Regency Romance: An Intriguing Invitation (Historical Billionaire Military Romance) (19th Century Victorian Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Duke took off his hat and put it on the pine table. ''Yes. That's correct.''
    ''And you have known about it all these years and done nothing. You let my mother live in poverty.''
    ''No, that's not correct. I didn't find out until recently. My father never told me any of this. I found out completely by accident.''
    ''How?'' Jane put her hands on her hips, like an angry mother.
    ''I asked the estate manager to draw up an inventory of all the properties I own. One on the list was a place called Froome Lodge. It was the only house I'd never heard of, and I was interested to see when it came into the estate.''
    ''Froome Lodge. That was my father's,'' she exclaimed.
    ''Yes. Here are the deeds. It's yours again.''
    ''What?''
    ''It's yours. It does not belong to my family. It belongs to you. I'm giving it back to you. Along with my sincere apologies.''
    Jane stood open-mouthed and looked at the document in her hand. It was new and embossed with her name. A sixteen bedroom house with three thousand acres of land, two hundred and fifty tenants and an annual rental income of twenty thousand pounds. ''What happened?'' she asked. ''Why did my mother give it up.''
    This was the part the Duke dreaded most. ''A man who works at Anderson and Jenkins told me the story. When my father spread the word that your father was a deserter, your mother's tenants stopped paying rent. They simply refused to finance a deserter's wife.'' He began to wring the gloves he just taken off. ''Your father was killed very soon afterwards . My father took advantage of your mother then. He told her he would take over the running of the estate and pay her the rental income, less a fee. What in fact he did, was take over the running of the estate and pay her nothing. He stole it from her.''
    ''But how? You can't just steal a property.''
    ''Well he did. Remember he was the Duke of Longford and your mother the wife of a deserter. No lawyer wanted to help her.''
    ''Now it all makes sense.''
    ''That's why nobody talks to you in the village. And that's why nobody wanted to dance with you at the v illage Spring Ball. Everyone believes you're a deserters daughter.''
    Jane shot him a confused look. ''How did you know about that?''
    ''I was there.''
    ''No you weren't.''
    ''I was. I saw you. On the village green with your friend and you were very upset.''
    ''Were you spying on me?''
    ''Yes. I'll admit I was. As I said before, I noticed you one evening in the village. I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.'' Jane blushed. ''I wanted to find out more about you. I thought perhaps you would be attending the Spring Ball, so I dressed as an ordinary farm hand and went to find out if you had a husband or a suitor. When I found out you had neither, I sent you the invitation. It was a mistake I can see that now.'' Jane looked at him; he was no longer so self-assured.
    ''However, I have corrected as well as I am able,  the wrong my father did to you. You have your property back.'' He stood up. ''Anderson and Jenkins are expecting you to contact them. You are rich Jane. I bid you farewell, and I wish you all the best in the future.'' The Duke began to walk to the door.
    ''Wait. Wait. '' He stopped. ''It must have taken a lot of courage to come here today. You didn't have to give me the property back, but you did. For that, I am very grateful. I.......''
    ''The idea of offering to marry you was insane. Please forgive me. I don't know why I thought it could ever make up for what had happened.'' He smiled, almost laughed. ''It was a ridiculous idea.''
    ''Then why did you consider it?''
    ''Because, Jane Glossop, you are the kind of woman I have always dreamed of . Now, good evening.'' He closed the door behind him.
    Jane kneeled down in the middle of the corridor and looked again at the deeds in her hand. She jumped up and ran to the door. The Duke's carriage had gone. Without shoes, she ran over the green and down the road.
    ''My Lord . A woman is running after us,'' a