The Outcast Earl Read Free Page B

desirable only for her money. In addition, hastily executed weddings were inevitably perceived to be a symptom of hidden drama, and, with no history between Charles and Abigail, most people would assume money was the cause for hurry. Despite these concerns, Winchester had agreed in principle and had appeared to negotiate faithfully.
    Charles could have forced the sale of or seized the valuable London house to satisfy the debts and foreclosed on the Aston mortgages. The other far-flung properties, in Wales and Ireland, were uninhabitable from neglect and old age and deeply mortgaged already, courtesy of various banks.
    To evict the countess and her four unmarried daughters from their London house, to publicly reduce them to poorhouse poverty—genteel or not—would have incensed polite society and signed the death certificate on Charles’ welcome among his peers.
    Initially, Charles had agreed to accept any of the four well-established and lively beauties as his bride and retired to his room at Brooke’s. During the next few days he’d surreptitiously watched all four on their daily excursions, admiring each for their composure and grace.
    However, as the days had passed, he’d formed his own opinion on the matter, and had begun to wish that he’d been more specific in his demand to Winchester. He had wished he’d asked for Abigail.
    Charles had been astonished when Winchester produced the contracts, signed and sealed, with Abigail’s name and signature on them. As soon as he had them in hand, Charles had packed his few belongings and returned north. He hadn’t wished to give Winchester or his daughter any simple route for changing their minds.
    Fiona, popularly said to be the family bluestocking and the eldest, had been the obvious choice. Twenty-four already, the girl was said to be uninterested in marriage. Charles had expected to have Fiona fobbed unwillingly into his bed, and would have welcomed her in fulfilment of his honourable word, even if she wasn’t part of his deepest fantasies. Either because Fiona was intelligent and known to be sharp-witted as well as sharp-tongued, or as a result of it, she was often left on the outskirts of an outing or by the wall in social settings. He’d have been happy for his children to inherit her intelligence, independence and evident strength of character. He could see no reason why they would not have developed a practical and friendly relationship over time, with her cooperation. He’d already pondered the notion of having to acquire a long-term mistress to attend his everyday needs, as he was quite sure Fiona would have little interest in sharing his bed any more frequently than was required.
    He’d not expected anyone to breathe Gloria’s name. Gloria was the eighteen-year-old rage in London, the object of the devoted attentions of at least three earls and one widowed duke twenty years her senior, and, though the rumour mill claimed she had already chosen one, no public announcement had been made. Gloria would have looked down her nose at Charles and waltzed off without a backward glance. The threat of poverty was unlikely to have swayed Gloria in the least—if the rumours could be believed, her future was assured no matter what the state of her father’s finances.
    Sixteen-year-old Genevieve could attract the attention of a dozen bucks and blades simply by walking down Bond Street with her sisters. According to the men that congregated in Pall Mall and lodged in rooms on Jermyn Street, it was not uncommon for the younger set to call at Winchester House, ostensibly to pay court to Gloria but in actuality to lie in wait for a glimpse of Genevieve, who was permitted to appear in the drawing room with her sisters for no more than twenty minutes every morning. Genevieve was not officially out and about in society, of course, but marrying her off now would have saved Winchester from the expense of at least one London season. But then, like Gloria, Genevieve would not