Emily Grey opened her eyes, thinking groggily that she was
supposed to be in the drawing room. Instead she was lying on
her back, beneath the canopy of a bedโin her husbandโs bedroom.
It all came to her suddenly, and her wary gaze found the man
whoโd brought her here, who now watched her after his
pleasant greeting.
The dead man sheโd
claimed as her husband.
Sheโd thought sheโd become a strong woman, but his entrance
into the drawing room had stunned her so that sheโd been
speechless, unable to think about what to do. Sheโd fully
expected to find herself tossed from the house.
But he hadnโt denounced her. When heโd said heโd lost part
of his memory, her relief had been so absolute she must have
fainted. How appallingly weak of her. Weakness was a
liability; only her strength and her wits would see her
through this now.
She found herself studying Captain Matthew Leland, trying to
remember the man sheโd known for only a few hours not quite
two years ago, the man whose death sheโd used for her own
convenience.
But he wasnโt dead. He was very much alive, and alone with
her in the bedroom they were supposed to share as husband
and wife.
But he wasnโt her husband.
She wouldnโt panic. This rare illness of his had given her
the chance to continue as his wife. She was strong now, and
had learned she was capable of doing terrible things in
order to survive. And she would survive this.
โMatthew?โ His name came out in a feigned whisper of disbelief.
Casually he leaned against the bedpost, arms folded across
his chest, and a small smile turned up his lips. He was a
handsome man, as sheโd thought from the first moment sheโd
seen him on a boat in the stormy English Channel. He had
dark, auburn hair that glistened by lamplight. His amused
eyes were hazel, not just one color, but changeable the more
she looked at him. When sheโd first met him, sheโd thought
his eyes intense, as if he would focus only on her whenever
they spoke together. With a classically square jaw and thin
lips, he was the picture of what a handsome man should look
like. He was still broad with muscle, perhaps even more so
since heโd been serving as a soldier in India. His coat
almost seemed too tight across his shoulders, as if he
hadnโt had time to purchase a new one since heโd been back.
Well, of course, he hadnโt. Heโd rushed straight from the
ship to tell his parents that he was aliveโonly to find a
wife he didnโt remember.
What would his wife do?
Without a second thought, she flung herself from the bed and
into his arms. He didnโt even stagger, so strong was he. She
thought he hesitated, but at last his arms came around her,
and she was enveloped by warmthโbut not security. She would
never delude herself. Sheโd grown up thinking that marriage
meant security, but sheโd found it herself, without needing
an actual husband. Sheโd learned never to rely on anyone else.
At last she leaned back to look up at him, smiling with
happiness, forcing tears to glisten in her eyes. โMatthew!โ
She repeated his name with gladness and joy.
He was smiling down at her, which gave her some ease, but he
studied her face closely. Should she kiss him, distract him
from thinking too deeply? She was fully prepared to do what
was necessary, butโฆsomething stopped her.
โThey called you Emily,โ he said slowly, as if testing out
her name on his tongue, his voice a deep rumble of masculinity.
She grinned as her hands stroked down his shoulders. โI
was Emily Grey, but you made me a Leland.โ She let
her smile fade. โBut now I donโt know what to do. I want to
show my happiness for your safe return, and cry at the same
time. Do you truly remember nothing?โ
He shook his head. โA fine homecoming for a wife who hadnโt
allowed herself to hope I would return.โ
His hands slid down her back slowly, coming to rest on her
waist. Sheโd wanted to distract him, but strangely, just his
touch was distracting her. She could not risk such a mental
failing.
โHow could I hope?โ she asked, fingering his lapels. โThey
said you were dead. I was ill when your mother told me. Even
now I remember how lost I felt. But to you, I am just a
newly introduced stranger.โ As a tear fell from her lashes,
she was grateful for such a mask behind which to hide.
Though she was playing with fire, she reached to touch his
cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin and roughness of stubble.
Suddenly, his hands tightened on her waist, pulling her even
more intimately against him. His gaze was centered on her
mouth.
He thought she was his wife. He could claim his marital rights.
She found she couldnโt breathe, her breasts rising and
falling against the hard wall of his chest. Though he was
not an exceptionally tall man like his cousin the duke, he
still leaned over her, powerful and intimidating. If he ever
remembered everythingโ
He bent even closer, his mouth just above hers. She felt his
breath, knew an intense ache that she couldnโt identify. To
her surprise, at the last second he turned his head and
pressed his warm lips to her cheek. He let her go so quickly
that she stumbled back against the bed.
© 2003-2026