Happily Ever After Read Free

Why should she even care that
Jonathon had played his Judas?
    She read the letter carefully.
     
    You really
must join me here directly! Give no more objections, jon! It is a wondrous
world that not merely allows us the opportunity to experience life’s most
bountiful pleasures, but in fact grants us to do so! Every man should have such
an understanding fiancée, eh? And a father-in-law willing to support his cause.
I count myself fortunate, indeed—yes, indeed—to have won the heart
of sophia vanderwahl, but do not think me unappreciative if I do not rush home
to the encumbrances of matrimony.
     
    His choice of words stung.
    Encumbrance.
    So that’s what he thought of her?
    She took a deep breath and continued.
     
    At any rate,
dear friend, I hardly think you can say sophia is wasting away. She is young
enough still that she might bear my children were I to delay the nuptials five,
even six more years. And neither are her spirits low; her letters are buoyant
and full with interest in my studies. She’s a peach to affect such an interest
in matters that would only bore her to the grave. Women have not the patience or
capacity for such ruminations, jon. But do not concern yourself with sophia, my
good friend. She is most loyal, to be sure, and will await me with the grace
she was raised to show. Indeed, I could not have chosen better.
     
    Sophie grit her teeth, resisting the urge to
crumple the letter.
    Loyal ,
was she?
    A peach ,
was she?
    Anger surged through her.
    Her interest had hardly been feigned! Her
questions had been born of legitimate interest—and how dare Harlan assume
she would wait five, even six more years until he deigned to return to her! And yet it was hardly that particular
narrative that incensed her most. Her eyes skimmed the pages until she came to
the paragraph in which he began to tempt Jon...
     
    ... and the
women here are the most lovely... skin so velvet brown and eyes so deep a black
a man may sigh to see his own reflection in their depths. And hair... Christ, I
have never had the joy of touching hair so rich it flows through one’s hands
like the mane of a fine riding horse. (And they love to be ridden, jon... I
know this firsthand.)
     
    Sophie was not such a moron that she did not
understand his meaning, even if she did not know exactly what that meant. Her
cheeks burned with both anger and mortification.
    “Forgive me, Sophia, I did not wish to mask even
the worst of it,” Jonathon interjected, interpreting correctly the flush on her
cheeks. “You had a right to know.”
    Sophie nodded, too shaken for words, even after
reading the letter for the third time.
    She forced herself to continue.
     
    ... never
have I known women so earthy in nature. If you experience the carnal joy of one
woman’s bosom, you must not think her the exception because the next will make
you yearn to feel her native soil between your toes forever and run like a
savage through the jungles of her birth. You will nearly forget you are a
civilized man and never again wish to languish in the misery that is Boston.
Not for all the vanderwahl money would I be dragged so soon from this paradise!
     
    Sophie winced at the not so subtle reminder that
it was her father’s money, not her, that would most likely bring him
back—and not even her father’s money was enough! He was enjoying himself
far too well at Vanderwahl expense!
    And she couldn’t help but notice that he couldn’t
even be bothered to capitalize her surname.
    Sorrow was at once replaced with cold fury, and
armed with anger, she reread the last passages.
     
    Even here in
the wilds I have received word of jack macauley’s reckless venture... his
purchase of that deuced old ship... the miss deed, is it? In any case, he must
be ready to set sail soon. Entreat upon him, if you will, to give you passage.
He would make room for you, I’m certain. His pockets have grown quite shallow.
In the meantime, I shall hand choose the most luscious native girl,