Free The Convenient Bride by Teresa McCarthy Page B

waistcoat. "She adored me?"
    Emily's
lips puckered. "You know very well she followed you around like some
duckling waddling after its mother."
    Clayton
vaguely recalled the girls following him everywhere when he had been home. But
Emily had been with Miss Garland every step of the way. He had thought simply,
well, it had never occurred to him the little bluestocking with the green eyes
adored him.
    Though
he had believed Miss Garland a perfect candidate for his list, after today's
tea-spilling incident, he was definitely having second thoughts. And a nice
list of possible brides from Emily would help him considerably. He decided to
goad her a bit.
    "For
your information, I don't think Miss Garland's mother would turn me away. She
has been after me for years. Do you know she mentioned marriage last time we
met?"
    Emily
glared at him. "Then by all means marry the mother!"
    Clayton
laughed. "Ah, very amusing."
    Emily
crossed her arms over her chest, reminding Clayton of a general he once knew.
"If you dare hurt Bree, I will never speak to you again."
    "Give
me some credit, Em. I am not an unfeeling oaf. I will handle this in the most
delicate manner."
    Her keen
gaze swept over his person. "Hmmmm, very well, I will give you a list of
ladies that would suit you."
    Clayton
tried to act shocked. "You will?"
    "Yes.
Your blackmail worked. I will have your list by tomorrow."

 
    Chapter Six
     
    " A nd what say
you to the weather, Princess? Do you think it will rain?"
    Briana
fit rather snugly in a child-size chair in the Stonebridge nursery as she
carefully picked up the miniature teapot, pouring air into the nearby cup where
Gabrielle was seated.
    Gabrielle
giggled, bringing the cup to her lips and slurping the tea air. "Papa says
it's going to rain, but I want to play outside." She set her elbows on the
table and leaned forward, her blue eyes sparkling. "But Fairy Ladies can
change the weather."
    Briana
threw a hand to her chest. During the past few weeks Lord Stonebridge had
teased her, calling her the Fairy Lady whenever she had her head in her books.
His lordship would say Briana seemed to be in another world.
    Maybe
she was—just like Gabrielle was today. Of course, Briana knew the earl had not
come upon the witty name alone; it had come from dear old Emily, the true
teaser in the family.
    "But
I am not a Fairy Lady, Princess. You must be mistaken."
    Gabrielle
pointed a white finger at her. "But you are the Fairy Lady! Papa told me!
You go ... you go other places!"
    Briana's
eyebrows rose at the vehemence of the girl's claim. That comment definitely had
the earl's imprint.
    Briana
loved the study of mathematics and could lose herself in the Pythagorean Theorem
for hours. She also had a fascination for Egyptian architecture. The pyramids
never ceased to amaze her. She understood about going other places easily
enough.
    She
smiled reassuringly. "Well, then, I guess I am the Fairy Lady."
    Gabrielle
smiled with pride and scooted onto Briana's lap. "I know you are the Fairy
Lady." With her tiny finger, she traced the freckles on the bridge of
Briana's nose. "You have lots of feckles. Papa said that if I touch a
feckle on a Fairy Lady, I can make a wish." A cool finger pressed lightly
on Briana's nose, and the little girl squeezed her eyes shut.
    Feckles,
not freckles? Briana adored this little girl.
    "Feckles
are magic," Gabrielle whispered, opening her eyes. "Very magic. And I
can make a lot of wishes when I touch them."
    Two
innocent blue eyes stared at Briana. "Do you know what I wished?"
    In her
mind's eye, Briana could see the earl laughing. But the thought of his love for
his daughter touched a chord in her heart that had been numb too long.
"Oh, no. Princess, you must not tell me the wish or it won't come
true."
    "Oh!"
Gabrielle slid off Briana's lap and immediately began to set the teacups back
on their saucers for another round. "I won't tell. I promise, I
won't!"
    Briana
laughed. "Princesses keep the best