The Countess by Catherine Coulter

pretty young wife. And what does that mean? It means you are naught but my

chattel?to do with as I choose.”

His fingers tightened. I was scratching at his hands, pulling at his hands with

all my strength. I was becoming light-headed. Was he going to kill me, right

here in his library? Would he simply shove my body beneath his desk?

Suddenly, he jerked his hands away from my neck. He quickly moved around to my

side of the small table, and in the next instant, while I was still trying to

suck in air, he pulled me against him. I felt his hot breath upon my face. “My

beautiful young wife,” he said, and kissed me so hard, so roughly, that I tasted

blood in my mouth. I felt more rage than fear, at least for the moment, and I

kicked him in the shin even as I struggled. He wrapped his arms more tightly

around me, pinning my own arms to my sides, and continued to grind his mouth

against mine. I felt his teeth, felt his hot breath in my mouth. Then my mouth

was open, and I felt his tongue against my teeth, and I tasted that hot breath

of his and nearly gagged. I knew he must have tasted my blood.

Abruptly he flung me back, away from him. I would have gone sprawling to the

floor had my chair not been directly behind me. He knocked away the chess table

with his fist. Chess pieces went flying. One pawn rolled into the fireplace. He

stood over me with his legs spread and his hands on his hips.

“Can you breathe again?”

“Yes, no thanks to you. Don’t touch me again. You swore you would not, ever.”

“I can do exactly what I wish to do with you, my dear wife. Anything at all.”

And I said, unwisely, “You are really quite mad, are you not? You are also

repellent, my lord. If you touch me again, I will probably vomit on you.”

I thought that he would strike me, his rage so great his face turned scarlet.

But he kept his control. He just stood there, staring down at me for the longest

time. Then he said in a soft meditative voice, “Of course you have no notion of

how to kiss a man. You are completely innocent and have a young girl’s natural

apprehension. But I liked the taste of you. It was the taste of fear, I know

that, but perhaps within moments it would have changed, and you would have

opened your mouth to me, and welcomed me.”

“No.”

“How strange that I have never before noticed that you are really a remarkably

lovely girl. I noticed, but not in the way a man usually notices a woman. But

now I do.” And he reached out his hand toward me.

“No,” I whispered, and pressed myself as far back into the chair cushions as I

could. “No.”

He stood straight now, his arms crossed over his chest. He was directly in front

of me. I didn’t know how I could get around him. I couldn’t very well knock him

over, he was twice my size. He said, “I have decided to take you, Andrea, as a

man takes a woman. You are a virgin. I have not enjoyed a virgin in a great

number of years. It will be exciting. I won’t mind you fighting me, but not all

that much. Just a bit to give excitement to the taming. Since you are my wife,

you must obey me. Ah, to have your virgin’s blood on me, to feel my seed deep

inside you. I will enjoy that. I will be the only man ever to have you.”

“No.” I felt nausea stirring deep in my belly. But why? I was afraid and very

angry, but this debilitating nausea? It didn’t make sense. Then I heard myself

say in a pathetic, shaking voice I knew had to be mine, “You cannot mean that.

You promised. You signed your promise in the marriage contract. You are my

husband in name only. You won’t touch me. You won’t, or I will kill you.” I felt