Bought for Revenge by Sarah Mallory Read Free Book Online

Beauty.”’
    ‘I beg your pardon?’
    She had been so engrossed in her thoughts she had forgotten her companion. A self-conscious flush touched her cheeks.
    ‘When the prince arrives and wakes the princess. The forest has been growing around thecastle for a hundred years and he has to hack his way through the brambles.’
    He looked around. ‘Just five-and-twenty years has been enough to change the woods out of all recognition.’
    They continued towards the house. Even before it was in sight, the sound of hammering could be heard ringing on the breeze, along with snatches of song from the workmen.
    ‘Your coming is timely, Mr Monserrat,’ she conceded. ‘You have brought a great deal of work to Stanton at a time when it is much needed.’
    ‘I have heard the harvests were bad last year.’
    ‘Dreadful. They called it the year without a summer, the crops rotted in the fields. The farmers had nothing to harvest, so the labourers had no work and no money was spent, thus the tradesmen suffered too.’ She shook her head, remembering the sad, strained faces in the town. ‘My father did what he could, set men on to renew the road from Oakenroyd to Stanton and rebuild the stone walls.’
    ‘And he borrowed money to do it.’
    ‘Yes.’ She looked across, frowning slightly. ‘How did you know that?’
    ‘A guess, merely. Ah, here we are.’
    They emerged from the trees and the house now stood before them. It was just over twoweeks since Annabelle had ridden here last—and been so rudely accosted, but she must try to forget that. She was astonished by the transformation. A forest of scaffolding was growing up around the old walls, the sweeping drive was covered with wagons and much of the ground between the house and the woods had been cleared of weeds and saplings.
    ‘I shall lay new lawns, of course, but not until the builders and stonemasons have finished their work.’ He pointed to one side of the house. ‘I propose to plant a rose garden there, on the west front.’
    ‘In the painting the roses are on the other side of the house.’
    ‘Yes, but they never prospered there.’
    ‘You were fortunate to find anyone to remember such a detail.’ She gazed at the busy scene with mixed feelings. Of course it was a good thing for the manor to be restored, but the abandoned ruin of the old house had been so peaceful, a tranquil haven that she had come to look upon as hers alone. That was all gone now.
    Lucas watched the play of emotion on her face. She had grown up here, she considered it hers. He quickly stamped down the tiny flicker of sympathy. Annabelle Havenham was merely losing her playground: twenty-five years ago he had lost his home and his parents, everythinghe held dear destroyed in one terrible night. He was obliged to push the memories aside so that he could continue.
    ‘I have a stonemason inspecting the old walls of the house,’ he said. ‘To see which of them can be made sound. Much of the house will have to be rebuilt. Strange thing is that where the walls have collapsed much of the stone has gone. Robbed for other buildings, perhaps.’
    ‘There is an abundance of stone on the far side of the rise.’ She pointed with her crop to a tree-covered hill behind the house.
    ‘Will you show me?’ Lucas turned his horse. ‘We could go there now.’
    She led the way. The old path around the base of the small hill was just passable, but although the trees were still bare of leaves she had to push the grey through the undergrowth, where the brambles were so high they snagged at her skirts. Eventually they reached a very uneven area of ground. The trees were much thinner here, growing between haphazard grassy mounds. Annabelle walked Apollo beside one particularly large mound and reached down to push aside some of the vegetation with the end of her crop.
    ‘This whole area is made up of piles of cut stone. It is very overgrown and the stones themselves are covered in lichen, but you will see that they