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Authors: Loveand the Single Heiress
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keep that way. “Wonderful. I cannot…wait.”
Instead of taking offense at her deflating tone, his grin broadened. “Please, do not strain yourself with enthusiasm on my behalf.”
Humph. How dare he have good humor when he was supposed to be abashed? Must be the American in him. Well, he might plan that they would get to know each other better during his stay, but as Today’s ModernWoman well knew, she did not have to fall in with any man’s plans if she did not want to.
And based on the secrets she had to keep, Catherine most definitely did not want to.
Chapter 5
Today’s Modern Woman needs to recognize that there are times when Society’s restrictive rules should be roundly and soundly ignored. And the more attractive the gentleman in question, the more roundly and soundly the ignoring should be—discreetly, of course.
A Ladies’ Guide to the Pursuit of
Personal Happiness and Intimate Fulfillment
by Charles Brightmore
“B ickley cottage will come into view in a moment,” Lady Catherine said two hours later, pointing toward the left. “Just beyond this copse of trees.”
Thank God . Andrew hoped his relief wasn’t too obvious. The four-hour journey had felt more like four months. The last two hours had consisted of alternating awkward silences and stilted conversation. She’d studiously concentrated on her embroidery, but he prided himself on being able to read people, and she was clearly preoccupied about something. His instincts told him she was thinking about last night’s incident, which he suspected was worrying her far more than she’d admitted.
He focused his attention out the window, taking in the verdant countryside. He couldn’t wait to get out of the close quarters of the carriage, where he’d spent the last four torturous hours breathing in her delicate floral fragrance. He blew out a long, careful breath. God, did a woman exist who smelled better? No. Impossible. It had taken every ounce of his strength not to touch her, to lean closer and simply breathe her in. He had given in to the excruciating temptation and leaned closer once, and the effort he’d expended not to kiss her had cost him.
Patience. He needed to remember his campaign of subtle, gentle wooing. If he moved too quickly, he sensed she would retreat like a frightened doe. Of course, the fact that she was clearly irked with him in regards to the Guide didn’t serve him well, although he himself found her enthusiasm for Brightmore’s book and all that Today’s Modern Woman rubbish irritating as well. He suspected she would not be pleased if she were to learn that he’d been hired to locate and unmask her literary idol, Charles Brightmore.
Although his quest to find the man was temporarily suspended while he remained in Little Longstone, he’d apply himself fully to the task once he returned to London. Charles Brightmore would be exposed, Andrew would collect a very handsome fee, and all this nonsense about Today’s Modern Woman would fade away, which in turn would evaporate the tension that had sprung up between him and Lady Catherine. In the meanwhile, he’d take full advantage of his opportunity to spend time with her and set his wooing campaign into motion.
Less than a minute later, they rounded a corner in the path, revealing a stately white-columned, brick home nestled cozily against a backdrop of massive trees, gently rolling hills, and verdant lawns. The variant shades ofgreen were broken by meandering trails of vivid purple-and-pink, interspersed with blankets of pastel-hued wildflowers. Shards of late-afternoon sunlight glinted off the house’s gleaming, round-topped windows, drenching the mellowed brick façade in a golden glow. The entire scene reflected picturesque, country tranquillity. A calm, safe haven for her and her son, far away from the cruel pettiness of Society.
“I can see why you love it here,” he said.
“It’s home,” she said quietly.
“It’s much larger and grander than I
Instead of taking offense at her deflating tone, his grin broadened. “Please, do not strain yourself with enthusiasm on my behalf.”
Humph. How dare he have good humor when he was supposed to be abashed? Must be the American in him. Well, he might plan that they would get to know each other better during his stay, but as Today’s ModernWoman well knew, she did not have to fall in with any man’s plans if she did not want to.
And based on the secrets she had to keep, Catherine most definitely did not want to.
Chapter 5
Today’s Modern Woman needs to recognize that there are times when Society’s restrictive rules should be roundly and soundly ignored. And the more attractive the gentleman in question, the more roundly and soundly the ignoring should be—discreetly, of course.
A Ladies’ Guide to the Pursuit of
Personal Happiness and Intimate Fulfillment
by Charles Brightmore
“B ickley cottage will come into view in a moment,” Lady Catherine said two hours later, pointing toward the left. “Just beyond this copse of trees.”
Thank God . Andrew hoped his relief wasn’t too obvious. The four-hour journey had felt more like four months. The last two hours had consisted of alternating awkward silences and stilted conversation. She’d studiously concentrated on her embroidery, but he prided himself on being able to read people, and she was clearly preoccupied about something. His instincts told him she was thinking about last night’s incident, which he suspected was worrying her far more than she’d admitted.
He focused his attention out the window, taking in the verdant countryside. He couldn’t wait to get out of the close quarters of the carriage, where he’d spent the last four torturous hours breathing in her delicate floral fragrance. He blew out a long, careful breath. God, did a woman exist who smelled better? No. Impossible. It had taken every ounce of his strength not to touch her, to lean closer and simply breathe her in. He had given in to the excruciating temptation and leaned closer once, and the effort he’d expended not to kiss her had cost him.
Patience. He needed to remember his campaign of subtle, gentle wooing. If he moved too quickly, he sensed she would retreat like a frightened doe. Of course, the fact that she was clearly irked with him in regards to the Guide didn’t serve him well, although he himself found her enthusiasm for Brightmore’s book and all that Today’s Modern Woman rubbish irritating as well. He suspected she would not be pleased if she were to learn that he’d been hired to locate and unmask her literary idol, Charles Brightmore.
Although his quest to find the man was temporarily suspended while he remained in Little Longstone, he’d apply himself fully to the task once he returned to London. Charles Brightmore would be exposed, Andrew would collect a very handsome fee, and all this nonsense about Today’s Modern Woman would fade away, which in turn would evaporate the tension that had sprung up between him and Lady Catherine. In the meanwhile, he’d take full advantage of his opportunity to spend time with her and set his wooing campaign into motion.
Less than a minute later, they rounded a corner in the path, revealing a stately white-columned, brick home nestled cozily against a backdrop of massive trees, gently rolling hills, and verdant lawns. The variant shades ofgreen were broken by meandering trails of vivid purple-and-pink, interspersed with blankets of pastel-hued wildflowers. Shards of late-afternoon sunlight glinted off the house’s gleaming, round-topped windows, drenching the mellowed brick façade in a golden glow. The entire scene reflected picturesque, country tranquillity. A calm, safe haven for her and her son, far away from the cruel pettiness of Society.
“I can see why you love it here,” he said.
“It’s home,” she said quietly.
“It’s much larger and grander than I
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