The Christmas Heiress (6 page)

"So do I." Lord Reginald gave her a bemused
look. "Marriage is an important lifetime commitment. Are you certain that he is the one you want,
Charlotte?"

"I am." She felt her heart flutter for a moment
as she said the words and then it settled back into a normal rhythm. "I know this will make me very
happy, Grandpapa. Truly."

Relief filled Lord Reginald's face. "Then I am delighted. This is splendid news. I shall speak with the
earl immediately and we will draw up the marriage
contracts. I can think of no better way to celebrate
the arrival of spring than to have your wedding ceremony at Quincy Court."

Charlotte breathed in a quivering sob of delight.
Edward was going to be her husband! Excitement
swarmed through her, yet she somehow managed
to suppress a feral smile. It would be unladylike and
crude to gloat so openly, but the sense of accomplishment nearly overwhelmed her.

The flowers at Quincy Court would be in bloom
by early June, the formal rose garden just starting
to bud. She would have the majority of her wedding
clothes made in London, but then purchase additional garments on her honeymoon to Paris.
Edward would be dazzled by her beauty, her sophistication, her womanly charms and count himself
the luckiest man in England to have won her heart.

The chaos of emotions that had been tormenting
Charlotte for days began to fade, replaced by a constant stream of happiness. Dearest Grandpapa. No
matter what the circumstances, she could always
count on him to give her everything she ever
needed, everything she ever wanted.

Why should this be any different?

"I am sorry, Father, but what you are suggesting
is impossible. I will not marry Charlotte Aldridge."

The Earl of Worthington sputtered with outrage, clearly speechless at his son's reaction. He turned
to his wife, who sat beside him on the salon sofa,
her expression revealing the same shock.

"Is there someone else, Edward?" the countess inquired. "We would never insist that you marry Miss
Aldridge if your heart has been already claimed by
another. As long as she is an acceptable girl, with an
acceptable lineage and brings a substantial dowry,
we will welcome her into our family."

For the briefest instant, Edward was tempted to
lie and say he was involved with someone else. But
then his parents would expect him to produce the
young woman in question. And since she did not
exist, that would be impossible.

"There is no one else," Edward admitted reluctantly. "And the reason for that is because I am far
too young to be married."

The countess smiled broadly, all teeth. "Your
father was only two years older than you are now
when he married me. Besides, you have always
been a steady and serious young man, displaying a
maturity far beyond your physical years. It is one
of your finest qualities. Your father and I both agree
that you are more than ready to settle down. And
we have decided that Miss Aldridge would be an
outstanding choice."

Edward felt the hair on his nape stand up in
warning. His mother was always at her most formidable when she engaged in flattery. From what he
had observed, she barely tolerated Miss Aldridge,
yet she was eagerly overlooking that fact. She must
want this match very badly.

"Charlotte Aldridge is a pleasant looking, highspirited young girl," the earl added. "She is Lord Reginald's sole heir. And her great-uncle is a duke.
What more can you possibly require in a wife?"

"Miss Aldridge's suitability is not in question,"
Edward replied. "The simple fact of the matter is
that I have no plans to marry anyone, anytime
soon.

"But you kissed her!" the countess exclaimed.
"Most passionately, I was told."

Good God. Edward felt his face infuse with indig
nant color. He had tried, unsuccessfully, to push all
memories of those kisses from his mind, still unsure
what had possessed him to throw caution to the
wind and react so physically to Charlotte.

One touch of his lips to hers and his famous selfcontrol had vanished. He had devoured her mouth
with smoldering sensuality, kissing her as if his life
depended on it. Agitation had filled him, igniting
a passionate fire of desire in his blood. He could
not think clearly, he could only feel.

It had been so difficult to stop. If not for the interruption by his brother, Jonathan. . . Edward
shuddered to think how inappropriate his behavior
might have become.

But he had stopped and well before Charlotte
had been compromised. There would be no need
to marry for propriety's sake, even if others knew
he had stolen a few kisses.

