Substitute Bride Read Online Free PDF

listen to advice.'
    'Why, of al—all the…'
    'You wouldn't be prepared to listen to me either, I suppose?' he asked coldly, ignoring her outburst which had petered out in such a way as seemed to proclaim her guilt.
    'Why should I listen to you, or anyone?' Emma drew a deep breath, her voice icy. 'Give me one good reason!'
    'Why, indeed?' Suddenly his mouth relaxed in faint irony.
    'Apart from giving you a hand with Daisy, I haven't done much to endear myself to you, have I? I waded in with a heavy hand regarding your appearance, putting your back up immediately. I guess I forgot I wasn't talking to my young sister.'
    'I don't think you did.' Emma felt a tremor run through her as his arms tightened unpredictably at that.
    'Astute, as well as a good cook and an astonishingly good dancer,' he quirked, 'to say nothing of being a competent farmer. Perhaps if you were to advertise your talents more, a man wouldn't notice—other things?'
    'Strangers don't usualy wade in with insults,' she retorted coldly, refusing to be impressed by a few flattering words—if that was what they had been.
    'That's not how I'd have described a few straight remarks,' he drawled. 'And I can hardly be classed as a stranger.'
    'We'd only met once,' she exclaimed.
    'Perhaps that was where I made my first mistake. I should have made more of that opportunity, but you didn't give me much encouragement. You just stood and stared at me out of those great condemning eyes and disliked me on sight.'
    'How could I do that?' Was she asking him or herself? 'I didn't even know you. I do recall wondering why you'd chosen Blanche—I mean, after all the other girls you must have met nearer home.'

    'Maybe none of them would have me.'
    'We both know that couldn't be true.'
    His eyebrows rose so sardonicaly she flushed. 'Don't tell me you think me handsome enough to attract any number of women?' he teased, with a sober insolence which somehow got under her skin.
    'Perhaps it's your bank balance more than you,' she replied stiffly, but felt a flicker of triumphant malice as she saw his mouth tighten. When it came down to it, Rick Conway would enjoy being married for what he had no more than the next man.
    He was about to speak when the music stopped, and Emma was relieved, as she guessed the nature of the few terse words he had been about to deliver. She was glad he wasn't given another chance to reprimand her as Blanche and Rex happened to be beside them.
    Rex claimed Emma for nearly every dance after that, and for all she disliked him she began to enjoy herself.
    Never having danced since she left school, she hadn't realised how much she had missed it.
    Rex, strangely enough, was enjoying himself, too, and as he and Emma sparred lightly the habitual boredom seemed to leave his face. Once, when Emma said something which amused him greatly, he laughed aloud and hugged her appreciatively to him. She was aware that Rick had noticed and, as before, didn't conceal his contempt. Blanche frowned, as she and Rick danced past, not bothering to hide hers, either, as she saw Rex's amusement.

    Later, when she and Blanche were in the cloakroom together, Blanche insisted that there was no need for Emma to overdo things.
    The grey dress was so cumbersome and hot, Emma was having to hold her thin wrists under the cold tap to try and cool down. When Blanche spoke she stared at her blankly. 'I thought you wanted me to pretend Rex is my boy-friend?'
    'All right, so I did,' Blanche snapped, 'but I didn't ask you to go as far as you're going!'
    Soon afterwards they left to return to the farm, where both Rex and Rick departed within minutes of each other. To Emma's surprise Rick went first, but he did arrange to return the folowing evening to finalise plans with Blanche.
    The whole of the next day went with unusual slowness for Emma. Everything dragged, and whereas before there had never seemed to be enough time, now there was too much. It maddened her, too, that she couldn't stop thinking