Loving the Marquess by Suzanna Medeiros Read Free Book Online Page A

schemes to marry him off
if he told her he was beginning to show signs of the same illness that had
already killed his father and brother.
    He couldn’t risk having children. There had been women, yes,
but he’d always taken care so as not to sire any bastards. He was grateful now
for that caution.
    His grandmother was right about Edward, though. He couldn’t
inherit. He was selfish and irresponsible, traits he had no doubt inherited
from his father, but they had flourished under his aunt’s cosseting. And he had
only grown worse with each passing year.
    No, he had to take steps to keep his cousin from becoming
the next Marquess of Overlea, and he had to act before his own illness left him
incapacitated. His pride balked at what he knew had to be done, but he could no
longer afford to put it off.
    His thoughts turned to the beautiful Louisa Evans and the
kiss they had shared that morning, and for one insane moment he wondered if he
should consider proposing to her. But then he remembered how stiff she had
become when she thought he was offering her charity. If she was determined to
refuse any assistance or thanks from him for her care of him the night before,
she would certainly never accept a proposal of marriage.
    Besides, he knew he was being ridiculous. One shared kiss
did not mean they were compatible. Granted, it had been a very nice kiss, full
of passion and the promise of delights to come.
    He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Given what he would
need to do to procure an heir, it was probably better to marry someone to whom
he was not quite so attracted. He wondered whether either of the ladies his
grandmother had mentioned would agree to the kind of arrangement he had in
mind.
    * * *
* *
    Louisa had nowhere else to turn. She’d tried unsuccessfully
to find more sewing to take in or to think of some other way to pay Edward
Manning the rent he demanded. His suggested alternative was too repulsive to
contemplate, let alone accept, and she wouldn’t allow him to approach Catherine
with his vile proposition.
    In a moment of frustration she’d almost told her brother
about their landlord’s visit. The temptation to have someone with whom she
could share this burden was great. She knew, though, that John wouldn’t have
been able to help, and he was brash enough to do something foolish like
challenge Edward to a duel for the proposition he’d made. She couldn’t allow
that to happen.
    She brought the horse she’d borrowed from a neighbor to a
stop at the end of the drive and looked across the manicured gardens that
spread out before Overlea Manor. Their former home, while respectable in size,
was not nearly as grand as the house before her now—three stories in height,
two wings sweeping out at the sides, and an impressive portico that rose up to the
roofline, all in a rich honey-colored stone. She could only stare at it in
wonder, the knowledge that she was completely out of her depth solidifying.
    Asking for Overlea’s assistance had been the only path open
to her. She’d managed to maintain her equanimity during the ride, but now that
she was here, her heartbeat quickened. She took a deep breath in a vain attempt
to quell her nerves before starting down the drive to the front of the house.
When she dismounted, a groom was already headed toward her. She smiled as she
handed him the reins.
    Back straight, feigning a confidence she was far from
feeling, she turned and proceeded up the short stairway to the main entrance.
She paused at the top, smoothing a hand over the dark blue skirt of her riding
habit. The style was more than a few years out of date now, but there was no
point in having a habit in the current style when they didn’t even own a horse.
    She took another deep breath before lifting the heavy brass
knocker and letting it fall. The door was opened immediately by a footman. He
looked at her and then glanced beyond. She could see him stiffen when he
realized she was unattended. She could only