His Lady Mistress

206 His Lady MistressHer tea cup rattled as she set it back on the saucer, startledby the harshness of his voice. Proudly she lifted her chin andstiffened her backbone. ‘So, my lord, what are your plans forthe day?’For a split second she thought he hesitated, but then hesaid, ‘As a matter of fact, I must go to London for a weekor so. Some business that I should attend to personally.’Dizziness swept through her and with it, nausea as his savagewords flayed her again...I prefer to seek my amusementselsewhere in future. He was going up to London to do justthat. A business matter. Something he paid for. And her dutywas to turn a blind eye to such things.Lady Arnsworth had made that quite plain. Gentlemen suchas Blakehurst prefer to take their pleasures outside the marriagebed. In their wives they require decorum... A lady willnot notice these things... She ought to be grateful that he nolonger wished to use her for his pleasures, that she’d had noidea of how to please him.Drawing on every reserve of strength, she manufactured abright smile. ‘When do we leave, my lord?’ London wouldserve her purpose admirably.Alone in the library half an hour later, Max sat contemplatingthe ruin of his marriage. He had disgusted her, probablysickened her. Worse, he had hurt her beyond all forgiveness.She recoiled from his touch, from his very presence.So why in Hades had she elected to come to London? Certainlynot for the benefit of Lord Blakehurst’s company. Hedidn’t blame her. He didn’t much like being in the same roomas Lord Blakehurst right now, let alone the same skin.The best thing he could do for Verity was arrange for herto be introduced to the life that could be hers as Lady Blakehurst.Social, fashionable London. As a Countess, she wouldbe accepted with Almeria’s support. The peculiar circumstancesof her marriage would be forgotten soon enough.He forced himself to examine all the possibilities. She