Edith Layton by To Tempt a Bride Read Free Book Online Page A

quickly.
    “That she cannot!” Belle exclaimed. “With Eric so ill? And you with an infant to tend? You already have your hands full, thank you. We’ll take her.”
    “With you? Not likely!” Brenna protested. “Youdon’t feel at all the thing in the mornings as it is.”
    Belle laughed. “The mornings are soon over, and besides, the girl won’t be my responsibility. The housekeeper can look after her.”
    Camille felt terrible. They were arguing over the girl as if she were no more than a servant. But, she realized, that was after all almost the case. An impoverished country girl, however lovely, was lucky to have found herself even in the company of ladies and gentlemen of wealth and breeding, let alone those willing to take her under their wing. It didn’t matter that she’d been badly used; uncountable women of London were misused every day of their lives. So if any of these noble persons let an unknown commoner share a bed in the attic with the servants or a pallet on the floor in their kitchen, it would be both kind and generous of them.
    But Nell was a heroine, and her bravery should be rewarded. And she might after all be of good family.
    But men noticed her, and so if she stayed in his vicinity, Eric certainly would.
    Camille always faced head on whatever frightened her. Eric had seen beautiful women before, and he was a gentleman, not a seducer.
    But since he didn’t have either a title or a toplofty family, he could also marry anywhere he chose. And beauty was a powerful lure.
    That frightened Camille. So she knew what she had to do. And if a pretty face meant so much tohim, it would be better for her to know it now.
    “Yes. Let her stay with us,” Camille declared. “I’ll look after her.”
    “You?” Miles asked, with a grin. “Aren’t you too occupied with conquering all London?”
    “I’ve already done that,” she said, grinning back at him. “So why not? After all, everyone else has something important to do. Brenna has Eric to take care of as well as an infant to tend. Belle has to be careful of herself. You and Rafe and your friends from the War Office will doubtless find Nell’s aunt. Everyone else has responsibilities,” Camille said. “And so I’m the only possible one to look after Miss Baynes and show her the proper way to get on here in the polite world of London.”
    As she hoped, they began to laugh.
    She just wished she felt like joining in.

Chapter 4
    M orning sunlight edged in silver the margins of the draperies covering the windows, but the bedroom remained dim. Still, it was light enough to wake the man in the tall-canopied bed. At first, the only evidence was the change in his breathing. Then he cracked one eye open, then another. He looked around. His chest rose and fell in a deep sigh of relief.
    He was safe…and comfortable, he realized.
    Eric lay quietly and took stock of his body. The tremors had stopped. His head didn’t ache. He felt cool. The fever was gone. It was over for now, at least. But this wasn’t his bedchamber. He slowly remembered how often he’d seen Brenna’s and Rafe’s worried faces through the wavering mists thatclouded his perceptions when he woke between the damnable bouts of shivering and burning. So. This must be their house.
    Eric grimaced. It was painful to know he was a bother to his sister and his best friend again. Still, that sort of pain was easier to bear than what he’d just been through. He raised himself to his elbows and tried to look out a window. He couldn’t see much but their pale outlines. Past dawn, he’d guess, and past time to get out of bed and go home.
    He sat up, grimacing at the effort, and swung his legs out from under the coverlets. Then he sat on the side of the high bed, his head whirling, waiting to be sure he could step down. He’d learned the hard way that getting up and around after one of his attacks wasn’t as simple as he wanted it to be. How long had he been here? He ran a hand over his chin