When was the last time they had behaved like children? She could hardly remember. But itdidfeel good to laugh, after so long.
“There now. Promise me you’ll find something to make you smile. Every day,” Amelia ordered.
“I promise.” Juliette repinned her hair, but before they could go downstairs, her sister blocked her way.
“And promise me something else. If you do love Paul Fraser and you want him for your husband, for Heaven’s sake, let the man compromise you. Then our parents will have to say yes.”
Juliette was left with her mouth hanging open as her sister led the way downstairs.
“My lord, the house burned down.”
Never were there more welcome words to Brandon Carlisle, the Earl of Strathland. The crofters had relocated to Eiloch Hill, and the Andrews family was left with no choice but to return to London. “Good. Make them an offer for the land.”
Now was the time to take advantage of their misfortune. They had lost everything, and when he offered them a reasonable sum for the land, they would readily accept. He had no doubt of it.
“They’ve refused all of our offers in the past,” Melford reminded him. “I doubt that will change.”
“You’re wrong.” Brandon lifted a hand, dismissing his factor’s prediction. This time, Lady Lanfordshire had no choice. He’d watched over the years as their staff had diminished, until now they had only a housekeeper and a footman. Colonel Lord Lanfordshire still had not returned from the battleground, and there was no way of knowing if the man ever would.
It irritated Brandon that he’d given them so many opportunities to end their poverty. He’d even offered to wed one of their daughters, which would allow their future children to inherit. But Lady Lanfordshire had continued to make excuses, despite the fact that their money was running out.
And Juliette had refused him.
His blood raged at the thought of it. Marriage to a man of his status was a privilege she ought to be begging him for. He wanted her, and he had a title far more important than her father’s. Didn’t she understand what an honor it was that he would even consider her as a wife?
Juliette had been such a fetching thing, young and innocent with the swell of womanhood upon her. At the memory, he shifted in his seat. He still relished the moment when he’d held her down, overpowering her until she was forced to accept his body inside hers. Her cries of pain had excited him, and it aroused him just to remember it.
He could have any woman of his choosing, but he wanted a quietly obedient woman. One who knew her place. One who recognized that he was worth more than a thousand Highlanders.
When Juliette had rejected his proposal, he’d had no choice but to punish her. She should have been honored to have his attentions. And after he’d compromised her, her family should have forced her to wed him.
Instead, she’d hidden herself away with her aunt’s family. It was impossible to demand marriage of her when she’d simply disappeared. But now that Juliette had returned, there was time to pursue her once more.
He was the Earl of Strathland, and his fortune would only grow larger as he increased his wool empire. He could have any wife he wanted.
And he intended to have Juliette.
Brandon smiled to himself. She would quickly learn that he was not a man to give up. There were ways to ensure her agreement to a marriage, and he had little doubt that her family would agree to the match.
Especially now that they had hardly anything at all.
Chapter Four
LONDON, TWO WEEKS LATER
“Are you truly making another list?” Amelia stopped her pacing to peer over Margaret’s shoulder. “You’ve met all of these men before. Haven’t you decided yet?” Personally, Amelia couldn’t believe a list was even necessary. Either you liked a gentleman or you didn’t.Sheknew which gentlemen she preferred, but the chance of those men remaining unwed in the next two years was unlikely. Sometimes being sixteen was unbearable. But at least it was better than being twenty and unwed, like Margaret.
Her sister dipped her pen in an inkwell and continued numbering down the page. “Some of the men had problems. For example, Viscount Lisford has been known to frequent White’s on a regular basis.”
“What does that have to do with anything? Most men do.” Playing cards at White’s was hardly a reason to drop the man to a lower rank upon the list, though Amelia secretly believed the viscount was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Thank goodness Margaret didn’t want him.
“If he plays cards frequently, then he is more likely to fall into debt. As our uncle did,” she warned. “Or perhaps he is already indebted and is trying to recoup his losses. Either way, he is not a good candidate for marriage.”
“I know whoyouwant,” Amelia said. “A foreign prince with enough money to give you a palace dipped in gold.”
Her sister sighed. “No, I don’t want that. But I do want a man who is polite and well-bred.”
“A boring man, you mean.”
