Free The Viscount's Addiction by Scottie Barrett Page B

And at least they don’t hide behind an opium bottle.”
    He slammed his fist on the desk. She flinched. “They did not waste five years of their lives in the bowels of Hades.”
    “You will get no sympathy from me. You now have every opportunity to regain the life you once had. And as for the new whore, I will make it easier for you to replace me. I will leave as soon as I secure lodging elsewhere.”
    Her threat brought him to his feet. It mattered little that he’d provoked her response with his vicious language. “You, madam, are far from the mistress of your own destiny. And I do not give a good goddamn why you signed that marriage document. Forced or not, it is a finished deed.”
    “By your own reckoning, I believe that I have twenty eight days left of service to you.” She curtsied deeply. “Somehow I will manage to last it out.”
    Mesmerized by the slight sway of her hips, he watched as she glided from the room. Service to him, he thought with fury. Bloody fine, let her consider it a duty, but there would be no reprieve after a mere month.

Chapter Six

    Jessie was nearly breathless with fury as she hurried over the lawn. He was a ruthless bastard, and she needed to get as far away from this place as she could. She had many domestic skills. Surely someone would take her in as a servant. Her father had educated her well; perhaps even a position as a governess might be possible. One thing was certain, she needed to find a way to dissolve the marriage.
    “Jessie!” Lewis’s snide tone assaulted her from behind. “The man will come see the horse in a half hour. Have the beast ready to be shown.”
    She did not bother to respond. She lifted her skirts and raced to the barn.
    Jessie picked up the brush. She cursed Lord Blackwood with each exuberant stroke of the horse’s black coat. Unwanted memories from their night together filtered through her angry thoughts. Every place he had touched still tingled with pleasure. He was an expert with his fingers and mouth. She’d actually woken this morning with the mad thought that somehow the marriage could work, that she could make him happy. But obviously he hated her even more than his wretched cousin. Besides, she’d already concluded that the man did not have the capacity for happiness.
    She grabbed Titus’s lead rope and walked toward his massive head. She stood on tiptoes and clasped his nose between her hands, planting a loud kiss on it. “Now you know what to do, my love, and make it good.” She gave him a hearty pat on the neck and led him outside having, as usual, to quicken her own pace to keep up with his long strides.
    She tied the horse to the outside post and looked toward the house. No sign of Lewis yet—and then she faltered, nearly falling in front of her massive horse. Lord Blackwood stood on the small bluff overlooking the pasture. His shirt hung open revealing his muscular chest. His shoulders were massive. He swung an axe with amazing force as he chopped at a fallen tree. His strength demonstrated how much hard labor he must have

    done. She was certain the scars that crisscrossed the skin of his chest were another Newgate souvenir.
    She knew a little of his history, knew that he’d had a reputation as a rakehell. He’d probably never cleared a tree from his land before prison. He propped the axe on his shoulder and shielded his eyes as he looked in the direction of the barn. They stared at each other across the pasture for a long moment before she pretended to busy herself with Titus’s mane.
    Hearing the clatter of horses on the drive, she turned and watched the carriage approach. The instant the passenger, a short, rotund man, descended the carriage steps Lewis came scampering across the lawn to greet him. The prospective buyer had a malicious frown on his face. He appeared the incarnation of cruelty.
    As they neared, Jessie untied her gelding and gave him a slight nod. Titus stepped forward with one feathered hoof then took a quick