Read Online Pascale Duguay by Twice Ruined - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Twice Ruined
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throwing angry looks in her direction as if this was all her doing.
Just like the old days, she thought. She had never been able to please the man as a child. She did not see why things should be any different now. Had she known that the man she had been looking after for the last few days was the pimply, arrogant, pompous ass of her youth, she would never have accepted a ride in his phaeton in the first place. She would rather have walked barefoot all the way to Lady Rutherford’s home — or his home, to be more precise.
Patience had no idea what would happen next. She could not wait to meet with her aunt in private in the hope that Lady Westbury would believe that nothing had happened between Julius and herself, no matter that all the evidence was pointing to the contrary. But that hope was squished as soon as they set foot in the huge mansion. Lady Westbury, ignoring her niece’s pleading looks, clasped her hand and forced her to join the others in a nearby salon, Simmons hard on their heels.
“Of course you both know what this means,” started Lady Westbury, jumping right into the heart of the matter as she slammed the door on the butler. Patience winced when he nearly got his long nose trapped in the doorway. “I hope you are ready to do the honourable thing, Julius?”
Patience transferred her attention to the Earl. She found herself holding her breath as she stared at his clenched jaw. There could only be two possible answers to this question. Realizing that she really did not care to know what he wanted at the moment, she blurted, “Aunt Louisa, Lady Rutherford, I know what you must be imagining, but it was not like that at all! The Earl and I did not…I mean we never…well, nothing happened between us!”
“My dear Patience,” said her aunt, “it does not matter what we think. The whole countryside is already aware that the Earl and a gentlewoman shared a bedroom in that cottage for almost a week. The news will soon be all about London. You will be socially ruined if you do not marry Julius.”
The Earl came to stand next to Patience. He took her cold hand in his even colder one, and for a moment she was certain he would join her in dispelling this ridiculous notion that they must absolutely be married. Without looking at her, he said in a voice devoid of all emotion, “Do not worry. I will do my duty.”
He immediately dropped her hand, made a stiff bow, turned and walked out of the room, leaving a stunned audience staring after him.
Julius strode to his study at the end of the hall and slammed the door shut behind him. With shaking fingers, he lit the branch of candles sitting on the mantelpiece. It had taken all of his self-control not to strangle Patience when he had made his declaration. How could she have gotten him stuck in such a coil? If only she had given him her real name at the outset, he would not now be forced to marry her. He should have realized who she was earlier. What a fool he had been not to recognize that hair. True, Patience may have changed from a skinny little girl to a desirable woman, but that hair should have told him right away who she was. He had never met anyone else sporting that particular shade of red.
Julius could not deny that Patience made his blood boil with desire. But as desirable as she may be, she had none of the qualities he had been looking for in a wife. The image of Miss Cecilia Arlington came to mind. The two women were as different as night and day. He could not imagine Miss Arlington setting off all by herself, travelling on foot under an assumed name, hopping into the first vehicle that chanced by, making up the most outrageous stories, breaking an innkeeper’s nose, and sharing a bed with an unknown man in a farmer’s cottage for days on end under false pretences. However, he could certainly imagine Patience doing so!
He well remembered all the scrapes she had gotten into while on a visit with her aunt all those years ago. He had not had one
Just like the old days, she thought. She had never been able to please the man as a child. She did not see why things should be any different now. Had she known that the man she had been looking after for the last few days was the pimply, arrogant, pompous ass of her youth, she would never have accepted a ride in his phaeton in the first place. She would rather have walked barefoot all the way to Lady Rutherford’s home — or his home, to be more precise.
Patience had no idea what would happen next. She could not wait to meet with her aunt in private in the hope that Lady Westbury would believe that nothing had happened between Julius and herself, no matter that all the evidence was pointing to the contrary. But that hope was squished as soon as they set foot in the huge mansion. Lady Westbury, ignoring her niece’s pleading looks, clasped her hand and forced her to join the others in a nearby salon, Simmons hard on their heels.
“Of course you both know what this means,” started Lady Westbury, jumping right into the heart of the matter as she slammed the door on the butler. Patience winced when he nearly got his long nose trapped in the doorway. “I hope you are ready to do the honourable thing, Julius?”
Patience transferred her attention to the Earl. She found herself holding her breath as she stared at his clenched jaw. There could only be two possible answers to this question. Realizing that she really did not care to know what he wanted at the moment, she blurted, “Aunt Louisa, Lady Rutherford, I know what you must be imagining, but it was not like that at all! The Earl and I did not…I mean we never…well, nothing happened between us!”
“My dear Patience,” said her aunt, “it does not matter what we think. The whole countryside is already aware that the Earl and a gentlewoman shared a bedroom in that cottage for almost a week. The news will soon be all about London. You will be socially ruined if you do not marry Julius.”
The Earl came to stand next to Patience. He took her cold hand in his even colder one, and for a moment she was certain he would join her in dispelling this ridiculous notion that they must absolutely be married. Without looking at her, he said in a voice devoid of all emotion, “Do not worry. I will do my duty.”
He immediately dropped her hand, made a stiff bow, turned and walked out of the room, leaving a stunned audience staring after him.
Julius strode to his study at the end of the hall and slammed the door shut behind him. With shaking fingers, he lit the branch of candles sitting on the mantelpiece. It had taken all of his self-control not to strangle Patience when he had made his declaration. How could she have gotten him stuck in such a coil? If only she had given him her real name at the outset, he would not now be forced to marry her. He should have realized who she was earlier. What a fool he had been not to recognize that hair. True, Patience may have changed from a skinny little girl to a desirable woman, but that hair should have told him right away who she was. He had never met anyone else sporting that particular shade of red.
Julius could not deny that Patience made his blood boil with desire. But as desirable as she may be, she had none of the qualities he had been looking for in a wife. The image of Miss Cecilia Arlington came to mind. The two women were as different as night and day. He could not imagine Miss Arlington setting off all by herself, travelling on foot under an assumed name, hopping into the first vehicle that chanced by, making up the most outrageous stories, breaking an innkeeper’s nose, and sharing a bed with an unknown man in a farmer’s cottage for days on end under false pretences. However, he could certainly imagine Patience doing so!
He well remembered all the scrapes she had gotten into while on a visit with her aunt all those years ago. He had not had one
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