Free Bride for a Night by Rosemary Rogers Page B

have a choice,” he said dryly.
    A sickness settled in the pit of her stomach. She could not explain why, but the thought of Gabriel as yet another worthless aristocrat living off the sweat of his tenants without offering them the assistance and appreciation they deserved made her heart ache with disappointment.
    “Oh.”
    There was a brief hesitation, then without warning Jack heaved a harsh sigh.
    “Forgive me, Talia. I am not being entirely fair.”
    She blinked in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
    “From all I have heard your husband is a decent landlord who has done much to introduce the latest farming techniques to his tenants.”
    “But?” she prompted, sensing he was not revealing the full truth.
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “What are you not telling me?”
    He gave a lift of his hands. “The earl tends to be an intimidating figure to most in the neighborhood. Few would dare approach him without invitation. Which means many have continued to suffer.”
    A portion of Talia’s distress faded upon hearing Gabriel was merely aloof and not a callous brute. Surely with a bit of encouragement he could earn the trust of those in his care? Not that she intended to be the unfortunate individual making the suggestion, she acknowledged with a tiny shiver.
    Nor would her companion. Not if his barely hidden sneer was any indication.
    “You disapprove of my husband?” she demanded, wondering if the two men had ever crossed paths.
    “I have little use for those who treat their power as a God-given right rather than a duty to others.”
    She narrowed her gaze at the intensity in his voice. “Are you a Jacobin?”
    His charming smile returned in the blink of an eye. “I am a humble vicar who is devoted to his flock, not a revolutionary.”
    “Hmm.” She tilted her head to the side. “Why do I sense there is much you keep hidden?”
    Before she could realize his intent, Jack had reached to tug at a stray curl that rested against her cheek.
    “I will admit that my estimation of the earl has risen considerably since your arrival at Carrick Park,” he murmured, his dark gaze regarding her with blatant admiration. “I would never have suspected that he possessed the good sense to wed a lady of such value, rather than a typical debutante.”
    Talia blushed, vividly aware of the intimate touch of his hand against her cheek.
    “You must know that I was not the bride of his choice,” she said in flustered tones.
    His thumb brushed her lower lip. “Are you so certain?”
    “Of course.” She regarded him in bewildered shock. He could not possibly mean that Gabriel was anything but horrified to be married to Silas Dobson’s daughter. “He barely noted my existence until my father bullied him into marrying me.”
    “It is my experience that gentlemen such as Lord Ashcombe rarely allow themselves to be bullied into any situation, let alone into marriage.”
    She wrinkled her nose. “You have not yet had the untoward pleasure of meeting my father.”
    “I do not doubt he is a man of considerable…”
    “Pigheaded stubbornness combined with a brute lack of morals?” she offered wryly.
    “Whatever his power, he could never truly take on a wealthy peer of the realm,” he smoothly continued. “He might have given Lord Ashcombe an excuse to take you as his bride, but the earl would never have wed you unless that was what he desired to do.”
    Talia’s heart gave a strange leap of excitement before she hastily quelled the ridiculous reaction.
    Jack clearly underestimated Gabriel’s pride. He would have wed a savage from the colonies to avoid a nasty scandal. Now he hated her for the sacrifice he had been forced to make. And she did not blame him.
    “You are quite mistaken.”
    His lips twisted. “Perhaps.”
    Giving a shake of her head, Talia parted her lips to continue her protests only to be distracted by the heavy tread of footsteps approaching from the cemetery behind the church.
    With a frown she turned to