His Reluctant Lady by Ruth Ann Nordin

her freedom to a
gentleman?
    Her carriage stopped in front of
Sophie’s townhouse, and she waited for the footman to bring her
sister to the carriage before she put a pleasant smile on her face.
“How are you this evening, Sophie?”
    “ All right.”
    “ You don’t sound
excited.”
    Sophie shrugged as she examined her
gloves. “There’s not much to get excited about.”
    “ I assure you this dinner
party will be exciting.” At least it would be once Christopher made
his announcement. She studied her sister, wondering if she should
tell her. If she did, maybe Sophie wouldn’t feel so bad about
marrying a gentleman she found no real interest in. “As it turns
out, I,” she swallowed the bitter lump in her throat, “accepted
Mister Robinson’s proposal.” That was harder to say than she
thought it’d be.
    Her sister gasped and leaned toward
her. “You didn’t?”
    With a slight grimace she hoped her
sister didn’t see, she said, “I did.”
    “ But why? I thought you
detested him.”
    “ I don’t detest him. I’m
just not fond of him.”
    “ So why are you marrying
him?”
    She sighed, knowing full well she
couldn’t tell her sister the truth. “I thought I’d practice what I
preach. Marriage isn’t exciting but it can be practical. Every
gentleman needs an heir, or at least a son to pass on his name. He
can’t exactly do that with a mistress.”
    “ But what about the wife?
What benefit does she get from it?”
    “ Well, if she has no money,
then ideally she gets that. A titled gentleman will offer her a
title as well.”
    “ But Mister Robinson doesn’t
have as much money as us or a title. What benefit do you get from
marrying him when you could marry another gentleman?”
    Agatha thought over the
question. The truth was, there was no benefit in it for her. Not
really. Christopher was likely to forbid her from writing for
the Tittletattle and if he found out about her stories, he’d likely put a stop
to those as well. But if she didn’t have her reputation, then what
good was she? Finally, she said, “I get to be close to my sister.
You’ll marry Lord Clement and since he’s Mister Robinson’s
guardian, we’ll see each other often.”
    “ You’re marrying him because
you want me to marry Lord Clement?”
    “ Lord Clement is an
excellent gentleman.”
    “ Then why don’t you marry
him? I’d rather marry his ward. At least his ward is
interesting.”
    “ I can’t make that switch,”
Agatha said, even though she’d love to at this point. “I gave my
word to Mister Robinson. Now, I must follow through.” No matter how
painful that would be.
    Sophie groaned. “This isn’t fair. Must
I marry Lord Clement if he asks for my hand?”
    The carriage came to a stop and Agatha
straightened in the seat. “Yes. You asked for my help and I’m
giving it. Now, that’s enough talk about this. We both have our
burdens to bear, but at least yours won’t be as heavy as
mine.”
    The footman opened the door and Agatha
peered up at Lord Clement’s townhouse. It was as impressive as she
remembered. Her sister would do very well with him. She glanced at
her and motioned for her to smile. After her sister did, she
stepped out of the carriage.

 
     
     
    Chapter Nine
     
    “ I have an important
announcement to make,” Christopher said as Agatha and Sophie
entered the drawing room.
    Agatha hesitated to step further into
the room. Lord and Lady Roderick, Ethan and his wife, and Lord
Clement looked over at Christopher who rose to his feet and walked
over to her. She shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another.
Did he really have to do this right now?
    Christopher stood proudly beside her
and, with a smile that couldn’t be wider, said, “Agatha has
accepted my proposal. Soon, she will be my wife.”
    Lord Clement visibly relaxed. “I
thought he was going to tell us he got into some kind of
trouble.”
    “ Come now, cousin,”
Christopher replied. “I do some things right.”
    “ And