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

and
    receptions she would be required to attend. It was hard to remember her duty to her
    family when her heart dreaded the very thought of a marriage. Arranged marriages
    were the norm but they seldom resulted in love. Her parents had disliked each other on
    sight yet her father had wanted an heir and insisted on bedding a woman who didn’t
    want him near her.
    Her father’s rages and her mother’s shrieking defiance echoed in Antonia’s mind.
    Her childhood was scarred with the pain of their battles and the pathetic graves of her
    many siblings. All in pursuit of a male heir. Her fingernails dug into her palms. She
    didn’t want that. Only the thought of Gideon Harcourt kept her from running back
    home to Wales—and her desperate plan to find a husband willing to leave her alone in
    return for the money she brought him.
    Men were fickle creatures. Her father’s promises to her mother had meant nothing.
    Antonia took a deep steadying breath. If she wished to avoid a marriage that made her
    a slave to her husband’s dynastic ambitions, she had to keep her wits about her and try
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    and gain every possible advantage from Gideon. He was offering her the opportunity to
    observe the male of the species at close quarters. Surely that would be enough to stop
    her from making a terrible mistake?
    Gideon spotted Antonia Maxwell in the crowded ballroom. Her height and her
    indifferent expression made her stand out amongst the crowds of overdressed young
    women and their chaperones. Not many women had the perfect bone structure to carry
    off the shorter more daring hairstyles but Antonia did. He concealed a smile as her gaze
    wandered around the room. Was she hoping to catch sight of him? He had no intention
    of advertising his presence. Better that she believed he was in ignorance of her place in
    society and the rumors that had already sprung up in the clubs as to her fortune.
    He regarded her critically. The pale pink dress did nothing to enhance her subtle
    beauty. Her shoulders were narrow and her breasts small. The tapered satin skirt
    concealed the length of her legs and made her look too thin. Gideon frowned. She
    looked more comfortable in her breeches than in a gown. He knew Antonia had money,
    so why was she dressed like a poor relation?
    Perhaps she was attempting to scare off her suitors. She had intimated as much to
    him at their last meeting. Betting in the clubs indicated that her cousin Charles,
    reluctant to lose her wealth, intended to marry her to one of his own family or close
    political cronies. No wonder the poor girl looked so harried.
    He hesitated and turned for one last look. It was obvious that she didn’t fit into the
    ordered world of the ton .He’d always had Gervase to share his adventures with and a
    family name that allowed them to be “different”. What did Antonia have? A fortune
    and a family shattered by unsubstantiated rumors of infidelity, madness and worse.
    Perhaps that was why he felt such a deep kinship with her.
    Gideon made his way back to the entrance of the ballroom. He’d seen enough to
    satisfy his curiosity and assure himself that she was a lady. After retrieving his hat and
    cloak, he left the sealed note with one of the servants and asked him to deliver it to
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    Antonia’s Bargain
    Antonia. Her anxious question as to his marital status intrigued him. Was she
    considering him as a candidate for marriage or worried that she might be about to
    consort with an adulterer? Both scenarios amused him greatly. His short note assured
    her that he was a widower and that he was looking forward to their rendezvous. He
    hadn’t signed it. She would know who he was.
    Without a backward glance he left the luxurious townhouse and headed for his
    club. After an evening spent fending off the fortune hunters of the ton , he imagined
    Antonia would be very pleased to see him in two nights’ time.
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    Kate Pearce
    Chapter Four
    “You came back then.”
    Gideon’s languid