Read His Jilted Bride (Historical Regency Romance) for Free Online

and
wind whipped hair, Amelia made a beautiful bride. He squeezed her
hands. She looked just as ragged as he felt. They'd both sleep very
well tonight. Which was a good thing considering all the gossip
they'd have to start fending off in the next few days.
    “ Elijah,” Templemore all but
shouted.
    Elijah started. “Yes?”
    “ You may now kiss your bride,” the archbishop said for what
Elijah was certain wasn't the first time.
    “ Right,” he said, meeting Amelia's grey eyes. A long ago
memory of her chasing after him and threatening to kiss him
suddenly came into his mind. She'd gotten him once or twice, too,
if he remembered right. And always in front of someone, too. Of
course that made it worse as he had an image to protect; and he'd
always been sure to make a show of wiping off his mouth, or cheek,
or forehead, or wherever it was her lips had landed. He shook his
head to rid himself of the juvenile thought and pressed a quick,
chaste kiss to her lips.
    At least that's how he'd intended the
kiss to be. But even for how fast and devoid of any tender emotion
he'd intended to make it, he found himself craving more. Which
would not do. While he desired her with his entire being, now
wasn't the time to let her know.
    “ Do the two of you have any plans for the evening?” Templemore
asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the
doorjamb.
    “ Just to go to bed,” Elijah said without thought. His eyes
flared wide and his face burned when he realized what he'd said,
and how the unintended meaning his friend—and the bishop—likely
took from his words. “That is— I mean—” He cleared his throat.
“We've been traveling most of the day, I should think we'd like to
have baths then go to bed.”
    Templemore's green eyes danced with
laughter. “You're welcome to stay here tonight, if you'd like,”
Lady Templemore offered.
    Elijah looked over to Amelia. She had
dark circles under her eyes from their travels. It'd be at least
another hour ride to the nearest inn, and that was if there was any
vacancy. For as awkward as it might be for her to spend their
wedding night in his friend's home, the bed would be far more
superior and so would their fare. “Thank you. We'd love to
stay.”
    Templemore nodded, then rang for
Bennett, his butler. When he arrived, Templemore whispered some
commands to him and only a short time later, Bennett was leading
them up the stairs.
    “ You'll sleep much better this way,” he whispered to her as
they followed Bennett to the guest rooms.
    She nodded but didn't say anything
else.
    Bennett moved the large brass
eight-candle candelabra he carried to his left hand and opened the
door to a large room with an oversized bed.
    Elijah swallowed.
    “ This will be your room, Mrs. Banks,” Bennett intoned. “And
now if you'll come with me, Mr. Banks, I'll show you to
yours.”
    For the best, he supposed. It might be
their wedding night, but they'd been traveling all day and were in
the residence of one of his friends, for pity's sake. No lady would
wish to be deflowered under such circumstances.
    He stepped into the room the butler
indicated as his and looked around. It was arranged much like his
wife's with a large poster bed made out of mahogany that matched
the wardrobe and vanity perfectly. The coverlet was the same shade
of crimson as hers had been; and just as the basin and pitcher in
her room were royal blue with six white lines creating a decorative
border at the top, his were identical. Everything in this room was
much like the other, only it lacked one thing: Amelia.
    He sighed and fell onto the bed,
exhausted. She'd acted just as tired as he. She'd probably
appreciate—and perhaps expect—a slight reprieve for the evening.
Besides he wasn't exactly in a hurry to share intimacies with her
as clearly his feelings for her weren't returned. They'd need to,
of course, if she was to— He closed his eyes to extinguish the
thought. Tomorrow. He'd initiate intimacies with her tomorrow