The Scandalous Son Read Free Page A

truly is endearing even if she does tend to spoil me a bit,” she smiled.
                  Gage quietly admired Alice’s smile. She was captivating as she spoke. “Tell me about your parents,” he said.
                  “Well,” Alice said as they continued to walk along the path. “My father was a captain for a shipping company for many years. My mother is a wonderfully sweet and gentle soul. It’s just the three of us and we lived comfortably in a nice sized home. That was until my father broke his leg one day while abroad his ship.”
                  “Both the break and the healing process were very painful for him and he became a bit out of sorts. He couldn’t return to work and soon times got lean and we had to downsize to a smaller cottage. This is why they sent me to come stay with Aunt Millie for the season. It is their hope that I will land a nice young man with a secure future. They just want a better life for me. Oh, but listen to me, just going on and on. How bored you must be,” she said.
                  “I could never be bored with you,” Gage said as he assured her with one of his charming smiles. “I’m truly sorry about your father’s accident and everything that transpired because of it.”
                  They turned as the small path moved left and they found themselves in another section of the garden, a more secluded area. They came upon a bench and decided to sit for a bit before they kept going.
                  Alice sat down first and arranged her dress so that it was spread out next to her instead of bunched up underneath her. Gage politely waited for her to get settled and then he sat next to her, purposely sitting just a bit too close to her. Once again, he couldn’t help himself.
                  Alice sat quietly and gazed at the beautiful scene in front of her but Gage couldn’t take his eyes off of the heavenly creature sitting next to him. Her pale blond hair and blue eyes were captivating enough but it was her wit and charm that held him rapt.
                  “So tell me,Mr. Albrigh t ”
                  “Please, just Gage will do,” he stopped her.
                  “Alright then, Gage,” she said, liking the sound of his name on her lips. “I’ve shared my story, would you care to even things out a bit and tell me about your family?”
                  Gage sighed. “My mum actually passed away not too long ago and my father wasn’t really a part of my life,” he said somberly.
                  Alice felt horrible for him. She couldn’t imagine losing one of her parents. “I’m so sorry, Gage,” she said as touched his shoulder, comfortingly.
                  Gage liked the feel of her hand on him but he knew that he couldn’t dwell on that. “It’s alright, my mother was one of the best parents a child could ask for. We used to have so much fun, just the two of us. One day, we spent an entire afternoon at the park and just watched as the world went by. We would come up with these incredible, fantastically absurd stories about what they were on their way to do. It was lovely.”
                  Before Alice could comment on his father, he got up and offered his hand. “Shall we continue on?” he asked.
                  “Yes, I think we should,” she agreed as she put her hand into his. He released it once they were standing and they continued to walk down the path.
                  It was easy to get caught up in her charm, and Gage was enjoying it, but the mention of his father has upset him. Thinking about his father put a damper on his mood and the remainder of the walk was a quiet one.
                  “I’m sorry I put a damper on your stroll today, it was not my intention,” Gage apologized when they reached the