Dare to be Mine (2 page)

They left a few hours later, after the
grand reception Elyssa's mother had dared pay for in advance. With the
prestigious name of Fredrickson uttered, she'd had no problem in attaining the
necessities for a magnificent gala, the majority of the wedding guests
completely unknown to Elyssa.

The ride home was awkward at best for
both bride and groom. Elyssa's eyes remained averted nearly the entire time and
she spoke only in response to her new husband's occasional query.

Finally they reached their destination.
The Fredrickson mansion was intimidating, yet hauntingly beautiful. Percy was
pleased to see Elyssa's expression light up at first seeing it. Her family's
mansion was slowly deteriorating, for it had been many years since her ancestors
had kept the home maintained as it should be. If nothing else in this farce of
a marriage, Elyssa might at least be granted the small joy in running a
household she could actually be proud of.

The few servants that greeted them upon
their arrival were friendly enough, though Elyssa sensed the pity in their eyes
as they welcomed her. She was led upstairs to a beautiful bedroom, its antique
furnishings exquisite, though to the tastes of someone much older than she.

Surprised that she had been allowed a reprieve
of privacy, Elyssa took advantage of the brief duration by partaking of the
wine brought her by a servant. The lady's maid assisted in helping Elyssa
change into a demure nightgown. She feared her husband would appear before
long, and wanted to be beneath the covers in the dark before he ever crossed
the threshold. She was thankful they would not share the same quarters,
although the connecting door between their rooms would be a constant reminder
that Percy was only a heartbeat away.

Still, it would be extremely foolish not
to face the reality that within mere moments Percy would be in to claim his
husbandly rights.
Hurriedly blowing out the candles, Elyssa
left the room completely dark but for the moonlight peeking in through a far
window.
Endless moments ticked by and Elyssa's eyelids were heavy from
the long day she'd endured. Still, sheer nervousness kept her from completely
falling prey to slumber.

A short while later Elyssa pulled the
covers up about her neck as she heard a sound at the door. Her eyes widened as
she heard the creaking of the knob, the door slowly opening inward. Her body
stiffened as her husband entered the room and spoke her name upon reaching the
bedside.

Her breath quickening, Elyssa shut her
eyes tightly at the feel of Percy's weight pressing down into the soft
mattress. She thought of her beloved siblings, the true reason she was there.
Lying in bed with a man far too old for her, too unfamiliar to her,
and about to sacrifice herself on the altar of matrimony.

Thankful for the lack of light, Elyssa
was grateful she could see no more than Percy's dark form nearing her. Cool,
dry lips pressed
against her own
and Elyssa started at
the feel of his hand on her shoulder, gently pulling her toward him. Their
bodies were prone on the bed, now facing each other, as Elyssa dutifully
allowed her husband's kisses.

Percy's tongue touched her lips and
Elyssa's mouth opened as she gasped at his forwardness. He mistakenly took her
actions as a sign that she was perhaps not as innocent as originally thought,
though Percy found that prospect more tantalizing than not, having no wish to
bother introducing a young virgin to the ways of passion.

Even in the darkness, Elyssa felt
exposed and vulnerable. She knew she must sophisticated hi dowfulfill her wifely duties, but
Percy's nearness was stifling. She found herself cringing inwardly at his every
touch.
Each one becoming more intimate, more unbearable.
She had no idea what to do, what to say, for her mother had never bothered
telling Elyssa the details of precisely what went on between and a man and a
woman in the dark of night.

The feel of Percy’s tongue against her
own caused
a revulsion
within. The path his fingers
trailed from her hip up her back left a chill. It was only when her husband
guided her hand downward past his chest that Elyssa could bear it no more. She
jerked her hand away from his bare skin, her soft cry of unwillingness echoing
throughout the room.

Percy stilled, uncertain of her
response. Hoping he had only mistaken his wife's sudden lack of enthusiasm,
Percy tried once more to relax Elyssa, thinking perhaps she was just nervous.
His fingers pulled the strap of her nightgown down over her smooth shoulder.
His fingers splayed over her breast and Elyssa moved away, recoiling from him
and wrapping her arms protectively about herself.

Cursing himself a fool, Percy finally
faced the fact that his wife was repulsed by him. Her initial willingness was
proof enough that she'd most likely lain with a man before. He was apparently
much older than the men Elyssa was used to, or perhaps she was in love with
another man altogether. Who could know?

Elyssa turned back toward Percy at the
sound of him rising from the bed. She could feel his anger emanating, could
sense the humiliation she'd caused. It was the last thing she wanted, her
naivete to cause a wall of hardness between she and her husband. Holding her
hand out tentatively toward him, Elyssa implored, "Percy, please do not
leave angry. I am sorry."

Her pity only served to force the knife
deeper into his back. His mouth set in a sneer, Percy struggled to maintain a
facade of nonchalance. "You think to entice me back to bed with a soft
voice now?" he asked gruffly.

"Please forgive my clumsiness. I
fear I am not as worldly at heart as I'd hoped for my wedding night."

Taking advantage of Elyssa's
self-condemning words in effort to save what little of his pride remained,
Percy latched onto that excuse to ridicule her. "Clumsy is right. But as
far as being naive, I rather doubt your innocence at your age."

"I beg your pardon?" she asked
in confusion. escaped her lips and
as his l

"One can only assume that a
twenty-one year old who must advertise for a husband is no longer chaste and
pure."

"I resent your insinuation,"
she cried, unshed tears pooling in her eyes.

"And that I have been made your
scapegoat makes me ill. Not only have I married tarnished goods, but I paid
dearly for the mistake."

"Percy," her voice trembled,
"please
do
not say such cruel things. I beg your
patience with me."

