To Wed an Heiress Read Online Free PDF Page A

incredulously. She was not aware that her son fraternized with men of business in the middle class.
    Mr. Godwin leaned forward in his armchair with interest. “And what reason would this fellow have for coming to the aid of the Emison estate?” The solicitor was not immune to the feeling of skepticism. What could the young Earl of Anglesford possibly offer to the mill owner for collateral?
    Haro took a long breath and then came out with the dreadful admission. “He has a daughter just out in society. An alliance with an earl is no mean thing.”
    Lady Anglesford gasped audibly. “A mill owner’s daughter?”
    Haro had been prepared for his mother’s objections. “An heiress, Mama.”
    “But, but your cousin!” she spluttered. Then, remembering that they were not alone, she glanced anxiously at the solicitor. Mr. Godwin registered no surprise. He was deep enough in the family secrets to know that there had been an understanding between the earl and Miss Swanycke. But he was also pragmatic enough to realize that a connection with the impoverished Miss Swanycke could in no way aid his client amid these difficult circumstances.
    “So,” said the solicitor slowly, “you are proposing to salvage the family finances through a matrimonial alliance. That is very farsighted of you, Lord Anglesford—a selfless act, if I’ve ever seen one. Tell me: who is the tradesman, and what is his daughter’s name?”
    And while his mother stared and Mr. Godwin nodded encouragingly, Haro gave a thorough description of his exceptional new acquaintances.

4
    I f Haro had been expecting a large dinner party at the Hastings’ home that evening, he was sorely mistaken. When he arrived, he found that he made up the fourth in an intimate gathering. Mr. Hastings and his daughter glittered in fancy evening attire while a darkly clad duenna—introduced as Mrs. Rollo—lurked demurely in the background. It seemed that Mr. Hastings, despite all his desire for ostentation, recognized the necessity of small numbers when there was something important to discuss.
    “You haven’t told us anything about your family,” said Arabella archly as the first course was laid on the table.
    Haro blinked at the number of dishes laid out for such a small party—roast beef, roast fowl, fish with oyster sauce, game, macaroni, soup, cauliflower, and a plethora of creams and sauces that he could not even identify.
    “There’s not much to tell,” said Haro, trying not to appear to be concealing some dreadful secret. “My father passed away just recently leaving my mother in poor spirits. I’ve one brother, Torin, seven years younger than me.”
    “No sisters?”
    “No sisters by birth, although our cousin Eda has lived with the family for years, and is as close to a sister as anyone can be. And then there’s my mother’s uncle, Harold, a kind old fellow, but a bit of an eccentric. He lives out at Woldwick, our country estate—positively refuses to come to town even when the rest of the family does.”
    “They sound perfectly delightful,” said Arabella, tilting her chin to show off her pretty face to its best advantage. “I always wanted a brother or a sister as a companion, but Father never managed to provide one.”
    “I provided you with Mrs. Rollo, didn’t I?” said Hastings with a guffaw. “The most accomplished companion money could buy!”
    Haro gnawed his lip uncomfortably while the gray-haired woman stared self-deprecatingly down at her plate.
    The cotton magnate turned to his dinner guest. “But, it’s true what my daughter says, my lord. She’s my only child, my only heir.” He took a liberal swallow of the red wine in his glass. “When I die, everything comes to her, and she’ll be sitting pretty in cloth of gold.”
    Haro hardly knew how to respond to Mr. Hastings’ undisguised boasts, but thankfully, Arabella was familiar with rescuing conversation from her father’s faux pas .
    “Speaking of cloth of gold,” she said