Read Online The Bride Insists by Jane Ashford - Free Book Online Page A

panted. “Remove him immediately.”
    â€œHe likes you,” said one, gazing down at Clare as she continued to try to fend off the beast’s attentions. Her hands were now dripping with saliva.
    â€œHis name is Randolph,” added the other.
    â€œHe’s half wolfhound and half mastiff.”
    â€œThe vicar’s dog got into Mr. Fox’s kennel.”
    â€œHe was hopping mad,” said the other twin, with sparkling eyes.
    â€œRandolph was the only puppy in the litter. Mr. Fox was going to drown him!” Their dialogue was sending Selina’s head back and forth like a pendulum.
    â€œBut we came to the rescue.”
    â€œWe don’t care if he’s a mongol.”
    â€œMongrel,” corrected the other twin.
    â€œCall him off!” Selina commanded.
    The doorway erupted. Jamie ran out, followed by an older couple, the woman’s hands flapping in dismay. Pushing Selina aside, Jamie grabbed the dog’s collar and yanked him off. “Take him away,” he told the twins as he helped Clare to her feet.
    Her face was dripping stickily. Her clothes were marked with muddy paw prints. She had no doubt that her bonnet was ruined. May I present the new mistress of your household , she said silently, wondering whether to laugh or break down in hysterics.
    The twins made no move to control the dog, who frisked about the group as if he’d done just as he ought. They were observing the scene like a scientific experiment.
    â€œThese are my sisters,” Jamie said.
    Startled, Clare met his dark eyes. “Sisters?”
    Except for the capering dog, the scene froze as it became obvious to all present that this piece of information was wholly new to her. Faces exhibited a range of reactions, from Selina’s astonished disapproval to the older couple’s quickly stifled worry to the twins’ resigned grimaces. Jamie had the grace to look shame-faced.
    â€œI’m Tamsyn,” said one twin then.
    â€œI’m Tegan,” chimed in the other. “It means ‘pretty little thing’ in Cornish.” The girl smirked up at the adults.
    Jamie put his hands firmly on the second girl’s shoulders. “ Tamsyn has a small mole on her neck,” he said, his jaw tight.
    Clare saw the tiny mark that identified the child. They’d been trying a trick that their brother clearly recognized.
    Jamie moved to his other maddening sister and set warning hands on her shoulders. “ Tegan is just a hair shorter.”
    Clare could see it if she looked carefully.
    â€œIt is quite easy to tell them apart,” Jamie finished. Except that they are both imps of Satan , he added to himself. He’d written them with news of the wedding. He’d commanded them to be on their best behavior when they welcomed a new sister-in-law to Trehearth. He’d hoped to present them in a proper state. Of course it had been a forlorn hope that they would put on suitable gowns, which they certainly possessed, and pretend, at least, to be civilized. Allow Clare to believe, however briefly, that they were not going to be a plague on her existence. But as always, they’d ignored him. Or, no. Devil take it—this was their best behavior. They had no more manners than a pair of feral cats.
    A familiar guilt mingled with his anger. Was it any wonder that he hadn’t found an… opportunity to talk to Clare about them? They made it so difficult. But their lapses weren’t his fault. What did he know of rearing young ladies? How could he have been expected to do any sort of job of it with not a penny to spare? Now, though, he would have to endure another lecture about his failures. His sisters should be at school; they should have a governess. Did people really think he was so stupid as not to have tried these things? Could they even imagine the disasters that had ensued?
    The dog came over to fawn at Selina’s feet. She backed away. The animal was buff