Love Me Again Read Free Page B

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    Turning, she stumbled and would have run away, but Edward was too quick. He might look frail and weak, but his grip was strong enough as it bit into her wrist. In a fog she heard him clip out some curt orders and as if in slow motion all the people meandering about melted away. Vaguely, she heard her son calling to her, his voice sounding fretful.
    “Christina. Christina!”
    Blinking, she realized she was on her knees directly in front of Edward with both her hands clasped firmly in his and resting on his knees. She looked up at him and saw that he was talking to her. Dimly, she began to hear him.
    “...Do you understand me, Christina? It doesn't matter. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
    In amazement she stared at him and then laughed. She heard the tinge of hysteria in her laughter, but couldn't seem to control it. “Nothing to be ashamed of? If that is your belief, then you know nothing of me. Nothing!” She felt violated somehow now that all her past pains and losses were exposed. Angrily, she tried to twist her hands free of his grip, but he would not let her go. His hold was inflexible.
    “I know everything, your highness,” he said grimly.
    Managing to free herself, she surged to her feet. “Don't call me that,” she shouted down at him. “Don't you ever dare call me that again!”
    “Christina.” The sudden gentling of his voice and manner caused her to pause, and warily she watched him. What was she expecting him to do? Repudiate her? Mock her? She was too overwrought to think clearly, and so she just stared at him, waiting for him to make the next move.
    Silently, he held out his hands. She noticed they were trembling. “Come here. Please,” he entreated softly. Taking a deep breath, she looked about her, and even though she was still tempted to run, she slowly sank back down and placed her hands into his. When he pulled her closer, she went, laying her forehead against their entwined hands, unable to look him in the eye.
    What was she doing, raising her voice to him like that? Never had she raised her voice to this man who meant so much to her. Varek had been the love of her life and always would be. Years ago she had stopped punishing herself for the guilty sin of loving another man while married to Robert. And Edward had been a large factor in this momentous decision of acceptance, though he didn't even know it. Edward was like a cool, tumbling brook of soothing water, easing her life and making it that more bearable. Even though he was not all that older than herself, he was almost like the father she had never known, nurturing and supportive during the times she had felt the most alone. She knew that in his eyes she could do no wrong. And always wanting to remain perfect in his eyes, she had striven to be just that. Perfect in every way possible: the perfect wife, the perfect chatelaine for Kerkmoor, the perfect mother. But now, how could she possibly be perfect when he knew her deepest secrets?
    “Does Robert know?”
    “I didn't feel it was my place to tell Robert. I know you are probably smiling at that absurd thought, but I have never tried to interfere between you and Robert. He appears content with what he knows of you, and you have your reasons for your silence. I have respected those reasons. After all, they are harming no one.” She heard him take a deep breath. “However, that all may change very soon now. Robert has always been a bit...” he paused for a minute before continuing with care, “Robert tends to be possessive of what he considers his own.”
    Christina looked up, a puzzled frown creasing her brow. “Possessive? Robert? I have never found him so.”
    Smiling, he brushed a tendril of hair behind her ear. “You have never given him cause to show it as you have never left Kerkmoor or gone out into society. But he can be difficult to deal with at times if he feels his toes are being trod upon. I believe it is because he has been relegated to what he felt was an