A Perfect Gentleman Read Online Free PDF

dignity.”
    “Marrying you was the best thing my father ever did, and no one ever teased him over his beautiful young bride. All his friends were too envious.”
    Gwen blushed and said, “Thank you. You always know just what to say, dear. Except for now. Say you will consider Miss Kane.”
    “I am considering her. And her offer of employment.”
    “Bah! Haven’t you been listening? You need to marry, not be matchmaking for another desperate miss.”
    “What, is Miss Kane such an antidote, then, that she has to purchase a husband?”
    “Of course not! For all we know she might already be betrothed, or promised to one of her father’s wealthy partners. Or she might be waiting to fall in love with the perfect gentleman. You.”
    Stony made a rude noise. “Oh, I am fairly certain she is not on the lookout for a pockets-to-let peer.”
    “Oh? And if you are so certain you know what Miss Kane is seeking, perhaps you might tell me just what the…the devil you are looking for in a wife?”
    Stony was walking from the sideboard—without making a selection from the covered dishes—to the window, without noticing the sun breaking through the morning clouds and fog. “I do not know, but I will recognize it when I see it.”
    “Rubbish. That is like your father saying he could recognize a winner from the horses in the paddock. He never could, you know. Of course you know, having been paying off his debts for years. And do stop pacing, dear. You are making me lose my appetite.”
    His was long gone. “I am not pacing. I am drying my trousers. By the way, don’t you have anything better to do this morning? A dress fitting or a book to return to the lending library? Perhaps you need to consult with your maid about a new wrinkle cream. I thought I saw a—”
    “Oh, no! Where?” She tried to see her reflection in the silver teapot.
    “I was merely teasing, Gwen. You are as beautiful as ever.”
    She sighed in relief. “Wrinkles or not, nothing is as important to me as seeing to the future of my late husband’s son. I vowed that I would.”
    “What, you promised my father to look after me?” He had to laugh. “The old rip made me swear to take care of you.”
    “As you have.” Gwen nodded regally, or as regally as she could with her hair still tied in curl papers. “And now I am trying to do my part to ensure your happiness.”
    “Do you really think that Miss Kane, a woman neither of us has ever met, will ensure my happiness?”
    “Why not? You wouldn’t have to fret over money, and you could have that horse farm at last. You could travel or collect paintings or fund a hundred charity homes. Anything you want, and you would not have to do what you do not want.”
    That last sounded the most tempting: no more harp recitals, no more bowing to the bitches who ruled Almack’s, no more juggling the household accounts between candles and coal. Still, he could not. He shook his head. “I will not live off my wife’s money.”
    Gwen was losing patience—and politeness. “Well, living off your wits has not filled your coffers, and living off your charm seems to have reached its limits.” She gasped when she saw the white line around his mouth. “Oh, I am sorry, Aubrey. I never should have said such hateful things, especially when you have worked so hard to keep this roof over our heads. And I am sure I have not helped, with my expensive dresser and that new bonnet I simply had to have. And the—”
    “Dash it, Gwen, I have never begrudged you your fripperies. And I am well aware how an advantageous alliance could brighten my life and yours. But, by Jupiter, I do not want a marriage like my parents’. They could barely tolerate each other in their perfectly suitable union.”
    “Yes, but their match was arranged. Yours will be by your own choice. And Miss Kane’s, of course. You would know long before the betrothal whether you could rub along well together. You might even find that you like her.”
    “Next