Read Online His Reluctant Lady by Ruth Ann Nordin - Free Book Online

Indeed it is,” Mister
Robinson agreed, undaunted by her less-than-enthusiastic reaction.
Looking at his cousin, he added, “Lady Richfield and I will follow
you and Miss Garrison.”
    As her sister and Lord Clement rode
ahead of them, Agatha reluctantly urged her horse to ride beside
Mister Robinson down Rotten Row. At least the broad track was aptly
named. This outing was bound to be one rotten
experience.
    While Lord Clement and Sophie talked,
Mister Robinson glanced in Agatha’s direction. “You do well on a
horse.”
    “ Of course, I do.” She
wasn’t incompetent on it like her first husband was. “Just because
I’m a lady, it doesn’t mean I can’t ride as well as a
gentleman.”
    “ I never implied you didn’t
ride as well as a gentleman.”
    “ That’s true,” she
relented.
    “ Why would you even think
I’d say something like that?”
    “ Because most gentlemen
assume a lady can’t do anything as well as they can.” She looked at
him, challenging him to argue this simple fact with her.
    He laughed and shot her a charming
smile that made her heartbeat pick up. She hated it when he did
that. A gentleman had no right to be so good looking when he smiled
that way. “I assure you that I don’t doubt your abilities, my lady.
You ride better than some gentlemen I know. You also have sharper
wit than most of them.”
    She relaxed. “Oh.”
    “ Don’t be so quick to judge
me. I know you’re my equal. It’s why you enchant me.”
    She had no idea what was wrong with
him. Any other gentleman would have given up on her by now. Why he
insisted on pursuing her, she couldn’t understand. “Mister
Robinson, would it help if I told you that I have no intention of
marrying anyone? My disinterest in you isn’t personal. I’m a very
happy widow. I answer to no gentleman, and I prefer it that
way.”
    “ Now you do me a grave
disservice. I don’t want to control you. I want to be your
companion, someone you’ll share life’s joys and sorrows with,
someone who’ll stand by your side and support you in all your
endeavors.”
    Be her companion? Since when did any
gentleman want that, unless… “I have no desire to take a lover,”
she said in a low voice so the couple ahead wouldn’t overhear
her.
    “ Me neither. I don’t do
anything halfway. I want all of you.”
    She sighed. “What will it take to make
you give up this foolish nonsense? Money?”
    He gasped and pressed his hand to his
chest. “Surely, my lady, you don’t mean to imply that I am so
shallow that I only value you for your money.”
    “ It’s no secret I’m
wealthier than most widows.”
    “ My cousin has plenty of
money. If I cared so much about money, I’d do everything I could to
make sure my cousin never got married. Without an heir, his title
and money will go to me.”
    “ But he’s young. The chance
of him dying anytime soon is minimal, something that makes marriage
to a wealthy widow more appealing.”
    “ It’s a shame you think so
little of me. I suppose only time will prove my intentions are
honorable.”
    Goodness! Did that mean he really
wasn’t going to stop vying for her hand? She didn’t know whether to
be excited or frustrated. As much as he baffled her, she found his
determination intriguing.
    “ May I visit you sometime?
Say tomorrow afternoon?” he asked.
    “ No. I need to do something
important.” This wasn’t a lie. She needed to get back to her
writing, and she got so little opportunities to do it ever since
she agreed to help her sister find a suitable husband.
    “ I can help you with
whatever pressing matter you have,” he offered.
    “ What I need to do has to be
done alone.”
    “ Lady Richfield,” he began,
his eyes pleading with her, “can’t you give me a chance? I won’t
disappoint you.”
    “ So you will give up your
pointless pursuit?”
    “ No. I’m just afraid if you
keep forcing me out, then I might have to find a
less-than-desirable way to marry you. Scandals are easy to