Read Online Winning the Wallflower: A Novella by Eloisa James - Free Book Online
Authors: Eloisa James
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betrothed?”
“Do you know why he chose me, Olivia?”
“Because you’re a lovely person.”
“Because I’m a wallflower.”
Olivia frowned.
“He chose me because no one else wanted me,” Lucy added, just to make it all truly clear. “I forced him to be honest about it.”
“That’s awful,” Olivia breathed. “You are right to throw him over. What an awful man. But why? Why on earth would he want a wallflower?”
“He knew my parents wouldn’t object to his father’s profession, and he didn’t want any fuss about it. They were too frantic to marry me off. And I think he didn’t want to bother with wooing anyone.”
“I don’t care for him any longer,” Olivia said, her eyes darkening. “How dare he say such a thing to you? It’s absurdly arrogant. Disgusting, really. Are you saying he deliberately looked for a woman who would be too desperate to even consider refusing him?”
“I told you that he never actually bothered to ask me to marry him,” Lucy said, around the lump in her throat. “He concluded the transaction with my father and thought that was good enough.”
Olivia frowned. “Something doesn’t make sense here. The man has a fortune. He’s as handsome as Adonis. Why on earth would he think that he couldn’t find a wife just by snapping his fingers?”
“I forgot to add that he wants someone from the aristocracy, and it seems that I was the highest ranked wallflower available who didn’t have spots.”
“That’s revolting,” Olivia snapped.
Lucy managed a weak smile. “See how lucky you are? He didn’t even look at you.”
“Because I’m too plump? I loathe that man!”
“Aren’t you listening? Because your parents are not members of the aristocracy.”
“Oh. I’m sorry,” Olivia said sheepishly. “It’s a sore spot, obviously.”
“He’s just so blasted handsome. I could even . . . I could feel so much for him.”
“Well, don’t . It would be a terrible thing to be in a marriage predicated on a man knowing that his wife hankers after him, while he condescendingly pats her head once in a while.”
“That’s just what I thought. Although I was too stupid to figure that out until after we kissed. So I broke off the betrothal, even though the kiss was rather wonderful.”
“There’s one good thing about this,” Olivia said, getting to her feet. “You are not a wallflower any longer, thanks to that lovely fortune of yours. You can flaunt the fact that Ravensthorpe could never win the new you.”
“I’m sure it will make all the difference to be the belle of the ball because men are lusting after my dowry,” Lucy said dryly. “Cyrus—that is, Ravensthorpe—may not have cared much for me, but at least he wasn’t attracted by my money.”
“There’s a happy medium. You’ll find someone who might come to know you because of all the fuss, but then will fall in love with you.”
Lucy snorted, but she followed Olivia out of the room, nodding to the maid hovering in the corridor. “I don’t seem to have my dance card; I suppose I must have dropped it in the study. Perhaps I should just return home. I’ll tell Mother that I have a headache.”
Olivia turned around and poked her. “You sound like a wilting violet. You must put him out of your head, Lucy. Out! He’s not worthy of you.”
“He said that my height didn’t matter to him in the least.” That was a bit of a non sequitur, but Lucy couldn’t help reliving the details of her tête-à-tête with Cyrus.
“One doesn’t marry a man because he manages to squeak out a backhanded compliment like that! Pull yourself together, Lucy. Your height won’t matter to any of the men who are taller than you, as Ravensthorpe is.”
“True,” Lucy said, straightening her backbone. “It wasn’t much of a compliment, was it?”
Olivia didn’t even bother to agree. “Let yourself shine instead of trying to hunch and make yourself shorter,” she scolded. “The right kind of men will
“Do you know why he chose me, Olivia?”
“Because you’re a lovely person.”
“Because I’m a wallflower.”
Olivia frowned.
“He chose me because no one else wanted me,” Lucy added, just to make it all truly clear. “I forced him to be honest about it.”
“That’s awful,” Olivia breathed. “You are right to throw him over. What an awful man. But why? Why on earth would he want a wallflower?”
“He knew my parents wouldn’t object to his father’s profession, and he didn’t want any fuss about it. They were too frantic to marry me off. And I think he didn’t want to bother with wooing anyone.”
“I don’t care for him any longer,” Olivia said, her eyes darkening. “How dare he say such a thing to you? It’s absurdly arrogant. Disgusting, really. Are you saying he deliberately looked for a woman who would be too desperate to even consider refusing him?”
“I told you that he never actually bothered to ask me to marry him,” Lucy said, around the lump in her throat. “He concluded the transaction with my father and thought that was good enough.”
Olivia frowned. “Something doesn’t make sense here. The man has a fortune. He’s as handsome as Adonis. Why on earth would he think that he couldn’t find a wife just by snapping his fingers?”
“I forgot to add that he wants someone from the aristocracy, and it seems that I was the highest ranked wallflower available who didn’t have spots.”
“That’s revolting,” Olivia snapped.
Lucy managed a weak smile. “See how lucky you are? He didn’t even look at you.”
“Because I’m too plump? I loathe that man!”
“Aren’t you listening? Because your parents are not members of the aristocracy.”
“Oh. I’m sorry,” Olivia said sheepishly. “It’s a sore spot, obviously.”
“He’s just so blasted handsome. I could even . . . I could feel so much for him.”
“Well, don’t . It would be a terrible thing to be in a marriage predicated on a man knowing that his wife hankers after him, while he condescendingly pats her head once in a while.”
“That’s just what I thought. Although I was too stupid to figure that out until after we kissed. So I broke off the betrothal, even though the kiss was rather wonderful.”
“There’s one good thing about this,” Olivia said, getting to her feet. “You are not a wallflower any longer, thanks to that lovely fortune of yours. You can flaunt the fact that Ravensthorpe could never win the new you.”
“I’m sure it will make all the difference to be the belle of the ball because men are lusting after my dowry,” Lucy said dryly. “Cyrus—that is, Ravensthorpe—may not have cared much for me, but at least he wasn’t attracted by my money.”
“There’s a happy medium. You’ll find someone who might come to know you because of all the fuss, but then will fall in love with you.”
Lucy snorted, but she followed Olivia out of the room, nodding to the maid hovering in the corridor. “I don’t seem to have my dance card; I suppose I must have dropped it in the study. Perhaps I should just return home. I’ll tell Mother that I have a headache.”
Olivia turned around and poked her. “You sound like a wilting violet. You must put him out of your head, Lucy. Out! He’s not worthy of you.”
“He said that my height didn’t matter to him in the least.” That was a bit of a non sequitur, but Lucy couldn’t help reliving the details of her tête-à-tête with Cyrus.
“One doesn’t marry a man because he manages to squeak out a backhanded compliment like that! Pull yourself together, Lucy. Your height won’t matter to any of the men who are taller than you, as Ravensthorpe is.”
“True,” Lucy said, straightening her backbone. “It wasn’t much of a compliment, was it?”
Olivia didn’t even bother to agree. “Let yourself shine instead of trying to hunch and make yourself shorter,” she scolded. “The right kind of men will
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