“No,” he murmured. God. Would Mrs. Bentley allow Greta to stay, at least until Max could scrabble together something suitable? He’d have to do it quickly, before Croach got wind of things and realized Max was helpless to stop him from snatching her again.
“You heard—I know you heard what Cathy said,” Bianca said, coming toward him.
“Yes.” He’d read enough law to suspect Richard Mayne was correct. The license had been altered improperly, and that was probably enough to invalidate his marriage. All Bianca would have to say was that she hadn’t wanted to marry him.
And perhaps he shouldn’t fight it. All those things Mrs. Mayne had said about Bianca—that Max had been everything she despised, that she’d only married him to keep control of Perusia, that she had done it all in a mindless fury—those were true.
Silas Croach had also spoken truly when he said Greta belonged to him, under the law. Max hadn’t cared. Greta didn’t want to live with him, and Max had been willing to beat Croach to a cinder to prevent his aunt being forced back into a marriage she didn’t want. He could hardly ask Bianca to stay with him, if she wanted out.
“She’s correct, you know,” he said, watching the smoke dissipate on the breeze. There was a blazing fire below, but a few hundred feet later, nothing remained of it. “About the validity of the license, and hence the marriage.”
“Well, that’s ridiculous,” she exclaimed. “We’ve been married for more than three months! How can that be invalid?”
“The law cares naught, my dear. If you wish to have it swept away like so many shards of broken pottery”—he flicked his fingers in illustration—“it shall be.”
“Max.” She caught his arm and made him turn to her. “What are you going on about?”
He looked at her face, so beautiful and beloved, so flushed from running after him. “If you want to invalidate the marriage, I won’t protest it.”
“What?” She looked outraged. “Why not? Curse you, don’t tell me you don’t care!”
Gently he laid his hand on her cheek. She clasped his wrist as if she were drowning. “I care,” he said softly. “Too much to hold you, if you want rid of me.”
She flung his hand aside. “Then I expect to hear some sign that you want to stay!”
His temper stirred, and this time, recklessly, he didn’t force it back down. “Do you need more? Have I not shown you all this time?”
“You have,” she said wrathfully. “And you’ve been so bloody patient, waiting for me to get over being hurt about Greta—”
“You saw Croach,” he charged. “You heard what he said about her—about me. Madness is in our blood! How could I tell you that and bring that sort of darkness into your home, your family?”
“Well, I suppose now I see that you don’t think I’m strong enough to hear such news without falling into a fainting fit!”
“Strong enough! You! You, who could run this entire factory and win the cricket match to boot!”
“I bloody well could! Andyoudidn’t trust me!” she shrieked.
Max’s blood was running furiously. He’d never let his temper loose like this. “Didn’t you hear me—I toldno oneabout the madness in my family. I didn’t keep it from you for a laugh, I kept it from you because I thought it would send you screaming in the other direction!”
“I don’t even think she’s mad! You should have told me about her, if nothing else!”
“I couldn’t bear to lose you,” he fired back. “I wanted to put it off until you cared for me, and could overlook it. More fool me!”
“Yes!” She smacked his arm. “Because you’re too big an idiot to see that Idolove you, even after you took a piece of my factory and had cleverer ideas for it than I did and risked your life to save Greta and made forty-five in the cricket and told me I’m beautiful when I’m not—”
Max threw up his hands. “I don’t know why I bothered! You’re clearly just as mad as I am! It is the only earthly explanation for why I would allow you to provoke me into this ridiculous screaming argument over how desperately in love with you I am, and always will be, and if you think you’re going to invalidate our marriage,you’remad, and I’ll fight it ’til the end of my days because we belong together!”
“That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said tonight!” She seized his head and pulled him down for a fierce kiss.
Recklessly he kissed her back. With two steps he pushed her to the wall, clawing up her skirts. She yanked at his breeches, sending a button flying before taking him in her hand, so firmly he gasped.
“Mine,” he growled, hooking her leg around his waist and pulling her higher.
“Mine,” she retorted, pulling the tie from his hair and taking hold of a handful.
He bared his teeth and thrust into her. Bianca curled her legs around his waist and arched her back, and he needed no more encouragement.
Having been wrought to a fever pitch of arousal and passion, both were on the brink. Max felt her come within moments, hot and tight around him, and he reached his own climax instantly, so violent and sudden his vision dimmed.