Yet the only way his parents could possibly know
about those kisses was from Charlotte. She must
have told her grandfather and Lord Reginald had
informed his parents. Were they all in this together,
conspiring to trick him into marriage?

"I kissed Miss Aldridge because she was standing
beneath the mistletoe," Edward maintained, fighting to keep a straight face. "It would have been impolite
and downright insulting to refuse. It meant nothing."

His father's face turned angry, but Edward would
not relent.

"Miss Aldridge is attractive, but I have no desire
to complicate my life with a wife. Especially one so
young and spoiled," Edward continued, wanting to
make his position perfectly clear.

"This is quite a blow," the countess remarked, with
a stiffening upper lip. "I fear you have ruined everything with this unreasonable attitude, Edward."

"I am merely being truthful, Mother."

"And irresponsible," the earl said curtly. "You
have obligations, my boy, responsibilities and duties
to this family that you cannot ignore."

Adopting a neutral, pleasant facade, Edward held
on to his temper. He was very aware of his responsibilities to his family. He took them seriously, far
more seriously than many other young men of his
class, and it hurt to be so wrongfully accused.

Though it was a bit sooner than he had originally
planned, it seemed as though he had no choice but
to tell his parents what he intended.

"I would like to assure you both that I take my responsibility as the future earl very seriously,"
Edward said. "And it has not escaped my notice that
our finances are in dire straits."

`Just a run of bad luck," the earl grumbled.
"Nothing that can't be fixed with an infusion of
funds. In fact, a bride's dowry would set us to rights
in no time."

"Even a sizable dowry would only allow us to pay off
the most pressing of creditors and stave off ruin for a few years," Edward said softly. "What I propose is that
we find a more sensible solution to this problem."

"We have found a solution," the countess insisted
with a stony expression. "Charlotte Aldridge is an
heiress. She will inherit a considerable amount of
property, along with a great fortune one day. As her
husband, you would have control of that fortune."

"I do not wish to control someone else's fortune,"
Edward said calmly. "I am going to make my own."

Neither of his parents could hide their astonishment at his announcement.

"Your own what?" the earl ventured.

"Fortune." Edward was not a man prone to emotional extremes, but this was too important not to
speak from the heart. He had thought and planned
and considered this all very carefully. He was convinced he could be successful, if only given the chance.

"That is simply ridiculous," the countess snapped.
"Men of your class and breeding do not soil their
hands by making money."

Ignoring the scowling looks cast his way by both his
parents, Edward maintained a calm facade and tried
to explain. "Years of indiscriminate spending and
foolish investments have depleted our family coffers.
We derive a large portion of our annual income from
several estates, however agriculture is a chancy business even under the best of circumstances.

"Unfortunately generations of our ancestors have
failed to invest the necessary funds back into the land
and the profits have steadily dwindled over the years.
We need diverse investments in progressive industries
to achieve financial solvency and independence, not
only for ourselves but for future generations."

The earl's brow raised in puzzlement. "What a
bunch of garbled nonsense. Speak plainly, Edward."

"I am going to build a business empire that, God
willing, shall eventually bring us financial independence," he proclaimed proudly.

"Work in trade? Have you taken leave of your
senses?" An icy edge of panic layered his mother's
outcry. "'Tis an unthinkable idea. We shall be
shunned by anyone of consequence."

The earl's earlier puzzlement vanished, replaced
with thunderous fury. "I will not allow a son of mine
to bring such utter disgrace to our family name."

Edward remained expressionless, though he felt
the color drain from his face. He had not expected
it to be easy, yet this extreme disapproval was far
more than he anticipated. True, few men of class
took such an active role in business, but he felt the
circumstances warranted such action, especially because he believed he had the talent and the dedication to make it a reality.

All he needed was a chance to prove himself.

"I am trying to save our family," Edward said
calmly, trying to make that point very clear.

The countess let out a loud gasp of distress and
clutched her hand over her heart. "You are going
to destroy it."

