Read Online Josephine: Bride of Louisiana (American Mail-Order Bride 18) by Cindy Caldwell - Free Book Online Page B

straight in her chair, ready for the blow she knew was coming.
    His eyes radiated sympathy, and her heart tugged. “Josephine, I know that last night didn’t go that well.”
    She clasped her hands in her lap. “That is an understatement, Monsieur.”
    “Pierre,” he corrected. “Pierre. And I would like to make a proposal to you, as we have already invested a substantial amount of time and effort in this endeavor. You’ve traveled halfway across the continent, and I think there may be a solution.”
    She raised her eyebrows. “A solution?”
    Pierre cleared his throat and he stood, pacing on the other side of the table. Josephine followed him with her eyes, wishing he would just say what he was going to say.
    “I would like it very much if you would consider staying.” He sat down again at the table and folded his hands in front of him.
    “Staying? Surely you’re joking, and that is very cruel. It was evident to everyone last night--including myself--that I do not have the skills or breeding to do what it is you need of me.”
    Pierre circled his thumbs around each other. He took a deep breath and said, “No. You may not now, but I’d like to teach you. Please stay, Josephine. We--I--need your help.”
    Josephine’s head reeled and her eyes grew wide. This was not at all what she’d expected. She stood and took a step back, sure he was mocking her. “Monsieur, that is truly unkind.”
    He stood and walked around the table, taking her hands in his. “I am not mocking you. We have run out of time, and if you would be kind enough to stay and accept a bit of--help--I would be most grateful.”
    She pulled her hands away, the sensation unsettling. If she did consider accepting his offer, the last thing she needed was to have any feelings--about anyone or anything at The Willows. It would be her undoing.
    Squeezing the letter to Michelle in her pocket, she realized that she owed it to herself--and to Michelle--to give this a try before she turned up on Michelle’s doorstep.
    She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and looked straight into his crystal clear blue ones. “All right, Pierre. I will do my best to try to make this work.”
    He hung his head briefly and rubbed his eyes. When he looked up, his eyes had softened once more and he said, “Thank you, Josephine. I am truly grateful, and I promise you won’t regret it.”
    She gripped the letter once more and decided to send it anyway and she would at least know whether she was welcome at Michelle’s or not, just in case the time came that she needed to leave in a hurry.

Chapter Fourteen
    “ P ierre , she really is a kind young lady. Are you sure this is the right thing to do?” Bernadette poured another cup of coffee as Pierre explained his plan.
    He warmed his hands on the mug and sighed. “Bernadette, you know as well as I do how ridiculous this situation is. Why on Earth would my inheritance be tied to whether or not I’m married? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
    Bernadette turned away, reaching into the icebox for anything that might go into a picnic basket. Josephine had gone upstairs to change her clothes as Pierre had suggested they take a tour of the plantation and if they did that, they would need to eat at some point.
    “Bernadette? Did you hear me?”
    “I did, young man. You know I loved your mother very much. Enough to know that if that was what she wanted for you, she had a good reason.”
    Pierre watched as she lowered her eyes and looked away, reaching into the cabinets below for a loaf of bread. She took out a tin of foie gras and added it to the basket, along with several imported French cheeses.
    He turned up his nose and said, “Are you trying to starve us? You know I don’t like that stuff.”
    “Blasphemy, Pierre,” Bernadette said as she grinned at him, adding chocolate and several other things from the icebox to the basket. “I’ll make sure there’s something included that you will want to eat. When