Free The Earl in My Bed: A Forgotten Princesses Valentine Novella by Sophie Jordan Page A

finished.
    P aget lurched up in bed with a gasp, her eyes searching the gloom. The remnants of a dream clung like shadowy cobwebs. She clutched the counterpane and pulled it high to her chest. The wind howled outside her window, rattling the panes.
    She’d been on a battlefield, searching for Owen. She called his name again and again, pushing through the smoke, walking amid fallen soldiers. At last she’d come to him. Alive! She embraced him, holding tightly. He set her from him, looking at her sternly.
    “Find Jamie, Paget.”
    “Jamie?” She glanced around at the carnage, her heart constricting. “He’s here?”
    Owen nodded. “Of course, he’s here. He’s always been here. Only you can find him.”
    Nodding, she staggered from Owen’s side, calling for Jamie. Holding her skirts to keep from tripping, she hunted for him among the mayhem. Then she spotted him on a distant rise. She rushed to reach him, Owen’s words playing in her mind. Only you can find him. He’s always been here.
    Just as she was about to reach him, a blast of artillery shook the earth, launching her through the air. She landed on her back, gasping for breath. Rolling to her side, she looked to where she’d last seen Jamie. Only burning, smoldering earth remained. Staggering to her feet, she screamed for him, but he was gone.
    Her breath fell in hard pants as if she were still on that battlefield, hunting for Jamie. She rubbed her hands over her face, wondering what it all meant.
    “Just a dream,” she whispered to herself, shaking off the cobwebs of slumber. Still, she couldn’t slow her heartbeat.
    Her window rattled louder. She frowned and shoved back the covers. Swinging her legs over the side, her bare feet dropped down silently. Rising, she moved toward the window. Pulling back the curtains, she almost screamed at the sight of Jamie, perched in a tree, knuckles rapping the glass.
    She quickly unlatched the window and stepped back, watching in astonishment as Jamie dropped inside her bedchamber.
    On the heels of her nightmare, she had to fight the urge to embrace him. She stepped back, hugging herself to stop herself from doing just that.
    “What are you doing here?” she whispered, glancing over her shoulder toward her door—expecting her father to barge inside.
    “I talked to your father. Now I’m talking to you.”
    Her hands chafed her arms. “You shouldn’t be here.”
    He advanced on her. “How else am I to learn if you’re as foolish as your father?”
    She backed away, lifting her chin a notch. “Don’t malign my father.”
    “He’s a good man. Just not very sensible. You’re ruined if we don’t wed, Paget. So is your father.”
    “Papa doesn’t think I should rush to make a decision—”
    He snorted and moved for her armoire.
    She followed after him. “What are you doing?”
    He pulled her valise out from the bottom. “Packing you.”
    “Packing? For what?”
    “Gretna.”
    Her mouth sagged. It took her a moment to recover her voice. “You want to elope?”
    His eyes gleamed down at her in the gloom. “Do you know a quicker way to wed in haste? Especially since your father’s not very cooperative on the matter.” He started rifling through her clothing. He glanced over his shoulder at her. “You should probably do this.”
    “No.” The single word slipped from her mouth.
    He stopped and turned, his head cocking to the side. “Be sensible, Paget.”
    “No. They only saw us kiss.” She shook her head. “The gossip will fade.”
    He growled and closed the space between them, his hands closing over her arms. “Then I’ll have to thoroughly and truly compromise you so there is no doubt in your mind.”
    His hands flexed on her arms, singeing her through the sleeves of her nightgown. She felt his gaze on her face . . . her lips. A secret thrill skated over her skin. She suppressed her shiver of excitement and gave a hard shake of her head.
    She opened her mouth to deliver a ringing setdown, but