A Priceless Gift: A Regency Romance Read Free Page A

Live apart?”
    “Not while you are so young and in a delicate condition. I would prefer that it not come to that, but it is not an unusual arrangement.”
    “Just what do you want and expect from me, my l-, I mean, Lucian? Do you not want to lie with me?”
    “Not particularly.” It was only half true—she was fresh and attractive, like a tart apple plucked straight from the bough, but Amanda would need time to come to terms with her unpleasant introduction to sex. And she was practically an infant still.
    “But then,” she sounded nonplussed, “what . . . why . . . don’t men have needs that need to be assuaged? That is what I have always understood.”
    “We do, but I have managed to assuage them perfectly well without a wife in the past and can go on doing so. Unless you volunteer?”
    She was silent as the carriage turned into his long drive.
    “Think what you want to do with your life, now you are a countess. We can discuss it further over dinner.”
    “Yes, I need to think—I was not expecting to have any choice over my life, after the vows I took today. I did mean them, though obedience was a hard one to swallow. If I understand you, you feel less strictly bound yourself.” There was a tinge of accusation again.
    He shrugged. “We are arriving. All that can wait, Amanda.”
    The carriage drew to a stop. As she descended and took his arm, Amanda’s eyes widened at the three dozen servants standing in rows to receive their new mistress. Lucian had to admire how quickly she dealt with the situation, however, and with what aplomb she acknowledged the introductions and good wishes. With a minimum of training, she would make an excellent countess. Never mind that he had never wanted to be saddled with one.
    He showed her to the blue suite, hurriedly prepared by his staff since the previous day, and left her to her own maid until dinner at six. In the country he liked to keep early hours, and she would be used to them already.

Chapter 4
     
    When Lucian fetched his bride two hours later, she had changed into a modest fawn-coloured evening dress. He could not bring himself to compliment her on it. If that gown was at all typical of her possessions, she would need a new wardrobe right away. He must also get the Rackington jewels from the bank vault once they were in town. They were no good to anyone, mouldering there since his mother’s death twenty-seven years ago. They were rather old-fashioned, of course. Would Amanda like them? No matter; a Countess needed suitable jewels. He would add a few more modern pieces that flattered Amanda’s colouring.
    “Your household is very well run,” Amanda said as they tasted the asparagus soup. She swallowed and added, “And your cook is excellent. I look forward to tasting all his creations.”
    “I am glad that the unpleasant experiences of the recent past have not affected your appetite. You must keep your strength up.”
    A shadow crossed her face at the reminder. “I thought that maybe you wanted the child because you could not get your own.” She looked at him. “From your reaction, I gather that I was wrong? I do not want to offend you, ah, Lucian; I am just trying to get my bearings, to understand you.”
    “I have never wanted children, either my own or another man’s.” He took a sip of the light white wine served with the first course. “My plan was to be the last earl of my name, and if your child is a daughter, it may yet turn out to be so.”
    “That presupposes we’ll not have any others.”
    “Didn’t you tell me yourself that you did not want any child?”
    She shook her head impatiently. “Not now, but how am I to know how I’ll feel when I am twenty-five or thirty or forty?”
    He contemplated her perfectly reasonable objection. “Let’s jump that hurdle when it arises. What are your emotions right now? You are angry at the world, I imagine, at your mother, at your uncle, and likely also at me.”
    Amanda stirred the remaining soup