Her lovely, expressive face registered understanding beforeher mouth did with, “Oh boy.”
“Indeed,” he agreed.
She stood with that for a moment before squaring hershoulders and stating, “That’s all right.Mom and I have been in worsepinches.”
This was interesting news.
“You have?”
“Father didn’t exactly keep us in the lap of luxury.He wasmiserly with our care.It didn’t matter.I had her and she had me.We survived.We’ll do it again.”
Gods, she was something.
And, perhaps, this was an explanation as to why shepersisted in attempting to do everything without pulling a bloody cord to calla servant.
“Satrine—”
“You’re very kind, Lord Remington—”
“Loren.”
“—but I’ll take it from here.”
No.
She wouldn’t.
He had never in his life met a woman so poised and spirited,so in possession of a singular depth of feeling, with a sense of humor and opennaturalness to her personality.
She was herself at all times.
One-of-a-kind.
And he would have her.
“You’re contracted to me.You, personally, have no say inthat matter.”
She shook her head.“I’m not, Maxine is.”
“Maxine is incapable of bearing the terms of the contract,the same cannot be said for you.”
Her brows knitted in consternation.“But, it wasn’t me whowas promised to you.”
“No, it was a daughter of the Count of Derryman, which youare.”
Her face scrunched up in frustration.
Gods, he wanted to kiss her.
“I’ll be reading this contract,” she declared.
She’d be doing nothing of the sort since he was lyingthrough his teeth.
He was also going to have her.
And nothing, not even she, was going to stand in his way.
“We barely know each other,” she stated.
