Gallant Match Read Free Page B

including the personal recommendation of the Condé de Lérida.”
    â€œWho was once a sword master himself so has sympathy for their kind. No, and no again! MonsieurWallace is obviously a boorish Kaintuck without proper manners or deportment. An hour spent in his company would be insupportable, much less days on end.”
    â€œControl yourself, Sonia. The gentleman is a guest in this house.”
    â€œNot of my choosing. I did not invite him, cannot bear the thought of having such a one near me on the voyage to Vera Cruz. Jean Pierre would be as aghast as I am.”
    â€œAnd this war you prattle about, what of it? Think you a mere dandy who waltzes well and sings praises to your fair face will be of use if it comes to pass? We must be practical, your fiancé and I, where you cannot be.”
    â€œSurely there is someone of more address, more grace, or at least less gawky, muscle-bound clumsiness.”
    â€œI repeat, the looks and manners of your escort are not of importance. I need not remind you, I feel sure, that he is not accompanying you for your pleasure.”
    There was more, but Kerr barely heard it. Her pleasure. The images conjured up in his mind by the thought—soft sighs and moans, pale, open thighs, reaching arms—should be banned by the church, and probably were. They made his collar feel tight and his brain hot in his skull. He drew a deep breath in an attempt to regain command of what were undoubtedly improper reactions to the woman and the situation.
    â€œBut his French, Papa! C’est atroce! Truly terrible! I should go mad if I had to listen to it for so long. And what of the embarrassment of having him at my side, obviously attached to me as escort? I cannot tell you how uncomfortable it would be.”
    For a moment, there at the beginning, Kerr had almost felt sorry for the lady. Being married off to a man like Rouillard and sent away from her family to a strange country couldn’t be easy. As far as he could tell, the match had been arranged by her father who expected her to go along with it. But maybe there was a reason she was still unwed. Could be such a virago was a fine match for a lowlife like Rouillard.
    â€œThen do not tell me. In fact, tell me nothing more.” Monsieur Bonneval frowned upon his daughter while leaning over his desk, his face red with anger. “Since you cannot conduct yourself in a becoming manner, you will leave us at once.”
    â€œBut, Papa!”
    â€œNow, Sonia.”
    It was an outright command. The lady pressed her lips together while her chest heaved with angry breaths. She divided a last glance of fulminating wrath between her father and Kerr, then whirled in a silken whisper of skirts and swept from the study. The door banged shut behind her.
    The silence she left behind her lasted long seconds. Bonneval pinched the skin at the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, looking suddenly a decade older. Then he shook his head with a dismissive gesture.
    â€œYou must forgive my daughter, Monsieur Wallace. She has been without the calming hand of a mother these fifteen years and more. I fear she has been allowed too much her own way by her aunt who took the place of my dear wife as her chaperone. Marriage to MonsieurRouillard will cure this ridiculous self-will, yet another reason for proceeding without delay.”
    The remedy was excessive in Kerr’s view, and in spite of his slighted feelings. Not that it was any of his business. “She does seem set against me as her escort.”
    â€œShe has been set against every man who might be suitable. Pay no attention. Your job will be to see her delivered safely to her future husband. That is all.”
    â€œI’d not thought differently.”
    Bonneval pursed his lips. “My daughter’s comments may have led you to believe there could be a social aspect to the position. It’s good to see you are aware of the limitations.”
    In other words, Kerr