The Heiress Read Online Free PDF

forgave her father everything.
This
was why she’d lived all her life behind high walls, why she’d spent her life in near imprisonment. In another flash she thought,
How did he get into the garden?
The wall was topped with sharp iron spikes; dogs ran freely to give alarm at any intruder; workers were everywhere.
    It seemed to take an eternity as the man pulled her to the back of the hedge. One minute she’d been sketching a portrait of her beautiful cousin Frances—what surely must be the twentieth portrait this year—and the next she was being kidnapped.
How did he know?
she wondered.
How did he know who I am?
    The man stopped, holding Axia close to his body, her back to his front, his muscular arm tight under her breasts. She’d never been this close to a man before. Her household was full of her father’s spies, and if a man, a gardener, a steward, whoever, so much as smiled at her, she’d find him gone within days.
    â€œIf I remove my hand, will you promise not to give an alarm?”
    His breath was in her ear.
    â€œPerhaps you will not believe me, but I mean you no harm. I merely want some information.”
    At that Axia almost relaxed. Of course.
All
men wanted information from her. How much gold did her father have in the house? How many estates did he own? What was her marriage portion to be? People’s desire for knowledge about her father’s wealth was endless.
    She nodded. Of course she’d tell him all she knew. She’d tell anyone all she knew—which was exactly nothing.
    But the man didn’t remove his hand from her mouth right away. Instead, for a few seconds Axia was aware that he was looking down at her. Her neck was bent backward, the top of her head nestled into his shoulder; his cheek was pressed against her forehead.
    â€œYou’re a nice little handful,” he said, and for the first time Axia was afraid. She struggled against him. “Stop that! I have no time for dalliance. I have to attend to business.”
    At that Axia turned to give him a look. Should she apologize for delaying him from kidnapping her?
    But his head was turned away, peering through the shrubs toward Frances. “She is beautiful, is she not?”
    At that Axia bit his hand, and he freed her mouth, though not her body.
    â€œOw! Why’d you do that?”
    â€œI will do more than that if you—”
    He clamped his hand over her mouth again. “I told you, I mean no harm. I have come to lead her, the Maidenhall heiress, across England.”
    At that Axia calmed and at once understood the situation. He wanted to see what this woman was like, and it was only natural that he should think Frances—who hadn’t a bean to her name—was the heiress. After all, Frances dressed in finery that out-shone the queen’s, and she lived as she thought a rich woman should. In other words if she dropped a needle, she’d call a servant to pick it up for her.
    Yes, Axia nodded.
    â€œWill you be quiet if I remove my hand?”
    Again Axia nodded vigorously.
    He removed his hand from her mouth and loosened his hold on her waist at the same time.
    Axia, being a sane and sensible person, made a great leap to get away from him.
    He flattened her. Slammed her against the ground so hard the breath left her, then threw his great, heavy body on top of hers.
    When she recovered enough to be able to see, she looked up at him. Heavens but he was stunning. Not pretty, but just divinely male. He looked like something off the pages of afairy tale.
    As for Jamie, he saw a very pretty young woman, not beautiful like the heiress, but the animation in her face made up for everything. She had a heart-shaped face with dark brown hair, huge brown eyes surrounded by short, thick dark lashes, a little nose, and the most perfect little mouth he’d ever seen. Her eyes were gazing at him levelly, as though she expected him to prove himself. No woman had ever looked at