Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed Read Online Free PDF Page A

something more—something about her that would be capable of attracting this man. She was sure he would find her wanting and go on his way; and, though she feared him, she feared his absence more.
    Then, one day she had found herself, without warning, alone with him for the first time. When she understood she was about to receive his offer, she had been panic-stricken. He was a being from another world. She was sure she could not live up to his expectations. She could never stand to live with the disturbance of the nerves that his mere presence caused her, nor the trembling which was the unsettling result of the slightest contact between them.
    Yet, when he had finished speaking to her and patiently awaited her reply, she had known that she could not bear to have him leave the house, never to return. Whatever the cost, marriage to him was preferable to that. She had accepted his proposal. His strong hand over hers as he slipped the Kyle sapphire upon her finger set her nerves atremble once more, and, when she felt his lips against her cheek in a kiss, she had begun to shake in earnest.
    “You must not be afraid of me, Jane,” he said. “I promise there is no need.”
    Jane was not afraid of him exactly. It was only that, having once accepted the reality of a future with such a god-like figure, she was terrified she would in some way fail and lose this glimpse of heaven. She had confessed that she was sure she would disappoint him and he had coolly reassured her.
    “I am not such a fool as that, Jane. I know you have all the qualities I look for in a wife.”
    Those were precisely the words that had come back to haunt her so often since. For not long after the earl’s departure, Lady Sandiford had summoned Jane to her boudoir .
    “I am most disappointed in you, Jane,” she said most sternly. “You are neglecting both your lessons and your duties, choosing instead to moon about the place like an ill-bred widgeon. Is this the behavior you intend to visit upon your husband? He will not thank you, Miss, I assure you. He was assured by me that you are strictly reared and of high moral principles, quite without missish imaginings or romantical inclinations. Will you make a liar of me, Miss? I will not have it. You are not yet too old for a whipping. Lord Wraybourne has chosen you for your pedigree, your dowry, and your impeccable upbringing. Do not shame me. Do not disappoint him.”
    There was no question of doubting her mother’s word. Lady Sandiford was resolutely honest. Jane had then realized what Lord Wraybourne’s words had meant. How could she disappoint him when he looked only for money, bloodlines, and high principles? Her money and ancestry were fixed qualities. Doubtless his visit had been to assure himself that her principles were all they were claimed to be. Though it had been painful, she was now grateful for her mother’s rebuke which had saved Jane from embarrassing both herself and her betrothed with uncalled-for warmth, perhaps even driving him away with her girlish enthusiasms.
    Thinking back, with the newssheet still in her hand, Jane sighed. She slipped into a bedroom where there was a cheval glass and looked at herself again. How silly she had been to think for a moment that he could have any interest in her with her schoolgirl dresses and hair pulled so severely back off her face. Nor could she flatter herself that he had been overwhelmed by the brilliance of her mind and the sharpness of her wit. Shyness had kept her tongue-tied most of the time she was with him.
    Ah well, she thought as she went on her way to her sitting room, perhaps in time she could gain his true regard. And even if her marriage should prove to be lacking in warmth she would still get away from Carne. She would meet Society, entertain, perhaps even travel. . . . It was strange how these enticements no longer thrilled her.
    However, Mrs. Hawley was thrilled to have an up-to-date copy of the newspaper to read at leisure. The