A Lady Betrayed by Nicole Byrd Read Free Book Online

she was less conscious of it.
    He continued to rub her shoulders, and now he eased her onto her side and rubbed her back as well, and Maddie felt even more languorous. Sighing, she felt old tensions ease, and she wondered if she might turn right into jelly. And if so, perhaps Lord Weller would scoop her up and—and what?
    Who knew that her body could have such strange and wondrous feelings? If only her headache would fade completely, she could concentrate on the other.
    â€œThat feels so good. I fear you are taking advantage of—”
    Too late, she heard the sound of the door opening, and the gasp and rattle of china as their faithful Bess took in this shocking tableau.
    â€œI never! I’m fetching the broom and I’ll dust yer backside meself, ye presumptuous no good—”
    â€œBess!” Maddie said, “You misunderstood! I didn’t, he didn’t—he was massaging my head because it aches so.”
    â€œI know where yer ’ead is, and it ain’t what ’e was a’rubbing.” The maidservant sat down the tray with a clatter of china and folded her arms in suspicion.
    Blushing once more, Madeline struggled to find some dignity. Lord Weller had straightened, but she had a dreadful certainty that if she glanced at the viscount she would find him choking back laughter.
    â€œBess! You mustn’t speak so. This is Lord Weller, our guest and—and my—my fiancé.” There, she had said it, she was bound to this man, and she would indeed have to go through with this crazy plan.
    Because, really, what other choice did she have? She could not shame her father and her whole family by having stories of their night in the woods together repeated throughout the village—through the whole shire, no doubt.
    At least her announcement made Bess hesitate, and Lord Weller was wise enough to make a tactical withdrawal while the moment was ripe.
    â€œI shall leave you to the ministrations of your faithful servant,” he said, and slipped out the door before Bess could remember her earlier fury.
    Unhappily, Maddie’s headache throbbed once more, still very much with her. Sighing, she put one hand back to her temple.
    The maidservant forgot her indignation in her haste to come to her mistress’s aid. “’Ere now, I got a fresh cold compress, and more of me ’erbal tea, what always ’elps yer stomach when yer ’ead is so bad.”
    Maddie agreed meekly and allowed the woman to bustle about until everything was settled to Bess’s satisfaction. Maddie managed a few swallows of the liquid, then settled back with the cool cloth on her head, and the pain subsided once more into a low throbbing roar.
    But she thought with a pang of Lord Weller’s incredible hands and how they had felt stroking her neck and throat. Still, she should not allow such liberties—their engagement was only a ploy to save her reputation—and why was he doing it? Was it only to save her honor?
    He had not told her the rest—why he would benefit, too, from this engagement. She could see no reason at all why he would want to marry a penniless and unimportant girl from the wilds of Yorkshire. Perhaps he had only said that to ease her mind. Or perhaps he didn’t mean them to actually marry. Was the betrothal only to be a ruse? And what was it he’d said—something about a blot on his name…no, perhaps she had not heard him aright.
    She could not imagine that he could do anything truly disgraceful. He was so kind and yet so forceful.
    Sighing, Maddie shut her eyes and prepared to wait out the rest of this bloody headache. The same illness that had gotten her into this predicament in the first place made it hard for her to reason out what she should do about getting out of it.

    She spent the rest of the day lying in the darkened room, moving as little as possible. By late afternoon, she was able to bear the light of one candle, and she wrote