The Wedding Bed (The Sun Never Sets, Book One) Read Online Free Page A

tales of what a superlative bride you’d make? Tempt me with promises of the wedded bliss that awaits me?”
    She released a brittle laugh. “I can assure you I have no intention of doing so.”
    “Ah. So I am simply expected to be swept away by your womanly charms?”
    Calla stiffened, well aware of her deficiencies in appearance. Or rather, her lack of copious, bountiful beauty that had been given to her sisters. Violet’s lush figure, Daisy’s grace and charm, Hyacinth’s thick blond hair, Rose’s remarkable green eyes, Jasmine’s sultry smile. If judged on her own, Calla was certainly attractive enough. But when compared to her sisters, it was inevitable that she be overshadowed. Her own gifts—intellect, courage, wit, and determination—were simply not valued by the male suitors who flocked to their home. And because she couldn’t compete, she simply had never bothered to try. That didn’t mean, however, she liked having it thrown in her face.
    “You needn’t be rude.”
    He eyed her with speculative disdain. “What is it you’re after, Miss Staunton? My fortune? My title? The dubious thrill of seeing your name connected to mine in the scandal sheets?”
    “My name in the scandal sheets? No, thank you.” Calla repressed a shudder. Her family’s name had already been plastered in the papers in India—she had no desire to drudge it through the muck in England, as well. As to the other two, “Nor I am so short-sighted that I would forfeit my independence for a title. That would be a very poor trade, indeed.”
    His gaze sharpened. Softly he said, “So it’s my money you’re after.”
    “Not your money,” she hastened to reassure him, then in the spirit of full disclosure, reconsidered her response and said, “Well, perhaps indirectly. But that needn’t concern you. It’s all been properly handled.”
    “Explain.”
    She looked up at him, annoyed at his sharp tone. “I am not yours to command.”
    “Not yet,” was his silky rebuttal. “That right would follow our wedding. That right, and several others,” he paused, his gaze trailing boldly over the soft swell of her hips, then traveling upward to rest on her breasts, “of a far more intimate nature.”
    Heat flamed her cheeks. She studied him for a long moment in silence, refusing to be intimidated. Drawing herself up to her full height, she announced, “I see no benefit in making this situation more uncomfortable than it already is. If you would be so kind as to grant me a few minutes of civility, I believe we could properly sort this out.”  
    A knock sounded at the door. The footman returned carrying a sterling tray on which rested a porcelain tea service. He deposited the tray on a low table near the grouping of wingback chairs where Derek had been seated earlier, and giving a low bow, departed.
    Calla immediately seated herself before the service, grateful for the distraction. To her immense relief, her hands were steady as she poured, betraying no sign of her inner turmoil.
    She waited until Derek sat opposite her, then she passed him a teacup. "I understand you're interested in the facts surrounding our engagement only as they pertain to you, but there are extenuating circumstances that should first be related. If you'll indulge me for just a moment?"
    "By all means, Miss Staunton, do continue."
    Choosing to ignore his mocking tone, Calla took a deep breath, gathered her nerve, and plunged headlong into her discourse. "Two years ago, my father made a series of risky investments. Investments in illegal contraband, to be precise. He saw several of his peers gaining enormous wealth in short amounts of time and thought he would profit as well. It was, from the very start, an ill-conceived venture.”
    “Opium,” Derek concluded flatly.
    She gave a curt nod. Anyone with a modicum of knowledge of the Indo-China trade would have ascertained her meaning just as quickly.
    “ I won't defend his actions here, except to say that he was