Dare to be Mine

Dare to be
Mine

Kim Allison

escaped her lips and
 

Copyright
2013 by Kim Allison Brown

All
rights reserved. First Edition: September 2013

This
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and events portrayed in this book are
fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or
dead,
is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Cover
Design by Sarah Youngblood Walker

CONTENTS

Chapter
1
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 1

Chapter
2
C:\Documents and
Settings\Owner\My Documents\
DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 2

Chapter
3
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 3

Chapter
4
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 4

Chapter
5
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 5

Chapter
6
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 6

Chapter
7
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 7

Chapter
8
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 8

Chapter
9
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 9

Chapter
10
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 10

Chapter
11
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 11

Chapter
12
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 12

Chapter
13
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter
13

Chapter
14
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 14

Chapter
15
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 15

Chapter
16
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 16

Chapter
17
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 17

Chapter
18
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 18

Chapter
19
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 19

Chapter
20
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 20

Chapter
21
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\DareToBeMine.odt#Chapter 21

  for the time being.

CHAPTER
1

She ignored the chill of dread eerily
making its way up her spine. The sound of her shallow breathing was a
disturbing reminder that perhaps all would not end well. Her eyes widened in
fright as a brilliant flash of lightning scorched across the black haunting
night, the deafening crash of thunder startling her. Relentless sheets of rain
pounded against the windows as the antique clock eerily claimed the hour of
midnight in the distance.

She should have stayed in bed, the young
woman mused. It was too late, however, to regain that last shred of dignity now
that she'd foolishly sought to approach her husband. Too late to recall those
wifely words she must sweetly implore in attempt to become a spouse in the
truest meaning of the word.

Stray tendrils of raven black hair
cradled her face as Elyssa started at the sound of another clamor of thunder.
Storms were not normally such a source of fright for her, but this night it
seemed almost sinister.
For she was not in the solace of her
bedroom, securely tucked beneath the plush blankets, safely away from the world
and all its uncertainties.
Rather she faced the ruthlessness of her
husband, his age reaching far beyond her twenty-one years.
And
not unlike him, the mansion itself––stifling and lifeless.
Elyssa hated
the monstrosity at night.

A dull thud sounded as the lord of the
manor set his wooden cane upon the floor. Standstudy, where hiising up, his eyes narrowed in
barely concealed aggravation, and he slowly stalked toward his meddlesome young
wife. He saw her eyes widen at his slow, steady approach, indeed reveled in the
knowledge that despite her vibrant youth and remarkable beauty, she cowered
beneath his omnipotence like any menial servant.

With only dim candlelight, the study was
all but dark. Elyssa felt nervous and unfamiliarly frightened as she watched
her husband’s eerie shadow make its way along the wall. Her breathing grew
louder in her ears the nearer he got. She prayed he didn’t notice the rise and
fall of her chest, her unexpected fear palpable.

He scowled at the sight of the feminine
nightgown she was wearing. No doubt she sought to taunt him with the gossamer
apparel which fit her supple body like a second skin, only the filmy matching
robe managing to cover more than a meager amount of flesh.

Percy Fredrickson cursed the day he had
bought her as his bride for the thousandth time since that fateful night those
months past. Though he had not literally purchased Elyssa, the deal had been
tantamount to acquiring a piece of property.

____________________

He was at a ball that long ago night
solely for the purpose of business, for Percy found socializing a complete
waste of time. Indeed, he had not been to any social function for the exclusive
purpose of enjoying himself since the death of his first wife.

Mary, his wife of twenty years, had
suddenly taken ill and died. Nothing seemed to matter after her abrupt
departure from his life. Not even his son, Daniel, Percy's only living child
and sole heir to his fortune.

Embittered and grief stricken, Percy all
but ignored his ten year old child, a son merely yearning to earn his father's
love. Sadly, he'd never felt that security even while his mother was still
alive. Years passed, and rather than the love he craved from his father, Daniel
received only cruel indifference, and more than he could recall, stinging
lectures on his shortcomings. As he grew older Daniel figured it to be no more
than petty jealousy on his father's part, though the constant disapproval
throughout the years dragged at Daniel's soul until his own heart had likewise
hardened.

