To Marry the Duke's Daughter (After the Masquerade) Read Online Free PDF

oneself in love—or even
simply smitten—and another thing entirely to actually be in love. He did not think he was in
love, but he certainly harboured more interest for her than he had ever felt
for any other woman. He feared she would make him forget his resolve to wait
for his investments to grow if she continued to impress him during their
clandestine meetings in Hyde Park.
    “I
should at least buy her a single rose,” he decided, placing his black beaver
hat on his head. “She deserves that much as a sign of my interest.”
    He
paused in the process of donning his black leather gloves when the front door
of his apartment burst open.
    “You
look too proper for a man on the verge of bankruptcy, brother.”
    Jonathon
grimaced as his older brother sauntered through the door. Gregory’s broad
shoulders blocked much of the light from the clear London sky outside, but
Jonathon still had to blink several times while he waited for his brother to
close the door.
    Gregory’s
thin lips twisted into a sneering smile as he raked his eyes over Jonathon.
“You do not look pleased to see me, John.”
    “I
am headed out, Gregory,” Jonathon stated bluntly. “We can socialize at another
time.”
    “Socialize?”
Gregory tilted his head to the right, and then to the left, as if stretching
the long tendons of his thick neck. “I do pity you, John. You never learn
from your mistakes. Or, perhaps, you are simply oblivious to the truth.”
    “I
do not have time for you, Gregory.” Jonathon did not like the sudden gleam in
his brother’s dark brown eyes. He had never thought he shared any traits with
his older brother beyond their colouring, and that was reinforced by Gregory’s
ever-expanding waistline. Gregory stood a few inches shorter, though his
shoulders were a few inches wider, but his form revealed the true difference in
their lifestyles. Jonathon had always been athletic; Gregory had always been
fond of rich meals and bountiful wine cellars, to which he somehow retained
access despite the fact he could no longer afford either.
    “You
will always have time for me, John,” Gregory murmured, his fingers playing
against the emerald that capped his hawthorn cane. His left hand slipped
inside his bulging coat to retrieve his fob watch, and he studied the time
languidly, as if determined to do everything he could to annoy his sibling.
After replacing the watch he gifted his brother with a smirk. “After all, I
own you. Everything you have is mine.”
    “The
courts might see that differently.”
    “The
courts?” Gregory chuckled and shook his head in amusement. “You do not have
the money to take me to the courts, John. Although…”
    Although
Jonathon’s chest tightened he kept his breathing even, unwilling to let his
brother see him so unnerved. He had been wise to dispose of his winnings, but
he had no ready answer for why his apartments and bank account were devoid of
said winnings. Gregory would suspect foul play and would, like a hound, sniff
until he found his prey.
    “I’ve
heard that Pranks treated you well, brother.”
    Jonathon
remained obstinately silent.
    “How
much did you win?”
    “Not
enough to satisfy your taste for Watier’s,” Jonathon retorted. “How did you
lose my money this time, brother ?
Macao or hazard? Or did you simply overindulge in the edible delights?”
    Gregory
bowed in recognition of his brother’s blunt accusations. “You know me well,
John, but you forget our debt.”
    “ I am not in debt to anyone,” Jonathon
contradicted, shoving his hands into his gloves. “It is not my fault that you
gambled away the family fortune while I fought for England.”
    “Don’t
throw your patriotism in my face, John,” Gregory snapped. The end of his cane
sharply prodded Jonathon’s chest before Jonathon could move. “It does not
impress me.”
    “Nothing
impresses you unless it is doused in oyster sauce.”
    Gregory
patted his stomach and regarded his younger brother with amused