Read Online The Earl's Passionate Plot by Susan Gee Heino - Free Book Online

"I'll talk to cook about putting together a hamper for us and find out if others are interested."
    " Capital! This is shaping up to be a most distracting holiday for me," Mr. Chadburne said with a grin.
    Mariah knew her attempt at a corresponding grin was not nearly so successful. This might be a holiday for Mr. Chadburne, but it was serious business for her. She had to somehow throw together a picnic outing and convince Miss Vandenhoff to come along. Worse, she had to convince the girl to enjoy it.
     
    The earl eyed his cousin once Miss Langley left the room. Ned seemed in high spirits today—a little too high, by his estimation. If his plan was to have any hope of working out, he'd best make very certain his cousin understood his goal here.
    " Verdant embrace of nature ?" he quoted, not holding back on the mocking sneer.
    "I thought she might be of a romantic nature and be given to fancy language."
    "She isn't."
    "She seems a game sort, though," Ned assessed. "And I certainly like the looks of her."
    "Well, don't. She's not your quarry and I'll thank you to stop liking her looks or anything about her."
    "Oh? Got some designs of your own, cousin?"
    The earl snorted at that—perhaps a bit too loudly—but he hoped his quick explanation would cover.
    "Hardly. She's my tenant, Ned, and off limits to you. I've brought you here for one purpose and that's what you should concentrate on."
    "The heiress. Right. I'll win her over, no doubt, but I don't see why I can't enjoy the rest of the scenery while I'm here."
    "Miss Langley is not scenery."
    Now Ned was the one who snorted. "She definitely looked like it to me."
    "Well stop looking. If you must start making cow's eyes at someone, then Miss Vandenhoff is your aim."
    Ned shrugged. "I don't see why you don't just marry her yourself and let me go pick out my own bride."
    "We've been over this. I'll put things back to right after my father's embarrassing tenure, but I won't be responsible for future generations. That's to be your purview, I'm afraid, and the Vandenhoff chit is just what is needed to breathe a little fresh air into our bloodline."
    "Fresh money, you mean. And my father was nearly as bad as yours was about looking after things," Ned insisted. "I don't see why you're so convinced I need to be the one to carry on the family tree."
    "Trust me, your children will thank me."
    Ned seemed unimpressed with the prospect. "If you say so. I'm just hoping not to have children who look like the very devil. Is this Vandenhoff chit easy on the eyes? Am I going to have to hide her away in the country all our married life?"
    "She's perfectly passable."
    "Oh good God. She's a wildebeest, isn't she?"
    "Absolutely not. Miss Vandenhoff is adequately sized, has all the right features in all the expected places, and you'll note that her complexion is better than average. She dresses herself well and will be seen as a credit to any man."
    "As will her father's money. Are you certain I must go through with this?"
    "Yes. The estate needs an heiress, so I've found you one."
    "Word around Town is that you've done miracles for the depleted family coffers already. You seem to have a knack for this finance business, Dovey. Why not just keep doing what you have been and let nature take its course? You're putting the estate back to rights, and we can both just go on and marry whomever we please."
    " I will never marry anyone," Dovington said firmly. "And you will marry an heiress; preferably this one. This is the way it needs to be, Ned. Don't tell me you've gone soft in the head and started believing in romantic nonsense about true love and marital bliss. You and I have both seen enough to know that's nothing but rubbish."
    "You're right, of course. The Chadburne family hasn't exactly perfected the art of chivalrous behavior. Still, I can't help but wonder if —"
    "Well stop wondering. You're here to attach Miss Vandenhoff. Don't bother yourself with any task but that. Once you've snagged her and