A Convenient Bride by Cheryl Ann Smith Read Free Book Online

command?
    Certain that she was crazier than he’d thought after their first encounter, he figured somewhere along her lineage was aHarrington who was completely mad. And that relative had passed it on to Brenna.
    “Any trouble you have gotten into was of your own doing, young lady. You’ll not use me as a pawn against your father.” He walked to the door and pressed his ear to the wood. Thankfully, the corridor was silent. The men had gone. “I will keep you here with me tonight, and in the morning I’ll send you back to London on the first mail coach out.”
    Richard glanced to the one chair the room possessed. He collected it, tested it for worthiness, and jammed the high back under the door handle. “That should keep them out should they return.”
    When he turned, Brenna’s arms were crossed over her curvy chest and her cloak was tossed on the edge of the bed. There was a stubborn set to her jaw. He braced himself for an argument.
    “You will marry me,” she said.
    “I’ll not.” He reached for the tankard of cheap ale and took a deep swallow. If he’d known she’d show up, he would have asked the innkeeper for a barrel of the stuff. “You need to find yourself another victim.”
    In the firelight, her hair fell about her pretty face and shoulders in a tangle of dark waves, the mass having largely escaped the binding of her braid. Her expressive green eyes peered at him, heavy with defiance, and he knew he’d best settle in for a long night.
    She sighed but held her tongue, which in no way gave comfort. He suspected that Brenna was working a new argument through her mind, another way to convince him to sacrifice himself on the sword for her.
    If she expected him to give in to her demands, she was in for a very, very long wait.
    Damn, but she was fetching, despite her dishevelment. The split skirt followed the lines of her body almost to the point of being indecent. And there was nothing decent about his thoughts at the moment.
    He could still feel the fullness of her breasts where they’d pressed against him mere moments ago.
    Ignoring the surprising attraction for the chit, he sat on the bed, pulled off his boots, and removed his cravat. Givingconsideration to her virginal sensibilities, he left on his shirt and breeches.
    Once comfortable, he walked over to stoke the fire and checked the chair. Satisfied he’d not have to fight other men for her tonight, he stretched out on the bed and closed his eyes.
    The only sound in the room was her soft breathing as she, he suspected, plotted a way to make him miserable.
    “You cannot expect us to share the bed?” she said finally. “A gentleman would take the floor.”
    He opened one lid and peered at her. She was clearly put out by his lack of manners. Good, let her stew. She should have stayed home. “A lady would not show up uninvited at the door of an unmarried man, with or without a chaperone.” He closed his eye. He did not need to see her face to feel her frustration. “I have a long day ahead tomorrow and need my rest.”
    Richard almost smiled at her low growl. “You are impossible,” she said. “You must marry me. If we are found together, I will be ruined.”
    Knowing he’d never be allowed to sleep until the matter was settled, he sighed and sat up. “You should have considered the consequences of your actions before you hunted me down and passed through a crowded common room to find me. You may have been recognized. You Harringtons are well known.”
    Defiance changed to worry. She bit her lip. “If I return to London without a husband, Father will kill me.”
    At that moment, he knew she’d finally realized the seriousness of her actions. He almost felt sorry for her.
    Almost.
    “Though you exaggerate, I agree, Walter will not be pleased that you’ve come to me or risked your neck, again, to defy him. Perhaps I can write him a note, explaining that you have not been compromised and your innocence is intact.”
    Like a feral cat