The Sherbrooke Bride by Catherine Coulter

damned door! Alexandra, are you all right?”
    â€œI’m all right, Tony,” she called out. She turned back to Douglas and said in a voice calm as a nun’s, “Shall I let him in, my lord?”
    â€œWhy not? He appears to be married to everyone, thus it is his right to visit any number of female beds.”
    When the strange girl walked past him into his bedchamber, Douglas moved quickly to the hall door of this adjoining chamber, and was out the door just as Tony burst into his bedchamber. Tony saw himtake off on a dead run toward the west wing.
    â€œDouglas, damn you, stop! Where the hell are you going now? Oh, no! Stop!”
    But Douglas didn’t stop until he flung open the door of the Green Cube bedchamber. There, in the canopied bed, lay his wife, his bride, Melissande. She was sitting up now, looking dazed, then alarmed, framed in the candlelight. She met his gaze and blinked, pulling the sheet up to her chin.
    â€œDouglas Sherbrooke?”
    â€œWhy are you in this room? What are you doing in his bed?”
    â€œBecause she’s married to me, dammit! Douglas, please, come away, and let me explain what happened.”
    â€œNo, I want to take my wife back to my bedchamber. I want her in my bed. You can’t marry every woman, Tony. It’s not legal except in Turkey. Truly, you must be a Muslim. So, I’ll take this one.”
    â€œShe’s not your wife! I married her for myself, not for you. I’ve slept with her, Douglas! I took her virginity. She is my wife.” Tony had begun on a roar but he managed to end on a lower, much calmer octave.
    Douglas, very pale now, stared at Melissande. God, she was the loveliest creature he’d ever seen. Her black hair was tousled about her white face, her startling dark blue eyes large and deep and so seductive he could feel himself getting hard despite what was happening, despite the fact she was apparently married to Tony, despite . . . Douglas shook his head. He was tired, exhausted actually, but he’d ridden like the devil’s own disciple to get home tonight, to his bride. He thought briefly of Janine and wondered how she would do here as a third wife. Heshook his head and looked again toward his bride.
    But there was no bride.
    No, that wasn’t right. There was a bride and her name was Alexandra and he’d never seen her before in his life even though she claimed he had.
    He turned slowly to look at his cousin. “I want you to tell me this is one of your benighted jests.”
    â€œIt’s not. Please, Douglas, come with me back downstairs and I will explain everything.”
    â€œYou can explain this ?”
    â€œYes, if you’ll just give me a ch—”
    â€œYou bloody bastard!” Douglas bared his teeth and lunged at his cousin. He slammed his fist into Tony’s jaw, sending him sprawling. Tony rolled over and came up again, shaking his head. Douglas hit him again. This time, Tony grabbed Douglas’s lapels and pulled him down with him. They fell with a loud thud, struggling, arms and legs flailing and thrashing.
    Melissande screamed.
    Alexandra stood in the open doorway, her candle held high. She saw Tony roll over on top of Douglas and smash his fist into his jaw. Douglas grunted in pain, brought up his knees and slammed them in Tony’s back, lurching up. Tony hit Douglas again, harder now, making his head snap back.
    Alexandra howled. She quickly dropped the candle to a tabletop and leapt upon Tony’s back, pounding at his head with her fists, then jerking his hair. “Stop it, you brute! Let him alone!”
    She pounded and pounded and jerked and jerked. Tony, so surprised by this unexpected onslaught that he froze, was quickly upended by Douglas. Both Alexandra and Tony went sprawling. Douglas grabbed Tony by his shirt and dragged him upright. He slammed his fist into his belly. Tony grunted,bending over, hugging his arms around himself. Suddenly,