Percy failed to recognize his son's
genius for business though Daniel had proven himself a brilliant businessman
once he was allowed to become involved in Percy's for the time being.thitrading company.

As soon as he was old enough to live on
his own, Daniel left home. He eventually left for destinations unknown,
swearing heatedly to his father during their final argument that he would never
return while Percy yet lived.

It was rumored that the earl had
banished Daniel from his home and business. Other gossip sighted Daniel in
France, living uproariously with countless doxies, a different woman every
night. Whatever the case, the earl rarely mentioned his son, and when he did it
was with a sneer in his voice. It was common knowledge there was no love lost
between the two of them. Though the earl hadn't bothered cutting Daniel out of
his will, he quickly shut him out of his heart.

The night of the ball, Percy concluded
his business and was on the verge of departing when he saw the most exquisite
creature he'd ever laid eyes on. The sight of the young beauty quite stole
Percy's breath away.

She'd been standing alone against the
wall, content merely to watch countless couples dancing to the graceful sounds
of the string quartet. Her ebony hair was fancifully coiffed, gentle ringlets
cradling her oval face. A faint smile hovered about her perfect lips as she
watched the nervous approach of a young swain. Gracefully declining the young
man's request for a dance, she promised to consider saving him one later in the
evening.

A costly strand of diamonds adorned her
slender neck, her graceful fingers reaching up to gingerly touch the elegant
necklace. She looked resplendent in a gown of ocean blue, her figure quite
perfect. She was slender yet voluptuous in all the right places and Percy had
to force his gaze away to avoid appearing the fool should she see him staring.

After a few discreet questions, Percy
discovered the girl's name to be Lady Elyssa Monroe, the daughter of a
viscount. Though she appeared as wealthy as any other blue blood, Percy was
told her father was presently struggling financially in the worst of ways.

Basically, Elyssa was on the marriage
market, though through no desire of her own, and not with the normal dowry provided.
Indeed,
whomever
chose to wed the beauty would be the
one paying said dowry to her family. Elyssa was only doing what her parents had
all but ordered. Still, she put on a facade of contentment, and no one would
have guessed that Elyssa was in abject turmoil at the thought of being sold to
the highest bidder.

Before the night was out, Elyssa's
parents broke the news to her. There was an extremely wealthy man of title
interested in having her to such a
thing?"ed to ">CHAPTER wife. She implored them not to make such a hasty
decision, for she'd only been
looking
for a husband less than a week.
The viscount and his wife quickly silenced her objections, reminding Elyssa
that not only was she wedding an
earl,
she was also
keeping her younger brothers and sister from becoming homeless waifs. Elyssa
respectfully refrained from reminding her parents that they were the ones
threatening the financial security of her siblings, not she.

Three weeks later Elyssa was wed to Lord
Percy Fredrickson. She nearly wept aloud at first sight of the older gentleman.
He appeared much older than his fifty-eight years and Elyssa's skin crawled in
the knowledge she was being sacrificed merely for money.

How she managed to get through the short
ceremony without fainting dead away she had no idea, but Elyssa quietly spoke
the ominous words
I do
out of sheer devotion to her family. Hurtful
thoughts that her parents were betraying her chance at happiness swirled in her
mind as Elyssa watched the heavy ring of silver being slid onto her finger. She
had been used solely as a pawn to aid in her parents' financial instabilities.

She tried not to dwell on those dark
thoughts, for the sorrow was nearly unbearable. Forcing herself to smile after
they were pronounced man and wife, she allowed Percy to place a chaste kiss upon
her lips.

Shortly after the ceremony Elyssa
watched as her father took Percy aside. She saw the money exchange hands, a
tear running its course down her smooth cheek as she watched them shake hands,
both of them smiling. The deal had been made. The transaction completed.