His Sinful Heiress [Mature Read]

Chapter 26: Belleza Deslumbrante

London, March 1885

Sabrina regarded the thick folder of handwritten pages and sighed. She ought to send it to the printer in New York soon, yet something held her back from doing so; likely, her mind being consumed with thoughts of Henry and Damon that she kept forgetting about this small yet increasingly pressing duty.

They occupied her mind constantly, along with the outline of her new book—which felt strained to produce, the ideas and words coming less swiftly than usual, sometimes bringing her to the verge of tears.

"Blasted men," she muttered and as if the Almighty Himself intended to chastise her for the language right then and there, the chamber door opened, and a figure strode purposefully towards her.

"Are you deliberately avoiding me now, Sabrina?" Henry inquired, halting by her desk.

She swiftly grasped the thick folder and tucked it into the drawer of her desk, causing his brows to raise with suspicion.

"What are you writing?"

"Letters," she replied curtly. "And no, I'm not avoiding you, Henry, I simply prefer to retain my appetite during repasts; hence, the reason you dine alone."

Her reply sparked a wry smile on his face. "I thought we were above such pettiness."

"I wouldn't dare venture to say that we address our grievances in no other than a mature manner," Sabrina retorted indignantly as she rose from her chair. "I need only recall the charity event and how you left me to walk among the attendees with your product all over my gown!"

"Ah, good times," Henry said, now with a nostalgic smile. "This is what happens when you cross the agreed boundaries, wife: you gain a husband who cannot control himself and comes back at you. But you know that, for you are made of the same clay as I. And I cannot recall a single person in my life who has made my blood boil quite like you."

She sighed, glancing towards the window. The weather was fine—too fine to engage in yet another spat with her husband, no matter what "flattery" he offered.

Henry continued, "You were correct, I had considered our agreement long before I saw you in the eye, for I had my life neatly ordered by that time. Why alter my ways when they had brought me contentment? But then I beheld you, and I decided to give our marriage the best chance, though I remained intent not to give up the comfort of my own freedoms should we find ourselves unsuitable."

Sabrina returned her gaze to Henry. His eyes behind spectacles seemed to convey nothing but honesty and... perhaps a touch of regret too?

"But my best was, it seems, wrong and insufficient for you, Sabrina. Perhaps I was naive in thinking that our agreement would serve us both in different ways. But now that I see how stubborn and reckless you can be... I question if it was the wisest course after all. I worry greatly for you and would sleep more soundly if you didn't associate with men I find... problematic. Be it myself, I would never endanger either of us by dallying with women of ill repute."

I do, I decide, I control and let the devil worry about what you feel or desire–is that your true message to me, my dear husband? Sabrina thought, her fingers tingling with the temptation to provoke a quarrel.

"Very well," she said after a long minute of silence.

Henry didn't believe her agreement for even a split second, his feeling based solely on her recalcitrant gaze, but he had no time to challenge his wife further as she began to usher him out of her chamber.

"I'm going on my customary stroll, Henry, hence would appreciate it if you would go on with your pursuits as well."

Go bother Caroline for heaven's sake, she thought, biting back the words.