Antonia's Bargain by Kate Pearce Read Free Book Online Page A

become his mistress or
    anything. She just needed his expertise. Antonia dropped her needlework into her
    sewing basket and got to her feet.
    Flora’s head jerked up. “Where are you going, dear?”
    Antonia held up her still bleeding finger. “I need to deal with this cut before I stain
    my work. I’ll just go and find Gwen.”
    In the safety of her bedroom she rang for her maid and then sat down at her small
    desk. After nibbling on the end of her quill pen for a considerable time, she wrote.
    “Dear G., are you married? Yours, respectfully, A.”
    She frowned down at her words. Was she too abrupt? What else was there to say?
    After her panicked retreat from Madame Desiree’s the previous week, she’d thought
    long and hard about returning. The sight of Gideon’s cock had dredged up a halfforgotten childhood memory of her mother seeking sanctuary from her husband in
    Antonia’s bed. She had claimed Antonia was sick and needed her.
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    Kate Pearce
    When her drunken father stormed in, Antonia had tried to hide. She had ended up
    trapped against the wall while her father ripped open his breeches, held her mother
    facedown on the bed and had her anyway.
    Her grip tightened on the quill pen and she forced the hateful images away. She
    had two more nights until she was due to meet Gideon again. If he had a wife, it gave
    her a perfect excuse to end matters between them. Surely he would understand.
    Gwen appeared, carrying a roll of linen and a jar of ointment. Her thick gray hair
    was braided tightly around her head, her mouth permanently turned down at the
    corners.
    “I heard you cut yourself, bach. Let me bind it for you.”
    Antonia held up her finger. “It was only a little prick; there is no need to…”
    She allowed Gwen to fuss over her for a minute before returning to her desk. She
    wrote Madame Desiree’s address and the room number on the note and sealed it with
    wax. “I need this delivered as soon as possible.”
    Gwen sniffed. “Have you become so high-and-mighty living in London that you’ve
    forgotten how to say please and thank you? Why not give it to the butler? He will see to
    it soon enough.”
    “I don’t want anyone in the house to know, that’s why I am asking you, please.”
    Gwen took the note and stuffed it in the pocket of her apron. Her Welsh accent
    always thickened when she scolded Antonia. “I hope you know what you are doing,
    child. I’m not going to explain to your family if you turn up missing.”
    “It’s only a note. I’m not planning on eloping or anything.” Antonia hoped she
    sounded more confident than she felt. Gwen was no fool. “I’m just asking for advice.”
    Gwen mumbled something under her breath as she opened Antonia’s wardrobe
    and retrieved a pale pink dress. “Mrs. Callender says you are to wear this tonight.”
    “That dress drains all the color out of my skin,” Antonia grumbled. “Why did Flora
    have to pick that one?”
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    Antonia’s Bargain
    “Perhaps she doesn’t wish you to look your best. I think your dear aunt wants you
    to marry her brother, Thomas.”
    Antonia shuddered. “Thomas Quinn is twenty years older than me, he wears a
    corset and his false teeth clack like castanets when he laughs.”
    “Be that as it may, but he would surely enjoy your fortune.”
    Antonia stared at herself in the mirror. Of course, now she was an heiress, most
    men would probably find her attractive. Was being married for her money a worse fate
    than being married for her looks? She thought about the freedom Gideon offered her
    and how disappointed she would be if he turned out to be married. At some basic
    intimate level, he understood her need to explore that which frightened her. Was it
    possible that his instruction could help her to overcome her fears and have a normal
    marriage?
    She leaned back as Gwen coaxed her short hair into curls and threaded a pink
    ribbon through them. Tonight would be but the first of many such balls, parties