The spinster and the wastrel Read Online Free Page B

the appointment you keep. Will you be punctual with me?" From his habit of dealing with women, he winked at her.
    She drew her breath in sharply at his flirtatious gesture,

    and a pleased feeling filled him. He would bet she had not been the recipient of much coquetry, not and yet remain a spinster. At that instant a suggestion sprang into his mind. He would use his charm to regain his money. It had provided for him in the past. It could do the same now.
    "But... but of course," she replied, flustered. "Punctuality is a virtue."
    "I am certain you are always virtuous." The words left a sour taste in his mouth. It was such self-righteously virtuous people like his uncle who judged him without a hearing.
    "No one can be virtuous without God's help."
    If her eyes had been cast down, he would have suspected her of false meekness, but she met his gaze directly. Pinned by the surety in her clear brown eyes, it was his turn to feel flustered. "Er, yes, of course. You will not forget I intend to call on you to discuss my ... my proposal?"
    "I will not forget," she promised.
    He believed her, for she was the type of woman who kept her word. Although unable to prevent her meeting with the solicitor, he thought he might still salvage something from this mess.
    "Until then." Sir Gerard bowed his farewell.
    When he straightened up, he caught the trace of that elusive violet perfume scenting the air. It was so out of place in the office that he nearly sniffed like a hunting dog. Maintaining his composure, he retrieved his hat and gloves from the clerk and stepped outside. The cold air stung his cheeks, clearing the stuffiness of the solicitor's rooms from his mind. Pulling his hat lower on his head, he welcomed the chill because it served to sharpen his wits. He would need every bit of cleverness he possessed to wheedle his money free from this adventuress.

    Slowing his stroll to the livery, he was no longer certain his charm would work. The clarity of her gaze as it met his shook him deeply. He continued to name her an adventuress, but she was unlike the London ladies with whom he was familiar. They simpered at his coquetry and responded with outrageous quips of their own.
    At the reading, he had judged Annette Courtney plain. How had he overlooked the strength and determination that were obviously so much a part of her character? From the way she held her shoulders straight, not hiding her tall height, to the way she faced him directly, even when his words flustered her, she was different. The discrepancy bothered him. It could be harder than he had anticipated retrieving his money.
    He collected his beloved horse, Silver Shadow, from the stables. He rubbed the gray stallion's nose and listened to his nickers of welcome. Animals never judged him. They gave their loyalty without question.
    "Did they treat you royally?" he asked the horse.
    The animal nudged him back playfully. When Sir Gerard mounted and headed home, his problems still weighed on his mind, but the feel of the strongly muscled horse beneath him lessened those worries.
    He exulted in the way they moved together down the wet, snowy lanes. He did not race because Silver Shadow was too precious to risk, yet he rejoiced at the sting of the wind against his face and the sound of his horse's hooves echoing in the winter quiet. He was still master here.
    Amazingly, even though it was January, a whiff of springtime violets seemed to hang in the air.

    Gkaptet £Mtee
    Annette had expected there would be piles of paperwork associated with her inheritance, but she had not anticipated the amount of detail her new wealth required. It overwhelmed her, forcing her meeting with Sir Gerard from the center of her attention. She had signed her name so often that her pen needed re-sharpening.
    Despite having lived in Upper Brampton all of her life, she discovered how little she knew of the village's financial underpinnings. Naturally, the entailed farms were not a part of her inheritance, but