The Pursuit Of Marriage by Victoria Alexander Read Free Book Online Page A

all was said and done, there was really little out of the ordinary about him. In an opera, he would be a voice in the chorus. On stage, a bit player. In a novel, a minor character. It was the lot he’d drawn in life, his nature as it were.
    And his nature was not given to brooding.
    He smiled slowly. “You have always been prone to pronouncements of an analytical nature, Marcus, but never this early in the day.”
    Marcus stared for a moment, as if debating his next words, then smiled. “I don’t know what came over me. I shall have to watch myself in the future.
    “As for now.” Marcus nodded at the gathering they had left behind. The crowd milled around the tables, laughter and the sounds of good cheer drifted on the breeze. “I, for one, am hungry and curious as to the whereabouts of my wife. I suggest we return to the festivities. Besides,” he grinned wickedly, “there may well be any number of young ladies waiting to fall at the feet of the victorious Lord Berkley.”
    “The victorious infamous Lord Berkley, if you please.” Reggie laughed and Marcus joined him. They started back toward the gathering, side by side, much as they had done everything in their lives. Why not savor this moment of triumph? Reggie had won the race, after all, and he deserved to take some pleasure in it beyond his winnings. The oddest sensation of satisfaction filled him. He might well be an ordinary sort of man, but he might also be the only one who knew it. For the moment, at least, he was the infamous Lord Berkley, and he might as well enjoy it.
    Three
    Mothers are the givers of life, the bearers of heritage and for all of that, should be treasured and revered. They are also, more often than not, a necessary evil.
    Marcus, Earl of Pennington
    “W hat on earth took you so long? I thought you’d be home hours ago.”
    “Did you?” Reggie absently handed his hat and gloves to the butler, Higgins, who had been with Reggie’s family, in one position or another, for as long as Reggie could remember. He glanced up at his younger sister.
    Lucy swept down the curved stairway that dominated the foyer of Berkley House with the dramatic flair of an accomplished actress or a sixteen-year-old girl tottering far too eagerly on the brink of womanhood.
    “You have no idea what I’ve been going through.” Lucy leaned against the newel post, heaved a theatrical sigh, and placed the back of her hand against her forehead. “It’s been dreadful, simply dreadful.”
    Reggie slanted a questioning glance at Higgins, who rolled his eyes toward the ceiling but held his tongue.
    Reggie bit back a grin. “I know I shall regret this, but what dreadful calamity has overset you today?
    Last week, it was Mother’s refusal to allow you to come out this year.”
    Lucy raised her chin. “I am nearly seventeen.”
    “You are but sixteen and you behave accordingly. Yesterday, I understand there was some sort of upheaval over a dress that was decidedly inappropriate and far too revealing for a well-bred young woman of your age.”
    “I am quite mature for my age.” She tossed back her dark hair. “Everyone says so.”
    “I believe that’s part of the problem,” Reggie said under his breath. “And just last night, you flew into something of a snit because you were forbidden to attend this morning’s race.”
    “It wasn’t at all fair and you well know it.” Her brow furrowed. “Did you win?”
    “Indeed I did.”
    “Excellent.” She flashed a triumphant grin at Higgins.
    The corners of the butler’s mouth twitched, as if he was trying not to smile. Reggie lowered his voice and leaned toward the older man. “Has she been wagering with the servants again?”
    “I would never permit such a thing, my lord,” Higgins said in a lofty manner. Reggie studied the butler carefully. “You placed a wager for her, didn’t you?”
    Higgins’s eyes widened in feigned innocence.
    “Come now, Reggie,” Lucy said quickly, stepping to her brother’s