FREE! In The Arms of My Enemy (Completed!) Book 1

Do You Love Me?

"Tell us of America, Lady Greyville," Miss Thorpe said, and Fidelia noticed that she sat next to William on the couch, turning her chin to promote a better angle of her personage to him. "It must be such a wild, barbaric place." She leaned close to him and flicked her gaze to him in a way Fidelia could only deem as possessive. Fidelia struggled to maintain her composure.

"Truly," Fidelia replied dryly. "We live in tents and eat our meat raw for scarcity of modern conveniences such as fire and cooking pans."

William snorted into his tea, but Fidelia wasn't sure if he was amused or embarrassed. Miss Thorpe, on the other hand, smiled slowly.

"Oh, how scandalous!" She beamed, and Fidelia thought the woman looked like she was gloating. What fodder had she just provided for this creature's gossip? Oh well, Fidelia thought. She was already too far buried.

"The animals must be treacherous, and the men!" Miss Thorpe gasped and placed her delicate hand on her equally delicate bosom.

"Not compared to the women of the ton."

Miss Thorpe reddened.

"Fidelia," William murmured, a hint of warning in his tone. Fidelia glared at him. This was his fault. Why couldn't he have been in love with someone plain with a foul mood? Why did he have to look at Miss Thorpe so warmly?

"Oh, let her go on." Miss Thorpe laughed. "It is not often I have such entertaining conversation, William. How I love the way she talks, so different and . . . wild." She placed a hand lightly on his knee.

Fidelia's eyebrows rose sharply. Miss Thorpe dared to touch her hus­band so intimately?

"Small minds are easily amused, I suppose," Fidelia said, glaring at Miss Thorpe. William did not even seem uncomfortable with her hand that still rested on his knee. Fidelia's heart stuttered and shrank. "Please excuse me."

She swung her legs off the settee, ignored the searing pain that shot through her ankle like a bolt of lightning, and hobbled quickly toward the door. She struggled to steady her breathing as she leaned heavily on her crutch.

"Fidelia—" William called after her. She waved her free hand an­grily through the air to dismiss him as she abandoned the room. She paused on the landing beside the stairs, chest heaving. Anger and em­barrassment warred inside her, but what won out was the memory of the way William looked at Miss Thorpe, his eyes merry. Had he ever looked at Fidelia like that?

A lump formed in her throat, making her angrier. She would not cry twice in two days, and certainly not over a man. She pushed away from the wall and began climbing the stairs, her anger eclipsing the pain in her ankle as she hopped up each step. The angry buzzing in her ears muffled the sound when Lottie called out to her from the first flight of stairs, having just returned from a walk with Miss Palmer.

"Fidelia!" William's voice broke through her pain-filled haze. She ig­nored him. "Fidelia, stop, you're hurting yourself!" He easily mounted the few steps she had struggled up and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to a stop. Fiery pain throbbed in her leg, sending shocks up through her hip and into her spine. She breathed hard, and her eyes seared with unshed tears.

"Leave me alone," she muttered, trying to push him away. He pulled her closer to his chest. She hated the way her mind clouded at his nearness, the way her heart raced at his arm around her waist.

"Why must you be so stubborn?" William asked. He swept her off her feet and carried her up the rest of the stairs and down the short hallway to their room, ignoring her protests. Miss Thorpe will have a heyday with this incident, Fidelia thought with annoyance.

"Fidelia, what is the matter?" he asked, finally breaking his silence after he set her down in their room and closed the door behind them.

She glowered at him. "Why did it have to be her?"

"What? What are you talking about?" William stared at Fidelia as if she had lost her mind. Maybe she had, she thought angrily. She had never felt so helpless and enraged before, and she did not know what to do with the feeling.

"Why did you have to love someone like her?" Fidelia's voice broke, but she lifted her chin to meet his gaze.

His eyes, which had been bright with frustration, now blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I can see it when you look at her, the way she says your name—"

"Wait. You think I love her?" William took Fidelia's shoulders, the suddenness of the motion surprising her into silence. "I may have thought I loved her once. But, Fidelia, you are my wife."

Fidelia shook her head furiously. "That means nothing, not when you could have had a woman with grace and manners and—"

William pulled her against his chest and wound the fingers of one hand through her hair, loosening the few remaining pins. Fidelia tried to suck in a breath, but he cut her off with his lips, pressing them to hers, searching. Longing. Hoping. Slowly, she relaxed and returned his kiss.

William pulled her closer, clenching his hand in her hair and kiss­ing her like she alone could give him the ability to continue living.

Just as quickly as he had started, William pulled back, breath­ing hard. Fidelia leaned into him for support, her breath ragged and knees weak.

"Did that mean nothing?" William whispered desperately. "Will you lie to me and say that you do not feel this too?" He searched her face, cupping her cheeks with his rough palms.

"I-I—" Fidelia struggled for words, for coherent thoughts. Dared she hope?

"Do you love me?" William's voice was rough with emotion, as if the hope were slowly draining out of him.

Fidelia blinked, his question stunning her into silence.

William's face fell. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers. "I never felt for Miss Thorpe as I feel for you. No one's happiness has ever mattered so much to me. No one could wound me with a single word or glance the way you can."

His voice broke, and the sound made Fidelia's stomach lurch, as if some invisible rope bound her to William and he tugged on it. He sighed and rocked his head side to side across her forehead slightly as if he mistook her surprised silence as a confirmation of his fears. "And yet . . . you feel nothing for me."

***

Hey Guys!  THEY FINALLY KISSED!!! Gah, this chapter was super fun, but also super difficult to write since I haven't written real kissing scenes in like... four years.  Anyway, what did you think?  What do you think of William?  Do you think Fidelia loves him?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments! 

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