The Offer by Catherine Coulter

twenty-six. Goodness, woman, give us time. We’ve just begun to ripen, as Rohan Carrington says.”
    â€œWhat else does Rohan say?”
    â€œLadies ripen early. They must either wait for the boys to ripen or pluck the older ones.”
    â€œYes, that makes sense,” Margaret said, and punched her brother’s arm. “But will either of you ever marry, Charlie?”
    â€œI believe I shall be a bachelor, Margaret. As for Phillip, I can only say that he is a very careful man. Only time will tell.”
    â€œI’m so very happy. Marriage is amazing. I just never considered that there were so many things I was missing. There is so much more to life when there is another who cares about you and wants to make you happy. I just want you to know what it’s like. Do reconsider, Charlie, do.”
    â€œI’ll think about it. Promise me you won’t tease Phillip. You won’t make any veiled references to anything I’ve told you.”
    â€œI’m trustworthy, Charlie. I promise.”
    Charles’s attention was drawn to the sound of Miss Elliott’s raised voice. “No, I have no wish to play whist,” he heard her say to the dowager Countess of Mowbray. “Viscount Derencourt is my partner and I shall wait for him before I play.”
    Charles said, “Actually, Lady Mowbray is very lucky. Teresa is a disaster at whist. I had the misfortune to partner her once. She trumped my ace of spades. I wanted to wring her neck. I remember that Phillip was watching. He just laughed.”
    â€œAnother ice maiden, I think,” Margaret said, patted her brother’s arm, and took herself off to partner the countess in whist.

10
    She whispered against the hollow of his throat, “Please, build up the fire, it is so very cold.”
    Phillip pulled Sabrina’s body more tightly against him. He felt her low cracked breathing against his neck; he felt the pain each of those breaths cost her. Hair had worked its way loose from the braid he’d fashioned for her, tickling his nose, curling around his jaw. He smoothed her hair, moving his head slightly on the pillow. She followed, even closer now, trying to get inside him, he thought, to find his warmth and burrow into it. Her hands were clutching at his shirt, her legs pressing as hard as she could against his. He felt desire for her. It had happened before when he’d stripped off her clothes, when he’d bathed her. It didn’t matter. He again ignored it. He was a man, not a randy boy. He treated it like any other discomfort that couldn’t be changed, he controlled it, focusing on Lucius, remembering how he’d held his brother, just as he was holding Sabrina now, letting his heat flow into his body. But unlike Lucius, Sabrina was very small. He knew he must be nearly smothering her, covering nearly all of her, and what his body didn’t touch, his large hands did. He rubbed his chin very lightly against the top of her head. He had no intention ever again of leaving London during future Christmas holidays. Then he realized if he hadn’t been here, in thisparticular spot, she would have died. He didn’t want her to die. He realized more than anything he wanted to see her smile, see life in those incredible violet eyes of hers, hear her speak, not necessarily telling him important things, just occasional thoughts she had. It didn’t matter. He just wanted her well. He kissed her again. No, no more complaining. He’d never believed in an outside force that changed men’s lives for no good reason, hurling them in an entirely new direction. No, he’d always reckoned that a man was master of his own destiny, until something he himself set into motion, be it wise or stupid, changed the course of his life. Well, maybe he’d been wrong. Fate had flung him into Sabrina’s path and he’d accepted the responsibility of her. He wondered how much further his life would now