A British Bride by Agreement Read Free Page A

sell
such a dear possession? Although based on the creditors’ nonstop calls to his
accountant’s office, she couldn’t afford not to. The suspicion in her gaze
unnerved him. “If you’ll tell me where to send your piano, I’ll arrange to have
it moved properly.”
    She bit her lower lip.
    How could a woman look so beautiful and
be soaking wet?
    “If you could give me a couple more
days…” Her gaze fell. “I need to get a few more things sorted out...”
    “Just let me know. Are you sure you’re
not hurt?” He took her arm. “Let me give you a ride back to the cottage.”
    The wind picked up and the rain began to
fall at an increasing pace. She merely shook her head and pulled away from him.
    He watched her as she trudged back down
the lonely path toward the cottage. If only she’d think about his proposal,
albeit a dry and logical one. Dede, his fiancée, had been all wrong for him.
And it took her jilting him for him to see it. Her beauty, charm, wealthy
background, had blinded his ability to make a wise choice. He’d never make that
mistake again. He’d vowed on the steps of the terrace on his rain-soaked
wedding day, he’d never be led by his feelings again. Next time he picked a
wife would be a cold, calculated decision, one that would live up to his
family’s expectations. And this rain only reminded of him his unshakable
decision.
    ***
    Emma sat at her kitchen table with her
head in her hands for what seemed like hours, her heart aching. She fingered
the slick Fed Ex package she had found on her doorstep when she’d gotten back
home. It was from her parents. The envelope contained a first-class one way
advance purchase ticket to London, a request from their charted accountant for
a list of her debts, the contact details for a freight forwarder to ensure the
piano was brought home safely to London, and a told-you-so letter scolding her
for marrying, the poor excuse for a husband .
    Why had she given into a moment of
helplessness and called them last week? She knew she could never accept their
illegal money. Her throat aching, she stared at the pile of bills, the letters
from creditors, and documents from three different law offices threatening
lawsuits if the debts weren’t paid in full. The amount overdue totaled more
than $5,225,000.
    Pushing away from the table, she plodded
outside to the back garden and took in a deep breath of the air, clean from the
brief rain. Her steps crunched on scattered sticks as she wandered over to the
concrete birdbath to pick out the debris. Her mind drifted back to her parents
who earned the family fortune by swindling people out of real estate deals.
    After a turbulent childhood, she escaped
England at age eighteen with a small amount of trust money from her grandmother
and enrolled at the University of Missouri in Columbia. There, on a blind date,
she met DJ, the university landscaper. Did she love him, or did she love what
he represented—the complete opposite of her parent’s pretentious life style?
Misery weighed on her like rainwater on leaves. What now? How could she pay off
the debts? Was the thought of marrying a rich man she didn’t know, much less
love, more appalling than accepting her parent’s help?
    She unfolded a chair and sat down.
Jonathan Steller seemed decent enough, and that he was a believer in Christ
made her trust him more, but enough to commit to him for life? She pressed her
hands to her face to stop her whirling thoughts.
    She had two options.
    Both of them
inconceivable.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    CHAPTER TWO

 
    The pale gold and orange rays of the
fading summer sun had long since streamed across the sky. Now chilled by the
growing darkness, Emma slipped back into the cottage, desperately needing a cup
of tea. Although it was well past the dinner hour, her appetite was
non-existent.
    Flipping on the kitchen lights, she set
a kettle to boil and then pulled cookbooks and music books out of the