Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Lately, I’d made peace with the images of me and Jared that were splashed all over the internet with headlines like “The Farmer’s Wife,” a supposedly cute reference to my father’s movie of the same title. I should have known they’d go there. Jared and I had avoided being seen in the village together, not wanting to give them fodder for their newspapers. The great thing about living in Ardnoch was that the villagers were protective of the tourism brought in by the estate’s celebrity members, and thus protective of the celebrities. Paps were not welcome. So, they got bored after a few days and left. Jared took it all in remarkably good stride.
Long ramble short, I was used to being the focus of attention in certain situations. However, the one place I’d never gotten used to it was at my own art shows. I’d had quite a few over the years, the worst being at art school where the purpose was to be judged and graded. There was no way I’d ever get used to someone scrutinizing something I’d created. Something that was born from a deep, personal place inside me. Standing in a room filled with people looking at it was almost as bad as standing there completely naked. In fact, I’d probably deal with public nudity better than this.
“Are you okay?” Jared’s warm breath tickled my ear and I had to force off a shiver of want.
The last few weeks, since our heart-to-heart, things between us had been different. Better. And also worse. Jared was warmer and more open with me, but that also meant it was easier for me to catch feelings. I was trying very, very hard not to catch feelings. Unfortunately, the physical desire train had left the station long ago. Tonight he was my support. But also my temptation, because as “husband and wife,” this was the first time Jared was really playing his part since the wedding.
And apparently it involved keeping a possessive palm pressed to my back or taking my hand in his whenever he could. Touching! It involved touching. I was already nervous for the show but with Jared’s hands on my body, I was overstimulated.
I glanced up at him from under my lashes. “I always get nervous at these things.”
“You’ve no need,” he replied sincerely. “Seriously, Allegra … I’m no expert, but I think your work is phenomenal.”
I leaned against him. “Thank you.”
Together we’d survived the world finding out about our marriage and the explosiveness of revealing it to my parents. Well, the explosiveness of my mother discovering the truth. My dad was, as I’d guessed he would be, congratulatory and introspective about the whole thing. Mamma was not. Mamma was incensed that not only had I married behind everyone’s back, thus depriving her of a wedding, I’d married a Scotsman, just like my sister. Why did we want to be so far away from her? she’d demanded. Then, of course, she didn’t disappoint with “And a farmer! A farmer, Allegra!”
Jared had left the room at that point and my protective instincts kicked in. I had intended to be cool and calm while my mother ranted. However, hearing her insult Jared flipped a switch in me. While she yelled at me in Italian, I yelled back in good old-fashioned English.
Dad attempted to calm Mamma down, but she stormed off in a melodramatic wail of tears. I’d have felt bad if I believed for a second any of her concerns truly had to do with my well-being. Don’t get me wrong. I knew my mother loved me. But her first thought would always be for herself, and how it looked that Chiara Howard’s daughter had married an anonymous farmer.
“We’re coming to Scotland at the end of the summer before filming on my new movie starts,” Dad had replied with an unsure smile. “We’ll meet your young man then.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“Congratulations, angel.”
Aching regret had plagued me at the sadness in his eyes. My feelings for my dad were so complicated, and I wished things were easier between us. “Thanks.”
We’d ended the call and I’d gone to find Jared to apologize for my mother’s appalling behavior. Thankfully, he didn’t put up walls between us again and we’d found a rhythm in our marriage these last few weeks.
Other than the fact that we weren’t having the sex my body so desperately wanted, we lived like a real husband and wife. I took over some morning chores at the farm, including helping to keep the house clean, then I went about my day, whether it was at the studio or exploring for inspiration. Or catching up with Aria and/or Sloane for lunch. Sarah and Theo had left for their place in Gairloch with an open invitation for us to visit. In the evenings, I’d come home and Jared and I would take turns making dinner, sometimes cooking together. We’d catch each other up on our days, and then we’d settle in the living room to watch TV before bed.