A Convenient Bride Read Online Free PDF

Alice nodded. After a minute, the young woman smiled.
    “Yes, I see the difference.” Alice showed her success to Lucy. Lucy changed the position of her hand. After a few stitches, the two shared a satisfied glance.
    Brenna laid her needlepoint in her lap, and her eyes driftedto the window. If she were home, she might be playing chess with Father or practicing the pianoforte with Mother. She’d been imprisoned at the school for nearly three hours, and she was already feeling the loss of freedom.
    It was entirely too quiet here.
    “I wonder if His Lordship misses me? He always said I was his favorite mistress.”
    Brenna’s attention snapped back with Iris’s comment. She glanced around to see that Sophie had left the room again. Clearly the presence of Sophie kept the women proper. When she stepped out, there was no holding to propriety.
    This was more interesting than stitches, Brenna thought. Her curiosity piqued, and she hoped Sophie would be delayed indefinitely.
    “He misses tupping you,” Helen said sharply. Brenna blushed. The rest of the women took the salacious comment without a blink. “I’m certain that you will be replaced, posthaste.”
    Iris pouted. “There is no need to be rude,” she said. “He may actually miss me, you know.”
    “Fickle men are the nature of our profession,” Helen added, ignoring the sudden silence of the other women. “Out of sight, we are soon forgotten when another woman falls into their beds. Sighing wistfully over the man will gain you nothing.”
    Lucy lowered her needlepoint. “I’m certain His Lordship cared for you, Iris. However, Helen is correct. We were all replaceable, despite any effusive declarations of affection. That is why we have come here. We all deserve something better for ourselves.”
    Curiosity overcame Brenna. Though she should hold her tongue, she knew very little about the shadowy world of courtesans. Now she had the opportunity to learn more from the women themselves and decided not to cling to propriety.
    She turned to Helen. “I thought some men loved their courtesans?”
    Eva had informed the women that Brenna was some poor relation from the country, come to stay for a time as she sought employment. Therefore, her ignorance of city life and all its scandals could be easily explained away.
    Helen stared. “Men do not love their lovers. Most do not love their wives. Women serve to satisfy their needs or beget them children.” She set aside her needlepoint and stood. Without another word, she left the room.
    The courtesans exchanged a knowing glance.
    “Did I say something wrong?” Brenna asked.
    Lucy turned to Brenna and explained. “Helen was orphaned at a young age and was gently raised by her aunt and uncle. She fell in love with a steward and became pregnant. The cad left her, and she lost her baby. The uncle was so angry and disgraced by her mistake that he tossed her out. Becoming a courtesan was her only option.”
    “How dreadful,” Brenna said. This explained much about Helen. She knew how strict society was about women and virtue. One small error in judgment, and a woman could be ruined.
    “I, too, made that mistake,” Lucy said, as if reading Brenna’s thoughts. “Though, fortunately, my affair never produced a child. But I was caught in a situation with a young man by the lady of the household. He was her son.” Lucy sighed. “He promised me marriage. Instead, I was left with nothing.”
    The room fell silent. Brenna had always assumed that courtesans went into the profession willingly. It surprised her to learn otherwise.
    “You had no family to help you?” Brenna asked.
    Lucy shook her head. “I was one of eleven children. My parents struggled on what my father made at the dairy. I could not return home and add to his burden.”
    For a long moment, Brenna pondered the story. She now understood why her father had sent her here. It was to teach her the consequences of bad choices. With these two grim stories, the