Free The Convenient Bride by Catherine Winchester

the closes t thing she had to a father now; could she stand to lose him too? How much loss could one heart bear in a lifetime?
    She paused before the open door and raised a hand to knock on the door frame before entering, but a voice stilled her movements.
    “I’m married now, my darling and as much as it pains me to be parted from you, I have responsibilities as a husband.”
    That was Max.
    “And what about your responsibility to me? It’s me you love, remember?”
    That awful French accent again. Even though she couldn’t smell it from here, Lucy could almost feel her nose itch from her overpowering perfume.
    She heard Max sigh. “Honestly, Marie-“
    “Carry on!” her tone brooked no argument, very different from the upset and emotional tone she had been using up until now.
    “Very well.” Max gave a long suffering sigh again. “Needs must, my dear. She has money, position and a faultless reputation. As much as I love you, we would both be shunned had I chosen you for my bride.”
    “You speak of love but you know nothing of it! Don’t you know how much it hurts me when you return to her? How awful I feel, knowing that you are sharing her bed, trying to produce heirs with her? What about our children? Why are they condemned to be bastards , when the children of a woman you don’t even love, get everything?”
    Lucy couldn’t help the soft gasp that escaped her lips. Max already had children? How hadn’t she known that? She most certainly would not have married him if she had known that.
    Suddenly his betrayal wasn’t just that he had kept his mistress after their wedding, he had been hiding parts of himself from her. She had thought them best friends but he hadn’t told her something as important as having children.
    “You know that even if I married you, our children wouldn’t become legitimate.”
    Lucy turned from the door and fled, suddenly as desperate to escape as she had been to get here. She felt as if her life had suddenly been turned upside down and she didn’t know what was real any more. If she couldn’t trust Max, who could she trust?
    Her eyes began to fill with tears that blinded her and in her haste to escape, she tripped on the final flight of stairs, la nding in a tangled heap at the bottom.
    “My God!” She heard a man exclai m as he rushed over to her. “Lie still,” he urged.
    She tried to push him away; she didn’t want help, she just wanted to get away. “Someone call for a doctor!” he yelled.
    “No, I'm fine, just let me go,”
    “You aren’t fine, please, let me call a doctor.”
    “No, I have to get home, I must. Let me go!”
    “Very well, as long as you allow me to accompany you.”
    He allowed her to sit up now and handed her a handkerchief, which she used to wipe her eyes. She didn’t want this man to go home with her, she just wanted to be alone, all alone but if it would get her home faster, she would accept his assistance.
    She allowed him to help her to her feet and thankfully, her carriage was still waiting outside. They climbed in, although the driver gave them both some odd looks.
    “She had a bad fall,” the man told the driver. “I just want to make sure that she gets home all right.”
    The driver nodded, accepting that explanation.
    “Please hurry,” Lucy urged. She had managed to stem her tears for now but she wasn’t sure for how much longer she could keep her composure.
    The man spoke to her during the carriage ride but Lucy didn’t reply, she didn’t even hear what he was saying; there was simply too much else swirling around in her mind at the moment. When they arrived at the house, he helped her down, being very solicitous. Lucy was grateful for the help as she was beginning to feel the bumps and bruises from her fall now, but she would have preferred to have the driver help her.
    The gentleman saw her to the door but she was insistent that she was fine now. Finally he seemed to take the hint and after wishing her well and a speedy