Someone To Hold Part 22

One never knew quite where truth ended and exaggeration or misunderstanding or speculation or downright falsehood began, of course, but Wren did know a surprising amount about her neighbors, considering the fact that she had absolutely no social dealings with them. She knew, for example, that both Mr. Sweeney and Mr. Richman were respectable but impoverished gentlemen. And she knew that Brambledean had been almost totally neglected by the late earl, who had left it to be mismanaged almost to the point of total ruin by a lazy steward who had graced the taproom of his local inn more often than his office. By now the house and estate needed the infusion of a vast sum of money.

Wren had heard that the new earl was a conscientious gentleman of comfortable means, but that he was not nearly wealthy enough to cope with the enormity of the disaster he had inherited so unexpectedly. The late earl had not been a poor man. Far from it, in fact. But his fortune had gone to his legitimate daughter. She might have saved the day by marrying the new earl and so reuniting the entailed property with the fortune, but she had married the Duke of Netherby instead. Wren could well understand why the many-faceted story had so dominated conversation both above and below stairs last year.

"I do intend to live at Brambledean," the Earl of Riverdale said. He was frowning into his cup. "I have another home in Kent, of which I am dearly fond, but I am needed here, and an absentee landlord is rarely a good landlord. The people dependent upon me here deserve better."

He looked every bit as handsome when he was frowning as he did when he smiled. Wren hesitated. It was not too late to send him on his way, as she had done with his two predecessors. She had given a plausible reason for inviting him and had plied him with tea and cakes. He would doubtless go away thinking her eccentric. He would probably disapprove of her inviting him alone when she was a single lady with only the flimsy chaperonage of a maid. But he would shrug off the encounter soon enough and forget about her. And she did not really care what he might think or say about her anyway.

But now she remembered that number four on her list-a man in his late fifties-had always professed himself to be a confirmed bachelor, and number five was reputed to complain almost constantly of ailments both real and imagined. She had added them only because the list had looked pathetically short with just three names.

"I understand, Lord Riverdale," she said, "that you are not a wealthy man." Perhaps it was too late-or very nearly so. If she sent him away now, he would think her vulgar as well as eccentric and careless of her reputation.

He took his time about setting his cup and saucer down on the table beside him before turning his eyes upon her. Only the slight flaring of his nostrils warned her that she had angered him. "Do you indeed?" he said, a distinct note of hauteur in his voice. "I thank you for the tea, Miss Heyden. I will take no more of your time." He stood up.

"I could offer a solution," she said, and now it was very definitely too late to retreat. "To your relatively impoverished state, that is. You need money to undo the neglect of years at Brambledean and to fulfill your duty to the people dependent upon you there. It might take you years, perhaps even the rest of your life, if you do it only through careful management. It is unfortunately necessary to put a great deal of money into a business before one can get money out of it. Perhaps you are considering taking out a loan or a mortgage if the property is not already mortgaged. Or perhaps you intend to marry a rich wife."

He stood very straight and tall, and his jaw had set into a hard line. His nostrils were still flared. He looked magnificent and even slightly menacing, and for a moment Wren regretted the words she had already spoken. But it was too late now to unsay them.

"I beg to inform you, Miss Heyden," he said curtly, "that I find your curiosity offensive. Good day to you."

"You are perhaps aware," she said, "that my uncle was enormously rich, much of his wealth deriving from the gla.s.sworks he owned in Staffordshire. He left everything to me, my aunt having predeceased him. He taught me a great deal about the business, which I helped him run during his last years and now run myself. The business has lost none of its momentum in the last year, and is, indeed, gradually expanding. And there are properties and investments even apart from that. I am a very wealthy woman, Lord Riverdale. But my life lacks something, just as yours lacks ready money. I am twenty-nine years old, very nearly thirty, and I would like . . . someone to wed. In my own person, I am not marriageable, but I do have money. And you do not."

She paused to see if he had something to say, but he looked as though he were rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed upon her, his jaw like granite. She was suddenly very glad Maude was in the room, though her presence was also embarra.s.sing. Maude did not approve of any of this and did not scruple to say so when they were alone.

"Perhaps we could combine forces and each acquire what we want," Wren said.

"You are offering me . . . marriage?" he asked.

Had she not made herself clear? "Yes," she said. He continued to stare at her, and she became uncomfortably aware of the ticking of the clock.

"Miss Heyden," he said at last, "I have not even seen your face."

Also by Mary Balogh.

The Westcott Series.

SOMEONE TO LOVE.

The Survivors' Club Series.

THE PROPOSAL.

THE ARRANGEMENT.

THE ESCAPE.

ONLY ENCHANTING.

ONLY A PROMISE.

ONLY A KISS.

ONLY BELOVED.

The Hors.e.m.e.n Trilogy.

INDISCREET.

UNFORGIVEN.

IRRESISTIBLE.

The Huxtable Series.

FIRST COMES MARRIAGE.

THEN COMES SEDUCTION.

AT LAST COMES LOVE.

SEDUCING AN ANGEL.

A SECRET AFFAIR.

The Simply Series SIMPLY UNFORGETTABLE.

SIMPLY LOVE.

SIMPLY MAGIC.

SIMPLY PERFECT.

The Bedwyn Saga SLIGHTLY MARRIED.

SLIGHTLY WICKED.

SLIGHTLY SCANDALOUS.

SLIGHTLY TEMPTED.

SLIGHTLY SINFUL.

SLIGHTLY DANGEROUS.

The Bedwyn Prequels ONE NIGHT FOR LOVE.

A SUMMER TO REMEMBER.

The Mistress Trilogy MORE THAN A MISTRESS.

NO MAN'S MISTRESS THE SECRET MISTRESS.

The Web Series.

THE GILDED WEB.

WEB OF LOVE.

THE DEVIL'S WEB.

Cla.s.sics.

THE IDEAL WIFE.

THE SECRET PEARL.

A PRECIOUS JEWEL.

A CHRISTMAS PROMISE.

DARK ANGEL/ LORD CAREW'S BRIDE A MATTER OF CLa.s.s.

THE TEMPORARY WIFE/ A PROMISE OF SPRING.

THE FAMOUS HEROINE/ THE PLUMED BONNET.

A CHRISTMAS BRIDE/ CHRISTMAS BEAU.

A COUNTERFEIT BETROTHAL/ THE NOTORIOUS RAKE.

UNDER THE MISTLETOE.

BEYOND THE SUNRISE.

LONGING.

HEARTLESS.

SILENT MELODY.