An Unsuitable Bride by Jane Feather Read Free Book Online Page A

forced him to accept her for what she appeared to be, and she was now ensconced as Countess Blackwater, and the love of her husband’s life.
    Which left Jasper’s younger twin brothers to fulfill their own obligations if the heavily mortgaged family estates were to be towed out of the River Tick. And Jasper had made it very clear that he expected his brothers to do what was required, one way or another. Once in a while, Perry thought, with a flash of exasperation that made him jerk his rod again, his eldest brother could acknowledge the difficulties in the task. Just because it had been so easy for him . . .
    But then Sebastian had managed it, too. Perry raised his rod and recast. His twin hadn’t had to look very far, either, to find a woman whose peculiar circumstances made her fit the viscount’s criteria of a fallen woman. Like Jasper’s bride, she, too, was not all that she seemed, but the circumstances of her life made her a perfect bride for Sebastian to fulfill the conditions of the will. And since he’d been in love with Lady SerenaCarmichael from the moment he’d first stepped into London Society as a callow youth, it was a perfect match in every respect.
    Which left Peregrine.
    He’d tried, God knows he’d tried. He’d experimented with an orange seller at Drury Lane and for a while had thought he might be able to make it work, at least for long enough to satisfy his uncle, but he’d been fooling himself. He’d explored the better class of brothel in the hopes that he might come across another Clarissa but to no avail. And every time his eldest brother asked him how his search was going, he’d prevaricated, implied that he might be making progress, anything to stave off Jasper’s steely anger that Peregrine would put his own wishes above the honor of the Blackwater family, standing by while the family estates were sold off piecemeal.
    It might be easier if he’d ever been in love, Peregrine thought gloomily. And then at least he’d know what he was looking for. He’d had his dalliances, certainly, but he knew in his soul that he needed a woman who could be his intellectual match. It might be arrogant of him, but it was the truth. He could not possibly contemplate sharing his life with a wife who could not give him intellectual companionship. He had little interest in the conventional pursuits of Society, found small talk a complete bore, unlike Sebastian, who could charm the birds out of the trees when he chose. His friends all shared one or more of his passions, be it science, literature,philosophy. And he knew that his distant manner put off the young debutantes who might otherwise have set their caps at him. And how in the world was he to find an intellectual match in the stews of London?
    The pleasant morning was suddenly spoiled, and he yanked his rod roughly from the water, bringing it up in a shower of glittering drops, the empty hook swinging.
    “That’s not like you, Perry,” Marcus observed cheerfully as he reeled in his own rod. “You’re usually the soul of patience.”
    Perry shook his head with a rueful smile. “Something disturbed my concentration.” He glanced around and saw that their companions were taking in their own rods, handing them over to the accompanying gamekeepers. The accumulated catch thrashed around in several large baskets.
    “Breakfast, gentlemen,” Stephen announced. “Fresh trout and good ale.”
    A chorus of agreement greeted this, and the men moved away towards the house, leaving the gamekeepers to bring up the rear with the morning’s spoils. Perry strolled at the back of the group, his mood still somewhat clouded by his earlier reflections.
    “You’ll be able to take a look at the Decameron this morning,” Marcus observed, falling in beside him. “Mistress Hathaway should be in the library by the time we get to the house.”
    “Ah.” Perry’s mood lightened instantly. “For a moment,I’d forgotten about that. I wonder if she’ll have time