Dare to Kiss Read Online Free PDF

and run.
    The poor man. She'd be doing him a favor by her plan. Though the world might not agree, she could be a good wife to Sir Benjamin Brook. She could make his home comfortable, and his bed, too. She'd never flinch from him. She'd make sure her children were no bother to him, and with God's blessing, she'd give him children of his own. He must want an heir.
    Yes, it was a benevolent plan. She could make him happy.
    She put more wood on the dying fire and took out the cold warming pans. She stripped off her outer clothing and slid under the covers beside her daughters. Charlotte turned to her, and Lily touched her hair.
    I'll make it up to you, my darling. You'll see. All will be well .
    She must remind her children they were Giffords now, and instruct them not to shrink from Sir Benjamin. She could only hope instruction would work with the littler ones, and if not, that he'd forgive them.
    She smiled, however, with the first hope she'd felt in months. If she did this right, her family had a chance at a happy life.
    As long as Sir Benjamin Brook never learned the truth about her.

Chapter Three
    Lily was woken by little Anna bouncing on her. "Mama, mama. Hungry!"
    Lily yawned, regretting the few more hours of sleep she might have had. No light came in around the curtains, and the room was dark and cold. She drew her daughter down under the covers beside her and kissed her cheek, delighted by her return to spirits.
    "Stay under the covers, sweeting, and I'll find breakfast for us as soon as I can. First we need a fire."
    She climbed out of bed, shivering in the icy air, and hastily dressed in as many layers of clothing as she could find. Time later to make a careful selection. She added her cloak on top.
    There was still wood in the box and some kindling beneath it. A tinder box sat on the mantelpiece. She cleaned out the ashes, laid the kindling, and sacrificed two front pages from one of the few books they'd brought. She coaxed a flame from the tinder and lit the candle, then used it to light the paper. It took three tries, but eventually the wood caught.
    One of the maids would do it better, but she'd bother them as little as possible for now.
    With firelight and candlelight, the room felt warmer, but it would take time for the temperature to rise. She pulled on her gloves and went to the window to scrape away frost and look out. First light was brightening the sky and glinting on the silver that showed there'd been a hard frost in the night. What would have become of them without Sir Benjamin?
    In the light of a new day, however, hope shriveled like a frosted plant. Sir Benjamin Brook might long for a wife, but he wouldn't be desperate enough to marry a penniless woman he'd found on the road. If he even thought of it, he'd want to know more about her and might not rely on her lies.
    No, she would strive for the lesser prize. To be his housekeeper. He wouldn't make such deep enquiries about her then. She smiled sadly for what might have been, but being housekeeper here would provide decently for her children.
    She gave Anna the last piece of bread. It was stale, but it would do. Susan woke and whined that she was hungry, too.
    "I'm going to get breakfast very soon, darling. Just be a little patient."
    Lily wished she could let Charlotte sleep, but she woke her to look after the younger ones. She went into the boys' room. They were fast asleep, but she roused Michael.
    He rubbed his eyes. "Is it time to leave?"
    She smiled. "We're not leaving. Not yet, at least." She wouldn't offer them hope that might fail. "Sir Benjamin is going to try to find some help for us, and he will allow us to remain here as he does."
    "That's good of him. But why?"
    There were disadvantages to having clever children.
    "Because he's a good man. The important thing is that we must be no trouble to him and his servants. You must help me there."
    He nodded. "Once Tom's rested and fed, he'll be up to something."
    "So you must keep an eye on him at