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Chapter 118
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2024-10-29 19:42:56The sudden spontaneous kiss stopped him dead in his tracks. He fell into a daze, unable to think or react for a while. Clinging onto him, somehow she lost her balance and lurched back a few steps, bringing him with her. She laughed against his lips when her back hit the wall, and he braced his hand against the wall on either side of her shoulder. The sweet, silvery sound snapped him back to his mindfulness.
He tore his mouth from her, starting back several steps. He was shaken by his own visceral response to her, which he found difficult to control or resist. Immediately he wiped his lips with his fingers as if to rub the taste of her off his lips.
Her eyes dimmed at the gesture and a shadow crossed her face.
"It appears that my husband is not the only one who found me stale."
"You know that it's not true."
He said quickly.
"Things are not quite the same now, Amanda. I will be getting married soon."<
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Disgraceful Chapter 119
Actually she had known who Amanda was, but she wanted to know what she was to him. She wanted to know what he would call her."Mrs. Chapman? I've known her long time ago. My estate bought dairies from her father's farm and she came to deliver them every morning.""So I see."She turned to get a clean towel set on the side table. Giving him a sharp look, she handed it to him. He took the towel and began to rub his hair. Painfully aware of her icy stare, he averted his eyes and moved away, pretending to search for his comb on the dresser."You don't usually converse with the likes of her."He just found the comb when she said that, and his hand immediately stilled at her remarks."What exactly do you mean by the likes of her?"He retorted, surprised to find himself quite vexed by the way she mentioned Amanda. She winced at his tone, but deliberately ignored it."We bot
Disgraceful Chapter 120
"It's one thing I can't tell you. Some things are best kept secret."The words haunted him throughout the rest of the day. He never had any suspicion about it before, but now when the idea occured to him, her sudden disappearance seemed to make a whole lot sense.He'd heard rumors. The servants murmured about it for weeks. Her family said she went to France. It was rather curious. He wondered how her father could afford it, both financially and mentally. The old man was well-known all over the country for his frugal existence.He should have suspected about it earlier, the real reason behind her leaving. It never occurred to him before, because it seemed like her to come and go as she pleased. She was notoriously wanton, though he constantly disregarded that undesirable fact. There had never been a promise of fidelity between them, and when they were having an affair, he knew she was engaged in the same sort of relations
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Her back instantly tensed at that, and he tried to see her expression in the frosted glass but he could only get an obscure view of her reflection. He wondered if he was only imagining it, but somehow he could hear her sharp intake of breath. His heart was beating painfully hard as he waited to hear a word pass her lips, but it was the long silence that voiced what he was afraid to hear."Good Lord." He hissed with a shaken voice as a cold, sickening feeling roiled his stomach. "Why didn't you let me know?"She turned around to face him, a suspicion of sorrow in her eyes. "I decided to keep it. If I ever let you or your family know, we both know what was likely to happen. I would have been forced to terminate it.""I would have never done that.""Even so, there was nothing you could do about it. At the time, you were still too young to deal with that."He couldn't deny it. Even n
Disgraceful Chapter 122
With so much thoughts weighing on his mind, all he really wanted was a moment of solitude, but he had failed her last night, he couldn't let her down again tonight. Not after the heated tension between them not so long ago."Sure."He replied, knowing that to decline was not an option. The clicking sound of the door as it closed mocking him. Now that he was alone with her for the rest of the night, he knew exactly what to be expected. He'd never imagined that he could ever feel this way, but at the moment he had no appetite for that. The sight of the lush, welcoming bed in the middle of the room held no appeal. Moving away in an unconscious gesture of reluctance, he sauntered toward the side table and poured himself some wine.Watching him sipping his wine slowly as he rested his gaze somewhere away from her, Ava felt a cold touch of abandonment. Apparently he found the flame in the hea
Disgraceful Chapter 123
When his passion was back under control, he began to move slowly within her. Waves after waves of pleasure rolled through his skin to his nerve endings, dispelling all troubles that had been eating away at his mind all day."Oh," She startled when an unexpected ripple of delight began to tingle from where their bodies fused into one. Before she could think of anything, the tingling sensation suddenly broke into wild, uncontrollable spasms. She cried out, shuddering all over as pleasure spilled over her in waves. Only then he gave way to his own pleasure. The release came crashing through and he lost utterly in its grip. He sank into a blank, peaceful oblivion where there was nothing but sheer bliss.She waited in silence as he rested his forehead on hers for several moments, bracing himself with his elbows on either side of her shoulders to keep his weight from crushing her. After a while, finally he withdrew from her and pushed himself up,
