up faint memories of dreams of fear, a desperate need to reach someone. Dreams he’d thought