A Ravishing Redhead by Jillian Eaton Read Free Book Online

give up, even when Henry hired not one but three grooms – while Henry poured through ledgers in his study. Each afternoon they chose a different room to scrub top to bottom, a task normally delegated to servants, but as Margaret pointed out “it was their bloody house” and for once Henry saw logic in her argument. In the evenings before dinner they always went for a long walk to discuss the tasks accomplished or simply drift along in silence, content with each other’s company.
    Slowly but surely Heathridge began to reclaim some of its former glory. The windows began to sparkle. New rugs and paintings arrived by the cart load. The fields were tilled. Under Margaret’s insistence two new paddocks were put in and a new, larger barn was well underway, all funded by the wealth Henry had accumulated from his business ventures abroad. Unfortunately, Heathridge’s coffers were not as deep as they should have been.  
    It did not take Henry long to discover the depths of his accountant’s betrayal. By all written accounts Peterson had been robbing the estate blind for years. Only recently had he grown bold enough to make obvious errors, such as taking all of the money Henry had been sending back to Margaret instead of siphoning it off little by little as he had from the late Duke. It was a betrayal of the highest order; one Henry had not yet decided how to deal with. He knew Peterson was in London, a fact that was substantiated by the number of bills that were piling up in Henry’s name. 
    Did Peterson think him a fool? Or did he simply no longer care if he was caught? Perhaps, Henry thought darkly, the accountant merely thought him to be as ignorant and foolish as his father. If so, it was a mistake that would soon cost the man dearly.
    Crumpling the latest tally of figures totaling the losses Heathridge had sustained over the past year, Henry tossed the wad of paper over his shoulder in disgust and crossed the room to gaze out the window
    It was no accident he had chosen to make this particular room his study. It was the only one on the first floor of the estate that faced east, towards the stables. From here he had a clear view of the paddock and the barn and the horses, as well as the red haired vixen that tended them.
    A smile rose unbidden to his mouth as he recalled what had transpired out this very window yesterday afternoon.
    Three times the new gardener had thrown a fit over having his tulips devoured by the shaggy beast Margaret referred to fondly as a horse. Henry had watched from the safe confines of his study as the gardener went after the large draft mare with a broom after he discovered her snacking on the newly planted shrubbery. Like a mama bear protecting her cub Margaret had come flying out of no where, and although Henry had not heard the heated words exchanged between the two, he knew without needing to ask who had come out the victor.
    The woman was a puzzle. A puzzle he was thoroughly enjoying solving. She aroused him, annoyed him, and fascinated him – often within the span of just a few hours. Any sensible thought fled his head when she entered the room. She could provoke his temper with one saucy comment… and provoke his loins without speaking a word.
    Yet despite their teasing banter, flirtatious glances, and the undeniable heat that burned between them, every night Margaret went to her bedroom and Henry to his. Through the thin walls he would hear her turn the lock on her door and he would stay awake for hours, staring up at the ceiling as the scent of her lavender perfume lingered in the air, driving him a little bit closer to insanity every time he fell asleep with empty arms and an aching arousal.
    She had given him her laughter and her light, but there was still some part of her that she was holding back. Some part he could not touch.
    A timid knock sounded at the door, interrupting Henry’s thoughts. “Come in,” he said without turning around.
    One of the new maids, a young woman