Pride and Pleasure by Sylvia Day Read Free Book Online

brush, its rapacious gaze following the prey it intended to pounce upon at any moment.
    Without conscious prompting, she straightened in her seat and her hand lifted to the brim of her simple straw hat.
    Jasper was such a compelling figure, even the dappled light afforded by an overhanging tree could not diminish his vibrancy. A thrill of awareness moved through her, as did a strong appreciation for the sight of him. How long had he been there? She could have sworn he hadn’t been under that tree mere seconds before.
    The earl spoke, drawing her thoughts back to him.
    She tore her gaze from Jasper. “I beg your pardon, my lord?”
    “Wed me,” he repeated. “I will give you things you don’t yet know you want. I understand you, Miss Martin. We are different in all the best ways. A collaboration between us would be to the advantage of us both.”
    “I have a better idea. I will find you a more suitable candidate.”
    Montague’s mouth curved. “You intend to play matchmaker?”
    “In a fashion.” Eliza was keenly aware of Jasper’s gaze following her.
    “Miss Martin, I want to be clear about my intentions. I’ve decided you will suit me best of all. I will not be easily dissuaded from my aim of proving I can complement you as well.”
    “As you wish.” She sighed. “Please do not make a nuisance of yourself in the effort, Lord Montague. You’ve always been one of the more agreeable of my suitors. I should like you to stay that way, if possible.”
    Montague laughed again and looked at her with sparkling eyes. “You are a delightful surprise. I wish I’d been wiser earlier in the Season.”
    Eliza looked behind her to where Jasper had been.
    He was gone, leaving behind a marked absence.
     
    As Jasper urged his mount away from South Carriage Drive toward the adjacent Rotten Row, the member of his crew assigned to watching Eliza also turned with him.
    “She has an eye for you,” Aaron White said, gesturing at another crew member further up the Drive who would continue surveillance.
    Jasper nodded. He had come without thought. It wasn’t until he’d caught sight of Eliza that he realized why. A vague notion had played in his mind—a budding desire to see her glorious hair in sunlight—and somehow it led him here. Ridiculously sentimental. Completely out of character. Her time in his schedule had passed, and he had other matters to attend to.
    “Of course,” Aaron continued, “you made certain she saw you.”
    Jasper could shine in a crowd or hide among it in the space of a breath merely by making miniscule changes in his deportment and posture. He’d been an unnoticed observer until Montague said something to Eliza that snared her attention completely. Jasper had wanted to steal her regard, and he’d done so. “It’s best that she not seem too taken with any of her other suitors. Defeats the effectiveness of my plan to secure her safety.”
    “And your pronounced interest in her has nothing to do with it,” Aaron teased, holding his reins loosely in one hand while the other rested atop his thigh. He was a young lad, short and stocky, a hard worker with three small mouths to feed. For that reason, Jasper kept him away from the more hazardous assignments. Watching out for Eliza was perfect.
    “Her attractiveness makes the job more agreeable.” That was all Jasper intended to say on the matter.
    Aaron’s gaze followed Montague. “The earl appears to agree. He seems genuinely taken with her.”
    The sound of Montague’s recent laughter lingered in Jasper’s mind, and his gloved grip tightened on his reins. “She would be miserable with him. He cares for nothing so much as his own self-interest. I’m doing her a favor.”
    “That’s one way of looking at the ruination of a proper society miss.” There was amusement in Aaron’s tone, which was understandable considering Jasper’s rule against dallying with ladies of quality. It was a rule he was clearly intent on breaking.
    “I am not