Love on a Midsummer Night (Shakespeare in Love #2) by Christy English Page A

woman moved about beyond the curtains of her bed, her hand pressed against her chest as if she might stop the erratic beating of her heart.
    The dream lived with her, its vivid contours making her blush even as she lay alone, unseen by anyone. Never in her life had she felt such liquid warmth, such seductive heat. She wondered if such a thing was real or if she might find such sensations only in a dream. She shivered as the maid opened the curtains of her bed.
    “Good morning, m’am. The gentleman is up already. Do you need help dressing?”
    “No, thank you. Just some tea and breakfast brought into the parlor. We will be on the road early this morning.”
    “Yes, m’am.” The girl curtseyed, showing no sign of judgment or censure, though no doubt she thought that Pembroke had spent the night in that same bed. Very likely the staff of that inn had seen a great deal where Pembroke was concerned. She wondered if he had ever brought Titania there, if he had ever brought the actress to his home in the country. Jealousy prodded her spleen, and she pushed it away.
    She dressed quickly in the gown from the day before, straightening its dark blue muslin into some semblance of order. She drew her hair from its night braid and brushed it out quickly before drawing it into a bun at the nape of her neck. A few stray wisps escaped her pins, but she liked the way they framed her face, so she let them be. She had never been a beauty, not even in the full flush of her youth, but that day, with the heightened color in her cheeks and the hint of freedom on the road before her, Arabella smiled at her reflection and was satisfied.
    Before she allowed her traveling bag to be taken downstairs, she reached into the bottom for the box hidden there and took out a small velvet bag. She drew it out carefully, almost reverently. She untied the ribbons that bound it closed and opened her palm to catch the only piece of jewelry inside it.
    Though she had been a duchess for ten years, her husband had given her few jewels. Her wedding band still rested on her finger, but the other pieces he had given her, a strand of pearls, a brooch of jet, had all been left behind in London. She did not feel as if they truly belonged to her.
    Arabella stared down at the ring that rested in her palm. It was the only piece of jewelry she had ever loved.
    The ring Pembroke had given her gleamed gold in the light of the fire. She kept it well polished, so it looked as new as the day he had placed it on her hand.
    On her wedding day, she had hidden it away so that her father and her husband would not see it. She drew it out only rarely, for it was a piece of her past that never failed to pierce her heart.
    She slipped the ring onto her hand, and its ruby caught the light. She kissed it once, furtively, before drawing it off again. Instead of hiding it in the velvet bag, she drew a ribbon from her hair box, a thin ribbon of light pink silk, a color she had always loved but had never worn. She slipped that ribbon through the ring and tied it fast before drawing it around her neck. The ring lay against her heart, between her small breasts. She pressed it once between her palm and her heartbeat, then slipped it inside her bodice where it would be hidden from all eyes, even her own. The high collar of her gown concealed the ribbon completely.
    She knew she must in all honor give the ring back. It had been his mother’s, and no doubt, in spite of his wild ways, Pembroke would marry one day. He would want to give that ring to the bride he had chosen. She could not in good conscience keep it. Once they were at Pembroke House, safe in Derbyshire, she would give it back to him.

Nine
    The journey into Derbyshire took another two days. Pembroke sat across from Arabella in his traveling chaise, taking the occasional sip from his brandy flask.
    He found that he needed less and less of the stuff to keep his hands from trembling. He wondered if his dependence on the alcohol lived in