Read Online Lessons from a Scandalous Bride by Sophie Jordan - Free Book Online Page B

miserable squalor. Marrying Thrumgoodie would see to that. It would grant her the freedom and independence to live her life and use her money as she wished without sacrificing her body and heart to a man who would use and abuse both.
    Thrumgoodie was the one. She might never find a gentleman so perfectly suited to her needs. He was safe and unthreatening.
    The sting was back in her eyes again. She blinked several times as the doubts pressed in on her. Blast it. Moisture built in her eyes and she wiped at them furiously, marveling at her sudden emotion. Because of Hamilton? She snorted. He hadn’t aggravated her to such a degree before. Maybe the tenor of his threats had altered today and frightened her?
    She shook her head, quickly dismissing that. No. She wasn’t afraid of him. Living beneath her stepfather’s roof, she’d tasted the bitterness of fear before. When she was a girl, Roger’s alcohol-laced voice had spit angry words that shadowed every moment. Those days had been a haze of unrelenting dread.
    Fear didn’t make her doubt herself now. But something else—someone else—did.
    A certain gentleman’s taunting voice and derisive remarks suddenly had her questioning herself. Absurd. Leaning her head back against the tree, she listened to the thoughts warring inside her head. She wasn’t hurting anyone. Lord Thrumgoodie would be thrilled for her companionship . . . thrilled to call her wife. Why did a certain cad have to give her second thoughts?
    Steps sounded on the path and she jerked her gaze up, spotting Hamilton advancing down the path. Had he followed her? He hadn’t noticed her yet. With a small gasp, she dove into the press of shrubbery edging the pond. Drastic perhaps, but the last thing she wanted was to be cornered alone by the vile man.
    Holding her breath as though that would somehow make her quieter, she lifted her skirts and moved deeper into the undergrowth, hoping her gown wasn’t detectable from the path.
    She glanced over her shoulder, making sure she wasn’t being followed. A branch snagged her hair and she winced, attempting to free herself without ruining her coiffure.
    “Allow me.”
    She froze at the sound of the deep voice. Her stomach dipped as strong fingers delicately freed the strands of her hair.
    She quickly stepped back several paces, surveying who else hid in the shrubbery alongside her. “Lord McKinney,” she greeted.
    “Miss Hadley.” He motioned to the tight press of trees and undergrowth surrounding them. “Seeking a moment alone?”
    “You could say that. And you?”
    He smiled, but there was no humor in it. “Likewise.” His cool gray gaze flitted over her.
    She evaluated him in turn. He wore a deep blue jacket with tan trousers. Apparently he’d eschewed the vivid colors that seemed requisite at a garden party.
    They said nothing more, simply considered each other thoughtfully. After a moment, he moved. She watched warily as he closed the space between them, his booted feet crackling over twigs and fallen leaves.
    “I’ve been giving some thought to what you said,” he finally announced.
    “Have you?” She tried to reveal none of her surprise that he should be thinking about anything she said. “And what was it I said requiring such reflection?”
    “That we are both great pretenders, fooling poor souls into thinking we care about them for our own agenda.”
    “Ah, yes. That.”
    “And you’re right. We’re both playing at this game of securing a spouse.”
    She angled her head. “Game?”
    A rueful smile curved his lips. “Hunting for a wife, or in your case a husband, is nothing more than a game.”
    He continued, “That being the case, we shouldn’t be sniping at one another. It serves no purpose.”
    She crossed her arms awkwardly. “No. I suppose not.” What was he suggesting? That they actually be friends? Warning bells rang in her ears.
    “Splendid.”
    She nodded, feeling like an awkward schoolgirl. It was easier before this