Her breath hitched up in her throat. On the verge of panic, she tried to turn so she could see who was speaking, but a shaft of agony spiked through her head with the movement and she clenched her teeth. It took her a moment to recover enough to retort.
"Sir, in addition to the fact that you have not introduced yourself to me, I am very certain that I have not received any telegram from you."
"I am your husband--Tadeusz Hermanowski."
Husband! Victoria fought to contain the cry welling in her throat. She kept her voice as steady as she could, but she knew it sounded far more shrill than usual.
"Please stand where I can see you."
"Begging your pardon, sir," Ipsy broke in. "She has had a bad fall. We should wait until the doctor checks her over. She is probably in shock as it is."
"She is warm enough by the fire."
"B-but, sir, we do not know if any bones have been broken."
"Stop babbling, Mrs. Difford! I have already checked her limbs!" the man insisted with impatience.
Victoria let out a scandalized gasp. Had he touched her after she had fainted?
He stepped into view. The firelight illuminated his tall figure, casting a bright orange glow on one side and the deepest of shadows on the other. She would have screamed but her mouth turned so dry she could not utter a sound. He was the Beast who had come up behind her on that massive horse! He glared at her from the end of the settee like an animal ready to pounce. While he wore a crisp, tailored riding outfit, his face was completely covered with hair. She felt the blood seep away from her face.
"I see panic has taken away your voice, madam." Was there a note of derision in his tone, or merely resignation? "Did you expect your new husband would be just as handsome as he is rich? I can see I am a disappointment."
Icy tentacles of horror wrapped around her. Tadeusz Hermanowski looked to be more animal than man. His features--his nose, his eyes, his ears, and his mouth appeared to be human in form as well as pleasing in proportion. But his fur was much like that of a bear--or a wolf.
Victoria blinked, hoping that perhaps the blow to her head was causing her to have a strange dream from which she would awake in but a moment. Her heart seemed frozen in her chest.
The radiant light of the Beast's aura flowed out just as the light from a candle, but Victoria closed her eyes again. She did not have the strength to deal with it right now. She prayed that she would soon awaken from this terrible nightmare.
"Mrs. Difford, go watch by the door. The doctor should be here soon." The cultured inflection in the Beast's voice would have been quite pleasing to listen to if he were not so horrid to look at.
"Yes, sir." Ipsy gave Victoria's hand a squeeze before her footsteps shuffled off toward the great entrance hall.
Victoria felt a shiver of fear course through her. She was alone with this man-beast! Why had Paul wheedled her into this marriage? She had always assumed Paul had her well being at heart. How could he betray her? Daring to open her eyes again, she cast another sharp glance at the Beast and watched the colored radiance clinging to his form as he moved. His wide shoulders bespoke barely restrained power. She shuddered.
"You should have sent for the carriage, madam." His eyes appeared as dull a gray as the stones of the manor's walls in contrast to the soft shimmering colors that suffused his body.
"I felt the need of exercise and fresh air." Despite her distress, she noted his hair appeared as black as the coal dug from deep beneath the Pennsylvania hills.
He began pacing restlessly--his dominant presence filling the room with energy. "These are dangerous times."
Fear knotted inside her, but she did not wish to show it and shot back at him, "The only danger to me was being trampled by your horse!"
"Madam, you should refrain from frightening horses with your ungodly screeching." Though his focused gaze bore down upon her, a small measure of the abject terror she felt earlier dissipated. His eyes appeared soulful--quite human, in fact. Conscious of his vitality, she found his nearness set her pulse pounding, which was altogether very disturbing. She saw him staring at her lips. Then his gaze wandered down to her breasts. No doubt, the Beast had lust on his mind.
Worse, she felt herself responding to his blatant appraisal. As her cheeks grew hot, she pressed her lips together. It was absurd. She had no intention of being intimate with such a creature! She had been tricked into marrying him. It was altogether despicable and unfair! Something must be done!
"You do not favor your cousin," he said as the silence began to lengthen uncomfortably. "You have blond hair, pale blue eyes, and a prominent--though most delicate--chin. You do not resemble Paul in any way. You are quite ... beautiful."
There was the hint of a catch in his voice ... but not the least indication of flattery. He had made a mere statement of fact.
For her part, Victoria had always found her beauty more of a curse than a gift. Her first husband, Giles Billingsford III, had been so insanely jealous of her that he had made her a virtual prisoner. In truth, she little grieved his passing. She had been glad to be free of his oppression.
Unfortunately, now she was married to Tadeusz Hermanowski. She shuddered.
"Our fathers were brothers, but I take after my mother." Her voice wavered at the mention of her mother and the familiar dread tightened in her chest.
"Pity." He spat out the word.
Confused by his vehemence, she did not know what to say.
He spun around to face the fire. The flames seemed to intensify the gleam that outlined his form. "When I first saw you today, I thought you were either a burglar or an adventuress."
The chill in her veins vanished as angry heat fired through her. If she had all her strength, she would have slapped him. "Is that why you felt compelled to test my limbs?" She did not hide the acid in her query.
"There are an abundance of women who would willingly allow me to stroke their limbs. I have no need to do it on the sly."
She swallowed hard as she glanced at the way his tight riding breeches molded to his muscled thighs. He swung back to face her and she forced herself to look upward, but her gaze faltered. Few men had the sinews of this man-beast. When at last her eyes slid to meet his again, she glimpsed a hint of amusement in the quirk of his generous lips.
"Are you tempted to test my limbs too, madam?"
