The Viscount's Rose (The Farthingale Series Book 5) Read Online Free PDF Page B

raised ankle, “and Lily confined to her quarters, that puts the odds in my favor, doesn’t it? Only three daughters left to run amok. Since Daisy can always be relied upon to behave, that leaves only Laurel and Dillie. I think I can manage two daughters on the loose.”
    No, she couldn’t. But Rose didn’t have the heart to tell her so.
    Rose spent the next hour chatting amiably with their callers, several of whom were eligible bachelors who were paying her particular attention. She ought to have been flattered, but they all paled in contrast to Lord Emory, and by the way their eyes lit up as they glanced at the shiny objects decorating the parlor, she knew they were only attracted to her trust fund anyway.
    Nicola joined her in the corner, and as most of the guests began to leave, she and Nicola finally had a moment to compare notes. “What do you think of those bachelors, Rose? Any good prospects?”
    She sighed. “None of them were in the least appealing to me. What about you? I noticed several following you about the room. Lord Bennington Simmons appeared quite attentive to you.”
    Nicola shrugged and pursed her lips in distaste. “His friends call him Bunny. How can I take such a man seriously? Ugh! Bunny?”
    “He’s quite decent looking and heir to an earldom.”
    “Rose, you of all people should not be lecturing me on this topic. You know that my views on marriage are similar to yours. I’ll only marry for love. You had better hold to your principles as well.”
    “Of course I will. All Farthingales marry for love and I’m not about to break with that proud family tradition. What did you think of the other eligible gentlemen?”
    Nicola’s shoulders slumped. “Some of them were so refined and elegant that I felt like a rustic despite the years of lessons in preparation for my debut.” She patted her auburn locks as though worried her fashionable curls were coming undone. “They had prettier hair than mine. Can you imagine? No, I will not consider a man who spends more time looking at himself in the mirror than I do when fixing my own hair. The rest of those bachelors were so unbearably arrogant I wanted to poke them in their imperial, aquiline noses.”
    That’s why she liked Nicola—there was no artifice about her. She was honest and direct, and they always had a good time together. “The right gentleman will come along for you, Nicola. You’re far too pretty and clever to be overlooked. He’s out there somewhere. We just have to find him.”
    “That’s the problem. I don’t think I’m going to find him among the balls, assemblies, and musicales going on in London, but Julian insists on my partaking in these affairs and he’s been such a wonderful brother to me I hate to disappoint him.” Her sober expression suddenly turned quite impish. “So, have you fallen in love with him yet?”
    “With your brother?” Rose rolled her eyes. “No, and I won’t be doing so anytime soon.”
    Her friend looked crushed. “Why not?”
    “Nicola, he’s sophisticated, intelligent, and handsome as sin. Yes, he’s handsome. I readily admit it,” she said, feeling the heat of a blush steal into her cheeks. “But he’s a viscount and I’m the daughter of a merchant. He can aim far higher in search of a wife. Even if he weren’t inclined to do so, what do I have to offer him? I know so little of the world, unlike his elegant countess.”
    Nicola frowned. “But that’s just it. On the surface Julian may appear to be elegant and sophisticated, but on the inside he’s a family man who loves staying close to home and hearth. Until recently, he hated these ton affairs. He never liked going about in society and thought those mushrumps who drank too much or lost heavily at the gaming hells were not the sort of men he’d ever consider friends. But he’s changed for the worse ever since meeting the horrid Countess Deschanel.”
    Rose patted her friend’s hand to calm her as she was becoming noticeably