Read Online To Wed A Viscount by Adrienne Basso - Free Book Online

relief, Faith surged forward. “Merry,” she whispered in an unsteady voice.
    The coach drew alongside and stopped. The door swung open and Meredith nearly fell out in her haste to reach her distraught friend. An outrider jumped off the back of the coach to lend his assistance.
    â€œHelp Miss Hobbins out first,” Meredith instructed as the servant scurried to do her bidding. “She can ride up top next to the coachman. It’s a lovely day and not too chilly. I’m sure the fresh air will feel invigorating.”
    Faith noticed the resentful stare and pulled expression of Miss Hobbins, Meredith’s elderly maid, as she stepped down from the cozy interior of the carriage, but was feeling too miserable to give it much thought.
    It would be difficult enough having to tell Meredith the results of her meeting. Best to do so without an audience.
    The door shut and Meredith signaled the driver to leave. With a grateful sigh Faith leaned back against the velvet squabs. Safe. She was truly safe.
    As the carriage rumbled down the country road, Faith’s heart finally ceased its furious rhythm. She still felt light-headed and a bit dazed, but she was slowly regaining her equilibrium.
    â€œWas it truly awful?” Meredith inquired in a gentle voice.
    â€œ ’Twas dreadful,” Faith conceded, drawing a shuddering breath. “I acted like an imbecile, babbling on about Father’s will. The viscount had no idea what I was referring to, looking at me as if I’d sprouted three heads. When he finally realized what I was asking, he rejected me.”
    â€œI’m surprised he knew nothing of the will,” Meredith remarked.
    â€œIf you are surprised, can you imagine how I felt?” Faith made an attempt at laughter, but only produced a hollow, brittle sound. “I made a perfect ninny of myself and for no good reason.”
    â€œThe viscount was not at all amenable to the idea of a marriage between you?” Meredith asked sympathetically.
    â€œAmenable! He rejected me outright, in no uncertain terms.” Faith took a deep breath, trying to harness her distress. Rejection was never easy, but she had felt nearly trampled by the encounter. Utterly defeated, she studied the hands in her lap. “He was my last hope, Merry. What will become of me now?”
    â€œYou will survive,” Meredith stated in a firm voice. She grabbed Faith’s hands and squeezed them reassuringly. “Nay, you will not only survive, you shall flourish.”
    Her words offered Faith little reassurance. Perhaps she would not be destitute once she lost Mayfair Manor to her odious cousin, but she would be bereft. Lacking a true home, a foundation, almost a sense of identity.
    â€œTell me exactly what occurred,” Meredith insisted.
    Haltingly Faith complied, leaving out no sordid nor embarrassing detail.
    â€œAnd then I fled down the hallway,” Faith explained. “At first I thought it might just be my imagination, but I clearly heard his footsteps behind me. Knowing he was in pursuit made me a bit crazed. I couldn’t bear to face him again, so I ran faster. I reached the front door just as his sisters, Harriet and Elizabeth, arrived home.”
    Meredith let out a little squeak. “Oh, dear. What happened next?”
    â€œI nearly bowled them over in my haste to escape.” Faith grimaced. “They were provided an excellent view of my final humiliating flight, which no doubt provided Harriet with great joy. Ever since we were children she has taken a keen disliking to me.”
    Meredith frowned. “I fear ’tis me that Harriet dislikes more than you. We are the same age, and we had our first season together. I was certainly not a great success, but I fear that Harriet made an even more dismal impression upon society. And we can’t forget about that nasty business with her fiance, Julian Wingate. I don’t believe she has ever forgiven me, nor will she