A British Bride by Agreement Read Online Free Page A

vulnerable. He tapped the leather file. “We stay married
for life. Once we have two children, if you wish, the intimate side of our
marriage will cease, but for the children’s sake, we remain a family in every
other sense.”
    At the word, children , her stomach knotted. She would love to have child
someday, but didn’t know for sure—”  
    “Also, there will be no pre-nuptial
agreement.”
    Her eyes widened. “B—but why would you
risk your fortune?”
    He dipped his head, remembering how hard
the family lawyers had fought him on this. Surprising though, for once his
father had been very quiet about his decision. “I believe in the sanctity of
marriage. If I make this commitment to you, before God, it is for life.”
    “But you don’t know me.”
    “My parents met and married in two
weeks.”
    “But this is different—”
    “I am making an exception for the
Steinway.” He flipped open the binder, and leafed through several pages.
    “My piano?”
    “Should you choose to leave me, it will
become mine.” As the words left his mouth, he stiffened his posture. It wasn’t
to threaten her, but since he’d discovered its significance, he’d decided to
use it as leverage. She wasn’t a business deal, but he wasn’t accustomed to
losing.
    Her mouth hung open for a moment.
“W—what if you leave me?”
    “Not possible.” He flipped through the
document to the last page. “Here is a list of grievances for which you can
leave me with your piano intact and half my fortune.”
    The first item on the inventory was
gambling.
    She scanned the paper and then risked a
glance at him.
    “So you’ll consider my offer?”
    Concern furrowed her brow. Her fingers
traced the page as she chewed on her lower lip. “When would we marry?”
    His heart sped up. She was softening. “I
return from New York tomorrow and my parents fly back from Germany in a couple
of days. Perhaps, ten days from now, on the weekend?”
    Her eyes widened, emphasizing the
radiance of her green gaze. “So soon?”
    With determination, he closed the binder
and pushed it aside. As much as he needed a wife to advance his career, he
wouldn’t manipulate her into this. He’d lived his whole life in the shadow of
his family’s expectations and he wanted to be sure that she knew what she was
in for. Marrying him would be challenging in ways she’d never thought of.
    “Let’s spend this Saturday together and
get to know one another. We can talk about this more then. I’ve started
working… well, temporarily taking over the charity division of our company and
will be very busy at work, so if we could have the matter settled soon...”
    “Yes, on the Saturday, and maybe on your
proposal.”
    He liked the resolve in her voice. He’d
seen glimpses of her determined personality and found it as attractive as her
looks, and her British accent.
    “ I’ll continue to
pray about it.” She set her mug down with a thump.
    He nodded as an understanding passed
between them. “As I will.” He stepped forward and
touched the side of her face. Her skin felt like velvet. He didn’t want her to
see this offer of marriage as just another company deal. Anxious to show he
wasn’t some unfeeling businessman, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. Very soft.
    I
could be in trouble here.
    ***
    The next evening, Jonathan strode into
his dressing room after arriving back from New York.
    His driver walked into the bedroom with
his bags.
    Jonathan nodded. “Just leave them there,
Orlando.”
    “Yes, mister,” the driver touched the
brim of his cap.
    Jonathan tugged at his tie and kicked
off his shoes. His back ached from the long flight and his mind was filled with
facts and figures on the new cold coffee products they were set to start
production on. He undressed and tugged on a tight t-shirt and sweats to go work
out. This was the last product development project he needed to wrap up before
he became full-time charity director. His pulse sped up. He still