The Paradise Will Read Online Free Page A

exchanges. ‘She has something of his lively nature, I believe.’
    ‘She sounds unbecomingly forward,’ protested Caroline. ‘How impertinent to argue with a gentleman one has only just met.’
    ‘Highly improper,’ said Mrs Nash.
    ‘Some of her comments were trenchant but I was guilty of provoking them,’ acknowledged Gil, with a rueful shrug.
    ‘But to agree to dine with you so readily, and after this … this verbal sparring too,’ exclaimed Caroline. ‘It shows a regrettable boldness.’
    ‘She had no choice if she wishes to obtain Hawkscote,’ he pointed out reasonably .
    Fixing him with a basilisk glare, Caroline said witheringly, ‘Really, Giles! Next you will say you admire her spirit!’
    ‘Perhaps I do, in a way.’
    ‘I find that hard to believe,’ she said, with a tiny supercilious smile. ‘You admire efficiency over spirit in a lady.’
    ‘Is that your opinion of me?’
    ‘Of course – otherwise you would not have made your preference for my company so clear,’ she said.
    In fact, the reverse was true; Caroline had determinedly insinuated herself into his attentions. She was not obliged to marry for money, but had every intention of doing so. Love was a vulgar, bourgeois expression in her estimation, but she admired Giles’s sporting and business prowess, thought his lineage beyond reproach, and found his fortune most attractive of all. Despite his business success, in her opinion he exhibited a deplorable lack of ambition in other areas and, once they were married, she intended him to seek a position in government before progressing to a peerage.
    This Giles had so far steadfastly refused to contemplate, citing no interest in politics. She was undeterred. Pressure would be brought to bear and he would be forced to reconsider. That they did not enjoy a close relationship troubled her not one iota – indeed, she considered him too well-bred for outpourings of emotion.
    Silence had followed her last comment and Caroline willingly filled the breach.
    ‘Naturally, one must disapprove of this eccentric behaviour,’ she continued. ‘I always suspected the tenor of his mind was unsteady and here we see my suspicions vindicated. My judgement is rarely inaccurate.’ She pursed her lips, savouring this moment of self-righteous justification. ‘From what you have said, Giles, Miss Paradise has inherited her uncle’s unfortunate recklessness. Good God, one shudders to think of the damage this will do to her reputation! You may be certain gossip will be rife.’ Replacing her cup, she added, ‘When does she arrive?’
    ‘After Easter.’
    ‘Very well – if you are determined, I suppose I must offer my support.’
    Gil raised his brows in surprise. Caroline’s high-handed manner and animadversions on the general had irked him but she had ultimately given her approval. Contrite at misjudging her, he said quietly, ‘Thank you. To hear I have your confidence means a great deal. It must be difficult for you to accept I am to dine with Miss Paradise.’
    ‘It is not a question of having confidence in you, nor am I jealous,’ she said, coldly. ‘How could you think I might be? No, this must be viewed merely as a business proposition and you must obtain either the option to purchase or, at the very least, the water rights. Both would be important acquisitions for the expansion of our – that is, your estate.’
    ‘Caroline is right, Sir Giles,’ said Mrs Nash, ‘you must do what is right financially .’
    Her daughter gave a thin smile. ‘Giles always does, Mama. He is not a man to be swayed by other issues.’
    Gil listened with deepening anger. Caroline was not, as he had originally surmised, offering her support in difficult circumstances, nor had she admitted to jealousy; financial gain was her only concern. He recognized his anger was somewhat irrational – it was, after all, primarily for gain he had agreed – but part of his soul also wanted to comply with his friend’s final