[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
the golden-hued bedchamber, now awash with the lengthening shadows of objects in the
room as late afternoon changed into evening.
She obviously had not been alone, for a candle sconce on the side table had been
lit rather recently, judging from the height of the candle and the lack of candle drippings.
She decided to take a moment to fully appreciate the beauty of the gilded rays of the
waning daylight hours as they played off the richly painted walls and upholstered
furniture. She thought of the pressing responsibilities that ruled her life on a daily basis.
She d had no say when she was forced to take over the reins of managing two
estates at an age when puberty had just begun to blossom, her mother having finally
perished from consumption some four years earlier. Their mansion in Berwick had
started to fall into disrepair, and Elizabeth s younger sister, Cassandra, sorely needed
motherly guidance from a sister only three years her senior. She had always been a
strong individual, fully able to run the household with authority and a no-nonsense
attitude, and she made an earnest effort to keep her foolhardy father in line. Although
many times Elizabeth had yearned for the strength and protective nature of her older
brother Aidan. His disappearance one year earlier had been a great mystery to the family
and to the authorities who still investigated his whereabouts.
Consequently, Elizabeth had taken up residence with her rather wealthy relatives
in London proper, while maintaining the pretense of her own financial stability, for the
sake of capturing a husband. She wanted to find an English nobleman, hopefully one that
had no prior knowledge of her hardships. A hurried marriage at Greta Green would most
certainly foster suspicion, yet she wished to prevent an unwanted inspection of her dower
lands, which were in as much disrepair as her father s mansion. Her father s title of
Baron did entitle her to fraternize with men of a higher station, but her father had frittered
away his pride along with his revenue and self-respect. The family had endured the
blatant self-destruction of her father, who all but doomed the family to failure with his
drunkenness and debauchery. So disinterested was he in the management of the
properties that he had washed his hands of everything remotely connected with them,
while he remained in a constant state of inebriation. Eventually his imbibing took its toll
on the family finances, and Elizabeth was forced to keep only Windmere in operating
form while Meadow Bay steadily deteriorated.
The now pathetic manor at Meadow Bay, Elizabeth s dower lands, had been a
thriving piece of property before the neglect. No better was the main property which sat
along the banks of the River Tweed, only two miles south, just outside the town of
Berwick. The picturesque border town of Berwick had changed hands between England
and Scotland thirteen times. Adorned with tiny red-roofed houses, pinkish grey
HANDSOME DEVIL Donna McAteer 27
buildings, and a fine bridge that spanned the Tweed River, it retained its quaintness even
amidst the centuries of border disputes.
That Berwick was right on the border of England and Scotland suited Elizabeth
just fine, since she was a product of both countries. Her father s lineage was upper-crust
British, while her mother was a full-blooded Scot.
The breathtaking vista of the surrounding countryside held many happy hours of
memories for Elizabeth, and the dilapidated state of disrepair of both proud manors at
Meadow Bay and Berwick pained her greatly.
Sitting up in the bed, Elizabeth clutched the satin covering to her chin in a futile
attempt at modesty. Sliding her legs towards the edge of the massive bed, she threw them
over the side and lowered herself to the floor. Wrapping the sheet tightly around her
body, she shuffled towards the heavy mahogany door.
It was dusk. The shadows elongated, and the sparse candlelight overtook the
natural sunlight that had very recently been pouring through the large windows that
stretched from floor to ceiling. Gathering her courage, she tiptoed to the door and placed
her ear against it. Hearing nothing, she silently opened the door until she could peek
around the edge to view the hallway. Candle sconces festooned the hallway, the
candlelight flickering with the invisible drafts of the corridor. Thankfully no movement
ensued; the hallway was empty. Stealthily she crept with her back flattened against the
wall. From somewhere farther down the hall, she heard a muffled conversation of male [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl rafalstec.xlx.pl
the golden-hued bedchamber, now awash with the lengthening shadows of objects in the
room as late afternoon changed into evening.
She obviously had not been alone, for a candle sconce on the side table had been
lit rather recently, judging from the height of the candle and the lack of candle drippings.
She decided to take a moment to fully appreciate the beauty of the gilded rays of the
waning daylight hours as they played off the richly painted walls and upholstered
furniture. She thought of the pressing responsibilities that ruled her life on a daily basis.
She d had no say when she was forced to take over the reins of managing two
estates at an age when puberty had just begun to blossom, her mother having finally
perished from consumption some four years earlier. Their mansion in Berwick had
started to fall into disrepair, and Elizabeth s younger sister, Cassandra, sorely needed
motherly guidance from a sister only three years her senior. She had always been a
strong individual, fully able to run the household with authority and a no-nonsense
attitude, and she made an earnest effort to keep her foolhardy father in line. Although
many times Elizabeth had yearned for the strength and protective nature of her older
brother Aidan. His disappearance one year earlier had been a great mystery to the family
and to the authorities who still investigated his whereabouts.
Consequently, Elizabeth had taken up residence with her rather wealthy relatives
in London proper, while maintaining the pretense of her own financial stability, for the
sake of capturing a husband. She wanted to find an English nobleman, hopefully one that
had no prior knowledge of her hardships. A hurried marriage at Greta Green would most
certainly foster suspicion, yet she wished to prevent an unwanted inspection of her dower
lands, which were in as much disrepair as her father s mansion. Her father s title of
Baron did entitle her to fraternize with men of a higher station, but her father had frittered
away his pride along with his revenue and self-respect. The family had endured the
blatant self-destruction of her father, who all but doomed the family to failure with his
drunkenness and debauchery. So disinterested was he in the management of the
properties that he had washed his hands of everything remotely connected with them,
while he remained in a constant state of inebriation. Eventually his imbibing took its toll
on the family finances, and Elizabeth was forced to keep only Windmere in operating
form while Meadow Bay steadily deteriorated.
The now pathetic manor at Meadow Bay, Elizabeth s dower lands, had been a
thriving piece of property before the neglect. No better was the main property which sat
along the banks of the River Tweed, only two miles south, just outside the town of
Berwick. The picturesque border town of Berwick had changed hands between England
and Scotland thirteen times. Adorned with tiny red-roofed houses, pinkish grey
HANDSOME DEVIL Donna McAteer 27
buildings, and a fine bridge that spanned the Tweed River, it retained its quaintness even
amidst the centuries of border disputes.
That Berwick was right on the border of England and Scotland suited Elizabeth
just fine, since she was a product of both countries. Her father s lineage was upper-crust
British, while her mother was a full-blooded Scot.
The breathtaking vista of the surrounding countryside held many happy hours of
memories for Elizabeth, and the dilapidated state of disrepair of both proud manors at
Meadow Bay and Berwick pained her greatly.
Sitting up in the bed, Elizabeth clutched the satin covering to her chin in a futile
attempt at modesty. Sliding her legs towards the edge of the massive bed, she threw them
over the side and lowered herself to the floor. Wrapping the sheet tightly around her
body, she shuffled towards the heavy mahogany door.
It was dusk. The shadows elongated, and the sparse candlelight overtook the
natural sunlight that had very recently been pouring through the large windows that
stretched from floor to ceiling. Gathering her courage, she tiptoed to the door and placed
her ear against it. Hearing nothing, she silently opened the door until she could peek
around the edge to view the hallway. Candle sconces festooned the hallway, the
candlelight flickering with the invisible drafts of the corridor. Thankfully no movement
ensued; the hallway was empty. Stealthily she crept with her back flattened against the
wall. From somewhere farther down the hall, she heard a muffled conversation of male [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]