An Unacceptable Offer by Mary Balogh

Author:Mary Balogh [Balogh, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, General, England, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9780451153142
Publisher: Penguin Group (Canada)
Published: 1996-06-30T23:00:00+00:00

"There will be a very good view of the Hall over to your right in just a minute," Sedgeworth said. He was bending from his horse's back in order to look into his sister's carriage, where the ladies rode. "It is built on a rise of land, a quite inspired choice of location, as you will see."

"Are we really almost there?" Honor asked. "I am frightfully relieved, as I do not mind saying. Not that this is not a very well-sprung carriage, Joy, but after two days on our delightful English roads, even good springs fail to disguise the bumps."

"Having to spend a night at an inn does not help matters either, does it?" Lady Dart said agreeably. "I always believe that inns must purchase their furniture from special manufacturers. Especially the mattresses. There must be competition to see who can produce the lumpiest."

"The gentlemen have all the good fortune," Honor said. "They have been able to ride all the way."

Jane did not participate in the conversation. She was watching the window on the right side of the coach, waiting for her first glimpse of Templeton Hall. She tried not to show her eagerness, but she could feel her heart thumping and her breath quickening.

And there it was. She sat forward and stared, oblivious now of the impression she might be making on an onlooker. It was still a few miles distant but clearly visible on a rise of land above fields and woods. It was a strange mixture of architectural styles, Joseph had told her. The original manor had been built in Elizabethan times, but almost every viscount since had added something. From this distance, however, it looked massive and imposing.

The carriage rolled down a dip in the road and the house was lost to view behind the roadside hedge. Soon now, Joseph said, they would turn into the elm-lined driveway that stretched for well over a mile before reaching the house. She would see him again soon. It was three whole days since she had set eyes on him. Would he be outside to greet them?

Jane sat back in her seat suddenly, casting a conscious glance at her two chattering companions. She had realized the turn her thoughts had taken and was horrified at herself. She must not allow such thoughts. She had freely betrothed herself to Joseph, and she looked forward to a good marriage with him. She must forget this childish infatuation for their host. She must guard against seeing him as anything else but her host and her fiance's friend for the next two weeks.

She closed her eyes briefly when the carriage turned into the shady tree-lined driveway that would lead eventually to the house. This might have been hers. She might have been coming home now with her husband. No. No! She resolutely opened her eyes and gazed at the passing trees. She breathed in the scent of green vegetation.

He was outside. The main doors, leading out onto a cobbled terrace, were open wide.

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