Elizabeth Thornton by Whisper His Name Read Free Book Online Page B

as all that. It had to be the gown. Nothing else explained the change in Hugh. If that were the case, he’d got the wrong idea about her.
    She picked at the eiderdown with the nail of her index finger. There must be something wrong with her.
    She’d never thought of Hugh as the type of man to set a woman’s blood on fire, and she wasn’t the type of woman to feel passion. But the unthinkable had happened. If she’d got any hotter, she would have burned to a cinder.
    Do you like being in my arms, Abbie?
    How had she managed to fool herself all this time? What woman in her right mind didn’t like tall, handsome men with broad shoulders and a mouth that was made for kissing? Of course he was the kind of man to set a woman’s blood on fire! She’d shut her eyes to his potent appeal because she’d lusted after his
brain
. How lowering to discover that she also lusted after his body.
    She laughed weakly. Though she would never have suspected it of herself, she was no more immune to a magnificent specimen of masculinity than the next woman.
    And that’s what Hugh was—a magnificent specimen of masculinity.
    Her lips still burned from his kisses. She’d kissed Giles many times and had experienced only a pleasant breathlessness. And she’d loved Giles. In Giles, she’d thought she found a kindred spirit. She’d told him things about herself she’d never told anyone else, that Harriet was her mother’s favorite, that her sister was confident and good at everything she put her mind to while she, Abbie, was shy and awkward. And Giles had joked that Harriet’s little nose would be out of joint when she saw how he doted on her older sister.
    But that was before he met Harriet.
    Mama had thought her chances would improve when Harriet was married and no longer there to overshadow her, but Mama had been wrong. Tom, Ambrose, Larry—she forgot all their names—had taken to their heels when they realized Mama had marriage on her mind. And she hadn’t been sorry to see them go. But it was humiliating all the same. She’d made up her mind then that she’d had enough rejection to last her a lifetime. So she’d taken to wearing a lace cap to proclaim to the world that she considered herself well out of the marriage mart.
    And the first thing Aunt Abigail did when she arrived in Bath was make her take it off. The lace cap, which everyone knew was the badge of a confirmed spinster, said Aunt Abigail, was a ridiculous custom. When confirmed bachelors took to wearing lace caps, she would too.
    Hugh was a confirmed bachelor. But what if he was like her? What if he’d kissed her because … because …
    Enough!
her mind screamed.
It was only a kiss, for heaven’s sake! So much soul-searching over one little kiss?
    In a flurry of motion, she began to tear off her clothes. Once she was in bed, she pulled the covers up to her chin and composed herself for sleep. Thoughts of Hugh tried to intrude but she ruthlessly suppressed them. She wasn’t up to examining all the ins and outs of what had passed between them at the ball. She tried counting sheep, but there was no relief there. Gritting her teeth, Abbie turned on her side and kept Hugh at bay by thinking of her brother. He’d met friends in Paris, George had told her. He would stay on for another week or two, then he would make for—now what exactly had he said?
    She was reaching for the words that escaped her when she suddenly plunged into sleep, and straight into Hugh’s arms. He was kissing her passionately, making her experience all those thrilling sensations she’d experienced in his office. Her skin was hot, her bones had turned to water. She wanted more, more, more. But Hugh was shocked.
    I’ve never had a carnal thought in my life
, he said.
I was only playing a part. After the spectacle you have made of yourself, we can never go back to being friends. You’re an old maid, Abbie. An old maid. An old maid
.
    All at once, his hands were around her throat and she