Read Online Wickedly Wanton: A Ménage Regency Tale by Kristabel Reed - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kristabel Reed
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weigh her down enough so it would be almost impossible to—
“Faith!” Sabine spun her around, fingers digging into her arm. Her face showed fear, the stark coldness of it, pale in the warm sunlight.
Faith shivered as if shaking off the thoughts of but a moment ago. Relaxing, she grasped Sabine's wrist with her free hand. Tried to assure her friend, though she wasn't entirely certain herself that she was all right.
“Don't worry yourself,” she said. “I'm fine.”
“I do worry,” Sabine said softly, her stiff fingers cold against the back of Faith's neck. “I care about you more than I can say, more than is proper to say.”
“What is proper between us?” Faith asked, brightening at Sabine's admission. “There is nothing that is not proper between us after all we shared.”
“Why do you seem so far away?” she whispered, not releasing Faith's neck, indeed stepping closer. “What are you thinking?”
“I feel I shall be lost,” Faith admitted in a bold move, but this was her only chance to say what she'd felt for so long. To express the love she felt for Sabine. “Lost without you, lost without more of what we shared. Every time I look into the future, I no longer see anything I didn't before,” she rushed on. “The afternoon with Lord Severn showed me a beauty I had been missing. A beauty I want to cling to.”
Overwhelmed, the tight control she held on her emotions broke. She could feel a tear on her cheek, didn't care. Another followed it, but all Faith could do was kiss Sabine. Bliss. Love.
She would do anything—subjugate herself to Sabine, to Lord Severn—to continue this. Would Mr. Reddick have the same proclivities as Severn? If he did, she would grovel at his feet. Allow him to do anything to her, just so she could be with Sabine again.
This was the only thing she wanted. Kissing Sabine made her feel whole.
Chapter Eight
Sabine smoothed her hands down the light blue skirt of her gown. She walked slowly across the lawn, purposely meandering as if she had nowhere to be. It wasn't as easy as she imagined, but she didn't want any of the servants to report to her father.
He had traveled to London this morning to settle the marriage contract with Mr. Reddick. Sabine had read it over before he left, and was shocked to see how generous her father had been. And how he'd protected her with the terms of the settlement—she retained a large portion of her dowry and the rights to the London townhouse.
While she suspected her father had ulterior motives for such generosity, she couldn't fathom what. She'd tossed and turned all night, trying to imagine what cause he had for protecting her to such extremes, for not simply giving Reddick everything.
Mayhap it had to do with her betrothed, but Sabine couldn't be certain.
She wished Faith were here to talk to, but she had gone to do a familial duty in town. Her family had business and social ties with Joseph Flight of the Royal Worcester Porcelain Company, and she went to pay a visit on her family's behalf.
Faith. The conversation they had yesterday still weighed heavily on Sabine's mind.
It was as enlightening a conversation as they'd ever shared, and until then, Sabine had believed she knew all there was to know about her friend. Faith relied on her; Sabine knew and accepted that. Yesterday she revealed something more: Faith needed her.
And Sabine couldn't disappoint her. She cared for her friend, even loved her, but without their friendship, without their connection, Faith would be as lost as she appeared when she looked so longingly into the river.
Never did she wish to see that look on her friend's face. It scared her, though she was uncertain why. There was a depth to Faith she had yet to understand—her eyes when she looked in the river, the emotions racing across her face before they kissed.
They struck a chord within Sabine, one she may not understand but wished desperately to forestall. She always had been protective of Faith, but
“Faith!” Sabine spun her around, fingers digging into her arm. Her face showed fear, the stark coldness of it, pale in the warm sunlight.
Faith shivered as if shaking off the thoughts of but a moment ago. Relaxing, she grasped Sabine's wrist with her free hand. Tried to assure her friend, though she wasn't entirely certain herself that she was all right.
“Don't worry yourself,” she said. “I'm fine.”
“I do worry,” Sabine said softly, her stiff fingers cold against the back of Faith's neck. “I care about you more than I can say, more than is proper to say.”
“What is proper between us?” Faith asked, brightening at Sabine's admission. “There is nothing that is not proper between us after all we shared.”
“Why do you seem so far away?” she whispered, not releasing Faith's neck, indeed stepping closer. “What are you thinking?”
“I feel I shall be lost,” Faith admitted in a bold move, but this was her only chance to say what she'd felt for so long. To express the love she felt for Sabine. “Lost without you, lost without more of what we shared. Every time I look into the future, I no longer see anything I didn't before,” she rushed on. “The afternoon with Lord Severn showed me a beauty I had been missing. A beauty I want to cling to.”
Overwhelmed, the tight control she held on her emotions broke. She could feel a tear on her cheek, didn't care. Another followed it, but all Faith could do was kiss Sabine. Bliss. Love.
She would do anything—subjugate herself to Sabine, to Lord Severn—to continue this. Would Mr. Reddick have the same proclivities as Severn? If he did, she would grovel at his feet. Allow him to do anything to her, just so she could be with Sabine again.
This was the only thing she wanted. Kissing Sabine made her feel whole.
Chapter Eight
Sabine smoothed her hands down the light blue skirt of her gown. She walked slowly across the lawn, purposely meandering as if she had nowhere to be. It wasn't as easy as she imagined, but she didn't want any of the servants to report to her father.
He had traveled to London this morning to settle the marriage contract with Mr. Reddick. Sabine had read it over before he left, and was shocked to see how generous her father had been. And how he'd protected her with the terms of the settlement—she retained a large portion of her dowry and the rights to the London townhouse.
While she suspected her father had ulterior motives for such generosity, she couldn't fathom what. She'd tossed and turned all night, trying to imagine what cause he had for protecting her to such extremes, for not simply giving Reddick everything.
Mayhap it had to do with her betrothed, but Sabine couldn't be certain.
She wished Faith were here to talk to, but she had gone to do a familial duty in town. Her family had business and social ties with Joseph Flight of the Royal Worcester Porcelain Company, and she went to pay a visit on her family's behalf.
Faith. The conversation they had yesterday still weighed heavily on Sabine's mind.
It was as enlightening a conversation as they'd ever shared, and until then, Sabine had believed she knew all there was to know about her friend. Faith relied on her; Sabine knew and accepted that. Yesterday she revealed something more: Faith needed her.
And Sabine couldn't disappoint her. She cared for her friend, even loved her, but without their friendship, without their connection, Faith would be as lost as she appeared when she looked so longingly into the river.
Never did she wish to see that look on her friend's face. It scared her, though she was uncertain why. There was a depth to Faith she had yet to understand—her eyes when she looked in the river, the emotions racing across her face before they kissed.
They struck a chord within Sabine, one she may not understand but wished desperately to forestall. She always had been protective of Faith, but
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