The Tycoon's Misunderstood Bride by Elizabeth Lennox Read Free Book Online

what would she do if she did?  Could she stand to be married to the man? 
     
    But she didn’t really have to be genuinely married, did she?  Her original suggestion was that they would marry and produce a child through a clinic.  That was the answer, she told herself.  She’d continue to live here, maybe find a job somewhere?  Perhaps in the village?  She had no idea what skills she had but surely there was something she could do. 
     
    Emma woke the following morning and stretched.  She showered and pulled on her robe, then wandered into her closet.  In the early morning hours, she’d come to the conclusion that she could at least marry the man.  As soon as she did, she’d be given a key to the warehouse that stored all of her mother’s possessions.  Surely there was a clue somewhere that would indicate where she might be? 
     
    Emma dried her hair, then pinned it up in her normal style.  With shaking fingers, she pulled on her mother’s dress, surveying her reflection in the mirror with stunned silence.  Was that really her looking back?  The form fitting dress change d her entire appearance.  Emma pushed her shoulders back and lifted herself up proudly.  That really was her!  With only a dress, Emma had changed from a mousy, almost invisible person, smothered in colors that made her skin disappear, into someone that even she might call pretty.  Her green eyes shone and her hair seemed to be a brighter shade of red.  Even her skin looked healthy when it wasn’t toned down from the awful browns and creams her father insisted she wear. 
     
    “What a difference,” Nancy said from the doorway.
     
    Emma turned and smiled, twirling around.  “Isn’t it lovely? ” s he asked. 
     
    Nancy nodded, smiling brightly.  “I knew it would fit you,” she said.  “You really are the spitting image of your mother.”
     
    Emma laughed softly.  “I remember my mother being stunning but that was a little girl’s memory of her mother.  I’m definitely not stunning.  Maybe a little pretty in this dress though,” she said optimistically.
     
    Nancy smothered her objection and held out a box.  “I thought these might come in handy,” she said.  “I hope they fit.”
     
    Emma opened the box and found a pair of white pumps that looked almost brand new.  “Where did you get these?” she asked, slipping them on her feet.  They were a little big but not bad. 
     
    “I bought them for a party a long time ago but never wore them.  I’m glad they’ll finally come to some use,” she explained.  “Would you like some lipstick?” she suggested.
     
    Emma bit her lip, considering the guilty pleasure.  “I don’t really know,” she said.
     
    Nancy ’s smile broadened.  “Come with me,” she said. 
     
    Fifteen minutes later, Nancy turned Emma around to face her mirror in the servants ’ quarters.  “What do you think?” she asked. 
     
    Emma was shocked at how different she looked.  Nancy hadn’t stopped at lipstick but had insisted on mascara and a touch of powder.  She’d even loaned her a pair of tiny pearl earrings.  “They aren’t real, but they look pretty with your dress,” she said. 
     
    Emma felt pretty.  For the first time in her life, she actually felt pretty and feminine.  On impulse, she turned to Nancy and gave her a hug.  “Thank you for everything,” she said.
     
    Nancy seemed embarrassed, but pleased.  “Just don’t let your husband do the same thing to you that your father did all the time ,” she cautioned .  “If you start out strong, maybe you’ll be able to….”  Nancy didn’t finish. 
     
    But Emma understood and bit her lip, trying to come up with a plan to follow through on that very sage advice .  “I’m going to try,” she said.
     
    Nancy nodded, suddenly feeling awkward.  “Good.  Well, I’ve got to go get the house cleaned up.”
     
    Emma was standing in the middle of the foyer when Jason arrived.  He didn’t