The Pursuit Of Marriage Read Free

it’s this, this, this pastime of yours. You should be married. Having children, that sort of thing. Not, well, employed.”
    “I see. I should have known.” She bit back a grin. “First of all, dear brother, I’m not employed. I employ myself. It provides me with a sense of independence and competence and I quite enjoy it. And secondly, it’s not a pastime, it’s a business.”
    “A business.” Leo groaned. “That’s even worse.”
    “Actually, it’s quite wonderful.” Cassie leaned toward him confidentially. “And I am making a substantial amount of money.”
    Leo’s brow shot up in surprise. “Refurbishing houses? I find that hard to believe.”
    “Believe it. I have a very exclusive, and very wealthy, clientele who employ me to decide on paint and paper and furnishings and whatever else I deem appropriate for their very opulent homes.”
    “And they pay you for this?” He stared at her as if he couldn’t comprehend why anyone would pay good money for such a thing. It was such a very male look that it was all she could do not to laugh aloud.
    “Indeed they do. In truth, my fees are exorbitant, and I am well worth it. I have excellent taste and a natural gift for decoration and design.” Cassie had discovered said gift last year when she’d helped Delia refurbish the house she’d inherited from her first husband, and she’d honed it further when she’d done the same thing for the house Delia now shared with St. Stephens. “Most of my clients thus far have been women, and quite frankly, one of the reasons they are so eager to acquire my services is because I am an Effington. They adore having the advice of an Effington and are willing to pay outrageously for the privilege. Indeed,” she cast him a satisfied smile, “they do not so much hire me as I select them.”
    “Still and all, you’re, well, in business.”
    “You needn’t sound so stuffy. My services may be overpriced but there’s nothing at all disgraceful about this. I daresay there are far worse things I could be doing.”
    “You could be doing needlework,” he muttered.
    She shot him a scathing glance.
    He glared in return. “Regardless, Cassandra, do not forget you are an Effington—”
    “And you would do well to remember we are but a few generations removed from cutthroats and pirates who made their fortunes in ways much more unsavory than selecting carpets and directing paperhangers.”
    He stared for a moment, then sighed in surrender. “You’re right, of course.” Still, the man was not about to give up. “But can’t you just do what you do for, well, fun?” His expression brightened. “That’s it, Cass, do it for fun, refuse to accept so much as one more penny, and I shan’t say another word about it.”
    “Are you daft? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard you say.” She scoffed. “I have no intention of wasting my time redoing the homes of people for nothing. People who wager and lose more money in an evening than hardworking folk earn in a lifetime. The ton may well look down its collective nose at the legitimate earning of money, but it also measures worth very much in terms of monetary value. If I were to give away my services, they would lose their worth. Part of the appeal of having a room designed by Miss Cassandra Effington is that very few can truly afford it. I, dear brother, am a luxury.”
    “But you have no need of money.”
    “One can always use more money,” she said loftily. Cassie was not about to admit to her older brother that she fully intended to donate the money she’d made to a worthy cause. She simply hadn’t decided what, but was confident the cause would present itself when the time was right. “Besides, it fills my days in a useful manner and—”
    “Regardless, I don’t approve.” He pressed his lips together firmly. “And I don’t like it.”
    “You don’t have to, because I do.” She favored him with her sweetest smile and was gratified to see his