Read The Deed for Free Online Page B

who had stood in front. That knowledge had
     been enough to unsettle her. Neither of these men had been what she expected in a husband.
     Both were giants. She herself was a bit below average size. Well, all right, she was
     short. It was the bane of her existence. Rolfe had teased her endlessly about it
     throughout their childhood. She barely came up to the shoulders on her cousin, and both
     these men were taller still. She doubted she would reach halfway up either mans chest. Add
     to that the fact that both men
    also appeared to be nearly as wide as they were tall, and she found herself swallowing in
     trepidation and considering the alternative.
    Bertrand. And a point in his favor was that, like his cousin, he was much more delicate of
     form. However, that was the only point in his favor.
    There was no question of her choice. Giant or not, her soon-to-be-husband could not
     possibly be a worse choice than Bertrand and his mother.
    As she waited for him to join her at the door of the church, she set her mind to trying to
     figure out which of the two men was to be her husband. One had been as fair as the other
     dark. They had been too far away to make out any individual features really, but she had
     been able to tell that the fair one had been smiling, his face lit up with lighthearted
     amusement. The other had been as solemn and glum as death. Surely a man would not be so
     glum on his wedding day? Therefore, she reasoned, her husband must be the blond.
    Emma sensed his presence when he finally reached her side. Swallowing, she clutched her
     bouquet of flowers tightly and stared steadfast at the bishop. She was almost afraid to
     look at the man who was to be her husband. She feared what her reaction might be were he
     unbearably ugly. She didnt like to be shallow, but truly it had been a relief to her that
     her first husband had been pleasant to look upon. Should her new husband be horrendously
     ugly, she might offend him with a sour reaction. There being little choice but to marry
     him, it seemed much more sensible simply not to look.
    My lady?
    Emma blinked at the bishop when he called her name. His raised eyebrows told her that she
     had missed something important. When he repeated himself, Emma swallowed, then echoed the
     words in a breathless voice. Her new husband, despite his size, spoke his words in much
     the same manner. When the bishop came to the part about kissing the bride, she steeled
     herself and turned to her new husband, closing her eyes lest she insult him by expression
     should he be ugly.
    Amaury took a bracing breath, then reached resignedly and lifted the black veil of his
     wife. The sight that befell him made him freeze as the veil flew back over her head. Her
     eyes were closed, it was true, so perhaps he was not getting the full picture, but the
     woman before him was not the slightest bit ugly. In fact, she was quite pretty even. Her
     skin was flawless. Her lips were full, round, and inviting. Her nose was not the straight
     royal nose that would be considered attractive by most, but one with an endearing tip to
     it that suggested impudence. And she was young, too. Not an old hag as he had suspected.
    A smile tugged at his own lips as her own turned down with slight impatience at his
     hesitation and he recalled himself to his duty. Grasping her by each shoulder, he lifted
     her clear off the ground to meet his lips. His relief made the kiss warmer than he had
     originally intended, so that the peck he had thought to grimly grace her with became
     instead a warm caress.
    Emmas eyes opened in surprise at his kiss. That first surprise was compounded by his looks
     now that she was finally seeing them. It was the darker man. And he didnt appear the least
     grim now. In fact, he was smiling down at her with a warmth that left her slightly
     bemused. Mustering an uncertain smile, she flashed it at him briefly as he set her back on
     her feet, then