Scorned By Him, Cherished By His Brother novel · Chapter 10 of 24

Chapter 10: Terms

Henry's POV

We were married on the sixth day, in the stone chapel where I had hidden for a month.

The banns had been read three times, and every pew was full.

None of them had come for love.

They had come to see the sickly lord marry his brother's wife, and they sat very still and watched us.

Lydia stood beside me in a green gown her father's housekeeper had sewn in two nights.

She did not look at the crowd once.

When the priest asked if she took me, she said, "I do," in the same voice she had used for the King.

Her father sat in the front pew, and he wept openly into a large handkerchief.

I put the ring on her finger and found that my hand was not quite steady.

She noticed it, and said nothing.

In the carriage afterward, she sat with her hands in her lap and her back straight.

I had spent six days putting my terms in order, and I did not like any of them.

"Lydia," I said. "I would like to say some things plainly, and then I will leave you alone."

"Please."

"The marriage stands for one year. At the end of it you may go, with your dowry and your father's note torn up, and I will not stop you."

She turned her head and looked at me.

"Second," I said. "We keep separate rooms."

"That seems wise."

"Third. I will not touch you unless you ask me to."

I watched her face.

She did not blush.

She looked at me with those grey eyes, level and unimpressed.

"And what do you want from me?" she said.

"Your healing is yours. Your money is yours. Your name is yours, and you may keep it if you like. I want you safe." I looked out of the window. "And I would not want you to feel that I took you."

← Chapter 9 · All chapters · Chapter 11 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend