My Favorite Countess

My Favorite Countess Read Free Page B

Book: My Favorite Countess Read Free
Author: Vanessa Kelly
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won’t hear of it. You don’t want to marry again—you vowed you wouldn’t after—after—that is to say . . .” His words died away as he fiddled with a lump of sealing wax.
    â€œAfter Lord Trask abandoned me to marry Sophie Stanton? Go ahead, Matthew. You can say it.”
    His soft brown eyes filled with sympathy, but he remained silent. She sighed and lowered herself into the wingchair, ignoring the crackle of ancient leather.
    Her skin still crawled whenever she thought of those terrible weeks in Bath almost two years ago. Trying to come between Simon and Sophie—to wreck their engagement—had been a cruel and wrenching task. But she’d had little choice. Simon was one of the richest men in England, and if he had married her, all her money problems would have vanished like smoke. But after that episode she had lost her appetite for husband-hunting and had vowed to rescue the Randolph finances on her own. Instead, she had seen their investments—not very healthy in the first place—vanish under the weight of her own carelessness and a hired man’s greed.
    Matthew stirred, interrupting her gloomy ruminations.
    â€œYou don’t have to marry just anyone,” he said. “You could marry me.”
    His abrupt offer startled a laugh out of her. “My dear, please don’t be ridiculous.”
    â€œI’m serious,” he said stoutly. “I’m very fond of you. Always have been. And you’re a beautiful, intelligent woman. Never thought that bastard cousin of mine deserved you. I understand your worth, Bathsheba, and I would never betray you. Only say the word and I’m yours.” He finished his unexpected proposal with a shy, earnest smile.
    Bathsheba’s eyes stung. Lord, she hadn’t felt so much like crying since her father died.
    â€œMatthew, you’re a dear man and I’m very fond of you, but we wouldn’t suit. Besides, that would hardly solve our problem.”
    â€œBut if we married we could consolidate households. Sell that bloody great barn in London and retrench here in the country.”
    Anything but that. She would throw herself into the Serpentine before she moved back to Yorkshire.
    â€œDarling, you know I would go mad if I had to live here all year ’round. And I would make your life a misery. My mind is made up. I’ll return to London right away and begin looking for a husband in earnest.”
    She smiled at him, seeking to ease his anxiety. “I’m not completely without resources. I don’t think I’ll have too much difficulty finding someone who will suit. He simply needs to be very wealthy, and to bother me as little as possible.”
    Matthew bristled. “Of course you won’t have any trouble. Never meant to suggest otherwise. Just snap your fingers and every man in London will be falling all over you.”
    â€œYes,” she replied sarcastically. “But this time I have to persuade one of them to actually marry me.”
    He shushed her and rearranged the papers on his desk, but Bathsheba couldn’t fail to notice his relief that she had rejected his proposal. No wonder she had turned so cynical. Men didn’t want to marry her. They only wanted to bed her. Well, at least she could acquit Matthew of that charge. He didn’t even want that.
    â€œBathsheba, what are you going to do about Rachel?”
    Her heart jolted with a hard, extra beat. Why did Matthew have to bring her sister up now? Didn’t they have enough to worry about? “I’m not going to do anything about Rachel. She’s fine just where she is.”
    He fiddled with his papers some more. “I was thinking we could bring her here—to Compton Manor. I could look out for her, and I’ve more than enough servants to tend to her needs. That, at least, would relieve you of the expense of her upkeep.”
    She stared at him, stunned by the suggestion, fighting back

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