To Protect An Heiress (Zebra Historical Romance) Read Online Free PDF

know the details of this ingenious plan, so she kept that opinion to herself.
    “What precisely is the wager?” she asked. “A horse or a carriage race?”
    “No. We are not foolish enough to bet against the marquess in a race,” Jason stated emphatically. “I have never heard of Dardington being beaten on horseback nor when racing his phaeton. He has nerves of steel, and even with disaster only a hairbreadth away, he won’t pull up or hold back.
    “I once saw him balance his carriage on its two left wheels as he shot around a narrow curve and overtook his rival. They were so close the men could have touched whips, but the marquess never faltered. His steady hand and boundless courage won the day.”
    There was no mistaking the admiration in her brother’s voice as he related the tale, and that troubled Meredith deeply. The marquess was hardly the type of man she wanted her brothers’ to emulate. They already had enough bad habits to overcome.
    “If the wager does not concern racing, then what is it about?” Meredith asked again.
    “Women,” Jason admitted with a sly grin.
    “Women!” A spot of color flared high on Meredith’s cheeks. “When it comes to experience with the female sex, I am certain the marquess is far more knowledgeable than either of you.” Or both of you combined, Meredith added silently to herself.
    “Oh, no. In this instance the marquess just thinks he knows more,” Jason said. He paused briefly for a moment as if he were carefully considering his words. “When the subject came up late last night, a rather heated debate ensued.”
    “A debate about women?” Meredith squeaked, fearful the gist of the discussion was about to take a most embarrassing direction. While she certainly did not consider herself a prude, there were some subjects she preferred not to discuss with her younger brothers.
    “Our conversation turned to unmarried ladies, specifically those who are placed firmly on the shelf,” Jasper explained. “Dardington insisted a spinster has no passion lurking within her soul, and I disagreed.”
    “As did I,” Jason added. “Several other opinions were offered, and in the end Dardington proposed a wager. He said it would be impossible to get a confirmed spinster to passionately kiss a rake, but if we somehow managed it within the week, he would pay us each five hundred guineas.”
    “And if the spinster was passably pretty, he would throw in the bays for good measure,” Jasper concluded with an eager grin.
    Meredith nearly sighed with relief. Clearly the marquess was jesting with her brothers. “Getting a rake, a man who has an extremely limited moral code, to kiss a woman, spinster or otherwise, hardly involves any effort. I imagine a true rogue would kiss his horse and not think twice about it, if the poor animal was female.”
    Jasper and Jason both grinned.
    “You are missing the subtle nuances, Merry,” Jasper said, a smile still brightening his face. “Everyone knows a rake is a connoisseur of women and, given the opportunity, will chase nearly anything in skirts, even a woman who is firmly on the shelf.
    “To win our wager, the woman must be the one who pursues the gentleman. She must be the one who initiates the kiss. That is the essence of the challenge.”
    Jason leaned closer to her. “And it must be a real kiss, lips firmly locked upon each other. A full, passionate embrace, given freely and with no regret.”
    “It appears you have given this a considerable amount of thought,” Meredith stated dryly. “ ’Tis a most frightening notion knowing that men of wealth, rank, and privilege spend their nights concocting these outrageous wagers. I can assure you almost no one else cares in the least about spinsters and rakes kissing each other. Passionately or otherwise.”
    “There were some that felt far more physical involvement was necessary to prove our point. However—”
    A fierce glare from his twin abruptly ended Jason’s confession.
    Meredith