The Widow Wager by Jess Michaels Read Free Book Online

burrowing into his chest and stopping his heart. Was that what people thought? Said?
    Was that what Rafe thought?
    Of course, when he considered his behavior over the last year, why wouldn’t everyone believe exactly what Gemma had just asked? After all, no one understood the pain he had endured, the way his own loss had become entangled with Rafe’s loss of freedom.
    “I don’t hate my brother,” he said softly.
    “But—” she began.
    “And what of you?” he interrupted. He could hear how hard his tone was now, but he couldn’t meter it sufficiently. “I don’t even have rumor and innuendo to go by when it comes to you, my lady.”
    She shifted at the change of subject, that fetching blush returning to her cheeks. She took a few long breaths and looked at him. There was a hollowness to her expression that dug into his soul. He had seen that look on his own face in the mirror some days.
    “I’m sure that will change, Mr. Flynn,” she whispered, her voice broken and bitter. “I’m certain that as news of our marriage gets out there will be floods of people who will rush to you, more than eager to fill your head with gossip. And if you break this marriage, they will tell you even more about how you dodged the greatest mistake of your life.”
    He drew back at the angry words that fell from her lips. At the angrier expression on her face. Now he was utterly intrigued, for who could look at her loveliness and not desire it? Who couldn’t see her as a fine match, even if there was not money to be exchanged?
    But she seemed insistent that she was not a good fit for him…for anyone.
    “Why?” he asked.
    She shook her head. “Wait and see, Crispin. They will tell my story with much more entertainment value than I could ever do.”
    “Gemma,” he began.
    She pushed to her feet and walked away to the sideboard. With her back to him, she said, “I think it is foolish for us to explore the past when our future will not be shared. After all, you claim you can break this marriage. Perhaps you will tell me now how you intend to do that.”
    He hesitated. Should he press her on the past? He had an odd urge to do just that even though her words about them not sharing a future were very true.
    Instead, he sighed. “I am going to be very honest with you, Gemma. After all, you know about the naked racing incident now. We must be friends, yes?”
    She turned slightly, her eyes wide and her lips twitching. He wasn’t certain if she wanted to laugh or cry. Perhaps both.
    “I appreciate honesty,” she said slowly.
    He nodded. “I am not entirely certain I can fashion an exit from this mess. But I know people who could help us and we will go right now to see them. It is late enough we won’t be rousing them from sleep, I think.”
    She shook her head. “Who?”
    He shifted his weight. “Well, you inquired about my feelings regarding my brother. Perhaps you would like to see them in action. We’re going to see the Duke of Hartholm, Gemma. My brother, Raphael.”
     
     

Chapter Six

     
     
    Gemma had lived in the company of the titled and landed gentry most of her life. She was… had been…a countess, for heaven’s sake. And yet, as the carriage made its way through rambling streets toward the home of the Duke and Duchess of Hartholm, her heart pounded and her chest squeezed with anxiety. There were so many stories about the couple that she feared what she would find there.
    “Do you know my brother?”
    She jolted at the question and looked away from the window toward her companion. Crispin was slouched down in the carriage seat, as he had been the entire ride, his hand over his eyes.
    “I thought you were asleep,” she said.
    “I was praying for death, not sleep,” he said with a sigh as he straightened up and pulled himself together slightly. There was still a rakish dishevelment to him that was both frustrating and wildly attractive. He looked like a damned pirate. “Do you know him?”
    She pursed her