Wicked Seduction by Jade Lee Read Free Book Online

equally young and has a tolerance for spoiled beauties. But she didn’t say that aloud. This was Rose’s father, after all. “She’s a beautiful girl and sure to take this Season. She will have offers.”
    “That’s what I thought too,” he said. “So she’ll be married within the year—”
    “Uncle, I’m not so sure that’s wise,” Maddy said. “Rose is very young.”
    “She’s marriageable,” he huffed. “And I can’t afford to outfit her for another Season.”
    Maddy frowned. She knew money was a constant worry for her uncle, but surely it wasn’t as bad as all that. “Truly, Uncle, I have pared down the household expenses. I should think that with a little economy . . .”
    “Nonsense. She’s having her second Season. Two should be more than enough for such a beautiful gel.”
    Maddy held her tongue, refusing to fight a battle that had yet to appear. She would do better to wait and see the gentlemen who really did offer for Rose. Perhaps one of them would be perfect.
    “Which brings me to the question of you,” Uncle Frank abruptly said.
    Maddy blinked. Her mind had been spinning about the perfect husband for Rose. She had not been focused on her own future. At least she hadn’t at that particular moment. Other times it felt like that was all she thought about. What would she do when Rose married and left the home? Maddy could hardly stay here, an unmarried woman with her widower uncle. But she hadn’t the funds to go elsewhere.
    “I, um, hadn’t realized I was such a burden to you,” she said softly, her mind already scrambling to form arguments for her value to the household.
    “A burden?” her uncle huffed. “You’re not a burden at all! Oh bother, I’m making a muddle of this, aren’t I?”
    She had no idea what to say to that, so she pressed her lips together. What was he about?
    “We’ve rubbed along together well, haven’t we? You manage the house to a tee, and Rose has never been happier. Less wild too, I should think, though she still has the most bizarre ideas sometimes.”
    “She is maturing into a fine young woman,” Maddy said sincerely.
    “Exactly. Fact is, nothing’s been better since my sweet Susan passed five years ago. Should have mentioned it months ago, but I only just now realized what with Rose about to marry and all, how pleasant it’s been with you here.”
    “Um, well, thank you, Uncle. I like it here too.”
    “Excellent. Excellent. Glad to hear it. You know we’re not related by birth, don’t you? Your father was Susan’s brother, and a right good man too.”
    “Yes, Uncle, I know.” She suppressed the pang she always felt when she thought of her father. As much as she might appreciate her life now, everything had been so much better with him. She had been loved wholly and completely then, and not because she could manage a household or knew when to spare the coal and where to find cheaper candles.
    “Well, then, Maddy,” her uncle continued. “You see, I have an idea, so to speak, an offer I’d like you to consider.”
    Maddy nodded, forcibly pulling her thoughts away from her childhood. “Yes?”
    “You don’t find me objectionable, do you? I mean, I’m not repulsive, am I?”
    “Of course not.” Her uncle had kept himself in relatively good condition for a man his age. His body was the thick sort that held one or five stones extra weight without notice. His lungs were clear, his frame still strong. And if his skin was beginning to soften with fat, that was only to be expected. Many considered him a fine figure of a man.
    “Excellent, excellent. So, uh, I was wondering if you’d like to stay on. After Rose is married, that is. With me.”
    Maddy tilted her head. She could tell that her uncle was trying to ask her something important, but for the life of her she couldn’t fathom what. Finally, after looking at his earnest expression for much too long, she simply shrugged. “I’m sorry, Uncle, I just don’t understand. You know