To Marry an Heiress by Lorraine Heath Read Free Book Online Page A

end of the bargain, would her father honor his? Or would he locate a man more adept at deception?
    He debated the wisdom of denying her father had offered him anything, but how long would it take a relationship built on the foundation of a lie to crumble? To woo her with false flattery was one thing. To boldly lie…
    As though sensing his dilemma, she said, “I won’t tell him you confessed.”
    “Unlimited access to his wealth.”
    He clenched his jaws and balled his fists at his sides, hating the need he heard shimmering in his voice. The desperation she must have also heard.
    Her silence spoke loudly. She’d wished to humiliate him, and now she was relishing her accomplishment. He didn’t need this degradation, nor did he want it. He’d find another way to handle his ghastly situation. He turned on his heel and began to walk away.
    “I’m not opposed to your suit, my lord.”
    He stopped but refused to look at her. This experience was more humiliating than meeting with her father.
    “I’ve been standing here silently playing devil’s advocate with myself. What if I married you? What if I didn’t? What would the future hold if I returned to Texas? What would it bring if I remained here? I’m twenty-six years old.” She released a small, self-deprecating laugh. “And I’ve never been kissed.”
    He turned then, slowly, realizing that perhaps this moment was as difficult for her as it was for him. She was still watching the lawn as though she hoped to catch a glimpse of the grass growing.
    “My father thinks you would make me happy.”
    “I would do all in my power to see that you don’t regret having me as a husband.”
    She looked at him, her worries written in deep lines on her face. “What about you? Will you resent having me for your wife?”
    “Resent salvation, Miss Pierce? I think it highly unlikely.”
    “What sort of marriage do you see us having?” she asked.
    Although he was familiar with the pleasures and perils of marriage, he could not easily sum up the complicated answer to so simple a question. “Would you care to take a stroll through the garden with me?”
    “Isn’t it scandalous for a woman to be alone with a man?”
    He cocked his head. “Miss Pierce, you have already invited scandal by venturing outside without a chaperone.”
    “A body can’t even step out without someone tagging along?”
    A body? Her body. If he brought her back flush against his chest, he thought he might possibly be able to rest his chin on the top of her head.
    He dropped his gaze to her tapping foot. Her irritation was incredibly easy to read. His society provided rules for every occasion, rules a person was expected to follow. He wondered how long it would take her to adapt to the code.
    “Once tarnished, a woman’s reputation can never again shine,” he told her.
    “You care about things like reputation?”
    “Indeed I do. Shall we take that stroll?”
    “Without a chaperone?”
    “I won’t tell if you won’t.”
    She released a small laugh that took him off guard. A soft lilt that floated on the evening breeze, an inviting warmth that caused him to think thatperhaps marriage to her would not be as awful as he’d imagined.
    “Seems you only worry about the rules if you think you’ll get caught breaking them,” she said.
    “Quite so.” He extended his crooked elbow toward her. “Shall we?”
    She reached out as though she would place her hand on his arm, and then, as though thinking better of it, she simply said, “Just lead the way.”
    He dropped his arm to his side and began walking along the cobblestone path. She fell into step beside him, her skirts swishing around her. It had been an incredibly long time since he’d strolled with a lady.
    Beneath the perfume of roses wafting around them, he caught the whiff of another scent, subtle but alluring. He didn’t recognize the sweet fragrance, but he knew it belonged to the woman beside him. He wondered what other surprises he might