He was simply overcome with passion in the stable. He would not treat his wife so callously. On their wedding night she was sure he would apologize for his previous behavior, and she would forgive him. He would be her husband and offer her his protection. She would suffer his embrace. This she could do.
He would be more caring this time, she thought. He would be gentler and gentlemanly. She had thought of little else but the wedding night for weeks prior to today, though she had never had the opportunity to be alone with her betrothed. In fact, she had not seen the Earl at all. If she were not currently looking at her wedding finery, she would have wondered if this was really the morning of her nuptials.
Father would walk her down the aisle. With any luck this would be the last time the man would touch her. She remembered Father’s reaction when the news of her indiscretion reached him. He was, as was to be expected, furious. But after today, his wrath would not be able to touch her. She would be under her husband’s protection. She smiled.
Prudence was just pleased to have escaped her father’s grasp once and for all. Now, with a wealthy husband, she could lead the sort of life that she, and her many sisters, had always dreamed of. Her sisters. She would allow them all to visit as often as they could. She would shelter them. She would not abandon them like her older sister Temperance had done, running off to a convent rather than marrying. No. She, Prudence, would help them, just as soon as she was married to the Earl.
“Mama,” Prudence had called. “I am ready.”
Her mother had entered the room with a smile as bright as the rising sun.
“You shall be beautiful,” she whispered into her daughter’s curls.
Prudence bit her lip. With several sisters well known for their timeless beauty and remarkable features, Prudence was more than aware of her plain face. Plump cheeks and a voluptuous frame softened any definable structure that was applauded in the willow thin bodies of her siblings. Even her eyes were nothing that would cause prose to be written in the throes of passion and love. Brown. Brown. Brown. Nothing more, nothing less. There was nothing special about her, Prudence thought. It was for that reason that she had allowed her mother to doll her up in extravagant costumes that might help her to stand out amongst the crowd of beautiful debutantes.
As Prudence stepped into her wedding gown, which was soon pulled tight by her mother’s practiced fingers, she began to worry.
“Mama,” she whispered. “Lord Fondleton… he is a good man, is he not?”
“He is an earl,” her mother replied as if that were all the answer needed.
Prudence thought on her mother’s words for a long while. Titled gentlemen were expected to be above all others in regard to their morality and character. Still… she wondered. He seemed nice enough. He offered plenty of smiles and compliments, but so did her father. In public, he seemed the perfect gentleman. In private, he was a monster.
“Papa is a Viscount,” she muttered but, if her mother heard her, the Viscountess Mortel did not respond.
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Continue reading….
The Countess and the Baron ~ Prudence
by Isabella Thorne
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Also By Isabella Thorne
The Ladies of Bath
The Duke’s Daughter ~ Lady Amelia Atherton
The Baron in Bath ~ Miss Julia Bellevue
The Deceptive Earl ~ Lady Charity Abernathy
The Hawthorne Sisters
The Forbidden Valentine ~ Lady Eleanor
The Baggington Sisters
The Countess and the Baron ~ Prudence
Almost Promised ~ Temperance
The Healing Heart ~ Mercy
Other Novels by Isabella Thorne
The Mad Heiress and the Duke ~ Miss Georgette Quinby
The Duke’s Wicker Wager ~ Lady Evelyn Evering
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Short Stories by Isabella Thorne
The Mad Heiress' Cousin and the Hunt
Mischief, Mayhem and Murder: A Marquess of Evermont
Mistletoe and Masquerade ~ 2-in-1 Short Story Collection
Colonial Cressida and the Secret Duke ~ A Short Story
Love Springs Anew: A Regency Romance Novella Page 7