"Don’t worry, Elyssa. I shall not
make a fool of myself ever again where you are concerned. I will continue to
spend my nights in a cold, empty bed as I have for years." Leaving Elyssa
with one final thought, Percy continued, "As will you. If I ever hear that
you have cuckolded me, I shall see your reputation ripped to shreds and you'll
be out of this home begging your deceitful parents to take you back."

The thick door slammed shut behind him
and Elyssa remained in bed, her eyes filled with tears as she recalled the
details of her brief wedding night. Feeling horrible that she'd hurt Percy,
Elyssa was likewise grateful that she had not had to see the deed through. The
thought of enduring such intimacy with Percy left her feeling great relief that
he would not ever force the issue again, by his own words.

It was not a wonderful way to begin
married life, Elyssa mused miserably, but she would gladly trade an intimate
relationship with Percy for a simple life of merely running his household.
Surely that great task would keep her busy enough to make up for the lack of
her husband's attentions.

The following morning Elyssa tried
apologizing once more but Percy refused to accept her gesture. He reminded
Elyssa he had gotten her message loud and clear, and their farce of a marriage
would be just that.
The pretense of a contented marriage to
anyone that might be about.
But within the mansion walls, Percy rarely
showed his young wife any consideration at all. She had wounded his male ego
beyond redemption and although he never spoke of it, it showed in his actions
everyday.

Days slowly turned into weeks, and weeks
into months. Elyssa had not heard from her parents since the day they had sold
her into marriage. No doubt they were busy spending all the money Percy had
bestowed upon them. It was a certaintysophisticated hi dow that once the money was gone, they would
appear on Percy's doorstep asking for more. And Elyssa had no doubt he would
tell them to go to hell.

Meanwhile, Elyssa excelled at running
the huge household, and she eagerly looked forward to the occasional visitor.
She did not love her husband, but over the months Elyssa came to feel a
reluctant admiration for him. She overheard more than a few business
conversations between Percy and his business associates, and found him to be a
shrewd negotiator. Too, he no longer seemed quite
so
ancient as he once had. Though his hair was sprinkled throughout with gray, and
a past injury required the aid of a cane when walking any distance, Elyssa had
become accustomed to Percy over the months and no longer thought of him as old.

Elyssa believed that deep inside Percy
did like her, if only a little. That he admired her abilities in running his
mansion. Still, the damage she did on their wedding night was a constant
reminder and whenever Elyssa strived to engage Percy in a conversation of any
real content, he was quick to revert back to his stuffy former self, shutting
her out once more.

______________________

Thus her plight, five months later, that
Elyssa's guilty conscience drove her to make a halfhearted attempt at seduction.
In all honesty she was
lonely,
and feeling not for the
first time that there had to be more to life than a common everyday routine
with nothing to look forward to but seeing to a clean household and visiting
with an occasional caller.

She had never thought of herself as
anything more than passingly pretty, but Elyssa had felt more than once an
admiring
gaze
from many of their male visitors. In
truth, the occasional looks and charming words spoken to her had brought forth
an unfamiliar fluttering deep within.
A feeling that she
yearned to know more fully.r younger brothersg">CHAPTER
Still, she managed to suppress any
attraction for Percy's younger business associates, for she would never
consider being unfaithful to her husband, no matter that he seemed to dislike her
so.

Of a whim on this cool night, Elyssa
decided as she donned a particularly alluring nightgown and wrapper, that she
should approach her husband. He had
been more than
understanding
since their wedding night, had refrained from any
closeness with her, and Elyssa assumed only that he was waiting for her
advances.

Looking seductive in the gown her mother
had given her for a wedding gift, Elyssa critiqued herself in the mirror before
daring go downstairs. It was quite late and all the servants would be in their
quarters sleeping soundly by now.

Her hair was still arranged prettily
from earlier that day and Elyssa gave a few gentle pulls at her dark tresses to
further soften the effect. She barely recognized her reflection. In truth, she
was shocked to see the wanton staring back at her with eyes wide. The
provocative gown showed far too much cleavage, Elyssa mused inwardly, the slit
revealing her left leg all the way up to the top of her thigh, unheard of for a
properly wed woman.

Taking one last drink of wine, Elyssa
summoned her courage and proceeded to take a chance at making peace with her
husband. Not that she was yearning to make love to Percy, but felt it was her
wifely duty to perform the act. Too, it might make their daily encounters less
businesslike, and perhaps they could begin to actually enjoy one another's
company.

Glancing nervously out her bedroom door
to make certain no one was
about,
Elyssa began down
the long hall with a candelabra, wax spilling down the candles with each step taken.
Elyssa proceeded down the stairs to the one place she knew Percy would be.
The study, where he spent endless hours poring over business
ledgers and propositions.

Halfway down the staircase, Elyssa
started at the sound of thunder. Unexpected rainfall showered down out of
nowhere and her steps quickened at the impending storm. By the time Elyssa
reached the door to the study she'd nearly changed her mind and turned about. A
flash of lightning, too close for comfort, scorched its way across the sky, its
jagged brightness intruding through the far windows, and the thunder spurred
Elyssa to quickly open the door and rush into the study.

Percy started at the sound of the
unwelcome intruder, his eyes narrowing at the sight before him. Surely he was
dreaming, for Elyssa was breathless as she set the candelabra down upon a table
halfway across the room, looking like a young temptress in the filmy lavender
creation. r younger brothersg">CHAPTER

Thus her present dilemma, as Elyssa
recognized the glare of disapproval from her husband. Forcing any remaining
bravado to the surface, Elyssa swallowed and slowly took a few steps toward
Percy.