She Will Rejoice Read Free Page B

arrived at the seashore during the darkest period of the night. Naomi initially feared he would insist on finding a boat to take them to the island, but he surprised her by telling her they were to lodge on the mainland for the night.
                  “Please lock the door, and do not leave your room without me,” he said as he stood in her portal.
                  “Mr. Haydn,” she spoke up to ensure he would hear her though he was turning away, “it was not my intention to injure you.”
                  He stopped moving, but he did not look back at her, “Do not concern yourself, madam. I am well.”
                  Naomi had experienced both pleasant dreams and nightmares regarding her wedding night. None of them resembled this. The room was nice but empty. Despite her relief at not being forced into a physical relationship with a man she scarcely knew, Naomi wished for his company for just a few minutes more.
                  She went to bed quickly and quietly, hoping to repair in the morning some of the damage done of the evening. Despite the strangeness of the bed, her nap along the journey, and her unsettled mind, Naomi fell asleep instantly.
                  “Naomi,” a voice woke her from a deep sleep. “Are you in there, Naomi?”
                  She sat up in bed and looked around, trying to remember where she was.
                  “Naomi,” the voice was louder now, “if you don’t answer, I’m going to break down this door.”
                  “Perhaps she has stepped out,” another voice spoke.
                  “She had better not have stepped out,” the first voice was angry.
                  Naomi rose to unsteady feet and crossed the floor.
                  The door shook with the force of the next knock, “Naomi.”
                  She recognized that voice now. She opened the door without thinking, “What on earth are you doing, Mr. Haydn?”
                  Her husband’s scowl turned to astonishment and then something else. He opened his mouth to say something, but clamped it shut just as quickly as he turned to glare at the man beside him. The older man blinked and then pivoted to hurry down the hall. Finn propelled his wife none too gently into her room and shut the door behind himself.
                  She planted her fists on her hips and was about to share her opinion on being so manhandled when she realized she was still in her nightdress.
                  Her hands went to her mouth just before she spun around and tore her dressing gown from the foot of her bed.
                  “Mrs. Haydn,” his voice was low, “why didn’t you answer the door?”
                  She fastened her belt quickly, still facing away from him “I did.”
                  He took a step to move around her and look down at her, “I’ve been knocking for so long that the innkeeper came to see what was going on.”
                  She stepped a little closer, “Perhaps that was because you were knocking so loudly you woke every person in the inn.”
                  “Every person save my wife,” the last word was spoken with a bite.
                  “I am awake now,” she pointed out the obvious with an icy glare that could have frozen the channel.
                  Finn’s nostrils flared as he stared down at her. She waited for his response. She was surprised when she got it.
                  He lifted one hand and threaded his fingers through the ends of her hair, “You’re lovely.”
                  His whispered words surprised Naomi so much she lost all ability to speak.
                  Finn leaned down and brushed a kiss over her lips before standing upright