Wishing For Rainbows (Historical Romance) by Rebecca King Read Free Book Online Page A

not,” Adelaide groused. “You really don’t want to capture his attention.”
    “He is nice.”
    “Ha! He is a scoundrel.”
    Ursula jumped back when one gloved finger appeared inches from the end of her nose.
    “I warn you to stay away from him. He is up to no good,” her aunt declared firmly. “If I find out that man is sending you flowers then I will send the next arrangement straight back to him. I promise you that much.”
    “Well, I don’t know any other men, apart from Alfred Sinnerton.” She closed her eyes and prayed that they weren’t from him.
    “Oh no,” Adelaide murmured with a shake of her head. “I would prefer your secret admirer to be Brampton. Although, if he is, I am also glad he hasn’t come forward to claim responsibility.” She considered Ursula’s comment for a moment. “No, I cannot believe it would be Brampton. He is the kind of man who would make sure you knew he had spent that much time and effort on you right from the very start. He would brag about it to anyone and everyone, just to make his interest known to other parties. No, it’s not Brampton.”
    “He can’t be that bad,” Ursula protested.
    “His reputation is one of the worst in London. That man relies on his looks too much, and cannot be trusted. I won’t countenance you encouraging his attentions, Ursula.”
    “I won’t,” she replied.
    “Have you sent a letter to your father yet?” Adelaide snapped, determined to change the subject.
    Ursula shook her head. “There is nothing to tell him.”
    “Apart from the fact that you haven’t found a husband yet, you mean?”
    “No, and I am not going to either,” Ursula snapped. She sensed Adelaide’s astonishment at her fervency of her reply but kept her gaze turned toward what she could see of the passing scenery.
    “He has given you a month, Ursula. Time is ticking.”
    “I know,” she sighed. “What is he going to do once the month is out? Force me to marry against my will? He may choose a husband. He may even arrange the wedding, but he shall never force me up the aisle. I promise you that he shall never force me to say the words that will commit my life to anyone else’s.”
    “You are that averse to marrying?”
    “Anyone of my father’s choosing, yes. Why, I should rather marry someone like Sinnerton just to spite my father, if it came to it,” Ursula protested.
    “Don’t say that,” Adelaide warned. “I should not allow it.”
    “I don’t know what to do to get the message across to father that I won’t be bullied in this way.”
    “You don’t have to go back once the month is over, if you don’t want to,” Adelaide suggested. “I prefer your company to my own. It would be wonderful if you could consider staying with me for a while longer.”
    Ursula stared at her in stunned disbelief. “What about father? He has given me a stipend, but it is just for this trip. I have no other way to support myself once the month is out.”
    “Nonsense,” Adelaide snorted. “I have more than able to support the both of us. Your father sent you to London. He could demand you return to Yorkshire, but if you are not a burden to him then he has no reason to force you to marry. You are good company. I think you should stay with me.”
    “I should like that very much,” Ursula whispered in a voice that was husky with tears. She dug around in her reticule and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief; touched by her aunt’s generosity. She felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and heaved a sigh of relief that at least one of her problems had been solved. “If you are sure then I shall write to inform my father of my intention to stay in London for the foreseeable future.”
    “Good, that’s settled then. Meantime, don’t encourage the attentions of Brampton, or Alfred Sinnerton. There is something about Sinnerton that just doesn’t sit well with me either, but I don’t know what it is.” Adelaide warned. She threw