Disgraceful Chapter 124
The bold, sudden advances caught him momentarily off guard. Her sweet, alluring scent surrounded him as her soft, warm body pressed deliciously against him. He turned his gaze away from her face, only to be confronted with the enticing view of her breasts, her caramel colored nipples peered beneath the filmy chiffon. To his mortification, his traitorous body instantly responded to the tempting sight. With a great deal of painful restraint, he attempted to reply."I did not follow you.""Liar."She purred and licked his ear, swirling her tongue in its shell. When he caught at her wandering hand, she laughed and bit his earlobe. "I remember your one weakness. You can't resist when I touch you here.""Get off of me, Amanda."He summoned just enough strength to rid himself of her and stood up. Just then a sudden rap sounded on t
Disgraceful Chapter 125
The loathing in her voice was like another slap on his face, and his hand fell away when she wrested her arm free. Standing still, he let her sidestep him and storm out the door, walking away from him, because he knew it was no use holding her back. He could take her under coercion, but she would only hate him more.Besides, there was no need to rush after her. He knew one thing was for sure. She wouldn't leave without her maid. By now she must be waiting for that friend of hers in the hotel lobby.Walking to the sidetable, he grabbed the half-filled glass and downed its content in one quick swallow. Setting down the glass on the table, his gaze fell to the crystal decanter within inches from his hand, the burgundy-colored liquid in the vessel tempted him to drink the night away. But he knew he would need a clear mind to deal with this.So he hauled a chair to the window and sat there for hours, waiting until the first l
Disgraceful Chapter 126
Another sleepless night, another interminably long day to survive. The dull, tedious cycle started to become Ava's new reality. It was almost noon by the time she woke up. She turned to the window and gazed outside, into a day as dull and gloomy as her heart. She glanced at the mantle clock on the commode, startled to see how late it was. Suddenly she realized, Polly had done all the house chores and her job since they returned home. With a little pang of guilt, she rolled out of bed and washed her face. She stepped out of her room to find that the kitchen had been cleaned and lunch was already served. Across the room, Polly was kneeling in front of the hearth, trying to start the fire."Drat! It won't start. There's not enough sticks in here."Polly wiped out a mist of sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand, smudging ashes over her damp skin."I'll get them." Ava put on a shabby cloak and a pair of old leather
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Carrying the old, unsent letter in his hand, Ashton took a determined step to Lord Carlton's bedchamber. The door was left slightly opened, as to make it easier for the servants to hear if the lord rang the bell. He stopped in front of the doorway and peered inside. Through the narrow opening, he could see his uncle across the room, sitting on the wheelchair by the window, gazing out into the wintry garden outside."Do come in."The lord called without glancing his way. Despite the head injury, his uncle hadn't lost his usual alertness, and the wheelchair didn't make him look less forbidding. He was very fortunate the injury didn't cause him any permanent damage, and though he hadn't quite regained his normal strength until this day, the doctor said that he would no longer need the device in a couple of weeks.Lord Carlton turned in his wheelchair to face him as he entered the room."What is it?"His uncle
Disgraceful Chapter 186
Present DayWhen Ava peered into his chamber this morning, she found that he'd been able to get out of bed without any help. He stood in front of the mirror with a brush covered with lather in hand, meeting her gaze within the reflection. He paused, watching her breeze into the room and walk toward him."Oh, you're up already. Do you feel any better today?"She asked casually."Very much so. I think I'm going to have some fresh air. I'm tired of being confined in this room."Stopping within a foot from him, she glanced at the shaving equipment on the dresser."Let me help you.""There's no need-""Sit over there."She ignored him, motioning him to sit on the sidetable. Obediently, he did her bidding, half-sitting on the edge of the sidetable. With a brush, she smoothed the lather evenly ove
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For a moment, she was quite bewildered by his request, but then she realized, by asking her to do so, he was trying to be completely truthful to her, to share his darkest secrets with her, no matter how sordid and shameful they were, to let her see the ugly side of him and to trust her without reserve.She settled back into the chair and took the letter from his hand. She opened the envelope and unfolded the letter, clearing her throat before she started reading,"Dear Carlton,I hope you will understand why I choose this way. I can no longer carry on in this fashion. It's not that I don't love you enough to go on. No words can express how much I love you. I die a little inside each time I see you. You can't imagine how difficult it is for me, but we both know that this is the best for us. I know you can't desert your family, and I don't blame you, for I can never do that to my son eith
