Marrying the Marquis Read Free Page A

explained that Giggles, being an adult female, needed a husband. Though it broke her heart, my daughter saw the sense in that and agreed to give Miss Giggles to the Tower Menagerie. I bought the monkey a husband, and the two recently became parents. Problem solved.”
    “Good thinkin’ on yer part,” Ross said. “Now, tell me what I’m worthy of.”
    “You are worthy to marry one of my daughters,” Inverary answered.
    Ross coughed and reached for a glass of whisky. He gulped a healthy swig and shuddered as the potent liquid burned a path to his stomach.
    “Russian princes are all very well,” the duke was saying, “but I aim for some of my girls to wed sturdy Scotsmen.”
    “I’m honored,” Ross hedged, “but our families dinna need another connection, ye and my father bein’ cousins and all.”
    “My wife has decided,” Inverary said, his gaze narrowing on the younger man. “Accept your fate, Ross. After all, you need to marry someone and get an heir.”
    “Which daughter does the duchess have in mind?”
    “Blaze.”
    “The animal communicator?”
    “You breed and race thoroughbreds,” the duke said, “and my Blaze added to the Inverary coffers by picking last year’s winners.”
    Ross slid his gaze to the Triple Crown trophies. “Did she ever pick a loser?”
    “I don’t believe so.”
    Ross knew he’d been hooked neater than any fish. “How does she do it?”
    “You will need to ask her.”
    “I will certainly enjoy meetin’ Blaze,” Ross said, trying to sound casual.
    “There is a minor problem,” Inverary warned him. “Blaze refuses to marry and intends to win enough money this racing season—I gave her a filly—to open a refuge for unwanted horses, dogs, and cats. Naturally, Roxie worries the girl will end a spinster.”
    “Yer daughter has ambition,” Ross said. “Which filly did ye give her?”
    “I gave her Pegasus,” the duke answered, “and Rooney will jockey her.”
    “Pegasus balks at goin’ through holes,” Ross said, “and Rooney is a drunkard. Ye’ve set yer daughter up for failure.”
    “Blaze needs to learn that horse racing can be a difficult and heartbreaking business,” the duke replied.
    “I dinna ken the reason ye keep Rooney on yer payroll,” Ross added.
    “My grandfather was his great-grandfather,” Inverary answered, “though Rooney hails from the illegitimate branch of the family.” The duke smiled, adding, “Rooney got Aunt Bedelia’s red hair, too, and could pass as my daughter’s brother. I thought you and Blaze could become acquainted under the guise of helping her.”
    “Mind ye, I amna agreein’ to marriage at this moment,” Ross said, “but I’m curious to know if yer plannin’ to force the lass down the aisle.”
    “Roxie insists on giving this daughter a choice,” the duke told him, “but she does favor you.”
    Ross loved nothing more than a challenge. “Who’s my competition?”
    “Prince Lykos Kazanov and Dirk Stanley have been invited to dine with us tonight.”
    “My stepbrother is a compulsive gambler.”
    “Roxie decided to give Blaze the choice of a prince, a marquis, and an earl,” the duke said, “but we don’t expect her to choose Dirk.”
    “I’ll be lookin’ forward to meetin’ the lass and my royal competition,” Ross said, stretching his long legs out. The racing season could prove interesting as well as lucrative.
    “You’ll like her,” Inverary said. “My Blaze has a big heart along with a hot temper to match her fiery hair, which she also inherited from Bedelia Campbell.”
    Ross crossed the office to the window and gestured outside. “Is that Blaze?”
    The Duke of Inverary joined him there. “What is she doing to my lawn?”
    Blaze dropped the shovel and, opening a sack, pulled out a fur. Shaking her head, she folded the fur and placed it in the hole. Then she reached into the sack again, producing another fur.
    “Good God, she’s burying my wife’s fur coats.”
    Ross shouted