His Lady Mistress

Elizabeth Rolls149himself of his rights...’ she paused and bit her lip hard‘...then he has only to knock on the door between our rooms.It would be difficult for me to refuse him my bed since heshows no sign of wishing to share it. Until he does, there islittle chance of an heir supplanting you. So I suggest youmind your own business!’She grabbed her sketch book, scattering crayons over thefloor with clumsy, shaking hands. She left them, seared bythe knowledge that Max had indicated his contempt for herto his brother and blamed her for the state of their marriage.Damn him! Max had refused to heed her misgivings and insistedon the marriage. And now he blamed her!Later that afternoon she sat curled up on a garden seat nearthe fishpond, golden warmth pouring down on her shouldersas she sketched. So many years since her mother had taughther... She blinked and wriggled her stiff shoulders. Rememberingwas too painful, especially the sketch she had donejust before her mother’s death—the sketch her father had destroyedin his grief.She changed her position slightly. The sun glaring off thepaper was making her eyes water. Focusing on her doublesubject, she breathed a silent prayer of thanks that they wereimmobile at last. The three-hour walk she had taken them forafter leaving the library had finally exhausted the spaniels andthey lay asleep in the sun.She sketched steadily. If she finished the dogs before theyrecovered, she could fill in the background at her leisure. Aslong as she could keep her mind off the reason she was doingthis particular sketch. She gritted her teeth. Possibly it wouldbe torn up, or at the very least thrust to the back of a drawer,but it would serve as a sort of unspoken apology to Richard...forwhat? Using the library in her own home? Obviouslyher presence had been totally unwelcome since she hadfound her crayons, neatly boxed and sorted, on her dressingtable when she returned from her walk.