The Marriage Trap 1 by Thornton Elizabeth

Author:Thornton, Elizabeth [Thornton, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: General, Fiction
ISBN: 9780553901740
Publisher: Bantam
Published: 2005-06-28T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

“Naturally, when we received your momentous news, we dropped everything and posted up to town, fearing you had taken leave of your senses.”

“What Ash means,” elaborated Brand Hamilton, “is that we wanted to be among the first to congratulate you. This calls for champagne.”

“Thank you,” said Jack. “It's not every day a man gets married.”

When Ash sighed theatrically, Jack grinned. In their longstanding friendship, they had perfected these skirmishes with words, and rather enjoyed them.

To the waiter who was hovering, Brand said, “Champagne.” There was no need to add “well chilled,” or “the best the house has to offer.” They were in a private parlor in Watiers's club, and only the best was ever served here.

When the champagne was poured, Brand gave the toast. “To the fair Elinor and our comrade, Jack. Long life and happiness to you both.”

Of the three men, Brand was the darkest. His skin seemed to have a perpetual tan. His hair, cropped at the collar, was ink-black and his eyes were the true blue of a Cornishman's. With the right clothes, and in a different setting, he could easily have passed himself off as a gypsy. Among friends, he could relax, as at present. For the most part, however, he was an intensely private person and shared his inner thoughts with only a select few. Jack and Ash were among the select few, but even with them he could be reserved.

They made allowances. Though Brand was the son of an aristocrat, he'd been born on the wrong side of the blanket. He'd met prejudice in his time and had developed a thick shell to protect himself.

There was no reserve now as he quizzed Jack about how the fair Elinor had stormed the citadel. “I know,” he went on, “there must be more to your capitulation than Ash told me,” and he raised his brows drolly, inviting a response.

Jack removed a speck of lint from his sleeve, then looked up with a smile. “Ellie and I got off to a shaky start,” he said, “but that's behind us now. The important thing is, I couldn't be happier with the way things have turned out,” and in as few words as were necessary, he disabused them of the suspicion that he'd been forced into a marriage he did not want.

He was bending the truth a little. Circumstances had forced him to do right by Ellie, but now that they were wed, he didn't regret it. What he regretted was that the marriage was still in name only.

If he told his friends, they would laugh themselves silly, or they would bombard him with advice. He knew what he would say if Brand or Ash were in his shoes. A man should be master of his own woman. Whoever coined that old saw didn't know Ellie.

He didn't want to master her. For the first time in his life, he'd found a woman whose opinion mattered to him. He had to exert himself to please. And she was hard to please.

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