Everlasting by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss Read Free Book Online Page B

I’ve been hearing rumors that have led me to believe that the man has been rather despicable to the serfs he recently inherited from Weldon. Once you exchange vows with him, you’ll no longer be able to dismiss him from your life. He will become a part of you…your spouse. You’ll have to conform to his way of life, his wishes, his demands, and with all seriousness, I must warn you that it may be more than you can imagine or will be able to tolerate in the future.”
     
      “As far as I’m concerned, the matter is already settled,” Abrielle replied, steeling herself against the fears he had evoked. “Desmond wants me for his wife, and that is what he shall have…for a sizable price. If I’m going to marry him, then it will be for no less than what I demand, so refrain from giving him the idea that he can haggle for my hand. When the price is sufficiently generous and you’re nearing the end of your negotiations, then you must seek my approval before the terms can be finalized, but you must not allow him to know that you intend to discuss them with me. As far as Desmond is concerned, I will have had nothing to do with the negotiations and it will be a matter that you will personally be deciding.”
     
      “Very wise,” Vachel replied, pursing his lips and nodding his head in approval. Clearly Abrielle had benefited from being so close to her late father, who’d permitted her to listen as he conducted his business affairs. “Very wise indeed. You will be absolved of all blame should he begin to resent the price he paid for you.”
     
      On any other occasion Abrielle would have smiled in pleasure at her stepfather’s praise, but she feared the bargain they would be making with Desmond was equivalent to forming an agreement with the devil himself, and the idea of that frightened her. “I may very well regret it all once the vows have been exchanged,” she admitted, trying to subdue a shiver at the thought of allowing the loathsome man to touch her, much less be intimate with her. “And if you could spare a few prayers for me, you might begin to offer them now lest I be tempted to run away and hide.”
     
      Although Vachel knew his wife was deeply distressed over what Abrielle was planning, he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the girl’s willingness to sacrifice her own happiness for the family’s welfare. Although his men had been disposed to risk their lives to fight alongside him in numerous conflicts, the like of which even now seemed to still be raging on that same foreign soil, they had always nurtured the hope that they would all survive and be the better for it.This thing that Abrielle was willing to do to save him from impoverishment was tantamount to tying herself forever to a hateful fiend whose first and subsequent thoughts were entirely for his own gratification.
     
      He knew what Abrielle had directed him to do was not to Elspeth’s liking, and yet, with Abrielle’s willingness to sacrifice her own happiness for them, he couldn’t help but feel as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his chest. As anxious as he had been to find some viable escape from his poverty, her proposal was to him as refreshing as a breath of fresh air to a smothering man.
     
      Vachel reached out and threaded his lean fingers through his wife’s as he peered at her. He tried to find some reason to be hopeful about the union. “Marrying Desmond de Marlé should make Abrielle a very rich woman,” he stated in a subdued tone. Receiving no encouraging response, he tried again. “Should Desmond expire, she’ll be able to choose another to meet her own admirable standards. It wouldn’t surprise me if a lofty title would be in the offing should she so desire it. Considering how wealthy she will likely be, she’ll be able to dictate her future as few women have ever done. She’ll want for nothing.”
     
      Elspeth was so disheartened by the thought of her daughter marrying the repulsive man