Lady Thief Read Online Free Page B

chores.
    Marianne opened her mouth to question the
behavior, but thought better of it. Her precarious situation
stilled her tongue.
    Her father grinned gleefully with the
circumstances now, but before he had been livid with her,
roam-around-the-room, screaming-furious. At least the only good to
come from forcing marriage onto the wrong man was that she had
married someone above her station who had already inherited his
title. That alone had been enough to prevent Holton from throwing
her from his manor.
    It was a double-edged sword, however. On the
one hand she brought a title to her name, but on the other she
might possibly have brought the wrath of an earl on her house.
    Guy Holton had been convinced William Gray
would demand blood for her foolishness. Only time would tell what
kind of price he expected to be paid for her actions.
    William separated himself from her and
addressed her father loudly enough so that she might hear as well,
though the air of brotherly acquaintance was gone from his voice.
“Sir Holton, before I have you settled into your room, would it be
possible to speak a word with you and your daughter, alone?”
    A bead of sweat rolled down Marianne’s
forehead, and the accompanying swallow felt as painful as a
fist-sized rock traveling down the inside of her neck.
    Her father seemed to be swallowing rocks of
similar size as he adjusted his cuffs and grinned with beads of his
own sweat accumulating on his face.
    “Of course, milord.”
    It seemed they would be discovering the price
of her stupidity sooner rather than later.
    ***
    Marianne and Sir Holton were made to stand
while William sat behind his writing table. The room was made warm,
nearly welcoming with rushes under their feet and a fireplace with
a roaring fire on their right.
    The castle may have looked chilly from the
outside but on the inside the decorative tapestries that hung over
the stone walls, in the solar especially, made it seem more like a
home than a fortress. Marianne had never seen anything like it, and
she fought the lump in her throat with the thought that she would
have to get used to it quickly. This was her home now.
    Archer stood off in the corner with his hands
clasped in front of him and his head bent while her father spoke on
his behalf.
    “Fiendish and absolutely corrupt he is, and I
am sincerely apologetic that he is from my own home and humiliated
that I had not noticed the horrendous nature of his character,
though I give you my word, my honorable word, that he has been
severely punished.”
    Archer shifted uncomfortably, and Holton
continued with his hands clasped together and his face pleading for
any understanding that William’s predicament was no fault of his.
“I have taken into account that you may wish to have him punished
further, which was why I was so merciful when I handled his
discipline, personally I might add, I would not have trusted such a
thing with anyone else. As he is now your property you may wish to
handle him as you see fit.”
    Marianne tensed when the offer was put on the
table and spun her head to Archer, who lifted his head and let his
mouth fall open.
    “Father, you cannot sell him!”
    “Be silent you stupid girl,” Holton raised
the back of his hand to her.
    “There will be none of that,” William
interjected, raising his own hand for peace and lowering it when it
was attained, a gentle smile lifting his lips. “Remember that
tonight I have been reunited with my bride. I am pleased and expect
all others to be as well.”
    His eyes met hers and Marianne was so caught
by the sincerity of his words that for a moment she believed he was
telling the truth.
    Then his eyes grew cold and they turned back
to her father. “Now, about our arrangement,”
    “My lord, I brought what I could,” Sir Holton
waved his hand towards the sacs of coins, gold frames wrapped in
cloth, rings and every exotic spice that was available to him,
which sat in a useless heap on the floor.
    The Holton manor