Free Saved by a Rake by Em Taylor Page B

gossip about me around the Ton . And you heard the insult that the Earl of Newthorpe called me.”
    “ Yes, I did but...”
    “ Please, my lord, allow me to finish or I fear I may lose my resolve.” She looked around and saw her parents standing at the opposite side of the avenue, chatting. He nodded his acquiescence. “I am afraid that the insult the earl used against me is not without merit. He... well... he and I... well suffice to say that I am no longer...”
    “ Do not say it, Rebecca. James told me what happened to you.”
    Rebecca squeaked as her hand flew to her mouth. How could James tell anyone of her shame? How could he have told Daniel? She wanted to melt into the trees. She glanced again at her parents , but he caught her hand and held it. His touch was so gentle she could not bear to pull away.
    “ I…I…”
    “ I admire you greatly, Rebecca. You have strength and courage and you have not bowed to the gossips of the Ton . You have held your head high with grace and beauty. An innocent bride is only innocent for a very short time after her wedding, then she is just like any other woman.”
    “ I am scared, my lord—afraid of being intimate with another man.”
    “ Love between a man and a woman—between us—would be very different from your ordeal. I would never hurt you and if you said no, I would never force my attentions or my body upon you.”
    His eyes were difficult to read in the darkness of the avenue, with just the pretty lanterns strung from the trees to light the path. However, his voice was sincere and she very much wanted to believe him. But he was a rake and he had many women. Could she really lay in a bed with him, never mind consummate their marriage? Would he keep mistresses? He probably would. Many men in the Ton kept mistresses and why should Daniel be any different? She could grit her teeth and allow him to bed her enough times to beget an heir, then he could go to his mistresses’ beds and gain his pleasure there.
    She really had no choice.
    She had to be practical.
    She was a ruined woman and her reputation in the Ton was getting worse as each day passed.
    He was the answer to her prayers. A man who would not ask much of her in private but who would give her respectability and a couple of children.
    “I will accept your offer of marriage, Daniel. Thank you.”
    He seemed to heave out a very deep breath—almost as if he had been holding it. He lifted her hand to his lips and even through her glove, the touch of his lips seared through her skin and up her arm, causing an awareness in her body that was an entirely new sensation.
    “I will call on you in the morning, if I may, my love, and I shall ask your father officially for your hand.”
    “ Of course. I look forward to it.”
    He placed her hand over his arm and tucked it against his side as they started back towards their box. Very soon she would be a married lady and the whole sorry situation with Lord Newthorpe would be history. She looked up at Daniel, who was beaming down at her as they strode along. Then he slowed, his head began to bow.
    He was going to kiss her—her very first kiss. But then he seemed to think better of it. She licked her lips nervously and wondered what it would have been like.
    ****
    Daniel cleared his throat and looked down the avenue. Rebecca’s mother and father walked at a respectable distance behind them. A war was raging inside him—his respectable self was fighting his rakish demons. It had been weeks since he had lain with a woman. Dash it all—a man had needs.
    The thought occurred to him that he could visit a courtesan, but he quickly quashed the idea. It would seem unfaithful now that Rebecca had agreed to marry him. His needs would have to wait. Her small hand resting on his arm sent a thrill of anticipation down his body, causing his toes to curl. He cleared his throat again, and she looked up at him, concern darkening the cornflower blue of her eyes. He shook his head, and she