LITMIR.BIZ

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now, dear. No need to be shy. You either, Mr. Harrington.” Aunt Harriet looked back and forth between them, then smiled sweetly. “It was love at first sight, wasn’t it.”

      “Oh, love.” Relieved, Haley touched her hand to her chest.

      Aunt Harriet clasped her hands together. “Was that it, Mr. Harrington? Love at first sight?”

      He cleared his throat. “Yes, of course.”

      “Good.” Aunt Harriet settled back in the chair. “Tell me all about it.”

      Adam’s eyes widened. “Tell you about it?”

      “Yes. I want to hear the whole romantic story.” Aunt Harriet pursed her lips slightly. “I don’t have to remind you that a marriage of this nature, so sudden, is just the sort of thing some people might misinterpret. We must make certain there are no misunderstandings. I want to assure everyone that nothing short of a deep, abiding love sparked between the two of you at the very first moment you laid eyes on each other.”

      Haley gazed at Adam. He seemed as startled as she. Then a little grin pulled at her lips. “Go ahead, Mr. Harrington. Tell her.”

      His eyes narrowed slightly.

      “Well, Mr. Harrington?” Aunt Harriet asked.

      Adam straightened and tugged down on his jacket. “It was just as you said, Mrs. Covington. As soon as I saw your niece there was a spark, as you put it. And immediately I felt a—a…”

      “A deep and abiding love?” Aunt Harriet prompted.

      “Yes. Exactly.” Adam gazed across at Haley. “Without a doubt your niece is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I knew my life would never be complete without her.”

      A spasm of warmth waffled through Haley. Adam seemed so sincere that for a moment she’d almost believed him herself.

      “And you, Haley?” Aunt Harriet asked. “Were you surprised when you found yourself married to Mr. Harrington?”

      The vision of Adam naked, propped up in the bed at the Madison Hotel, looking at her with those deep green eyes of his flashed through her mind.

      “Surprised? Yes, Aunt Harriet, I was surprised.”

      “And in love?”

      Haley pinched the bridge of her nose. She couldn’t stand another word of this conversation.

      “If you don’t mind, Aunt Harriet, Mr. Harrington and I have a few things to discuss.”

      “Oh, of course. And don’t worry. I’ll be certain everyone knows the true circumstances of your marriage.”

      Harriet made a quick exit, closing the double parlor doors behind her.

      The room seemed to shrink, the sudden quiet making the walls close around her. Haley finally lifted her gaze to meet Adam’s. She wished she could read his thoughts.

      She was beautiful. He’d known this morning that she was pretty, though admittedly his first impressions of his new wife had not been formed by the features he noticed now—the delicate arch of her brows, her red lips, the deep blue of her eyes and the sooty lashes fluttering against her porcelain skin. The creamcolored dress she wore, with its leg-of-mutton sleeves, emphasized her tiny waist, yet was not able to minimize the fullness of the breasts he remembered so well. Recollections flooded his mind, causing the rest of him to react. Slow heat coiled deep inside him. Adam shifted away and stepped behind the wing-backed chair.

      “Have you thought of a way for us to get out of this, Mr. Harrington?”

      “No. But, truthfully, I didn’t try.”

      “Why not?” Anger flushed her skin—or was it his gaze? “Are you suggesting we remain married?”

      He shrugged. “Why shouldn’t we?”

      She planted her hand on her hip. “Has it occurred to you, Mr. Harrington, that we don’t love each other?”

      He uttered a cynical laugh. “Did you think you’d marry for love?”

      Obviously, he hadn’t. But she had, despite what everyone had told her; she’d proved it, too.

      “Who’s to say we won’t grow fond of each other?”

      “Grow fond of each other? Frankly, Mr. Harrington, I had something more in mind.”

      His innards flamed. He dug his fingers into the back of the chair. God, he wanted this woman. “We are already married. We can’t just ignore it.”

      He sounded so reasonable, Haley wanted to hit him.

      He shrugged. “There’s no reason why marriage should interfere with anything we’re already doing.”

      Her back stiffened. “Interfere?”

      “Yes. I’ll continue on with my business, and you’ll continue on with whatever it is women do all day. Only you’ll do it from my home instead of your aunt’s. What’s so wrong with that?”

      “What’s wrong with it, Mr. Harrington, is that it sounds like a business arrangement, instead of a marriage. I won’t be a party to this sham.”

      “We took vows, legally and morally.” Surely they had; he’d have felt better if he could remember some of it.

      “Legal, moral…Words, Mr. Harrington, nothing more. I want a divorce, and that’s final.”

      Haley whipped around and headed for the door.

      “Miss Caufield.”

      The stern tone of his voice stopped her. She turned on him. His face was set in firm lines, tight with controlled anger. But he didn’t frighten her. He only caused her own anger to grow.

      He stepped from behind the chair. “I won’t put my family through the shame of divorce. And you, I’d think, would not want a scandal.” His eyes narrowed. “Again.”

      She felt as if he’d slapped her face. He knew. Somehow he’d learned of her debacle in San Francisco. Damn him…

      Whatever had happened to her in San Francisco must have been the scandal of scandals, Adam realized as he watched the color drain from her cheeks. He wished he’d had more time to find out exactly what it was. He’d taken the private detective’s word that it wasn’t serious. Maybe he’d have Oscar check into it further, just for the hell of it. Regardless, the Harrington name would shield her from whatever infraction of the rules of etiquette she’d committed in the past.

      Haley drew in a deep breath. The look of smug superiority on his face rankled her. He was getting his way, and he knew it. But the part she hated most was that he was right, and there was nothing she could do about it.

      “I don’t seem to have a choice, do I?” Haley’s chin went up a notch as she clung to her pride.

      Adam pulled his watch from the pocket of his waistcoat and flipped it open. “I have to be home in one hour. I’ll send for your things in the morning. Pack what you’ll need for tonight.”

      “Tonight?”

      He tucked his watch away and looked across the room at her. “I want my wife in my home tonight.”

      “You sound as if you intend to install me there, like a piece of furniture. Should I plan to stand stationary, so that you can hang a picture over my head?”

      What a spitfire. Adam’s belly warmed again, just when he’d gotten himself under control. He couldn’t wait to get her home.

      A slow smile spread across his face. “I assure you, having you stand stationary is the furthest thing from my mind. I have other plans.”

      She took a step closer. “I have plans of my own, Mr. Harrington.”

      “As I said, I don’t feel this marriage should unduly interfere

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