Julianne MacLean by My Own Private Hero Read Free Book Online

you meet my mother, I’m sure you’ll notice that she is very ambitious and often impatient about getting what she wants. She has spared nothing to be accepted by the Knickerbockers in New York—and she’s managed to accomplish that since my sisters married a duke and a marquess. When she decided Harold was the one for me, she was equally determined.”
    “ She decided?”
    Adele tried to explain. “Well…yes, she was the one to suggest that he would be a goodmatch for me. My father came into the picture then. He was impressed with some of Harold’s ideas about chemistry, and I believe he would like to be involved in one of Harold’s experiments—something to do with a new type of dye. He sees business potential there.”
    “Does he indeed? Harold didn’t mention that to me.”
    “Well, it’s all just in the idea stage. At any rate, my mother held a few more assemblies and invited Harold, and it wasn’t long before we both realized that she was right, and we were very comfortable with each other. I liked his sense of tradition, and he liked my—”
    “Yes?” He leaned forward, radiating an intensity she’d never seen in a person before. Lord Alcester was a very potent human being, she realized, and she supposed that was why he had such a reputation. Women were no doubt attracted to such a strong personality and such a handsome face to go with it. Even Adele found him intriguing, and certainly unnerving as well. He was her future cousin by marriage, however, so she would just have to get used to him.
    “Well…” Her insides jangled. “He said he thought I would fit in here in England, and I believe that is why we were drawn to each other. Compared to other American girls my age, I am perhaps more reserved than most.”
    He studied her for a moment. “You don’t seem sure that’s the reason.”
    She shrugged. “Well, I suppose I can onlyguess why Harold approved of me. He didn’t actually tell me.”
    Lord Alcester sat back again. “He told me . Would you like to know what he said?”
    “He told you?”
    “Yes. We’re not only cousins, we are close friends as well.”
    Adele found it odd that they were so close, considering how different they were in every way. Harold was gentle and never threatening, while Lord Alcester had an unmistakable hard edge to him. And he was very different with women.
    Lord Alcester rested his temple on a finger again. “Harold told me he admired your goodness. He even went so far as to say you might be a saint.”
    Adele plucked at the woolly blanket over her legs. “Ah. A saint.”
    His brows drew together. “That doesn’t please you?”
    Adele wet her lips. “Lord Alcester, it’s strange. People have always told me how good I am, how agreeable and dependable. They look at me and they think I can do no wrong. Even my parents have always thought that. I don’t know why. I don’t know where it started. I certainly didn’t try to be a well-behaved child. I just was. At least, compared to my sisters, who were always trying to get me to do mischief with them. The point is, I don’t know why I am perceived that way. I don’t consider myself overly righteous. Sometimes I even feel like an impostor.”
    “Have you ever done anything you knew was wrong?”
    She considered the question carefully. “Not really. I’ve made mistakes, of course. Everyone has.”
    “Have you ever wanted to do anything wrong?”
    A vivid memory of a red candy stick came swirling into her mind. She had seen it at the mercantile in Wisconsin when she was nine or ten, but she’d had no money.
    “I once thought about stealing something when I was a child,” she said. “A candy stick.”
    “But you didn’t.”
    She shook her head. “No, I didn’t. It was very tempting, though,” she added with a smile. “It was the brightest, most colorful candy stick I’d ever seen, with a cherry drawn on the tag. I knew it would fit perfectly into my pocket, and no one would know if I was