The Kidnapped Bride Read Online Free PDF Page A

proper hero. Instead, she was visited by an unsettling memory of his less appealing, though no less heroic, characteristics.
    Sir Nicholas would be far more likely to assume that the whole wretched affair was her fault from beginning to end and to read her the devil of a scold into the bargain. Not that she would mind it much if only he could save her. But she had no notion where he was, and he certainly had no way of knowing where she was! Nor did anyone else. She was on her own. She would simply have to cope.
    Sarah was not one to run from her problems. She preferred to attack them head on. But at the moment, and so long as Darcy persisted in his stubbornness and refused to discuss things rationally, there seemed to be nothing to attack. If she ranted at him, he would no doubt simply get up and leave or, worse, order that dreadful Beck to remove her until after he had enjoyed his dinner. Much better to remain calm. Her mind seemed to be spinning very little in the way of substantive ideas, however, so perhaps it would be best to wait patiently until after they had eaten.
    Dinner came at last, but it was a mediocre affair. Matty clearly had no great turn for the culinary arts. The pigeon pie lacked salt, the rabbit stew was greasy, and the cherry fool (at least, Sarah supposed it was meant to be a fool) was watery. She assuaged the worst of her hunger pangs with bread and cheese, taking only token bites of everything else and finding the whole business rather depressing.
    Tom appeared at the door soon after they began to eat and called the great dog to his dinner, but though Darcy maintained a flow of trivial small talk while they ate, it seemed a long while afterward before Beck finally came to clear the dishes and to set a decanter of port at his master’s elbow. He inquired if anything else would be needed.
    “Nothing. I’ll ring if I want you.”
    Beck glanced at Sarah. “Aye, sir.” She repressed a shudder and turned firmly to Darcy, as soon as the door closed behind the valet.
    “I do not care for your servants, sir.”
    He shifted in his seat and poured himself a glass of port. “Sorry. Make any changes you like, of course, once we are married. Except Beck, that is. ’Fraid I shouldn’t know how to go on without him. I know he’s not very nice in his—”
    “My lord, please!” she interrupted. “I do not wish to marry you, and I wish you will put such a nonsensical-notion straight out of your head once and for all.”
    “But I wish to marry you, Sarah,” he returned simply.
    “What has that to say to anything? A gentleman does not make such an important decision off his own bat, sir.”
    “Well, I have. Didn’t realize you’d object, you know, but that don’t alter the necessity for the action.”
    “I collect that your intention in all of this is purposely to compromise my reputation,” she accused more calmly than she felt. “How can you claim to care for me on the one hand and treat me so shabbily on the other?”
    He shifted again with a rueful grimace. “Well, actually … never claimed to care for you, you know. Only said I thought you cared for me. Don’t want to hurt your feelings, of course, but did say I’m not much in the petticoat line. Must put Ash Park back to rights, however, and marrying an heiress seems a better way than most. Marrying you makes things even better, of course, since the money comes direct to me. Needn’t feel I’m living on m’ wife’s charity. Shabby thing for a fellow, that.”
    Sarah stared at him, torn between exasperation and the need to choke back the sudden gurgle of laughter that threatened at his absurd reasoning. But then she realized he was perfectly serious. Though he hadn’t balked at an abduction, he would think less of himself if he were thought to be living at his wife’s expense!
    Darcy drank off his port and refilled his glass, looking down at it as he continued. “You are perfectly safe, Sarah. Said it before, but I want to be certain