Persuasion. Brenda Joyce

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СКАЧАТЬ am old!” What had he been doing? Had he tried to embrace her? Had she felt his mouth on her cheek?

      Had he kissed her?

      She backed away. Coming into his rooms had been a mistake, she realized that now. “Do not touch me again!” she warned.

      His dark eyes gleamed. “You entered at your own risk.”

      “What does that mean?”

      “It means you know as well as I do that I am not to be trusted.”

      She did not know what to say. He had just made a very direct reference to his courtship of her—and his betrayal. She stood there with her backside against the sideboard, trying to regain her breath. His hands fisted and found his hips. He stared at her, unsmiling, unmoving. She despaired, because now she had the vast opportunity to ogle the hard planes of his chest, the angles of his ribs and to notice that he did not have an ounce of fat upon him. He was leaner than he had been at the age of twenty-one. He was, undoubtedly, too thin.

      “You are staring.” He spoke flatly.

      She jerked her gaze away, and saw the pieces of broken mirror, not far from his bare feet. “You are not properly dressed.”

      “Surely my bare legs do not bother you...Amelia?”

      She glanced up and their gazes met. His smile was twisted, his dark gaze filled with speculation. “You have seen far more than my bare calves,” he said.

      “That was uncalled for!” she cried, aghast. Now she recalled unbuttoning his shirt in a fit of passion, and running her hands over those hard muscles.

      “I never claimed to be a gentleman.” But he reached for the sides of his shirt, pulling them together. Never moving his gaze from her, he buttoned up his shirt. “Is that better?”

      It wasn’t better at all. She knew she must stop her memories from spilling over now. “There is broken glass everywhere. Your feet are bare.” She spoke sharply.

      Suddenly sober, he said, “A shard of glass cannot hurt me.”

      She saw numerous cuts on his feet. She jerked her gaze up. “Your foot is already bleeding, Grenville.” This was safer ground.

      He made a derisive sound. “You are worried about a few tiny scratches?”

      She was worried, but not about those cuts! “You do not want to get an infection,” she tried.

      “Men die every day.” He was hard, harsh and angry. “From bayonets, powder, cannon, the Blade... And you are worried about a few little pieces of glass.” He laughed, but the sound was frightening.

      She stared, hugging herself. He was talking about the war and the revolution, but why? Most Britons had been affected in some way by the wars, and the average citizen read about the war on an almost daily basis. War stories abounded in every inn and tavern, and rumors ran rampant—the threat of invasion, the reach of the Terror, the possible fall of the Republic. But Grenville sounded almost personally involved. “Have you been to war?” she heard herself ask. “Have you been to France?”

      He suddenly turned away. Not looking at her, he walked over to the low table before the gold sofa and picked up a glass of scotch. As if he hadn’t heard her, he studied it. He finally said, “I do not like drinking alone. Is it late? I seem to recall that you enjoy a glass of brandy before bedtime. If I broke the decanter of brandy, there are plenty of bottles downstairs.” He looked at her and stared. His regard was challenging and very, very dark.

      The terrible tension returned. “It is midday, Grenville.” She prayed he wasn’t flirting with her.

      Sipping, he studied her over the rim of his glass. “Simon. Join me anyway. Drinking alone is an abhorrent habit. Despicable, truly.”

      She was not about to have a drink with him, especially not now, like this. “Do you frequently drink alone?”

      “All of the time.” He saluted her with his glass.

      What had happened to him? Why wasn’t he comforting his children? Why had he avoided his marriage, if Mrs. Murdock were right?

      “Ah, I see you are feeling sorry for me.” His eyes gleamed and Amelia realized he was pleased.

      “You are grieving. Of course I am feeling sorry for you.”

      His smile vanished. “It is not what you think.” He tossed off the rest of his drink and strode over to the sideboard, coming precariously close to walking over shattered glass as he did so.

      She cried out. “Grenville, be careful!”

      “I don’t care about the damned glass!”

      She froze, because he had suddenly shouted at her and there was so much fury in his tone. It was as if lightning had ripped apart the sky, out of the blue. She stared, aghast, as he braced both arms against the sideboard.

      She had the frightening urge to rush over to him and clasp his shoulder and ask him what was wrong. She wet her lips and said, “Are you all right?”

      “No.” He poured another scotch, his movements stiff with anger. Then he slowly turned and faced her. “Why are you here?”

      She hesitated. “You haven’t come out of your rooms in days. You haven’t seen your children.”

      “No, I have not.” He made a mocking sound. “And you are here to rescue me from myself?”

      “Yes.”

      “Ah, we are being honest now.” His gaze darkened.

      “When did you become so dark—so cynical—so unhappy?” she asked.

      He started. And she saw the wave of anger as it came. He drained that drink, too, and slammed it down. “Has it ever occurred to you that being here—alone with me—is dangerous?”

      She trembled. “Yes, it has.”

      “I do not feel like being rescued. You should go.”

      “I don’t think I should leave you when you are in such a state.”

      He folded his arms across his broad chest and began to smile. “I was wrong. You have changed. The child I once knew was so terribly pliant. She was putty in my hands. I am facing a stubborn and annoying woman now.”

      His words stabbed through her. “You are hurt, so you are lashing out.”

      He laughed coldly at her. “Think as you will.”

      Amelia watched him pour another drink, wanting to take it away. “I know you are grieving. Your children are grieving, as well. But grief doesn’t give you the right to behave as if you are a spoiled child.”

      His eyes widened. “You dare to berate me?”

      “Someone must set you upside down on your ear!” she cried in frustration.

      He set the glass down hard, and СКАЧАТЬ