Page 71 of The Lovers (Echoes from the Past #1)
FIFTY-FIVE
“I’m glad to see you feeling better,” Elise said as she entered Edward’s room with the breakfast tray.
Edward was sitting up in bed, a scowl of irritation on his face.
The unnatural flush of a few days ago had been replaced by pallor, but at least the fever had gone, and Edward was no longer vomiting.
He’d lost weight over the past few weeks, and his jowls sagged, loose skin wobbling beneath his chin in a most unbecoming manner.
His hair appeared to be grayer than it had been even a few months ago, and there were fine wrinkles around his eyes even when he wasn’t smiling, which at this moment, he most certainly wasn’t.
“Will you try some breakfast?”
“Give it here,” Edward replied and took the tray from Elise. She sat down and watched as he obediently ate a hot bun and drank a cup of broth. Edward handed back the crockery and made to rise.
“You are not fit to be out of bed, Edward,” Elise protested. “You need a few more days, or you will undermine your recovery.”
“If I don’t die of sickness, I will perish of boredom,” Edward growled.
“Better than dying of the plague,” Elise replied. “They say in the village that the king and his court have left London for Salisbury. He will remain there until the pestilence begins to abate in the city.”
“Then I will go to Salisbury,” Edward said but made no move to rise. Surprisingly, he’d decided to heed her advice for once .
“Perhaps I can come with you. Salisbury is not so far, is it? I’ve never been.
” Elise already knew what Edward would say, but she thought she might try.
Being in this house without James was unbearable.
She floated from room to room, desperate for something to do and someone to talk to, but there was no one, save Peg, and it wasn’t proper to chat with the servants as if they were friends.
Elise had grown close to Lucy during her time in London, but Peg was a different type of woman, a woman who was best kept at arm’s length if one didn’t wish to have to pull a knife out of one’s back.
Elise was even lonelier than she had been in London, where at least she could take the occasional walk and see something of the hustle and bustle of the city.
“You will remain here,” Edward replied, his gaze boring into her, daring her to defy him.
“Edward, what have I done to displease you so?” Elise cried, suddenly unable to contain her frustration any longer.
“I have tried to be a good wife to you, but you are never at home, and when you are, you ignore me. Perhaps if you would explain things to me, I could learn to be a better companion to you,” she begged.
Edward stared at her as if his horse had suddenly spoken.
She’d never confronted him so openly before, and the experience was new to them both.
He leaned back against the pillows and studied her for a moment, as if deciding just how much honesty she could handle.
He let out a sigh of defeat, his shoulders slumping as he acknowledged the truth of her argument.
“Elise, my accident robbed me of my manhood, but it hadn’t dulled my sight, nor has it done anything to dampen my lust. I might seem old to you, but inside, I’m still a young man who burns with desire and longs for pleasure.
Having you belong to me, but not being able to use you as a husband should and seeing you grow big with a child that isn’t mine enrages me.
I long to punish James and cause him the kind of suffering he’s caused me, but I can hardly hold him accountable for doing what I asked of him. ”
Edward smiled ruefully at Elise’s shocked expression.
She hadn’t considered that Edward might actually desire her or suffer torment because he couldn’t consummate their marriage.
He was right: He did seem old to her, and she just assumed that the passions of his youth had dissipated along with his ability to lie with a woman.
Edward gave her a look of sheer disgust, guessing at her thoughts.
“You never spared me much thought, have you, dear wife? Well, let me tell you something: My youth was spent enduring the horrors of the Civil War and wondering every day if I might survive long enough to see the downfall of Cromwell and his accursed Republic. Those years were the bleakest of my life, but if I could turn back the clock, I would return to that time in a heartbeat rather than live this half-life that God has seen fit to bless me with. When I am at court, the glittering opulence and sheer extravagance of it all intoxicate me. I lose myself in the mad fantasy that is the reign of our king, and for a short while, I feel like my old self again, until I come home and see you—young, beautiful, and ripe for the picking by any man who’s bold enough to try. ”
“Are you suggesting that I would have a love affair if you brought me to court?” Elise asked, astonished by the reason for her exile.
“I’m saying that you belong to me as much as any horse in my stable. I might not ride it, but that doesn’t mean that I will tolerate anyone else riding it in my stead.”
“I’m not a horse, Edward,” Elise protested hotly. “You can’t lock me away for the rest of my life just because you don’t wish anyone else to look at me. ”
“It won’t be for the rest of your life, Elise, but for the rest of mine.
You might get lucky and end up being a wealthy widow.
All you have to do is produce a healthy son who will ensure that all my worldly goods do not pass to my sniveling cousin, who is my closest male kin.
Oh, how he would love to lay his hands on my fortune.
Well, I’ve fought and plotted to have His Majesty restored to the throne, and he has rewarded me for my loyalty and valor.
I will not have some spineless popinjay reap the rewards of years of deprivation and terror.
Oh no. You will bear me a son, Elise, and then you will bear me another.
I will keep you locked away and pregnant until you’ve fulfilled your purpose.
And if you retain something of your looks, perhaps you will enjoy your well-deserved freedom then. ”
Elise gasped at Edward’s words. He was nothing more than a bitter old man who wanted to punish her for his life’s disappointments. And the tragic thing was that he not only could but would.
“I never took you for a cruel man, Edward,” Elise said as she rose to her feet.
“And I never took you for anything more than an empty womb waiting to be filled,” Edward spat out. A desperate sob tore from Elise as she fled the room.