When It's Perfect by Adele Ashworth Read Free Book Online Page A

on his dressing table, taking a long, full swallow of the strong, aromatic liquid. He was due at the Vicar Coswell’s home in less than thirty minutes for dinner with the man and his wife, and he wouldn’t be late. He was never late. The people of St. Austell relied on the local gentry to set the standard, and he despised untimeliness.
    Unbeknownst to the vicar, this wasn’t a simple dinner on Baudwin’s part. He’d planned it and had invited himself when he’d first heard that the Earl of Renn had returned to Cornwall. If he considered it honestly, that news had been more of a shock than Christine’s death. He’d never expected to see Renn again, really, even at the long-planned wedding between their families. He knew the earl’s feelings of resistance regarding his title and its responsibilities, his desire for riches—or whatever it was that lured him to the wilds of Africa—and Baudwin had expected these things to keep him away for good. It hardly mattered anyway, as Exeter land was nearly as extensive as that belonging to Renn, especially with the betrothal agreement, which would undoubtedly remain intact. In many ways, he and the earl were very nearly on equal terms, now with that signing, and Renn would never go back on his word. Not when they both benefited.
    The saddest, most maddening part of all was knowing that a marriage to the man’s sister would have ensured the survival of the Fife good name, making him one of the most powerful landholders in all of Cornwall. Now that such a marriage was not to be, Baudwin needed to rethink his options. His next choice for a wife would have to be well considered, and it would no doubt be difficult to come by a lady as perfect for the position as Christine Longfellow.
    But the truly unfortunate aspect was that he would once again have to face the only person within three hundred miles who had ever really intimidated him. Baudwin hated that feeling, but there was no escaping it. He’d always been a bit uneasy around Renn, had actually been relieved when the earl’s selfishness had drawn him away from England and his family years ago. Now it would be difficult to avoid the man and the numerous questions that would certainly follow. He would have to prepare.
    With a final glance at his person—he wore formal black mourning attire—Baudwin tossed back the rest of his whiskey and smoothed his thick auburn mustache with his fingertips before turning and striding to the door of his bed chamber with confidence. As uncomfortable as the night would be, Vicar Coswell had known Christine’s thoughts and feelings before her death, even if he, as her betrothed, had not, and just

    to be safe and ready for what might come his way, Baudwin wanted to discuss what he could with Coswell before the earl did. It wasn’t a matter of suspicion on his part, but a matter of caution. And he had always been a cautious man.
    Still, he had time for another drink to soothe his anxiousness before he left.

Chapter 4
    « ^ »
    Baybridge House
    10 August 1854

    …I’ve got a terrible cold. What a bother! Mother fears pneumonia, naturally, and I refuse to argue with her. The dreary weather only makes matters worse. But Exeter and I did manage to meet with Vicar Coswell regarding our wedding next spring. So much to do! Honestly, dear brother, I’ll be glad when the day arrives and I can finally call him my husband …

    M arcus lowered his body heavily into a winged chair of peach brocade in the small, modestly decorated parlor occupied by Vicar Niles Coswell and Claudette, the man’s wife of thirty years. He’d known the two of them since childhood, as they’d always been considered family friends, and if today’s welcome was any indication, they were delighted at his return. They were an affable couple, both plump, with graying hair and fair skin, still fond of one another, which his naturally cynical mind found rather amazing, and both distinctly clever. They’d apparently become