Read Online Seducing the Viscount by Alexandra Ivy - Free Book Online Page B

unwitting nerve. “I am a fraud in many ways, Mercy Simpson. Now, turnabout is fair play.”
    She blinked as he took an unexpected step forward, bringing him close enough that she could catch the tantalizing scent of sandalwood.
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œHow do you spend your days in your quiet village?”
    Her fingers tightened on the orchid, plucking one of the petals before she could halt the revealing reaction.
    â€œYou cannot be interested.”
    A raven brow flicked upward. “As you informed me earlier, I believe I should be allowed to decide.”
    Mercy grudgingly accepted that he did have a point. She had demanded that he ease her curiosity, and although it was far from sated, it was only right that she return the favor.
    Still, she found her stomach twisting with dread. Speaking of her dull, tedious life in the village was a reminder that this time at Rosehill was no more than a brief dream that would all too soon come to an end.
    â€œI awaken at dawn to feed the chickens and stir the fires. Then I return to the cottage to assist my parents in rising from their beds and preparing for the day.” She kept her voice determinedly calm. “After that I cook breakfast and then spend the morning tending to the garden.”
    His brows snapped together. “You have no servants?”
    â€œWe have a maid that comes daily from the village to assist in the heavy cleaning and an old gardener who will occasionally stop by to help with odd jobs.”
    Expecting him to peer down his very handsome nose at her humble existence, Mercy was caught off guard when genuine fury darkened his eyes.
    â€œSo you are expected to take care of the cooking and gardening as well as tending to your parents?”
    â€œI was born quite late in their lives, and they are now too old to assist in the chores. As their daughter, it is my duty to see to their welfare.”
    â€œYou have no money to pay for servants?”
    â€œMy father has a stipend, and I was fortunate enough to receive a small legacy from my grandmother.”
    â€œThen why do you not have a proper staff?”
    She shrugged. “My father is set in his ways and dislikes having others in the cottage. He claims they disturb his digestion.”
    â€œHis digestion?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œAnd he is more concerned with his digestion than the fact he treats his own daughter as a slave?”
    Mercy stiffened. Her father was demanding and perhaps more obstinate than she would like, but he had always loved her. It was more than many daughters could claim.
    â€œHardly a slave.”
    â€œI would say precisely as a slave.” He took another step forward, the heat of his body brushing her skin and making her shiver. “You said yourself that you are never allowed to enjoy the usual pursuits of young ladies and rarely even travel to the village.”
    â€œYes, but—”
    â€œNot to mention the fact that you have been denied the pleasures of friends and flirtations and the simple enjoyments all maidens deserve. The devil take it, you have been denied your very life. And all because your father is too selfish to think of anyone but himself.”
    She flinched at his harsh words, not at all certain why he was reacting with such vehemence. She was nothing more than a passing acquaintance, was she not? One that he seemed determined to keep at a distance.
    â€œThat is not true,” she insisted. “My father loves me.”
    â€œPerhaps too much,” he growled.
    â€œI beg your pardon?”
    â€œHave you considered that a portion of his determination to keep you secluded and overworked is because he fears you might someday discover there is a world beyond your isolated cottage, and that on that day you will leave him?”
    Mercy took a sharp step backward, her heart clenching with a sudden fear. It was more than an unease at having a near stranger insult the man who had loved and cared for her for