Read His Saving Grace (Regency Refuge 1) for Free Online Page A

basic needs, had been abominable. It had been no better than how Duke Mugsby treated his tenants.
    A part of him wanted to believe Grace truly had been in on a ploy to entrap him in marriage. If he knew she couldn't be trusted, then he would never doubt where he stood with her. If it turned out that she'd been innocent of duplicity… Despite the fact that he tried to wrestle it back into silence, hope burned deep inside him.
    A man would have to be a fool not to want a loving wife. His father had always told him no dukedom was meant to be run alone. Thomas wanted a wife who would help shoulder the burden, someone with whom he could share his concerns on those days when the weight of responsibility felt like it might crush him.
    Thomas would have never thought of Grace in terms of marriage. He'd always considered her as a child. Tonight, however, as he'd unbuttoned her gown and untied the stays of her corset, he'd realized something. Grace was most definitely not a child. Confound it all, why didn't her father give her a season and get her married off before now? His gut clenched in primal protest at the thought.
    Still not sure he could trust her, Thomas turned the knob and entered their chamber, one thought on his mind.
    She's mine now.
    When he stepped across the threshold, he saw Grace sitting at the table in nothing but her chemise, eating ravenously. She cast her eyes at him while in mid-chew, one hand holding bread wrapped around cheese, and the other holding a piece of ham.
    Swallowing her food down, she said, "I wasn't sure when you'd be back, and I couldn’t wait anymore. I was starving."
    In that moment, she was the Gracie he'd always known, the feisty neighbor kid who had new ideas far too big for the daughter of an earl. She'd never quite fit into the role society declared she'd been born into, and that was one of the things he'd always loved about her.
    Loved . Shaking his head, Thomas tried to clear the thought from his mind. Like a sister. Loved like a sister. Then she betrayed me.
    No matter how vehemently he repeated the phrase to himself, he couldn't see duplicity in her eyes. She looked fresh and unblemished by the world, artless and unaffected.
    Moving into the room, Thomas removed his jacket and untied his cravat. "Did you enjoy your bath?" he asked conversationally.
    "It was wonderful. Thank you for helping me with my dress." Grace took another bite, and Thomas watched her chew. Raven hair fell down her back in enticing waves. Then she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand much as she'd done since she was old enough to eat at the table. Her mother had always been on her about proper comportment. He rather liked this Grace, despite the doubts he still harbored about her.
    Stepping behind the screen, Thomas considered the tub. He would have liked a bath, but wasn't sure he'd be comfortable sitting naked in the water with Grace on the other side of the screen in nothing but a chemise. Sighing, he splashed some fresh water from the basin onto his face and patted it dry with a towel. Coming back around the screen, he was surprised to see concern in Grace's eyes. "The water's awfully dirty because of me. I'm sorry it's not fit for your bath."
    "Don't worry about it. I bathed last night. I'm sure I'll survive. Besides, I'll just get dirty again tomorrow anyway." The irony of his words was not lost on Thomas.
    Waving her bread in the air, she asked, "Are you hungry? I saved some for you."
    Thomas shook his head and answered, "I ate below, so help yourself."
    She nodded and took another bite of bread and cheese. Then, artlessly, she said, "I'd rather hoped to be done and in bed before you returned. I feel quite immodest sitting here like this."
    With a chuckle, Thomas asked, "Would you prefer I undress as well so you aren’t alone in your immodesty?"
    Grace's eyes widened with surprise and a blush scorched across her ivory skin. "Thank you, but no. I think you're fine the way you are."
    Thomas smiled. He