Saving Grace (The Grace Series Book 2) Read Free Page A

present, claiming his favorite pastime was listening to her play.
    His gifts and presents didn’t end after they married. Attached to each one was a note professing his love. She’d found it interesting that he always signed those notes with a single, simple, ‘J.’ In addition to the many trinkets, he’d spent a small fortune on her clothes. She had more beautiful gowns than she could possibly ever wear.
    For their honeymoon he’d taken her to Nashville. They’d spent the week sightseeing, eating at the finest restaurants, attending operas and concerts and making love. She could still distinctly remember his sensual caresses and his whispered words of longing. More than once he told her she was perfect. He said their bodies together were perfect. He loved her long, auburn-tinted hair, too. He used to sweep it aside and kiss the very sensitive place at her nape. He said that was his favorite part of her.
    That, of course, was all before she really knew him. She’d been so besotted she believed she was marrying a good man. Trent hadn’t liked Jon. He still didn’t, but early on, Trent had constantly disparaged him. The misgivings Jessica had she’d chalked up to being caused by the things Trent said. She’d believed Trent was wrong. But Trent wasn’t wrong. A few weeks into her marriage, Jon’s true nature began to emerge.
    At first Jessica made excuses for his cruel treatment of the servants. He had to put Bonnie, a favored horse, down after a difficult foaling, and Jessica justified his unwarranted behavior, believing he was grieving the loss of the beloved animal. This was only one of many times she pardoned him.
    Jessica knew well that colored people were no different on the inside than anyone else. She knew they had feelings, they felt pain, they were intelligent and amusing and sensitive and kind. The tone of one’s skin made no difference.
    She’d tried to explain this to Jon, to help him see how wrong he was. It didn’t work. He’d promised her he would make repairs to the decrepit cabins the servants resided in, but when she reminded him, he refused. The horrible things he’d said about her students—she was wasting her time, colored people couldn’t learn—confirmed everything else that was slowly coming to light. Her students were much better judges of character than she. They were terrified of her husband and rightfully so.
    He’d once told her he wanted her to enjoy herself at Bent Oak Manor, to have a life of leisure here. She’d been gullible enough to believe him. He hadn’t meant it. He didn’t want a wife. All he wanted was an overseer for his house staff. This, of course, was ludicrous. Martha, Ruth and Ditter didn’t need overseeing. Even so, Jessica knew she was right about how her husband perceived her the day he learned she was with child. She would never forget the expression on his face. He was so filled with displeasure, it was obvious. He didn’t care one bit for her, or for their baby.
    But the last straw, as far as Jessica was concerned, was his joining the Ku Klux Klang
    Now she knew how trusting and stupid she’d been. Now she knew what the man she married truly was—a treacherous bigot. He was arrogant, domineering and calculatingly merciless. To top off the endless list of faults, he was a drunk. His favorite pastime wasn’t listening to music. It was getting together with his Klan friends and drowning himself in whiskey.
    At one time, Jessica had thought he was handsome with his neat, dark hair and angular features. She’d found his slim, well-toned frame so very attractive. But no longer. There was not one redeeming quality about him. Not one! Shortly before Christmas they had an awful quarrel. During it she told him she hated him.
    This wasn’t a good Christian way to feel about someone, especially a spouse, but she couldn’t help it. She did hate him. He’d done something she couldn’t get out of her mind, something so horrendous, she didn’t know that