Free Angelina by Janet Woods Page B

Constance is selecting candidates for a wife for him at these assemblies.”
    “She intends to choose a wife for her son?” Angelina gave a delicate shudder. “How dreadful. I refuse to be screened for such a purpose and shall cancel the visit.” 
    “What a prissy miss you are,” Rafe said with a smile. “Did I detect a nuance of snobbery in your manner?”
    “If you did your imagination must be severely strained.” She sighed. Was society full of irritating men such as Rafe. “It was revulsion. I’d prefer to have been invited because my hostess wished to spend time in my company, not because she views me as a likely daughter-in-law.”
    “You are young and wealthy, Angelina.” He gave a weary smile. “You must expect to be regarded as prey by the enterprising mamas of this world.”
    She felt a little nauseated at the thought. “Is this true, James? Am I to be regarded as a commodity?”
    His smile reassured her. “That’s not exactly how I’d describe the marriage market, Angelina.”  
    “Then why do you call it a market? I will never marry a man I have no regard for,” she said with determination, and stepped away from him. “If you have ideas to the contrary I beg you to change them now.”
    “Forcing you into marriage against your will is the last thing I’d do. But how do you expect to meet suitable men if you do not accept social invitations?”
    Her heart sank. Why did things have to change? It seemed like only yesterday she’d been a child, with all the freedom of a child. She hated London with its dirty streets and its beggars, and didn’t know how to handle worldly men like Rafe. Alexandra Pakenham had kept her ignorant of society ways, and now she was being forced into it without knowing how to cope.
    “I’m scared of meeting men,” she admitted. “I’ll not know which are suitable and which are not.” Her voice rose. “I do not want to attend Lady Constance Snelling’s assembly and be looked over as though I was some mare she might buy for her son. And most of all...” Her eyes sparkled with imagined affront. “I do not wish to suffer the indignity of being told I’m not a suitable wife, if the woman decides she doesn’t like me.”
    Rafe burst into laughter. “No fear of that, my vain little angel. Any enterprising mama will covet a prize such as you for her son. The young lordling will do exactly as his mama says, and will, no doubt, carry you off to the altar with as little delay as possible.”
      She met Rafe’s laughter with scornful toss of her head. “I am not vain.” “Enough of this,” James said. “If it worries you so much, I shall escort you and Celine to the assembly myself.”
    “But, you’ll find such duty tedious in the extreme.”
    “No doubt,” he said wryly. “But if the price of your peace of mind is the loss of mine, I’ll gladly pay it.”
    “Put thus, you make me feel horribly indebted to you.” Standing on her toes she kissed her brother soundly on the cheek. “I would not suffer your reluctant patronage when you would rather dip your nose into your law books. Celine and I will manage without you. If either of us return married to this mama’s boy Rafe describes, you will only have yourself to blame.”
    Strolling to the door she turned, bestowing on her brother a cherubic smile. “I shall tell Celine you said the cap, shall I?”
      “You will not.” James glanced at the grinning Rafe. “Tell Celine Rafe and I will inspect her by the by, and we shall all attend the assembly together. The carriage will be brought round, allowing Rafe the chance to show off his driving skills. The young lordling shall be inspected by us all and it will be us who shall decide whether or not he’s a good enough suitor for Lady Angelina Wrey.”
    “You may inspect, James, and as always, I will listen to your counsel.” Her chin lifted slightly as she warned. “Ultimately, I will decide for myself.”  Giving him the warmest of smiles she