“It’s just that you looked so taken by him.”
“He’s good company, that’s all.”
“So you’re not in love with him then?”
“In love with him?” Penelope could only gape at the man who’d singlehandedly seen to her welfare these past two years. “I’ve only known him one week.”
“And that’s not enough?”
“For me to fall in love with him?” She shook her head, turned away, and resumed walking. Lord help her, she needed to move.
“Your eyes light up when you look at him, Penny.”
“I thought you had to call me Miss Chadwick, and if what you say is true, it was probably because he said something funny.”
“So then you might love him?”
“No. I might not.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.” Good grief, this conversation was getting well out of hand.
“How can you be? You’ve lived a sheltered life. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if you were to fall in love with the first gentleman to shower you with attention. I just want to make sure you don’t get your heart broken and end up crying on my shoulder. I’d also like to avoid a duel, which—”
“Oh, for heavens sake. Coming here was your idea. Getting me married off...again, your idea. The only reason I am here is because you insisted on it, yet now you’re complaining and voicing concerns over me having fallen in love? It’s nonsensical, Daniel, especially with regard to Viscount Trevinton.”
“But not with regard to someone else?”
Blast. Penelope pressed her lips together. She would not say anything more.
“Who is he?”
She shook her head and quickened her pace. A couple of ducks landed on the pond, raising a spray of water behind them.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Why?”
“Because he doesn’t feel the same.”
Daniel muttered a curse. Catching up with her, he kept pace by her side. “Listen, the man is obviously the biggest idiot ever to walk the face of the earth, a cretin of the first order.”
“No arguing with you there,” Penelope muttered.
“Tell me who he is,” Daniel pressed. “I’ll bring him around.”
“It’s no use.” All she wanted right now was to race back to the house so she could escape to the solitude of her bedchamber.
“Considering your limited circle of contacts, it should be easy for me to deduce.”
“Please stop.”
“Is it the bookshop owner in the village? He’s not exactly of your station but if he would make you happy then—”
“No.”
“It’s not one of my servants, is it? Please tell me you haven’t developed a tendre for that young footman I hired last year.”
Penelope gritted her teeth. “I have not.”
“Then... Oh no. It has to be Richard Falkner then. I knew I should have gone to see him instead of inviting him to visit me. Penny, I’m sorry, but I really must dissuade you where he is concerned. Falkner is a gambler and a libertine, fun to be around but—”
“Blistering barnacles.” He’d finally done it. He’d worn her down with sheer determination. “It’s not the bookshop owner or the footman or even Mr. Falkner, you utterly frustrating imbecile. It’s you. You are the one I’m in love with, the biggest idiot ever to walk the earth, cretin of the first order – the man you’ve just offered to bring around – and... Well, now you know, so I might as well throw myself in that pond and hope I drown, because it’s either that or die from mortification.”
DANIEL STARED AT PENELOPE. The irritation he’d been experiencing this past week had increased tenfold when he’d seen Trevinton holding her hands as if the next thing the viscount intended to do was drop to one knee. As a man who generally prided himself on being calm, level-headed, and cordial, Daniel had found the urge to grab Trevinton by his annoyingly perfect cravat and shake him until his teeth rattled extremely disturbing. Of equal concern was the realization that he felt this way because he was jealous. So rather than help his ward make an excellent match, he’d made a move to prevent it. More than that, he’d proceeded to taunt her, until she’d admitted...
Good God, he still couldn’t quite believe it.
“Penny.” Daniel took a deep breath and expelled it. A smile tugged at his lips, except she was walking away from him. Without waiting another second, he went in pursuit and soon caught her hand. “Is it true?”
She tried to yank herself free. “Leave me alone for once, would you?”
“Not a chance.” He pulled her straight into his arms. “God, Penny, I didn’t dare dream you might feel the same as I did. You never let on.”
Palms pressed against his chest, she leaned back to gaze at him while he held her. Uncertainty, hope, and the promise of endless joy shone in her eyes. “What exactly are you saying?”
He pulled her closer, allowed himself to inhale her sweet fragrance and bask in her warmth. “I love you too, Penny, and I would be honored and delighted if you would agree to be my wife. I know I’m no viscount, but maybe—”
Her mouth met his, the feel of her lips so wonderfully perfect his whole body hummed with pleasure.
“Yes,” she whispered while he wound his arms more securely around her. He could feel her smile like it were his own. “Nothing in the world would make me happier, Daniel.”
And since nothing in the world would make him happier either, he kissed her back with all the love and devotion he harbored for her. She was his dearest friend, the woman he loved with all his heart, and now she would finally be his wife.
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Also by Sophie Barnes
Novels
Diamonds in the Rough
Her Scottish Scoundrel
The Formidable Earl
The Forgotten Duke
The Infamous Duchess
The Illegitimate Duke
The Duke of Her Desire
A Most Unlikely Duke
The Crawfords
Her Seafaring Scoundrel
More Than a Rogue
No Ordinary Duke
Secrets at Thorncliff Manor
Christmas at Thorncliff Manor
His Scandalous Kiss
The Earl’s Complete Surrender
Lady Sarah’s Sinful Desires
At The Kingsborough Ball
The Danger in Tempting an Earl
The Scandal in Kissing an Heir
The Trouble with Being a Duke
The Summersbys
The Secret Life of Lady Lucinda
There’s Something About Lady Mary
Lady Alexandra’s Excellent Adventure
Standalone Titles
The Girl Who Stepped Into The Past
How Miss Rutherford Got Her Groove Back
Novellas
The Townsbridges
An Unexpected Temptation
A Duke for Miss Townsbridge
Falling for Mr. Townsbridge
Lady Abigail’s Perfect Match
When Love Leads To Scandal
The Honorable Scoundrels
The Duke Who Came To Town
The Earl Who Loved Her
The Governess Who Captured His Heart (FREE)
Standalone Titles
Mistletoe Magic (from Five Golden Rings: A Christmas Collection)
Secrets at Colchester Hall
Miss Compton’s Christmas Romance
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
When Love Leads to Scandal
His Lady to Wed
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Also by Sophie Barnes
Novels
Novellas
Acknowledgments
About The Author
Acknowledgments
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK the Killion Group for their incredible help with the editing and cover design of this book. And to my friends and family, thank you for your constant support. I would be lost without you!
About The Author
BORN IN DENMARK, USA TODAY bestselling author Sophie Barnes spent her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places around the world. She's lived in five different countries, on three different continents, and speaks Danish, English, French, Spanish, and Romanian with varying degrees of fluency. But, most impressive of all, she's been married to the same man three times—in three different countries and in three different dresses.
When she's not busy dreaming up her next romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family, swimming, cooking, gardening, watching romantic comedies and, of course, reading.
You can contact her through her website at www.sophiebarnes.com
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Copyright © 2020 Sophie Barnes
ONCE UPON A TOWNSBRIDGE STORY
First Edition. October, 2020
Written by Sophie Barnes
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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