Vow of Seduction. Angela Johnson

      Alex exited the palace and entered the garden, the sky overhead full of fast-moving clouds interspersed with sunshine. It was the shortest route to the river landing, where he planned to catch a watercraft and travel down the Thames to London. When he woke that morning, Kat had already left their apartments, so he’d been unable to speak to her of the decision he came to in the early morning hours. Alex decided he might as well use the opportunity to find the merchant who bought the Beaumont dagger from Scarface.

      Gravel crunching beneath his scuffed boots, he followed the path to the left skirting the fountain at the center of the garden. He was intent on avoiding the well-populated areas and any who might detain him.

      His stride swift, Alex passed a birdbath and exited the garden through the tall wooden gate near the river. The briny smell of the tidal water wafted upon an easterly breeze across his right cheek. A peasant whistling a jaunty tune pushed a wheelbarrow of firewood down a path towards the palace kitchens.

      Green lawn scattered with white daisies and deep blue periwinkles spread out before him almost to the riverbank, where tall grasses and willow trees grew. Further north, a row of houses backed onto the west bank of the river, their small garden plots bright with blooms.

      A flash of movement caught Alex’s eye, drawing his gaze to a willow tree up ahead beyond the river stairs. The tree trunk grew not straight up, but angled out over the river, so the long, silvery-green leaves stretched their fingers towards the water’s edge. He peered into the shadows beneath the verdant canopy and spotted a swath of blue cloth. Recognizing the long, elegant lines of his wife’s body, his heart beat faster. She was propped against the willow trunk, unaware of lurking danger.

      Alex slowly approached, then pushed aside her leafy concealment and stepped into her hidden bower. Hearing him, her head snapped around. Their gazes collided; hers widened in consternation. She tried to bolt, but he caught her arm and pushed her back against the tree. She narrowed her eyes on his hand, which still gripped her arm, and he released her.

      He met her softly veiled gray eyes, her nearness, her jasmine fragrance a provocative distraction. Today her exquisite face was framed by the veil and circlet she wore, and her hair hung unbound down her back. He longed to sift his fingers through the cool, silky blue-black tresses he remembered so vividly in his dreams. His member tightened and swelled.

      Kat stared at Alex, dismayed. The air in the confined space thickened and her heart pumped with agitation. His midnight eyes darkened with an inner light, his smile ripe with satisfaction. She gathered her courage and raised her chin, defiant. “What do you want, Alex?”

      “We need to talk.” He looked around the shadowy interior and returned his gaze to her. “Here seems as private as any other place.”

      “This may surprise you,” she said sarcastically, “but I have no wish to speak to you, in private or otherwise.”

      His jaw clenched and the scar on his chin whitened. Then Alex pressed his body closer, the scent of sweet wine on his breath. “Oh, I believe you will want to hear what I wish to discuss.”

      Instead of responding, she raised an eyebrow in question. As she waited for him to explain, the heat of his body and alluring sandalwood scent pressed in on Kat, creating an intimacy she diligently ignored.

      Suddenly appearing uncertain, Alex shrugged his broad shoulders. “I’ve been thinking a lot about us and our marriage. And I have come to a decision at last.”

      Kat stared at Alex, flabbergasted. A crack sounded in the tree limbs above, breaking the stunned silence. A leaf-covered branch plummeted into the river with a splash, then drifted downstream with the current. “You have made a decision?” she said stunned. “Concerning you and me? You must be jesting. It was your decision that got us into this mess! Did you not learn a thing when you abandoned this marriage and destroyed any chance for it to prosper?”

      A stabbing pain in her heart, Kat turned her head aside and bit her lip. Her dreams were small and had not changed since she was a woman of marriageable age. She wanted to marry a man who would love her unconditionally and give her children to love and adore. She had thought Alex was that man, till the day he abandoned her without an explanation and crushed her vulnerable heart. Alex would never understand the extent to which his desertion still hurt her.

      Alex reached out with one finger, pressed it against her clenched jaw and drew her face back to his. His gaze held tenderness and regret. Despite her pain, a soft, fluttery sensation curled low in her stomach.

      Alex shook his head. “Forgive me. I didn’t express myself very well. What I meant to say is I wish to make you an offer. You may accept it or reject it. But this time the decision shall be yours. If you choose to accept my offer, I promise to abide by your decision no matter the outcome.”

      Kat had difficulty understanding what Alex meant. He was giving her a choice? What choice?

      “What are you talking about, Alex? What sort of offer are you proposing? And why do you think I would be interested?”

      “Because I know you well, Kat. You are unable to resist a challenge. And what I’m proposing is a marriage bargain. At the end of which, you will have the ultimate decision whether we reconcile or not.”

      “What are you saying, Alex? That you wish to end our marriage now?”

      Kat’s heart skipped several beats as dismay filled her. Nay, not dismay, it was just that he had piqued her interest and she did not want to get too excited in case she misunderstood what he was proposing.

      Alex closed the distance between them. “Nay, never.” He caught her hand and pressed it against his chest. His gaze held hers. “Do you feel how fiercely my heart is beating?”

      His heart thrummed beneath her fingertips and his blue gaze narrowed to pinpoints of light.

      “You are the only woman who makes my heart race uncontrollably. The only woman I want or will ever need.”

      I will not believe it.

      Kat stepped back and Alex’s arm dropped to his side. “You make no sense, Alex. One moment you are swearing you will not relent until you win me back. The next you say it is my decision if we reconcile or not. What exactly are you proposing?”

      Alex braced his left hand on his sword hilt. “Do you remember our wedding night?”

      How can I forget?

      Alex’s eyes glittered in remembrance. “That night you asked me if all I cared about was duty and honor. I didn’t understand what you wanted from me then, but now I do. I have changed, Kat. I, too, want more than a marriage based on duty. I care about you and I want you in my life. All I ask is that you give me a chance to prove it and win back your trust.”

      Kat could not believe what she was hearing. Alex deluded himself if he thought there was anything he could do to earn her trust back. The pain of his betrayal resided deep in her heart like a burning coal. “I’m afraid you are six years too late, Alex,” she said, her voice cold and disdainful. “You made it clear when you left that you did not want me for your wife. Well, you will have to live with that decision, because I certainly don’t want you for my husband now.” Her breast heaving, Kat turned and pushed the hanging branches aside to leave, but his next words stopped her.

      “Do you not wish to hear my offer? The marriage bargain I would propose?”

      She looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed in contempt. “There is not one word you can say I would have the slightest interest in hearing, Alex.”

      He smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. “Annulment.”

      Except that word.

      Chapter 5

      Kat whirled around, her gray eyes narrowed with suspicion. Alex was pleased to catch her speechless. He had barely choked out the word,