A Matter of Temptation Read Online Free PDF Page B

close friends, as I’m sure you must, I shall be invited to the palace.”
    “Mother, I’m a commoner.”
    “After today, you’ll be a duchess, dear. She’ll want to meet you. I’m sure of it.”
    Another of her mother’s dreams. That her daughters should have the distinction of being presented to the queen. Torie was beginning to feel that her life was about fulfilling her mother’s dreams rather than her own.
    She looked back in the mirror and began to wonder who this lady was standing before her. Had she ever truly seen her before? Did she truly know herself?
    Or had she always simply been a reflection of her mother’s desires?

Chapter 3
    O nly your wedding, Your Grace .
    His valet’s words had hit Robert in the chest with the force of a battering ram. Of the numerous things he’d considered as he’d plotted his escape and retribution, his brother being married—or getting married—had never once crossed his mind.
    But from the moment those fateful words had been uttered, Robert had carried on an internal debate with himself while his valet had prepared him for this most monumental of occasions.
    A wedding. His wedding.
    No, his brother’s wedding.
    Not really, not any longer.
    But should it be? Should it be John’s wedding?
    Or was it merely the wedding of the Duke of Killingsworth?
    The distinction was small, but incredibly important, and had weighed heavily on his mind, influencing his assessment of the situation. In the end, he’d decided that he had no choice except to follow through on the plans already made.
    Robert now stood at the front of the church, reconciling himself with the decision he’d made to go forth with the blasted ceremony. He’d reasoned that most marriages among the aristocracy were based on many factors, none of which involved love. Political gain, monetary gain, a father desperate to rid himself of a daughter, a man in need of an heir. He had little doubt that the lady, whoever she might be, had consented to marry the Duke of Killingsworth because of his title, his position, not because of the man himself. In other words, she’d consented to marry the duke, not John, and therefore she would acquire exactly what she, or her father, had bargained for.
    She would marry the Duke of Killingsworth.
    The fact that a different man would stand before her as the duke today than had yesterday was merely a minor inconvenience that should cause her no distress. It was inconceivable to him that she could actually hold any affection for John, and while Robert didn’t dare hope that she might come to care for him, he also recognized that from the time he was old enough to understand his duties as the heir apparent, he’d knownthat marriage was expected, required, and that he would base his selection of a wife on the suitability of the woman to become the Duchess of Killingsworth, not on any romantic notions of love as spouted by poets.
    Marriage was a duty. Finding a lady who complemented his status among the peerage was imperative. That John had undertaken the task in his stead saved Robert the trouble of doing so himself. Of course, it also left him in the precarious position of knowing nothing at all about the young lady—he assumed she’d be young—and wondering what she might know about John. Presumably very little, since she’d consented to marry him.
    So tonight he would have a wife, and as his body had yet to be sated, he was filled with expectation, relief, and anticipation. He would welcome his new role as husband—and he would see to it that his wife welcomed him.
    Beside Robert stood a tall, dark-haired man near his own age whom he was fairly certain was the Marquess of Lynmore. Since the man had assumed Robert was who he thought he was—and the man was serving as his best man—he’d seen no need to introduce himself.
    And Robert couldn’t very well nudge him, wink, and whisper, “I say, old chap, you look rather familiar. Who are you again?”
    The uncertainty was