Be Mine Tonight Read Free

vehicle.
    Ever since attending the automobile show in Richmond earlier that summer, Thomas Ryland had become obsessed with the new mode of transport and was one of the few people in the area to own such a contraption. Pru’s sister Georgia thought it dangerous, and that a man their father’s age shouldn’t indulge in such a pastime, but Pru loved the snappy little conveyance, with its red exterior and black leather seat. Her father refused to allow her to drive it—claiming that he feared for her safety.
    Hmpf. She saw how her father careened about like a madman. She could not be any worse at it than he. It was something she would have to discuss with him, because she didn’t want to wastethe remainder of her life being treated as though she were made of glass.
    There was a time when he would have indulged his youngest daughter’s desire to take the Daimler for a jaunt. A time when his biggest worry would have been for the car, not for Prudence.
    The grooms had seen them approaching the house and were there waiting for them. Pru and Caroline dismounted and greeted their father and his guests. Their father shot Pru a look that covered her from head to toe, lingering on her face as though searching for some sign of fatigue or pain. Dear Papa, he was so very protective. She smiled at him, and bade he and his companions a good day.
    Pru stripped off her gloves as they entered the cool interior of the house. She loved this house. It was bright, but not overly so, and at night was filled with the most intriguing shadows. As a child she had loved the dark nooks and crannies that her sisters avoided. It drove her mother to distraction looking for her. No one ever seemed to understand that she didn’t want to be found.
    Odd, then, that she should be so afraid of going into the dark now, when she had so loved it as a child. Perhaps that was because a child never worried that the darkness would be everlasting.
    Pulling on the pin, she removed the little boat-shaped hat from her head, glad to have it gone. “Tea, Caro?”
    Her sister made a soft snorting sound that never failed to bring a smile to Pru’s lips. “Of course. Why do you always ask me that foolish question?”
    Pru grinned as they crossed the Italian marble floor, the heels of their boots clicking smartly on the polished peach and cream tiles. “Because someday you may say no.”
    “To tea? Never.”
    As they walked, Pru breathed the scents of Rosecourt deep into her lungs. Fresh flowers, beeswax, lemon and cloves. These were the smells that had surrounded her all her life, the smells that comforted her when all else failed.
    As a member of one of England’s wealthiest families, Pru’s father had been guaranteed a fortune, but Rosecourt Manor had come into their family via a friend of Thomas’s grandfather. Apparently the late Earl of Carnover had a soft spot for the youngest of Devlin Ryland’s grandsons and gave him the estate as a marriage present. As Pru’s parents had produced four girls, the house would eventually go to the eldest son of one of those daughters. It was not a legacy Pru had to worry about.
    She and Caroline entered the parlor together. The heavy rose-colored drapes were pulled back to reveal creamy sheers that allowed the full light of day into the room but saved the furniture from the sun’s fading rays. The walls and carpet were matching cream, a soft contrast to the Lodden print on the chairs and sofas. William Morris’s delicate print lent bold color to the room with its swirls of of blue, gold, red, green and rose.
    “What about that Grey fellow?” Caroline asked as she perched daintily on one of the chairs.
    “Marcus?” Pru frowned as she pulled the bellfor tea. Had she missed part of the conversation? “What of him?”
    Caroline shrugged her narrow shoulders as she removed her kid gloves and toyed with the empty fingers. “He seems a nice enough gentleman.”
    “He is.” She had met him at a lecture he’d given in London