Wages of Sin (Regency Rebelles Book 1)
Page 30
Struggling against the ferment rising from her belly, she fought not to drop her gaze before the steel grey eyes observing her with a disconcerting directness.
God knows what he was thinking for she was no beauty.
That the new Earl of Pennington was heroically built, warrior fit and classically handsome would make not one whit of difference.
He’d still only be marrying her to keep the money within the estate and for her impeccable bloodlines.
Which was good enough when buying a horse.
But a wife?
She gave herself a mental shake. Her thoughts had taken off like a runaway carriage and the man hadn’t even actually mentioned marriage.
‘I do realize my unheralded arrival may have caught you unprepared, Lucinda, but please be assured I require no special fuss. I shan’t be here long enough for it to matter. Please do not concern yourself because nothing is ready for me. For I collect that is what is distracting you? That the house is not prepared for my arrival?’
Lucy dragged her thoughts away from the masculine perfection of the man, crisply enhanced by the elegant cut of the blue superfine jacket and close fit of buff buckskin trousers.
‘Uh—we—uh—we certainly would’ve liked the opportunity to devise a fitting welcome for you on your first visit as the Earl—and if you please, call me Lucy. I cannot bear Lucinda.’
Stopping to draw breath and further order her scrambled wits, she hoped she’d managed to make sense. But from the oddly personal way he was observing her and the slightly supercilious lift of one dark eyebrow, she was not at all certain.
‘Very well, Lucy, I have a very small window of opportunity before I must be back in Paris—where I wish to have my wife with me. Uncle Penn was set in his mind we would marry. I was not ready to commit to marriage when he first talked of it and since then the war has kept me away. I know he was training you in all things pertaining to the running of the estate and I’m guessing, since you’ve made no effort to attach a husband elsewhere, you will be relieved to hear I’m finally ready for that step?’
Breath backed up in her throat and she seemed to have frozen in place. The wild carriage-chase of her thoughts before had been right on target.
He definitely had marriage on his mind.
Too stunned to school her features, she could not doubt her shock registered plain for him to see.
Undeterred, he slid forward off his chair, sinking to one knee before her.
All she could wonder was, did he really see her? Did her appearance not even give him pause?
‘To secure your future here and the future of Pennington, Lucy, will you do me the honor of accepting my hand in marriage?’
Apparently he saw nothing but his own pressing agenda.
Heated
Heated appreciation of every attribute of the man rushed through her and almost wrenched a ‘yes’ from her before her brain had engaged.
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