To Wed A Viscount Read Online Free PDF Page A

expectantly to Meredith. “How do I look?”
    â€œCharming as always,” Meredith replied loyally. “Although I must confess it troubles me deeply, knowing what you are about to do. A lady never visits a gentleman’s home unannounced and uninvited. And you are going alone, without a proper chaperon.”
    â€œMy dire circumstances demand such boldness,” Faith insisted with a slight quiver. In truth, it was not the propriety of her actions but the outrageous, intimate nature of her request that had her a bundle of nerves.
    Meredith frowned but did not contradict Faith’s explanation. “No matter how many times I have struggled to make sense of it, I just cannot understand your father’s reasoning. Whatever was he thinking when he added that ridiculous codicil to his will?”
    Faith bit her lip. Oh, how many times had she asked herself that very question? “I believe Father was trying his best to protect me. When he fell ill last winter, he knew in his heart he was too sick to recover. Yet how could he die in peace with my future so unsettled?
    â€œThe old viscount had succumbed weeks before to the same illness and his son showed no inclination toward honoring the marriage contract our fathers had made so many years ago. How could I, a mere woman, possibly hope to succeed in making Neville Sainthill, who was now Viscount Dewhurst, marry me when both his father and mine had failed?”
    Faith closed her eyes briefly. “By Father stipulating in his will that I must marry Viscount Dewhurst before the year of mourning ended or else I would forfeit Mayfair Manor, Father thought to give me an advantage. A means to press my claim for marriage, a way to finally bring my errant fiancé up to scratch.”
    Faith remembered well how upset her father was over the lack of interest and affection shown to her by her intended bridegroom. Dear loyal Father, who saw beyond her plain looks and intellectual leaning, who thought she was far more than a small, skinny woman with mud-colored hair, dull brown eyes, and a too pointy chin. He thought her worthy of a prince, but was well pleased to offer her a viscount.
    Shaking off the memories, Faith continued. “Viscount Dewhurst’s estate is badly in need of both the substantial income and varied resources Mayfair can offer. Father knew Neville well enough to decide he would not let that prize slip through his fingers. Neville might have found it easy to disregard me, but he would have been hard-pressed to ignore the bounty of the estate.”
    â€œI don’t understand why your father insisted on Dewhurst,” Meredith commented. “Neville’s behavior proved he was hardly a good candidate for a husband.”
    â€œI think Father believed Neville’s attitude toward me would change once we were married. Besides, as a mere baron, Father was always enamored with the notion that I should marry above my station.”
    Meredith’s eyes narrowed. “Good intentions aside, the results your father had hoped to achieve for you by that silly will have hardly been realized. Such a typical example of a man’s pigheaded nature. They see no other possible consequences for their actions except those they desire.” Meredith shook her head, her lovely face full of sympathy. “Thanks to this odious will, Neville’s sudden, untimely death has left you facing a future without a husband and the prospect of losing your beloved home.”
    Faith forced a small laugh. “I believe I was always faced with the prospect of no future husband. Gracious, Neville and I had been engaged for seven years. He was in no hurry to rush me to the altar.”
    Meredith shook her head again. “I still believe your best chance lies with the courts. I have heard of wills that demand marriage by a certain age in order to claim an inheritance, but I have never heard of either the bride nor bridegroom being specifically named.