A Baron for Becky
Page 22
“Very likely neither poor nor unsuspecting. Just busy doing the same to some other woman’s husband.”
“Possibly. Likely, in fact. Bunch of rakes and harpies. They undoubtedly deserve one another.”
He shuddered. He’d thought he would be safe enough dancing with Baroness Carrington, whose husband held a barony near Longford Court. He vaguely remembered her marriage while he was still at Eton, and figured she must be old enough to leave him be. But either the willowy blonde had worn exceptionally well, or she was a mere child when she married. Each time the figures of the dance brought her close, she whispered innuendos in his ear, her ‘accidental’ touches reinforcing the hidden meaning.
Even if he’d had time for dalliance, even if he didn’t draw the line at adultery, he’d avoid a predator like the Baroness, with her hard-edged glitter.
She hadn’t taken the hint from his non-committal answers, however.
“There’s no need to be shy, my Lord Chirbury. We’re both adults. If you take my meaning.”
The situation had called for a blunt instrument. “I don’t dally with married women, Lady Carrington. If you take my meaning.”
He shook off the memory. It was too pleasant an evening to think about the Baroness and her ilk.
“Who was your lady friend?” he asked David.
“Just someone I know,” David replied.
Not something David wanted to talk about, then. Interesting in itself. Rede changed the subject again.
“John should be here with the luggage soon.”
David, though, was following his own train of thought. “You’ll have to pick one of them, you know—one of the maidens with the marriage-minded mothers. The title must go on.”
Rede shook his head. “I don’t need to marry for that, David. I have two uncles to inherit, and after them four cousins, one of whom has already set up his nursery. The title is safe for another generation.
“And I’d rather be single. For one thing, marriage wouldn’t be fair to the woman. My vengeance has to come first. Anything left of me goes to my business interests and the earldom.
“For another… I’m a trader, David. I invest where I can expect a good return at a reasonable risk. I’ve been married once, and had children. Hostages to fortune. The risk is too high. I’ll not ever marry again.”
Read the rest of Rede’s and Anne’s story in Farewell to Kindness, available now in print and for e-reader at all major online retailers.
Connect with Jude Knight
Jude Knight writes strong determined heroines, heroes who can appreciate a clever capable woman, villains you’ll love to loathe, and all with a leavening of humour.
After a career in commercial writing, editing, and publishing, Jude Knight returned to her first love, fiction. Her novella, Candle’s Christmas Chair, was released in December 2014, and is in the top ten on several Amazon bestseller lists in the US and UK. Her first novel Farewell to Kindness, was released on 1 April, and is first in a series: The Golden Redepennings.
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