Free Duke of Thorns (Heiress Games 1) by Sara Ramsey

glance with Lady Maidenstone. The blonde gave her a speaking glare before turning away from them to look out over the formal gardens. She didn’t leave them unchaperoned, but it was clear she wanted no part in whatever Lucretia planned.
    Lucretia sighed. “I wouldn’t trap you. But I’ll admit that I would like to marry you. Would you consider offering for me?”
    Thorington, for once, was outflanked. “I beg your pardon, Miss Briarley?”
    She turned to face him. The sunlight in her eyes showed he hadn’t cowed her. Instead, she was determined, even though there was something in her face that suggested she’d taken a strong dislike to him. He’d heard enough about her to understand her desire to save Maidenstone for herself. But the purely mercenary set of her mouth, so unusual for a sheltered woman of her age and class, was a shock.
    “You may ask me for my hand as though I hadn’t offered it, if you prefer,” she said. “I know some men would take offense at being offered for. But I’ve heard you aren’t stiff with tradition.”
    “I am flattered,” he said. “But I’ve no wish for a bride.”
    “Even if it brought you enough money to save your estate?”
    “My estate isn’t in any danger.”
    He said it easily enough. But Lucretia didn’t seem convinced. “You asked for an invitation to this party, which must mean you need to marry one of us. What I’ve read about you suggests you’ve had a run of bad luck. And you were the only guest whose correspondence from his business manager preceded him. Marry me and your luck will change.”
    “I make my own luck,” Thorington said. “Marrying you isn’t in the cards.”
    She looked up at him, shading her eyes with her hand. She looked as young as she was for a moment — only twenty-three, and a rather sheltered twenty-three. He didn’t have a conscience, but he had enough imagination left to speculate about her — about how her upbringing, and too much time with the irascible Earl of Maidenstone, might make her too bold in some ways, too innocent in others.
    But helping her wasn’t his plan, unless Anthony decided she was the one for him.
    She still hadn’t spoken. He shifted his weight and tried for a smile. “I would eat you alive, my dear. Find a boy who will worship you. Any number of guests at this party would fit the bill.”
    She dropped her hand and shook her head. “They are mostly ineffectual or incompetent. Maidenstone needs someone stronger than that.”
    “And your needs?”
    “I need Maidenstone,” she said.
    Lucretia didn’t embellish her statement. That flinty look was back. If she was too bold for her own good, it came from a vast reservoir of determination. And all her determination was focused on Maidenstone, to the exclusion of all else.
    “I wish you happy with the man who may help you to save it,” he said, more gently than he was usually capable of. “But I am not the one for you.”
    Lucretia sighed. She looked beyond him, toward the house that loomed behind him. A shadow of emotion moved over her face, passing so quickly that he wouldn’t have seen it had he not been observing her closely.
    And he wouldn’t have recognized it if he didn’t feel the same need.
    “I can’t lose,” she said, almost to herself. “I mustn’t.”
    Lady Maidenstone rejoined them. The girl had taken a few steps away from them during Lucretia’s attempt to proposition him, but she must have heard everything. She took Lucretia’s hand. “Come inside, dear,” she said, sounding older than Thorington knew her to be. She had glared at Lucretia before, but now she was soft, sympathetic. “We shall find someone better able to appreciate your virtues.”
    He stayed outside as they returned to the party. For a moment, he considered the idea of marrying Lucretia and giving Callista to Anthony — if Rafe would consent to marry Octavia, they were guaranteed to win Maidenstone Abbey.
    But he dismissed that thought as soon as he had it.