Gentleman's Guide 02 - His Contrary Bride) by Jane Charles Read Free Book Online Page B

had a chance to grow stronger. The best
thing she could do for herself at the moment would be to enjoy the
few days she had to read and be pampered. With effort, she
concentrated on the words before her until her mind was fully
engaged in the story and Marius safely tucked in the back of her
mind.

    *

    Marius awoke late in London the next morning
as grumpy as he had been the day before. He had ridden long into
the night to arrive at his home, not wanting to stop when the
darkness fell. His sleep was about as disturbed as it had been the
night before. While he didn’t have a beauty waking him, she was
ever present in his dreams. Restless, tired and irritable, he
allowed his valet to prepare him for the day. Marius wouldn’t wait
for an invitation or go through the hospitality of leaving a card
and waiting. He would see Ramsey today and clear the entire mess
up, if that were possible.
    Two hours later, Marius stood in the foyer
of the Ramsey’s townhouse waiting for the butler to return. Looking
around the entrance and reminding himself of the prestigious
address, Marius couldn’t help but note the wealth. The furnishings
and artwork in the foyer alone were probably worth more than the
total wages Sabrina had earned since being orphaned. Why had she
been reduced to servitude?
    “Parker, is that you?” Ramsey called from
the end of the hall. Ramsey had always been one to ignore the rules
by greeting his guests instead of allowing them to be escorted to
the appointed room and being announced.
    “How are you, Chester?”
    “I am doing very well indeed. What brings
you here? I haven’t seen you in some months. I didn’t even know you
were still in London,” he said as he turned to the servant. “Please
bring coffee into the library.”
    Following him down the hall, Marius decided
to dive right in, instead of spending wasting minutes on formal
pleasantries. “I recently met your cousin, Lady Sabrina.”
    Stunned, Ramsey turned to him just as they
entered through the door. “Do tell.” As he gestured him toward a
seat he said, “Where was she because I can’t imagine you visiting
Lady Davies’ Academy for Young Ladies?”
    Taking the seat opposite of where Ramsey
intended to sit, Marius answered him but remained guarded. He
wanted to be sure his instincts were correct and Ramsey had no idea
what his cousin had been brought to. “At the moment she is at the
Sandlin Estate.”
    “Thank goodness.” Ramsey settled back. “It
is about time she got some sense into her head. I wonder why she
didn’t tell me she had decided to leave her position.”
    Feigning ignorance, Marius asked, “What do
you mean good sense? She seemed the most sensible woman to me.”
    Ramsey appeared delighted Sabrina had left
the academy. “I do wish she would have told me. I will have to plan
her come out for the spring.” He laughed and rubbed his hands
together. “Do you know that Sabrina is twenty and has had it in her
head for these past three years to remain at the academy teaching
instead of being introduced to society? I can’t tell you how many
times I wrote and insisted she return to London and marry.” He
leaned forward and poured more coffee into his cup. “I wonder why
the change of heart now? Not that it matters. It is time she got
out of that school.”
    “Did you visit her often?”
    “No. Uncle James said she didn’t want us to
visit. She also wrote and asked me not to visit. Lady Davies
frowned heavily upon male visitors and as a teacher Sabrina was to
be setting an example.”
    “So you haven’t seen her in three
years?”
    “Four. Not since my grandfather’s funeral.
Shortly after that her father was killed. That was when she started
writing about staying at the academy. I thought it was because of
the shock from the deaths. I was sure she would get over the insane
idea when it came time to make her debut.”
    “Apparently she didn’t.” Marius studied
Ramsey. His gut told him Ramsey had no idea what had