The Viscount's Sweet Temptation Read Online Free PDF

father and I know what is best for you.”
    A belt of terror tightened around Morley’s chest. If her father insisted on a wedding there was nothing Morley could do but appear at the altar.
    Alderford nearly rose from his seat. “There is not, nor will there ever be, a betrothal between the two of you. I will not allow my daughter to marry a man who treats her reputation so callously. I won’t have her name associated with such a man. No. We are lucky no one knows of this, and I’m determined that no one will learn of the events of this night. We will go on to Danby Castle and Harriet shall marry the man the duke has chosen for her.”
    “You have my word, Lord Alderford. And now that your daughter is safely beside you, I shall return to my carriage.”
    Alderford nodded. “Yes, go. And next time consider the ramifications of such action before setting out.”
    “But what of your sister?” Lady Alderford asked.
    Closing his eyes, Morley swore to himself, then prayed for release from this discussion. He’d completely forgotten that portion of his lie. “I shall tell her simply that I missed Lady Harriet’s departure for Yorkshire, and beg dear Eleanor to hold on until after the holidays.”
    The older woman smiled and raised a handkerchief to her eyes. Before anyone could stop him, he bowed and took his leave of the Alderford carriage. The cold air hit the dampness on his brow, and he realized how deeply he’d feared the outcome of the conversation. Yet he’d escaped with no threats of a special license being obtained.
    To think he’d believed his trip to Bath would be dull, uneventful—a break from the noise and excitement of his sisters’ company. Shaking his head, he pitied the man the Duke of Danby had chosen for his granddaughter. But not as much as he thanked the saints it was not him.
    Smithers was wrestling with the carriage as Morley approached, attempting to raise it enough to remove the broken wheel. “Here, man, let me assist.” Behind them he heard the Alderford carriage depart.
    The physical labor of repairing the coach gave outlet to the anxiety he’d built up in Lady Harriet’s presence. It also gave him time to think more about her, and how she looked in the light of day.
    Her pale hair had glowed in the early morning mist, despite the heavy clouds above. She was sunlight itself. Her eyes were bluer than he could recall seeing before. When she stepped out of his carriage, her tremulous smile had tugged at him. He’d felt an unexpected longing to kiss her fears away.
      Morley wiped the back of his gloved hand across his brow. He must stop thinking about the silly chit and celebrate his narrow escape. Smithers tightened the wheel hub then nodded at his boss. “She be right sound, now, my lord.”
    Returning the nod, Morley strode through the muck to the door. Glancing at his boots as he stepped inside, he was grateful he was traveling alone. His mother would scold him soundly for tracking in all that mud. Yes, he was lucky on many fronts this morning.
    He woke later, uncertain how far they had traveled. His head pounded. He looked for the bread and cheese he’d acquired at the same stop he’d collected his stowaway. Once his hunger abated, he could think clearly again.
    Somehow, his thoughts returned to Lady Harriet. As hard as he might, he couldn’t imagine what she would look like at a ball, dressed in her finest gown with jewels woven amongst her curls. The image didn’t suit her. She seemed the type who ran willy-nilly through a meadow chasing after butterflies, mud clinging six inches or more up her hem, as his sisters often did. A true woodland nymph or fairy.
    He considered what her cousin Nick, his mate from Oxford, would say about the adventure, and instantly sobered. Nick would have his hide if he knew Morley had spent the night alone with Harriet, albeit a cold one in a broken carriage. That made the implications even worse. One must find some way of generating warmth, and