Virginia Brides by Lynette Vinet

Author:Lynette Vinet
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2017-07-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Two

Lark Arden sat in silent disbelief in the large library at Arden Manor. The dusty tomes lining the shelves hadn’t been perused in years. Lark thought that the last person to touch the vellumed volumes had probably been his grandfather. Most certainly his cousin, Richard, hadn’t spent any time reading to enrich his mind, what little of one he’d possessed when he wasn’t out whoring or gambling away the family fortune. Because of the cobwebs hanging from the corners of the high ceilings and the musty scent permeating the air, Lark surmised that no servants had cleaned or opened the room since his grandfather’s death years ago.

He now knew Hollins Carpenter had told him the truth about Lord Richard Arden, the late Baron of Arden Manor. The man had been penniless.

“Damn the deceitful man!” Lark muttered, his exasperation clear in the way he rose from his chair to savagely pull back the dark green drapes and to throw open the window. Golden sunshine tumbled into the room, highlighting the overall neglect.

Simon Oliver, Lark’s childhood friend, gazed in consternation at Lark and repositioned himself in a large chair, upholstered in a plaid fabric which was so faded it was difficult to determine the original colors. “Don’t speak ill of the dead, Lark. Your cousin is gone and can’t defend his actions.”

Turning from the window, Lark’s ebony hair fell across his forehead and nearly obscured his blacker than pitch–colored eyes. Within the depths of those eyes burned red-tipped flames; so angry was he by the unexpected turn of events. “For heaven’s sake, man, Richard was a ne’er-do-well and knew it. If I’d have known the true state of affairs here, I’d never have left Virginia,” Lark admitted before hurriedly amending, “Yes, I’d have come here if only to strangle my cousin and the inept solicitor in his employ.”

“You don’t mean that,” Simon said with a calmness that soon transferred itself to Lark. “You’ve suffered a great shock. You know you wouldn’t have harmed your unfortunate cousin, though I admit he must have been quite a rakish bastard from the tales I’ve heard about him.”

“Yes, yes, he was.” Lark pulled off his brown velvet jacket and threw it onto the back of his chair. The startling white of his ruffled shirt enhanced the remnants of his tan. It had been a long time since he’d been out in the open seas, working alongside his crew in the scorching sun of the Caribbean. He missed the sound of the waves crashing against the hull, longed for the warm sea breezes against his bare skin. He ached once again to see the night sky, filled with billions of twinkling stars and a moon so bright it caused the ship to be bathed in silver. Lark had planned to experience these things again, to feel the swelling surge of the sea beneath his feet as he undertook the most important mission of his life.

But Richard Arden had destroyed his plans, his hopes, his mission. Damn

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