Love Me True by Heather Boyd Page B

fool to wed a woman for her heart. She has a splendid dowry.” The lie burned and coiled around his mouth so strongly that he almost spat. He hoped Roddy believed him so they could talk about other matters.
    Roddy smacked his hands together and rubbed them briskly. “So. You’ll have funds to spare at last. Well done. Well done. We’ll have to find a good use for them. Perhaps replace that nag you ride.”
    In all honestly, Pericles suited Justin perfectly. The gelding had an unexcitable temperament that suited his habit of composing on horseback. Any other horse would have walked him into a tree due to his inattention. “Perhaps. What say you to a trip into town? I have a mind to spend an evening away from the Hall.”
    Roddy slapped him on the back. “Excellent. You know, I had feared that marriage might turn you into a stodgy lapdog. Let’s head for town, find a table in the tavern and some willing lasses to spend the evening with. If we’re lucky we can deprive some poor sap of his blunt just as always, eh?”
    Justin forced a smile to his lips. “Let’s go.”
    The quicker he could get away the better he would feel. Clarry had clearly not forgotten her love for his brother and until that happened, Justin would keep his distance. He doubted his heart could stand the strain much longer. He refused to become one of those bitter men he often heard about, fighting duels over a worthless woman’s honor until he was made a laughing stock to all.
    As the Hall drew near, he spotted his mother at her window, hands on her hips. God only knew what that was about, but he wasn’t going to hang about to get involved.
    He changed direction and headed directly for the stable to make their escape.
    Two hours later, all felt right with the world again. They had secured a corner table in the tavern where Lord Roddy held court. So far they’d attracted a sizeable crowd of the local gentry and more than enough willing ladies to pass about. The blonde on his knee jiggled her breasts close to his face.
    “Can I tempt ya, Lord Justin?”
    Although Sally had performed admirably the last time he’d had her beneath him, Justin picked up his tankard and pretended he didn’t hear. For one thing, it was still early in the evening. For another, even with her perfectly shaped breast close to his mouth he wasn’t tempted in the slightest. He wanted Clarry’s full heavy breasts in his hands, her curves cradling him close. Sally’s scrawny backside dug into his thigh and he adjusted her to ease the discomfort, then adjusted her some more until she found other set of willing hands to curl about her.
    Roddy peered over Sally’s head and frowned. Justin shook his head, forcing a smile to his lips at relinquishing the girl to Roddy’s enjoyment. He didn’t want her or anyone else. He wanted Clarry. He made his way out the back door, pretending to be heading for the privy but turned away for the walled enclosure. The kitchen garden was so quiet that he let out a breath, relieved to be alone with his thoughts.
    He was doomed for a miserable life.
    The conviction that Clarry still loved his brother cut deep into his soul. Perhaps he should move away from the district as his father suggested. At least they might stand a small hope of being content.
    Footsteps crunched on gravel and a dark shape joined him. “Jus…”
    “Tris…” When a flask appeared before him, Justin accepted it and downed the contents whole.
    “I apologize for interrupting you and Miss Wheaton earlier.”
    Justin passed the empty flask back and leaned against the wall. “There’s no need.”
    “But I interrupted at an inopportune time.”
    Justin shook his head, and the stars left trails of light behind them in his vision. “Despite what you think you saw, nothing has changed. The woman loves you.”
    “Are you sure about that now? It seems to me you were making spectacular progress with her.”
    Justin stood and took a few steps. The world held steady and he