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Several hours later..."This is unspeakable. I can't believe it."Magnus' voice carried clearly across the hall. He turned around abruptly, wild sparks shooting from his eyes as he gazed furiously at the woman sitting in an armchair on the other side of the room."For Christsakes, why would you do this, Mother. How could you?"Lady Cecily stared into the void without so much as a word. Her eyes devoid of emotions, her refined feature as hard as granite.Sitting in a wheelchair pushed by a servant, Lord Carlton entered the parlor. Behind him are two of the guardsmen. Shooting a bitter look at his wife, he uttered with a composed voice."You'll be up before the magistrate to face the legal consequences of your crime. I've sent words to the authorities. The Constable will pick you up at first light."The lady took the notice with a pr
Disgraceful Chapter 183
With soundless steps, Ava sneaked her way to Lord Carlton's bedchamber. The door was slightly opened, allowing a shaft of light from inside the room to spill out into the dark corridor. Stopping by the doorstep, she peeked into the room through the small opening. In the middle of the large bed, the lord lay as white and still as death. A candle burned in the nightstand, casting a dim glow in the gloom of the chamber.Drawing a long, fortifying breath, Ava slipped into the chamber. Crossing the room, she moved around the bed and sat in the chair nearby, gazing regretfully upon the lifeless face.To have a death on her conscience was too great a burden to bear. Perhaps she was a fool to think that to confess her sin and beg forgiveness from the insensible victim would give her a little comfort, but she just couldn't help it."I'm so sorry, My Lord." She began."I thou
Disgraceful Chapter 182
There hadn't been much progress on Lord Carlton's condition the following day. He remained unconscious, only a faint pulse indicated there was life in there, yet it hung by a tenuous thread. In the morning, Doctor Haynes returned to check on him. Ashton asked him if there was any hope, and the doctor shook his head slightly in answer.In contrast to her dramatic reaction over Lord Carlton's condition the day before, Lady Cecily showed little interest in taking care of her husband. Instead, it was a loyal servant that had worked for the family for nearly fourty years who seemed to care deeply about him, feeding him with broth and water every hour, and applying soothing balm to his chapped lips. When she had finished her gentle ministrations, the old maid would kneel beside his bed and folded her wrinkled hands, praying for the master's recovery.Inside one of the sitting room in the secluded West Wing, Ashton stood gazing into the fire where
Disgraceful Chapter 181
Ava blanched upon hearing his oath. She'd never heard such ferocity in a person's voice. Quick to notice her sudden pallor, Ashton took her hand, murmured some excuse to Aunt Cecily and Magnus, and led her out of the room."Your hands are so cold," He looked down at her hand in his hold with concerned frown. Too overwhelmed with distress, she let him take her to her chamber upstairs."Nobody will know about it." He said once the door closed behind them, and when she remained mute, pale and cold with fear, he headed to the sideboard and poured a glass of brandy. He made her finish the drink in two long swallows, and took the empty glass from her trembling hand. Setting the glass in the nearest sideboard, he placed his hands on her arms, forcing her to look directly into his eyes."Listen, I've told the guards never to breathe a word about it to anyone. I'll replace them immediately. Don't be afraid, I won't let anything bad happen to y
Disgraceful Chapter 180
The next thing she knew, Ashton and the guardsmen already moved with mad haste to save Lord Carlton's life. By sheer luck, one of the guards had managed to get a wagon from a local farmer to bring the wounded lord home. She fixed the bandage and tried to slow down the bleeding, doing the best she could without further question, since the severity of the lord's injury left no time for explanation. Unfortunately the process of removing the lord from the building into the vehicle and the rough journey back home seemed to worsen his condition. Once they arrived home, a servant rushed to fetch the new doctor. During the wait, Ashton could hardly think of anything else. He was too distraught with fear, not certain Lord Carlton would survive another minute. Thankfully, within minutes the doctor arrived with his nurse."I'll do my best."Doctor Haynes promised before closing the door to Lord Carlton's bedchamber.
Disgraceful Chapter 179
It seemed like the matter was urgent and highly confidential, Uncle Carlton didn't even leave his name on the message. Pulling the top drawer, he slipped the note beneath the piles of documents and rushed out of the room.*****By the time Ava returned to the study, an empty room greeted her. A sudden sense of premonition settled over her, and she instantly suppressed it. He might have retired to his chamber, or he might have been doing some other activity in another parlor somewhere in the house, she told herself. Still, she couldn't help but quicken her pace as she rushed through the house, desperate to find him as soon as possible."Edward, where's my husband?" She asked when she came across the butler in the corridor. The butler halted and bowed."His Grace has left the house a few minutes ago, Your Grace."Her heart immediately missed a beat."What?! Where?""I
