Forced Offer by Gloria Gay Page A

her the glass in the darkness of the room, groping for her hand to guide it to the glass, she took it and drank it as if it were water. Then she lay back, certain now that she was drunk and thus would fall asleep soon, and would not have to think that Berrington had not once kissed her lips.
    As sleep began to overtake her she heard him pouring a glass of wine for himself and heard him as he gulped it down quickly. He then put the wineglass on the bedside table.
    Soon they were both asleep, and the night closed in around them as they lay side by side—but apart—in the large feather bed.

Chapter 7

    "Mum, wake up. Wake up, my lady. His lordship wants you ready in an hour, he said, and sent me up with your breakfast."
    Belinda opened her eyes and slowly focused them on the face of Bessie.
    "Is it late?"
    "No, my lady, not late at all, but his lordship wants to take off as soon as possible so we can reach the next stop before nightfall."
    "Has he had his breakfast?"
    "Oh, yes. He's now out in the stables, talking with some friend he run into."
    Belinda sipped her chocolate and ate hungrily of the food on the tray, while Bessie helped by buttering up a scone and pouring more chocolate for her, for Belinda was very thirsty.
    Soon Bessie had Belinda washed and dressed, her hair re-braided with a fresh ribbon and her traveling bonnet adjusted on her head, as she handed her reticule and took the portmanteau herself. They would send a boy up for the rest of the luggage.
    Belinda saw Lord Berrington speaking with a man as tall as he as Bessie handed the portmanteau to the driver and asked Belinda if she wanted to be helped into the carriage.
    "No, Bessie. I'll wait for his lordship," she said as he gazed at him in the distance, deep in conversation with his friend.
    "I'm not likely to recover from the shock anytime soon, old chum," Lord Wilbur was saying, his eyes still wide with amazement.
    "I was in the stable checking a cut in Midnight's foreleg when Penny came running over with a copy of the Times. I tell you, I almost passed out from the shock.
    "It was incredible to me, seeing as little more than a week before I had been trying to point Miss Presleigh to you and you had a hard time remembering who she was—you ignored my references to her, do you not recall?”
    "I'm going to ignore you again if you keep this up," interrupted Berrington impatiently.
    "I don't want to discuss it, as a matter of fact, so if you're waiting to hear a stage version of it you came to the wrong place."
    "Oh, stage versions is what I've had by the dozen," said Lord Wilbur laughing.
    "Amazing luck to run into you like this. I had heard you were on your way to your honeymoon, so I was resigned to not hearing from you for several months."
    "Come, let me introduce you to her so that she can board the carriage. I think she's waiting for me,” said Berrington.
    Belinda's heart hammered in her breast as she saw Lord Berrington, accompanied by the other man, walk toward her.
    "I want to introduce you to a friend of mine." he said as they reached Belinda, without looking directly at her.
    Lord Wilbur came up to Belinda and looking curiously into her eyes, said with a smile that centered mostly in his eyes,
    "Delighted to meet you, Countess. You have no idea how happy I was to hear that this marriage took place. I had been hoping my friend Berrington would settle down. You can never imagine how pleasantly surprised I was. I have been introduced to you before when you were still Miss Presleigh, but perhaps you don't remember me."
    "Yes, I do," said Belinda shyly. How could she not know Lord Wilbur, who was Lord Berrington's best friend? He was among those who always looked through her. Yet now he was looking directly into her eyes and was so sincerely happy at the marriage that Belinda smiled, for he was most probably the only person who was happy about it other than her mother.
    She had been introduced to countless persons and though they forced smiles to