Miss Winters Proposes by Frances Fowlkes Read Free Book Online

them as my own.”
    Benjamin nudged her behind him, the warmth of his hands seeping through the thick muslin of her gown and comforting her more than any lick from her hound.
    Frederick’s face contorted into one of indignation. “But she is my cousin. You have not yet exchanged vows.”
    “A detail that will be remedied shortly, I assure you.” The soft cotton of Benjamin’s unjacketed shirt brushed against her hands. “Now, if you wish—”
    “She was supposed to be my intended.” Frederick’s words slurred together. “As was Amelia.”
    Benjamin’s entire body stiffened, the muscles of his arms tensing into tight little cords beneath the thin lawn of his shirt.
    “Amelia?” Juliet nudged Benjamin to the side to peer at her cousin. Frederick had never mentioned an engagement. Or an attachment. But then, he had never been one to indulge her with conversation. At least not when it pertained to anything other than politics, government, and his strong opinions of the two.
    Benjamin turned toward her, his hands gripping her arms. “The hour grows late.”
    “Juliet loves me ,” Frederick persisted.
    Her cheeks heated. “As one does a cousin yes, but not as a—”
    “As did Amelia.” Frederick thrust his index finger into his chest. “She loved me . She was to marry me .”
    Benjamin’s chin lifted. “Winters, this is not the time nor place to discuss—”
    “Amelia was your intended?” Juliet’s gaze darted between Frederick’s animated features and Benjamin’s agitated ones.
    His expression darkening, Benjamin said, “He did not give her the honor, as you will never give him yours.”
    Frederick’s face turned a mottled shade of red. “But I am her rightful match, Colwyn. She is to be my intended, my wife , my —”
    “I suggest we all retire for the evening.” Benjamin’s steely tone dismissed any argument to the contrary. “We can continue to discuss matters tomorrow. After things have settled.”
    “You dare to dismiss me in my own house?” Frederick hissed.
    Juliet pushed Benjamin’s solid body aside, her fury at Frederick’s arrogance outweighing any of her lingering fears or curiosity in his personal affairs.
    “This is not your home, Frederick. At least not while Father’s heart still beats in his bed. You may imbibe in his choice beverages and sit at his table, but you hold no power over the occupants and business of this house as long as he is the baron.”
    “I would never imply—”
    “But you did. And as Lord Colwyn has suggested, I believe we should retire and reconvene after a good night’s rest.”
    Benjamin took her hands in his, her pulse jumping at his touch. “If you could have a servant assist me in taking Winters to his room, I would be most obliged.”
    Frederick stumbled, reaching for the wall. “You would toss aside Amelia’s memory so quickly?” he sneered.
    Benjamin closed his eyes, but not before Juliet saw the pain reflected in their depths.
    “Winters, you are addled, sir. Should you have something you wish to discuss with me, I encourage you to do so after the effects of your drink have been diluted.”
    “You know this Amelia to whom my cousin refers?” Juliet asked. She peered up at Benjamin’s weary face.
    His eyes blinked open, the pain still reflected in their watery depths. “I knew her, yes. She passed away three years prior.”
    Frederick let out a low guffaw. “Of course he knew her. She was his wife.”
    A whoosh of air left Juliet’s lungs. His wife? The viscount had been previously married? The same man who had insisted upon his disinterest in marriage had exchanged vows with another?
    Sighing, Benjamin ran a hand over his bristly hair. “Indeed, she was. But the fates ended our arrangement when they took her life and…our unborn son’s in the throes of childbirth. This, however, is not the time or the place to recount the sorrows of the past.”
    He had possessed both a wife…and a child? She had never imagined, never