Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 111362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
“It is imperative I talk with her.”
Willow disagreed. “She needs time.”
“That is something I can’t give her.”
“If you speak with her now, you will face her wrath, not her logic. She needs to rant her anger before she can think sensibly.”
There was truth to Willow’s words, but it was difficult to pay heed to them. Sorrell might need to rant before she could see the situation reasonably, but she also needed his arms around her. Or was it that he needed to feel her in his arms and know things were good between them?
“I need to go to her,” Ruddock said.
Willow smiled softly. “I’m glad to hear that, since the man we’ve come to know as John would let nothing stop him from going after her. I wanted to make certain Ruddock felt the same.”
“There is no difference between the two,” Ruddock assured her.
“Sorrell might disagree.”
“Then I will let her see for herself.” Ruddock said and turned away from Willow.
“Lord Ruddock.”
Ruddock halted his steps and turned to Willow.
“There will be something else Sorrell questions.”
“And that is?” Ruddock asked.
“Did you wed her to gain control of the Clan Macardle, to expand Northwick holdings and power in this area?”
“What do you think, Willow?”
“I got my answer when you told me you needed to go to her, though I warn you, Sorrell may not be so easy to convince.”
He walked down the steps, Willow’s warning heavy in his thoughts.
“Sir?” Erland asked as Ruddock reached the bottom of the steps.
“Bath and fresh garments,” Ruddock ordered as he walked past him and Erland nodded, keeping his smile to himself.
Ruddock hurried his steps, though he didn’t run. His hurried steps would far outdistance his wife’s rushed ones, and they did.
“Don’t dare go into the woods,” he warned when he came upon her ready to do just that.
Sorrell stopped and turned to face him, fury raging in her green eyes. “You can’t tell me what I can and cannot do. You are nothing to me.”
“I’m your husband,” he reminded firmly.
“I married John, not Ruddock.”
“You married me,” he said as if it were law.
“Your true name is not on our wedding document, which means we are not wed.”
“My true name is on our wedding document.”
“You lie just like you’ve lied about everything to me,” Sorrell said, frustration bringing tears to her eyes.
“You can see for yourself the truth of it. I wrote my true name and rolled up the document to hand back to your brother.”
“You knew all along your father was sending a troop of men for you,” she accused. “And you said nothing, not a word. You let me continue to believe you were a man of no means, no family. You lied. How can I ever trust you to tell me the truth?”
“I lied about my name, but at the time I spoke about having no one, I didn’t have anyone. It will take time to explain—”
“I don’t care. I will not have you as a husband.”
“You have me as a husband whether you want me or not,” he said and saw anger flare like a sparked flame in her eyes. “Hear me out, Sorrell.”
“Hear you out? About what? Lies? Deceit? Secrets?”
“Aye, there’s plenty of all that in the tale I have to tell.”
She shook her finger at him. “A tale is what it is.”
“Hear it and then judge for yourself,” he offered. “Though I warn you, in the end you will still remain my wife. I’ll not let you go.”
“Why? With your power you could end our marriage easily.” A sudden thought struck her, turning her eyes wide. “Of course, what a fool I’ve been. You wed me to gain control of the Clan Macardle, to expand Northwick holdings and power. I’m nothing more to you than a means to an end.”
“That had nothing to do with it.”
“I’m to believe that after all your lies?” she said, annoyed at the tears that were building in her from the hurt that tore at her. She had thought she wed a good man and it broke her heart to lose that man.
“No matter what you think of me, my word means something to me. I gave it when I said I’d wed you today and all the days to come. Besides, you told me that you think you’ve come to love John. Has that changed? Are you sorry you wed me?”
She wiped at the tears falling slowly from her eyes as she responded, frustrated that she couldn’t keep them locked away and annoyed that what he asked hadn’t changed. “It is John I love. John who I don’t regret marrying. John who I miss at this very moment. John who would not want to see me hurt like this. John the good man who saved me endless times. John who wanted me to remain me.”
“Ruddock is no different,” he said and took a step toward her and when she didn’t move, he took another step. “My name may have changed, but I haven’t.”