The Convenient Bride
Read The Convenient Bride Online
Authors: Catherine Winchester
The Convenient Bride
by
Catherine Winchester
The Convenient Bride
by
Catherine Winchester
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents, other than those clearly in the public domain, are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living o
r dead, business establishments or events is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © Catherine Winchester 2013. All rights reserved.
British English Version
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
Cover photograph
copyright © HotDamnStock.com
Cover design
© Catherine Winchester.
All rights reserved
Contents
Other Books by Catherine Winchester
“Lucy, my dear girl, please, you must marry me!” Max implored.
Much like a marionette whose strings have been cut, Lucy sat down, grateful to find that there was a chair behind her, because she honestly hadn’t thought to check.
H
ow had an ordinary gathering descended into this?
This was suppose
d to be a dance, much like any other and she had been anticipating it all week. Her long, sleek blonde hair had been coiled atop her head, a few tendrils curled and left to frame her face in a most pleasing manner. This was the first outing of her powder blue dress, which matched the light shade of her eyes and was most flattering to her figure; she had been looking forward to wearing it for weeks.
She looked good, she felt good a
nd she had been enjoying the dancing immensely, until Maxwell came and pulled her away and into a side room where they could talk privately.
“Max
, have you taken leave of your senses?”
“Of course not.” He dashed a hand through his hair and began to pace.
“Then I don’t understand-”
“Father wants me to marry Georgette Harrison and if I refuse, he’ll cut me off.”
“All right.”
He turned to her, hope shining in his eyes. “You mean you will?”
“No, I mean I understand the story so far.”
“Wh
at more is there to understand?”
“Why
would you want to marry me? We’ve known each other for seven years and you have
never
shown that kind of interest in me. I can only assume that you wish to live off my fortune and that is no reason to marry anyone, even my best friend.”
“It’s not like that, Luce. Father isn’t
set on Georgette but he knows how fond of me she is and that she’d accept in a heartbeat. As long as I ‘settle down’, to use his words, then he won’t cut me off. I simply can’t marry Georgette. I would rather spend my days wedded to Arthur.”
Lucy smiled at the thought of him marrying his horse
, rather than the homey Georgette.
“
Perhaps if you hadn’t already broken the heart of every beautiful young woman in Society, you would have more choice.” She sounded reproachful. He may be her best friend but she was under no illusions as to his character. She loved Max but she couldn’t deny that he was a little shallow and vain. He enjoyed beautiful women, fine wine and gambling; in that order. He might be three years her senior but she was far more mature than he.
“
Well I can do nothing to change that now, can I? Please, Lucy, I cannot marry Georgette.”
“Are you certain that your father isn’t just bluffing?
Perhaps if you stop gambling and womanising for a few weeks, he will relent?”
Max shook his head, looking
like a lost puppy. “I fear I’ve gone too far this time.”
Her first instinct
was to try and soothe him but she managed to repress it. She needed to think with her head rather than her heart.
“What have you done this time?” she asked with a sinking feeling.
“I had a run of bad luck at my club, that’s all.”
“Oh Max!” She shook her head. “How much do you owe?”
“Five thousand, give or take.”
Silence reigned for a moment
, until Max got to his knees before her and took her hands.
“Please, dear Lucy, do not refuse me this.”
“You know I find it hard to refuse you anything, Max but…”
“But?”
Lucy sighed. “I always assumed that when I got married, it would be for love.”
“My d
ear girl, everyone knows that you will never marry.”
Though his t
one was teasing, his words stung her.
“Why
on earth not?”
“Because no one is good enough for you. You
possess a rare beauty and have been courted by men from the best families, only to turn your nose up at them. You are almost 21 now; past your prime in some peoples’ eyes.”
He was right, she hadn’t accepted any offers of marriage for the simple rea
son that she didn’t love those men. She couldn’t as long as she was madly in love with Max.
He was so handsome that it almost pained her to look at hi
m at times. His dark, almost black hair constantly needed a trim and tempted her to run her fingers through it, his deep blue eyes had a constant twinkle in them and were framed with thick black lashes, which highlighted their colour and made her want to stare at them all day. Not to mention his full lips, which begged her to kiss them and his frequent layer of stubble, which gave him a slightly dangerous air.
