Read Online A Secret Passion by Sophia Nash - Free Book Online

him.
    She remembered how shocked she had been by Cutty’s proposal several years ago. Before she could refuse, he had explained his offer and her options. Cutty had said her father, in a drunken stupor, told him he was going to give her hand to Lord Wythe in return for restoration of the family’s finances. Cutty had endeavored to dissuade him from the appalling idea, as Lord Wythe was of questionable character. With much mopping of his brow, Cutty had even relayed to Jane in whispering tones that he understood Wythe was barred from visiting certain establishments of willing females due to the nature of his perverse sexual proclivities.
    Cutty had been relentless in his efforts to change Lord Fairchild’s mind, all to no avail. In desperation, he had finally offered to wed Jane himself. He had explained to her that he had initially pondered the thought of lending money to her father. However, he had been almost sure that if the Fairchild finances were ever in doubt again, Jane’s fate might become entangled with Lord Wythe once more.
    Cutty had always been kind to Jane when she was growing up. She had first met him the summer following his wife’s death. He and his young son had ridden neck or nothing over the downs of Cornwall, always inviting Jane to help chase away their grief.
    So Jane had given up her dreams of marrying Harry. She had felt too much gratitude toward Cutty to even mention her desire and too much fear for her family to discuss it with her father. Cutty had in return promised to protect her, love her, and care for her in all ways save the marriage bed. He apologized to her for not being able to give her a child, but told her that at least he would never hurt her or force her to do her duty, as so many women deplored. And she in turn, free from the recent unhappiness in her familial home, blossomed. It was a pleasant, idyllic time, and only occasionally, very occasionally, did she feel something was missing. It was then that she would wonder about Harry, her first true childhood friend and love. Her intense loyalty to Cutty, however, forced many daydreams to be cut short.
    She wondered if Harry was back in Cornwall after all the years at university. His sister, Fanny, had written to her that he was expected. And had he had the chance to brave the wilds of foreign soil in quest of elusive winged species? Mostly, she wondered if she still held a special place in his heart. He was the only man with whom she felt she could trust her secret if they ever married. For no one knew she was still a virgin. It was a fact that embarrassed her and could cause additional problems if ever revealed. For Cutty had explained that ancient marriage laws could render their marriage void, since it was never consummated. Because of this, he had arranged an independence for her upon his death.
    What Cutty had forgotten was Jane’s love of her family’s stables in Cornwall, a fact her father had used to his advantage. On darker days, she worried that Cutty’s heir by his first marriage, his son, Richard, might try to retrieve the money if it was learned that her marriage was never consummated.
    Her greatest wish was to go to Cornwall, find Harry, and wed him. Material wealth was nothing to her. Her years with Cutty had proved beyond any doubt that wealth did not constitute joy. In fact, happiness died a quiet, slow death when the soul was not nurtured by a great love, or at least some hope for romantic love.
    But if Harry wed her, what would become of Clarissa? By Jane’s refusal to marry Billingsley, her family now faced financial ruin. Jane worried that her aunt’s quarterly allowance might end. She could not bear the idea of Clarissa working for her living. And it was doubtful that Harry could be persuaded to include Clarissa in their wedded bliss, for Clarissa and Harry had always agreed to disagree on every topic. And so the arguments and answers swirled in her mind and terminated in another wracking