marry someone and then disappear
into thin air. But…she couldn’t
not
marry this man either. As Victoria had pointed out last night, she had no other option.
Victoria’s evil husband would just as soon throw her out of his house on her ass as
look after her. If it wasn’t for Victoria and Jasper’s protection, what would become
of her? Would she end up on the street? It was not as if event managers were in high
demand in the 1800s was it? She knew if she didn’t at least pretend to be engaged
to Jasper, Victoria wouldn’t be able to protect her and Jasper wouldn’t want to. She
would be out on her ear in no time. Oh God, she would have to become a prostitute.
The thought of selling her body to the unwashed men of this time made her skin crawl.
Eww, yuck.
Jasper watched as the panic filled her wide eyes. Her face became so pale he was afraid
she might faint. Surely the thought of marrying him wasn’t that bad? He knew of several
women who’d sell their souls to become the next Countess of Bingham. “Are you perfectly
well?” he asked.
Grace shook herself out of her daydream, looked him in the eye and opened her mouth
to accept…nothing came out.
“Come.” Jasper pulled her to her feet and led her over to the sofa, gently pushed
her down and sat next to her. He rubbed her hands briskly in between his to try to
get some blood flowing. “Grace,
Grace
, are you feeling better now?” At the slightest nod of her head Jasper continued.
“If getting married to me is scaring you, you need not worry. I will look after you.
I’m very well off you know, you will never want for anything and I will never hurt
you. Grace, are you listening to me? I know you were confused last night after you
hit your head, but surely you feel better now. I’m sorry if you don’t remember the
event that caused us to get in this situation to begin with, but going by our reaction
to each other, I believe we’ll get along very well together.”
Grace marvelled at how sweet he looked sitting next to her. His eyes were filled with
concern as he continued to rub her hands. He was going to rub the skin right off if
she didn’t respond soon. She took a deep breath, looked him in the eyes again and
crushed his ego. “I am honoured you would ask me to marry you, I really am. But I
can’t marry you. Not because I don’t think that you are a good man, but we just met.
I don’t want to rush into anything.”
“Rush anything?” Jasper jumped off the sofa to his feet and frowned down at her, his
hands on his hips. “Every time we are in the same room as each other we are
rushing it
! If we rush it any more, you are going to be with child!” The last point he punctuated
with flailing hand gestures.
Grace calmly got to her feet. She didn’t like being looked down on, even if she was
vertically challenged. “Don’t be ridiculous. We need to have sex before we can make
a baby. And we certainly haven’t done that yet, have we?”
“S…s…sex! What kind of woman are you to utter such a word?!”
“Really Jasper, keep your voice down.” Victoria swept into the room and firmly shut
the door behind her. “You don’t want Neal coming down from his study do you? Now sit,
both of you, I have an idea that just might work.”
Chapter Seven
Robin arrived home to find some of his creditors at his door. It was as though they
were having a conference on how best to thrash him. He overheard them fighting over
who got to have him first. He wasn’t about to wait around to find out who the lucky
one was. He ducked around a corner before they saw him and hid behind a tree further
down the street. Curtains flicked at his neighbours’ houses as the residents there
tried to see what he was up to, but he wasn’t about to satisfy their curiosity.
The minutes ticked by as he waited for the men to leave. He looked at his pocket watch
constantly until he resorted to playing
into thin air. But…she couldn’t
not
marry this man either. As Victoria had pointed out last night, she had no other option.
Victoria’s evil husband would just as soon throw her out of his house on her ass as
look after her. If it wasn’t for Victoria and Jasper’s protection, what would become
of her? Would she end up on the street? It was not as if event managers were in high
demand in the 1800s was it? She knew if she didn’t at least pretend to be engaged
to Jasper, Victoria wouldn’t be able to protect her and Jasper wouldn’t want to. She
would be out on her ear in no time. Oh God, she would have to become a prostitute.
The thought of selling her body to the unwashed men of this time made her skin crawl.
Eww, yuck.
Jasper watched as the panic filled her wide eyes. Her face became so pale he was afraid
she might faint. Surely the thought of marrying him wasn’t that bad? He knew of several
women who’d sell their souls to become the next Countess of Bingham. “Are you perfectly
well?” he asked.
Grace shook herself out of her daydream, looked him in the eye and opened her mouth
to accept…nothing came out.
“Come.” Jasper pulled her to her feet and led her over to the sofa, gently pushed
her down and sat next to her. He rubbed her hands briskly in between his to try to
get some blood flowing. “Grace,
Grace
, are you feeling better now?” At the slightest nod of her head Jasper continued.
“If getting married to me is scaring you, you need not worry. I will look after you.
I’m very well off you know, you will never want for anything and I will never hurt
you. Grace, are you listening to me? I know you were confused last night after you
hit your head, but surely you feel better now. I’m sorry if you don’t remember the
event that caused us to get in this situation to begin with, but going by our reaction
to each other, I believe we’ll get along very well together.”
Grace marvelled at how sweet he looked sitting next to her. His eyes were filled with
concern as he continued to rub her hands. He was going to rub the skin right off if
she didn’t respond soon. She took a deep breath, looked him in the eyes again and
crushed his ego. “I am honoured you would ask me to marry you, I really am. But I
can’t marry you. Not because I don’t think that you are a good man, but we just met.
I don’t want to rush into anything.”
“Rush anything?” Jasper jumped off the sofa to his feet and frowned down at her, his
hands on his hips. “Every time we are in the same room as each other we are
rushing it
! If we rush it any more, you are going to be with child!” The last point he punctuated
with flailing hand gestures.
Grace calmly got to her feet. She didn’t like being looked down on, even if she was
vertically challenged. “Don’t be ridiculous. We need to have sex before we can make
a baby. And we certainly haven’t done that yet, have we?”
“S…s…sex! What kind of woman are you to utter such a word?!”
“Really Jasper, keep your voice down.” Victoria swept into the room and firmly shut
the door behind her. “You don’t want Neal coming down from his study do you? Now sit,
both of you, I have an idea that just might work.”
Chapter Seven
Robin arrived home to find some of his creditors at his door. It was as though they
were having a conference on how best to thrash him. He overheard them fighting over
who got to have him first. He wasn’t about to wait around to find out who the lucky
one was. He ducked around a corner before they saw him and hid behind a tree further
down the street. Curtains flicked at his neighbours’ houses as the residents there
tried to see what he was up to, but he wasn’t about to satisfy their curiosity.
The minutes ticked by as he waited for the men to leave. He looked at his pocket watch
constantly until he resorted to playing
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