To Marry a Duke Read Online Free PDF Page B

pride,
Richard, but I am sure he will recover soon enough.’
    From her station by the window Miss Murrell exclaimed. ‘Oh
my, I can see the carriage. It’s drawn by three pairs of black horses. What a
splendid equipage !’
    Richard tugged the bell; the signal for Yardley to assemble
all the indoor staff who could be spared from their duties and for the heavy
front door to be opened. He took her arm and frowned .‘ This will not be so bad. Good God ,   Allegra , you’re trembling. The man
cannot be a monster. After all he has allowed us nine months grace at his
expense.’
    ‘He is a usurper, a man of no
breeding, and he now has your birth right. How can you be so sanguine?’
    She positioned herself carefully so she could observe but
remain hidden in the darkness of the house, Richard stood next to her. The
carriage drew up in a scrunch of gravel and dust. Six grooms leapt forward
whilst footmen opened the door and let down the steps.
    A tall man, with chiselled features, weather-beaten
complexion and cropped black hair, emerged from the carriage first. He was, she
noticed, dressed to perfection, no expense spared, every item proclaiming him
top of the trees.
    Her teeth clenched as he turned to assist a much younger
woman, in fact no more than a girl, from the carriage. This young woman was
like a drab country mouse compared to the magnificence beside her. Her bonnet
was plain straw with a single blue ribbon, her pelisse dark, of indeterminate
colour, and quite definitely years behind fashion.
    How could Tremayne dress himself so well and have his
daughter, for she was far too young to be his spouse, dress like a governess?
He was a millionaire! Why would he allow a member of his family to walk around
like this? Had the man no idea how to behave? Did he not understand what was
expected from an owner of the Priory? That poor child must be mortified.
    Rigid with indignation she waited beside her brother for the
Tremaynes to come in to take possession of their new home. She already held the
impeccably dressed gentleman in dislike, his
    callous treatment of his daughter merely reinforced her disapproval.

 

     
 
    Chapter Four

 
 
    ‘Where are we going to live,
Papa? Tell me again, please.’ Demelza asked, eyes shining with excitement.
    ‘We’re going to live at a place called St Osyth’s Priory, a
magnificent old building that, in parts, harks back to the 13th century or even
earlier.’
      ‘Please don’t misunderstand
me, you know I love the house you have built for us at Pencarrow, it has every
modern convenience and is neither too large nor too small, but it’s not old.’
    Jago chuckled. ‘No, my love, that’s quite true, but then
neither is the main part of the Priory.’
    ‘Oh, don’t laugh at me. You know what I mean.’   She giggled. She was more relaxed in his
company today than since she had joined him in London three weeks ago. ‘Is it
far from Colchester, this Priory?’
    ‘No, we should be there soon. Watch the scenery, Demelza,
it’s very—’
    ‘Scenic?’ She enquired, still laughing.
    His eyes narrowed and he stared at his daughter. Had he been
mistaken? Her heart shaped face and thick black ringlets dominated by eyes of a
hue close to violet, was the image of her dead mother, but the intelligence and
humour she was demonstrating could not have come from her. He smiled.
    ‘Baggage! I can see the demure face
you’ve been showing me is but a facade .
You’re more like me then I realized.’
    She nodded understanding his comment was a compliment. ‘At
school I was expected to set a good example to the younger girls but now I’m
released I can express my opinions freely.’
    He had a moments misgiving. He had learnt more about his
daughter in the short journey than he had in the past weeks. He hoped Sam
Perkins wasn’t right; that Demelza would not cavil at his plan to marry her to
the Duke of Colchester.
    The coach, manufactured to his specifications in London, was
as