noose, it might as well be with a girl as sweet-natured and beautiful as Miss Merridew. You have needs and desires, too, you know.”
Sebastian quickened his pace. “My needs and desires are not important. Miss Merridew may be all that you claim, but she is the wrong sort of person for the girls. I need someone who can deal with harsh reality, not a girl who has spent her life wrapped in cotton wool.”
“Yes, but I told you, the Merridew girls have experienced—”
“Enough! The subject is no longer open for discussion,” Sebastian snapped and lengthened his stride along the cobbled pavement. Giles, like other members of the upper classes, had no idea of what true hardship was. Despite his sympathetic nature, despite what he knew of Sebastian’s life, he was essentially ignorant of how the rest of the world lived.
Miss Merridew may have experienced what she considered hardships, but he doubted if she had ever been starved or abused. The Merridew girls might be orphans, but they were rich orphans, and they had a loving family to shelter them. He had seen the way Sir Oswald doted on them.
Hope and her sister had grown up to be happy, laughing girls. His sisters were not happy, laughing girls. Dorie watched the world with wary suspicion and had not uttered a sound in the four months since he’d recovered them. And Cassie carried a knife strapped to her thigh. A child of fourteen. Those facts alone spoke volumes.
His sisters had experienced horrors of which a laughing sprite like Hope Merridew would know nothing.
And it was Sebastian’s fault they had. Sebastian had to atone. And if marrying Lady Elinore was what it took, he would marry her gladly.
“I was right, Hope. You must stay away from him; he is not at all a suitable parti for you—or any other girl of our acquaintance.”
Hope raised an eyebrow. She did not like to have the law laid down to her. Faith, aware of the irritation, put a comforting arm around her waist, and Hope relaxed a little. It wouldn’t do for either her sister or her chaperone to see how drawn she was to Mr. Sebastian Reyne. And how much she resented being warned off him.
Mrs. Jenner continued. “He used to be the veriest pauper brat—a worker, no less, in one of those very mills he now owns—”
“There is no shame in poverty or hard work,” interrupted Hope. “Our maternal grandfather was a butcher, I believe.”
Mrs. Jenner rapped her on the arm with her fan. “Well, for heaven’s sake, don’t spread it around, for it does not at all add to your credit! However that’s not the point. It wasn’t through hard work that Mr. Reyne gained his fortune, it was low cunning!”
“What do you mean?”
“He charmed the mill owner’s daughter and tricked her into wedding him!”
Married! Hope felt as if all the breath had been driven from her body. Married!
Mrs. Jenner continued, “Heaven knew what her father was about, to let such a thing happen. She had been on the shelf for years. No doubt he is a silver-tongued charmer.”
Hope frowned. She could vouch for the fact that he was not.
The chaperone clicked her tongue. “The foolish creature! She was the sole heiress of all her father’s wealth. What did she think he wanted her for? And he was years younger than she!”
Hope managed to say in what she hoped was a casual manner, “Since he is married, I don’t see what possible danger he can be to Faith or me.”
“He is a widower.”
Hope’s stomach returned to its rightful place.
“But he’s looking for another wife! And the pity of it is, he’ll have no trouble finding one. Riches will buy most things, including wives—no matter what the risk.”
Hope tossed her head, annoyed by her chaperone’s melodramatic manner and the way she was drawing out the tale for maximum effect. “What do you mean, risk? All marriage is to some extent a risk.”
“Not like this one.” Mrs. Jenner lowered her voice. “I spoke to a dozen people about him, and none
Sebastian quickened his pace. “My needs and desires are not important. Miss Merridew may be all that you claim, but she is the wrong sort of person for the girls. I need someone who can deal with harsh reality, not a girl who has spent her life wrapped in cotton wool.”
“Yes, but I told you, the Merridew girls have experienced—”
“Enough! The subject is no longer open for discussion,” Sebastian snapped and lengthened his stride along the cobbled pavement. Giles, like other members of the upper classes, had no idea of what true hardship was. Despite his sympathetic nature, despite what he knew of Sebastian’s life, he was essentially ignorant of how the rest of the world lived.
Miss Merridew may have experienced what she considered hardships, but he doubted if she had ever been starved or abused. The Merridew girls might be orphans, but they were rich orphans, and they had a loving family to shelter them. He had seen the way Sir Oswald doted on them.
Hope and her sister had grown up to be happy, laughing girls. His sisters were not happy, laughing girls. Dorie watched the world with wary suspicion and had not uttered a sound in the four months since he’d recovered them. And Cassie carried a knife strapped to her thigh. A child of fourteen. Those facts alone spoke volumes.
His sisters had experienced horrors of which a laughing sprite like Hope Merridew would know nothing.
And it was Sebastian’s fault they had. Sebastian had to atone. And if marrying Lady Elinore was what it took, he would marry her gladly.
“I was right, Hope. You must stay away from him; he is not at all a suitable parti for you—or any other girl of our acquaintance.”
Hope raised an eyebrow. She did not like to have the law laid down to her. Faith, aware of the irritation, put a comforting arm around her waist, and Hope relaxed a little. It wouldn’t do for either her sister or her chaperone to see how drawn she was to Mr. Sebastian Reyne. And how much she resented being warned off him.
Mrs. Jenner continued. “He used to be the veriest pauper brat—a worker, no less, in one of those very mills he now owns—”
“There is no shame in poverty or hard work,” interrupted Hope. “Our maternal grandfather was a butcher, I believe.”
Mrs. Jenner rapped her on the arm with her fan. “Well, for heaven’s sake, don’t spread it around, for it does not at all add to your credit! However that’s not the point. It wasn’t through hard work that Mr. Reyne gained his fortune, it was low cunning!”
“What do you mean?”
“He charmed the mill owner’s daughter and tricked her into wedding him!”
Married! Hope felt as if all the breath had been driven from her body. Married!
Mrs. Jenner continued, “Heaven knew what her father was about, to let such a thing happen. She had been on the shelf for years. No doubt he is a silver-tongued charmer.”
Hope frowned. She could vouch for the fact that he was not.
The chaperone clicked her tongue. “The foolish creature! She was the sole heiress of all her father’s wealth. What did she think he wanted her for? And he was years younger than she!”
Hope managed to say in what she hoped was a casual manner, “Since he is married, I don’t see what possible danger he can be to Faith or me.”
“He is a widower.”
Hope’s stomach returned to its rightful place.
“But he’s looking for another wife! And the pity of it is, he’ll have no trouble finding one. Riches will buy most things, including wives—no matter what the risk.”
Hope tossed her head, annoyed by her chaperone’s melodramatic manner and the way she was drawing out the tale for maximum effect. “What do you mean, risk? All marriage is to some extent a risk.”
“Not like this one.” Mrs. Jenner lowered her voice. “I spoke to a dozen people about him, and none
Similar Books
