Halsted?"
"Marry my daughter. Get her with child within six months, and fifty thousand dollars will be yours to do with as you please."
Connor sat, stunned.
The money would allow him to do more than fix up River Bend.
"Why does she have to conceive so soon?" he asked.
Mr. Halsted laughed. "My daughter is a very stubborn woman. She might resist and I do not want another divorce tainting our family."
"So you're dangling this sum of money, knowing how badly I need it and giving me an impossible situation to obtain it?"
The older man leaned forward in his chair; his eyes had a steely glint to them. "No. But I am making it a challenge. I won't just give my money away. Gordon, her first husband, managed to use her dowry within a year. This time it's going to be much harder. With children, there could be no divorce."
A heavy silence filled the room.
"You need to consider, Mr. Manning, that my daughter is a trifle spoiled and needs a firm hand. The years away in England have only encouraged her independent streak."
"Not a problem, Mr. Halsted," he said, thinking of his own sister's stubbornness. Older women he could handle; young girls were a different situation.
He stood and walked around the edge of the desk to a window and looked out upon the land. With the money, he could pay off the loan, fix up the stables, buy the mares he needed, and give Suzanne her debut. How could he fail Suzanne and his father's last request? How could he refuse such an offer?
Alexandra was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met. But she could make his life a living hell. Could he seduce her and get her with child within six short months?
A smile crossed his lips. Bedding Alexandra had been his hope all along, but now he'd have even more reason. Alexandra would get a good husband and she'd be redeemed in society's eyes. But best of all, he'd save the plantation and give his sister the entrance into society she deserved, along with the woman's touch she needed.
Maybe his new bride would be a tad tarnished, but the prosperity she would bring would be well worth the sacrifice. Besides, there was an unsettling spark between them, one he was sure would guarantee them both pleasure. And he couldn't wait to experience his new bride in every way.
Wasn't it just several days ago Nate had encouraged him to settle down, get married? Maybe now was the time, and maybe she was the woman.
He turned from the window. "Your daughter may be a stubborn woman, but I can be much more persevering. I'll accept your offer, Mr. Halsted."
Chapter Four
Alexandra was not going to make this easy. Not that Connor expected her to, but somehow he hadn't anticipated this much resistance. Whenever he had called on her, she had not been receiving guests. He had sent her a note regarding tonight's party, and she had politely declined his invitation.
And tonight at the Sloanes ' Annual Ball, she had avoided him until he felt as if he were always one step behind her as she flitted from one end of the room to the other, always safely nestled within a crowd. One kiss seemed to have raised her defenses higher than the walls of the Carolina Penitentiary. Now more than any time during their brief courtship, it was important he find a way around her barriers, for he planned on storming her defenses and capturing the prize.
Though his conscience twinged for a moment, Connor had every intention of compromising Alexandra and saving River Bend. There was no alternative. Without Mr. Halsted's proposal, he would certainly lose his home, and he was not willing to give up River Bend.
Alexandra would become his wife after tonight.
Lamps brightly lit the Sloanes ' home as couples swirled by him on the dance floor, the women elegantly dressed. Invitations to tonight's ball had been highly coveted, with only the creme de la creme of society attending. Of course it was always helpful when Mrs. Ora Sloane, tonight's hostess, happened to be a family acquaintance, a friendship that
"Marry my daughter. Get her with child within six months, and fifty thousand dollars will be yours to do with as you please."
Connor sat, stunned.
The money would allow him to do more than fix up River Bend.
"Why does she have to conceive so soon?" he asked.
Mr. Halsted laughed. "My daughter is a very stubborn woman. She might resist and I do not want another divorce tainting our family."
"So you're dangling this sum of money, knowing how badly I need it and giving me an impossible situation to obtain it?"
The older man leaned forward in his chair; his eyes had a steely glint to them. "No. But I am making it a challenge. I won't just give my money away. Gordon, her first husband, managed to use her dowry within a year. This time it's going to be much harder. With children, there could be no divorce."
A heavy silence filled the room.
"You need to consider, Mr. Manning, that my daughter is a trifle spoiled and needs a firm hand. The years away in England have only encouraged her independent streak."
"Not a problem, Mr. Halsted," he said, thinking of his own sister's stubbornness. Older women he could handle; young girls were a different situation.
He stood and walked around the edge of the desk to a window and looked out upon the land. With the money, he could pay off the loan, fix up the stables, buy the mares he needed, and give Suzanne her debut. How could he fail Suzanne and his father's last request? How could he refuse such an offer?
Alexandra was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met. But she could make his life a living hell. Could he seduce her and get her with child within six short months?
A smile crossed his lips. Bedding Alexandra had been his hope all along, but now he'd have even more reason. Alexandra would get a good husband and she'd be redeemed in society's eyes. But best of all, he'd save the plantation and give his sister the entrance into society she deserved, along with the woman's touch she needed.
Maybe his new bride would be a tad tarnished, but the prosperity she would bring would be well worth the sacrifice. Besides, there was an unsettling spark between them, one he was sure would guarantee them both pleasure. And he couldn't wait to experience his new bride in every way.
Wasn't it just several days ago Nate had encouraged him to settle down, get married? Maybe now was the time, and maybe she was the woman.
He turned from the window. "Your daughter may be a stubborn woman, but I can be much more persevering. I'll accept your offer, Mr. Halsted."
Chapter Four
Alexandra was not going to make this easy. Not that Connor expected her to, but somehow he hadn't anticipated this much resistance. Whenever he had called on her, she had not been receiving guests. He had sent her a note regarding tonight's party, and she had politely declined his invitation.
And tonight at the Sloanes ' Annual Ball, she had avoided him until he felt as if he were always one step behind her as she flitted from one end of the room to the other, always safely nestled within a crowd. One kiss seemed to have raised her defenses higher than the walls of the Carolina Penitentiary. Now more than any time during their brief courtship, it was important he find a way around her barriers, for he planned on storming her defenses and capturing the prize.
Though his conscience twinged for a moment, Connor had every intention of compromising Alexandra and saving River Bend. There was no alternative. Without Mr. Halsted's proposal, he would certainly lose his home, and he was not willing to give up River Bend.
Alexandra would become his wife after tonight.
Lamps brightly lit the Sloanes ' home as couples swirled by him on the dance floor, the women elegantly dressed. Invitations to tonight's ball had been highly coveted, with only the creme de la creme of society attending. Of course it was always helpful when Mrs. Ora Sloane, tonight's hostess, happened to be a family acquaintance, a friendship that
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