The Ties That Bind Read Online Free

ledgers on his desk. "She still remembers how kind you were to her before the wedding. I wager in her heart, she will be willing to forgive you."
    James laughed. "I haven't noticed. She responded to me well in bed though, thank you for that."
    Tom's gaze slid away. "If I say it was my pleasure, will you call me out? Arabella is worried that you intend to end my existence when you discover who I am."
    "I wouldn't do that. I am truly in your debt." James hesitated, his gaze fixed on his old friend. "It didn't occur to me that you might come to love her. I assumed your grief over the loss of your wife would prevent that. I offered you this opportunity to help us both out, not out of a desire to create a tragedy."
    Tom smiled. "You've always been a selfish bastard. It's strange to hear you admit to a pang of remorse."
    "I'm selfish and arrogant. But I hated having to keep my word to that devious old man to stay away from my wife. The last two years haven't been a bed of roses for me either, Tom."
    They regarded each other for a long moment. James got to his feet. "I'll not stop you from seeing her if that is what she wants. I have no quarrel with you. My only request is that you let me join in."
    Tom stood up, his expression amused. "I'd be happy to oblige you. I'm not quite sure how Arabella will react, although she seemed quite enamored of the idea when I mentioned it to her yesterday afternoon. Come to my cottage tonight at eleven and we will see what transpires."
    James held out his hand. "I appreciate everything you've done for me."
    Tom stepped close and hugged him hard. "It hasn't exactly been a hardship. Your wife is a beautiful, intelligent woman who has helped me get over the death of my wife in many unexpected ways. Let's hope that between us we can give Arabella an experience she will never forget."
    Arabella allowed her maid to draw her hair into a high knot on the top of her head leaving thick black curls to cascade around her face. She added a dab of rouge to her cheeks and her lips to lessen her pallor. She hadn't slept at all after James had left her bed, her feeling too tangled to allow her any rest.
    There was no reason for her to feel guilty. She had only done her duty. Her night with James had not been of her choosing, she had merely allowed him to take his husbandly rights. She bit down on her lip. Well, perhaps that had been the case for the first five minutes. After that, she had simply reveled in his lovemaking and, heavens, even encouraged him the fourth time he'd mounted her.
    Should she not feel guilty about Tom? Arabella screwed a pair of diamond earrings into her ears and added the matching necklace. For a while, she had tried to convince herself she was in love with Tom. It had seemed important to believe that before she went to his bed. But Tom had never asked for any declarations of love. He'd simply taught her what she needed to know and kept his heart and his feelings to himself.
    "Arabella?"
    She turned to see Tom's head sticking out of the servant's door. He wore his best blue coat and black embroidered waistcoat.
    "Tom, what on earth are you doing here?" She hissed the words after a quick glance over her shoulder at the door to James' room.
    "I wanted to see if you were all right."
    He came fully into the room, his gaze assessing her new rose satin gown and elaborate hairstyle.
    "Why would I not be?" Arabella turned back to her mirror and powdered her nose.
    "Because you had to bed your husband last night." He moved behind her, his fingers settling on the mark of a love bite in the curve of her neck.
    "James was perfectly amiable."
    Tom bent his head and flicked his tongue over the slight bruise. "Amiable, eh?"
    Arabella shuddered as her body warmed and reacted to his slight caress. "I was able to accommodate his desires and then he left." An image of her straddling James as he suckled at her breast flooded her mind. She hoped Tom didn't see her blushing.
    "I'm glad to hear it. I hope you