They were an odd couple in looks, as different as night and day, for she was as pale and blonde as he was olive skinned and dark haired. Only in their height did they match, for although he was 6’1”, Lucy was abnormally tall for a woman and she thought the
ir three inch difference to be perfect. It was strange to watch him have to contort himself when he tried to dance with certain women, some of whom were almost a full foot shorter than he.
“Even if I am ready to settle for someone,
Max, I cannot see me enjoying married life with someone whose antics in the bedroom are practically legendary among Society. I had always assumed that at least I would have fidelity.”
“All gentlemen have mistresses;
I am no different.”
But
she
was different, because he took great delight in confiding his antics to her, little knowing that each word was like a knife to her heart. It was hard enough to school herself not to react as his friend, how much worse would it be as his wife?
“And what of children?” she asked.
“I will need heirs,” he assured her, then offered her a teasing and cajoling smile. “And we already know that we’re compatible in that regard.”
She wasn’t sure that she could stand making love to him
again, not when he didn’t love her in return. Two years ago, thanks to her overwhelming desire for him and the vague hope that she could let go of her love for him if she acted on her feelings, she had talked him into taking her virginity.
I
t had been the worst mistake of her life.
Afterwards s
he had lain awake for half the night, wishing that she could take her actions back, because her affection for him only seemed to have increased afterwards, and knowing that he didn’t love her in return hurt even more. To avoid more pain, she had left him in the middle of the night, unwilling to look into his eyes in the morning and see only friendship there.
She wasn’t sure if she could sta
nd making love to him regularly; her already fragile heart would surely shatter.
“Max, I ca
n’t-”
Max placed a finger across her lips, silencing her.
“I know this is a big request on my part, darling, and I would not impose on you if my future happiness didn’t depend upon it. I beg you please, don’t make any hasty decisions, at least consider it. I would be a good husband to you.”
“How?” she asked.
“I'm sorry?”
“How would you be a good husband?
“I…” he didn’t quite know how to answer. “We’re best friends, Lucy, and I love you.”
‘
Like a sister
,’ she added silently.
“
I would never hurt you,” he assured her.
‘
But your drinking and womanising and gambling already hurt me,
’ she thought. ‘
Only as my husband it will be my inheritance you gamble away and my bed you leave cold, while you warm someone else’s.
’
“I beseech you, just consider my proposal. I will not interfere in your life in any way.”
Lucy sighed then squeezed his hands. “I will consider it, Max, you have my word.”
Max best
owed one of his brilliant smiles upon her, as if she had already agreed. Her heart swelled and for perhaps the thousandth time, she wished that he didn’t affect her so. He kissed her forehead, causing her heart to skip a beat.
“Go back to the party,” she told him.
“Come with me?”
“No,” she shook her head. “I need some time to compose myself first.”
“Are you sure?”
“Go!” she told him firmly, needing to be away from his all-consuming presence for a t
ime.
“Very well
.” He kissed her forehead again, unaware of the dizzying effect that it had on her, then he practically skipped from the room. He thought that he all but had her agreement.
‘
And why wouldn’t he?
’ she wondered. ‘
Ever since I met him, I have done almost everything he asked of me, even if I did sometimes need some cajoling. I can’t even recall a single time when I have denied him anything.
’
She sat there for a time, until she felt composed enough to return to her gathering, certain that she could conceal her emotions once
more.
Sh
e didn’t venture to Max’s side as she might usually, to gossip and giggle about the other people present. Instead she maintained her distance and kept a watchful eye on him. She saw him flirt with the few pretty young girls who hadn’t yet fallen for his charms, she saw his father glaring at him from across the room and she noticed how he paled when it was time for him to dance with Georgette.
Could she condemn him to a life
with a woman he clearly disliked, she wondered?
And if she couldn’t, could she condemn herself to a life
of unrequited love and moreover, having that fact rubbed in her face almost daily?