His Perfect Bride(27)

A knock at the door made her cringe. Sitting up, she granted the guest  entry. Her dread was not lessened to discover Elizabeth at her door.



"May I join you?"

"Please. Come in and have a seat." Brianna honestly did like Elizabeth,  but as Richard's sister, she was one of his biggest supporters.

"Your mother sent me. She wanted me to remind you to prepare yourself  for your daily ride with Richard," Elizabeth informed her as she sat on  the bed beside her.

"How she could think I would forget is absurd." Brianna attempted to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"May I ask you something?"

"Certainly." Brianna's heart stopped, and she wondered how much Richard told his sister about her.

"Why do you dislike him so much?"

"Him? Are you referring to your brother?" At Elizabeth's nod, she continued. "I don't dislike him. Why would you think that?"

"At times I have seen you look at him as though he were the single most  important person on the earth. Other times, like now, you react in the  opposite way."

"I'm not sure to what you are referring. My reaction a moment ago was due to my mother's interference and nothing more."

"Don't tell me falsehoods. Simply because I'm his sister does not mean  I'll excuse him if he exhibits ill behavior. Was he unkind to you, or  did he make inappropriate advances?"

"He has never been anything other than a perfect gentleman," Brianna  defended, shocked Elizabeth would come to such a conclusion.

"I don't understand. Then why do you act so strangely around him?"

Brianna bit her lip, wondering if she should tell Elizabeth the truth.  Seeing the determined set of her jaw, Brianna decided the girl would not  refrain from asking questions until she was completely satisfied with  the response.

"If you must know, my problem does not lie with him, but what I would be  with him." Elizabeth turned her head to the side in confusion, forcing  Brianna to elaborate. "I have no wish to be a marchioness. I think your  brother is a wonderful man, and I enjoy spending time with him. My worry  is the more I'm with him, the greater the possibility feelings will  grow on either side."



"I see, but if your feelings could increase, why would you wish to avoid  them? You are so willing to discard him over his title?"

"It's a complicated matter," Brianna stated inadequately. She could not  describe exactly how much she wished Richard didn't have a title or how  much she wished she didn't care. Everything was already so muddled she  had resorted to hiding in her bedchamber.

"Well, complicated or not, I hope you are not holding him accountable  for something not within his power to change," Elizabeth lectured as a  knock sounded at the door announcing the arrival of Brianna's maid.  "Well, I'll leave now to give you time to prepare for your ride. Thank  you for speaking with me."

"It was my pleasure," Brianna obliged, although her feelings were quite the opposite.

As she allowed her maid to dress her, she thought about Elizabeth's  words. She didn't feel she acted unkind to Richard. However, she was not  being fair. Her offer of friendship was a sham, for she had not held up  her end of the arrangement. One thing was certain, either he or she  needed to marry fast or this farce would never end.

Less than an hour later, all her troubles faded as the wind caressed her  face, and the speed of her mare bolstered her spirits. There was  nothing quite like the elation she felt from the freedom of riding  through the property. Although a pastime she typically took pleasure in  alone, she found it more enjoyable with Richard. When they reached the  cool stream that had become their favorite location, they dismounted,  allowing the horses a much-needed rest.



"Are you looking forward to returning to London in a few days?" Brianna  asked, her joy slightly fading at the thought of leaving the freedom of  the country. "I'm sorry my mother forced you to stay another week."

"I'm not overly anxious to return to London," Richard assured her,  leading the horses to the stream. "I don't recall being forced to do  anything. I have enjoyed spending time with your family. In addition,  Lady Grace mentioned, several times in fact, how honored your mother was  to have me as a guest. I imagined my acceptance would be appreciated."  Richard shrugged as if his sacrifice was unimportant.         

     



 

"Grace probably told you how much she wanted you to stay as well." Brianna tried to keep the exasperation out of her voice.

Richard stopped, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Actually she did,  which made it harder to deny two ladies' requests for my company."

"I noticed you have been spending a considerable amount of time with her."

"She is a lovely young lady," Richard explained with a bright smile.

The pleasure in his face caused a surge of anger to pass through her  body, and she stalked toward him, fists balled. The overwhelming urge to  slap the smile off his face nearly won out over her better sense.

"I hope she also told you she has barely reached her fourteenth year," she retorted.

"It may have come up in one of our conversations, but her age is of no consequence to me."

"I would think it would be of great importance, considering she has not  reached the acceptable age for marriage," she ground out, but Richard's  mirth only seemed to increase. "May I ask what is so amusing? This is a  serious matter."

"I apologize. You are right. Lady Grace's age isn't a jovial matter. Your jealousy, however, I find delightful, if not amusing."



"Jealousy!" Brianna exclaimed, staring at him in disbelief. "I'm not jealous."

Although she hated to admit it, he was right. She could not believe she  had given into the feeling. Of all people, it was her little sister she  felt envious of, simply for holding a few conversations with Richard.  The notion was completely ridiculous, but she could not help the  emotion, nor could she stop it.

"If you are not jealous, why are you so concerned with your sister's  relationship with me?" His words brought on a new wave of envy that  burned her with its intensity.

"As her older sister, I'm merely looking out for her well being. I would  hate to see my sister wrapped up in a scandal because she was pushed  into marriage at an unacceptable age," Brianna explained, grateful for  the cooling breeze that helped calm some of her ire.

"Well, rest assured, as much as I enjoy your sister's company, I'm not interested in her for anything other than as a friend."

"I'm glad to hear that." Brianna allowed the jealousy and anger to leave her body.

Once the drive to harm him dissipated, she became more aware of her  surroundings. What a picturesque day. The sun was shining, the breeze  was cool, and Richard was so close she could feel his warm breath  washing over her face.

Her body called out in need and anticipation, begging her to reach out  to him, but she stood still. She knew Richard could feel the change as  well. His smile faded, and his brilliant blue eyes fell to her lips. Her  breath hitched as she waited for him to lean forward and calm the ache  within her. Less than a minute passed before his smile returned, and he  turned away from her.

"It's a beautiful day, is it not?" he inquired after he stopped a fair distance away.



"It is," she whispered, barely able to find her voice. Her body burned  in turmoil, and her mind contemplated impossible scenarios. She didn't  know how much longer she could stand this. The only solution to her  problem lay in marriage. Suddenly a brilliant solution struck her.  "Richard?"

"Yes?" He turned back to face her.

Taking a deep breath, she calmed her nerves. "Since we decided to be friends, we should be able to help one another, right?"

"Regardless of where we stand, I'll always be willing to offer my assistance to you whenever you require it."

"Thank you." She blushed at the sincerity in his voice. "Well, we are  both looking to marry and have very specific qualifications, correct?"

"Yes." He drew the word out as he watched her through the corner of his eye.

"As a lady, I have more access to the true nature of the other  debutantes. With that knowledge, I'll be able to inform you which ladies  will suit and which to avoid. Then you can do the same for me with the  gentlemen."

He paused so long, Brianna wondered if he was going to respond.

"I see," he said at last. "If you don't like my choices, what happens then?"

"We would only be offering options to one another. There would be no obligations to go forward with any of them."

"As it turns out, I already have a perfect option for you-the Marquis of Stonemede."

"If you don't wish to help, you only need to say. Bringing up unsuitable  gentlemen will not help either one of us," she snapped, then shook her  head. She was not surprised he offered himself first as she had expected  it.