Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle (248 page)

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The Viscount Claims His Bride

Finances? She was far wealthier now than the Pendennys family had been during her growing-up years. Marriage to Lucien didn't enhance her wealth in any meaningful way.

Companionship? Certainly they rubbed along well together, but that was already something she enjoyed with him, not something she needed marriage to gain.

Love? Definitely not. In spite of his protestations the night before she left,

knew without

question that Lucien didn't love her any more than she loved him. She appreciated him, but one didn't marry for appreciation. She wasn't sure Lucien was capable of a great love, the kind of love you married for, because you knew with a pure certainty that this was the one person in the entire world whom you could find fulfilment with.

There were none of the usual reasons that women typically married for. She couldn't think of a single reason why she would want to marry Lucien and give up all she had. It all provoked the question-why Lucien had asked in the

place? Surely he knew?

But Lucien needed the one thing she didn't. He needed an heir and he was approaching thirty-five in a couple of years, the magical age when heirs finally decided it was time to start their nurseries and look to their futures. Perhaps he'd looked about for a wife and decided she would be better suited for him than one of the

peopling London's marriage

That was a conclusion she could understand.

Lucien would not tolerate an insipid wife. He would

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want someone with intelligence and social skills. It was the only conclusion that made sense. Like her, Lucien didn't need additional wealth. Being a man and his father's heir gave him inherent security. He didn't need to marry for companionship.

sighed and took off the necklace, carefully laying it in a desk drawer for the time being.

She'd take it upstairs later. Lucien would be disappointed in her answer and it could very well scotch their friendship. He would want to know why. He would try to resolve her misgivings with promises he'd mean to keep, but that social pressure wouldn't allow him to-like the right to live her own life. He would say, laying out his assets like a balance sheet,

'Why not me? Do you think someone better will come along?'

In fact, she did. At least she hoped. She'd married once for the sake of her family. If she married a second time, it would be for her. For someone who considered herself to be fairly conversant in the realities of the world, she was hard pressed to let go of her romantic notions.

It didn't mean she had someone specific in mind and it absolutely didn't mean she was holding out to see if Valerian could be brought to heel. He'd already proved he couldn't be. But his were

hard to forget and served as potent reminders that one did not have to settle for the convenience of lukewarm companionship.

rose from the desk. The drizzle had stopped. She would change into a habit and take a ride between showers. When she came back she

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The Viscount Claims His Bride

would write to Lucien and tell him of her decision.

There was no sense in waiting. Bad news didn't get better over time and the longer she waited to dispel him of his matrimonial notions, the more likely it was that he'd build up his expectation of being accepted.

Expectations being what they were, Lucien was not all that troubled by the arrival of Lady Cambourne's letter at the manor in

the

week

of February. In fact, he was precipitously jubilant.

The New Year had got off to a perfect start.

Danforth's bank had been well received by local men with money to invest.

was rich in

many resources and not all of them came out of the ground. Industry bred invention. Plenty of men like Dabuz, Bolithio and Williams had seen the need for other industries like tin-smelting and gunpowder.

Dabuz and Fox swore that smelters and gunpowder works were more profitable than the actual act of mining. From the amount of funds at their disposal, Lucien was inclined to agree with them.

It had been the simple work of a few dinner parties to corral the financial resources needed to start investing and buying. These men were as avaricious as he was. They immediately saw the merit in banding together to form a cartel that controlled the outside world's access to tin and regulated the prices at which that outside world would have to pay for the commodity.

They'd also seen how important it was to control the mining interests in Britain's new South

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American colonies. If those resources were allowed to compete against the cartel, it would diminish the profit. But if those colonies were controlled by the cartel, then the prices would be controlled as well.

Lucien had hand-picked the men who would serve on the new bank's board of trustees and all had agreed buying up shares in the largest British mine in South America would be the

place they'd

start with the building of their overseas control.

Monopolies and cartels were tricky things. It wouldn't do for there to be a large broadcast of their intended plans until they had some leverage.

So with his finances firmly in hand, Lucien had complete confidence that all else would fall into place, too. The letter from

had arrived as if

on cue. Just that morning at a bank meeting someone had asked about the Cambourne mines.

given

the man an enigmatic smile and said vaguely something to the intent that he hoped to have more concrete news to share shortly. Then, like magic, the letter had arrived.

Lucien ripped open the envelope and scanned the contents, reading it twice and then again a third time to make sure he understood its contents correctly, his blood turning to ice.

Damn Valerian Inglemoore.

Lucien crumpled the note in one angry fist. The man's name hadn't been mentioned once in the missive, but he could read between every line.

Although

would deny it, St Just had turned

her head. Whatever the man had once been to her, whatever claims, spoken or unspoken, had lain