"Mother, please, there is no need for you to
react-"

"Stop it! Stop it, I say!" the earl exploded. "I will
listen to no more of this preposterous rubbish. You
are upsetting your mother beyond reason."

The earl drew a shuddering breath, seemingly
to gather his thoughts. "It is true that we are going
through a bit of a rough patch regarding our family finances. Which is precisely why we have decided
that it would be best for all concerned if you marry
the Aldridge girl. It must be done no later than this
coming spring. We expect you to make an announcement at this evening's Christmas Eve ball.

"Lord Reginald and I have already worked out
the details with our solicitors. The terms of the marriage contracts are most generous. I have taken the
liberty of retrieving the bride's ring from the vault,
so you may present it to Miss Aldridge when you
formally propose. This afternoon."

The earl fumbled in his pocket and removed a jewel
box. He flipped the lid and revealed the contents.
Even the old-fashioned, heavy gold setting could not
diminish the brilliance of the large sapphire center
stone as it sparkled mockingly up at Edward.

"'Tis very large," he commented dryly.

"The ring was given to the first earl by King Henry
VIII," the earl replied, ignoring his son's remark. "I
am certain Miss Aldridge will find it satisfactory."

The pomposity of the statement brought an
ironic smile to Edward's lips. His parents were so
blinded by their own archaic rules and traditions
they could not even consider the notion of something different. His heart hung heavy with a great
sense of failure, for he knew in that moment their
opinion would never be swayed.

Nor would his. A business empire was the right
course of action, the only way to ensure stability for
future generations. Though it troubled him,
Edward was determined to achieve this dream despite his parents' vehement objections.

"I will not marry Charlotte Aldridge and I can see
that I am obviously wasting my breath trying to make you understand my reasons. You refuse to
look beyond your own narrow, biased views of the
world." Edward rose to his feet and squarely faced
his parents. "Forgive me for upsetting you, Mother,
Father. It was never my intention. However, since
my presence clearly distresses you both, I shall take
my leave and return to London."

The countess began dabbing at the corners of
her eyes with her ever-present handkerchief, but
one tear escaped and trailed from the corner of her
eye down her cheek, then to her chin. She did not
bother to brush it away. The earl refused to look directly at Edward, his expression dry and desolate.

There was nothing more to be said.

Heart heavy, Edward took his leave with a shallow
bow, vaguely wondering how long it would be until
he next set eyes upon his parents.

Charlotte stood in the shadows, staring at the
empty doorway that Edward had just strode
through on his way out of the house. She had come
to the drawing room in search ofJonathan, wanting
his opinion on her choice of a Christmas gift for
Edward. But when she passed the drawing room
doors and heard voices raised in anger, and then
her name, she had pressed herself against the heavy
wood and stayed to listen.

If only she had walked on!

Charlotte licked her dry lips. She still could not
believe what she had just overheard. Edward had
not only refused to even consider marriage to her,
but he had defied and angered his parents in the
process. Was she really so horrible?

She let out a nervous, painful grunt of anger. Of
all the irony! She had come to Farmington Manor
determined not to be forced into a marriage she
did not want and instead found herself wanting a
man who had no interest in her at all.

He did not want her. Charlotte's hands gripped into
white-knuckled balls and her heart began thumping
in a sharp rhythm inside her chest. The pain was
worse than anything she had ever known. She stood
completely still as a wave of nausea pulsed through
her. This could not be happening!

Charlotte felt the tears burning, felt the thick lump
build in her throat and could not stifle the sob that escaped. She backed away from the doorway, and scurried down the hall, running wildly until she found an
empty room.

Breathing hard, she closed the door and locked it,
then flopped onto the nearest chair, her legs suddenly too weak to support her. Her stomach roiled
and she clenched her fist against her abdomen. She
huddled into herself, surrounded by misery.
Though she tried valiantly not to cry, she felt the
cold, wet tears escape.