Married By Midnight Read Online Free Page A

her nerves. She walked with him in silence down a long vaulted corridor and through a keystone archway, which brought them into a large gallery lit by three enormous crystal chandeliers.
    They stopped just inside and looked around at the numerous works of art on the walls.
    “ I have not been here in quite some time,” Garrett said.
    Anne was consciously aware these were his first words to her, beyond the initial formal greeting.
    “ I barely remember what is here,” he added.
    She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was ridiculously awkward, but quite unavoidable. She must simply find a way to push through this uncomfortable beginning.
    “ Then let us discover it together,” she said. “Shall we go left or right?”
    “ Your choice, Lady Anne.”
    “ I choose left.”
    They walked the length of the room, stopping briefly to look at each painting, saying nothing as they continued in silence.
    On a few occasions Anne would have liked to make a comment or two about the individual pieces, but the tension in the air kept her from venturing forth into easy conversation. She had no idea what was going through this man’s mind. If she read him correctly, he was feeling somewhat irritable. And the mere fact of her presence seemed to weigh him down like an anchor.
    “ This one is very interesting,” she mentioned, hoping to draw Garrett out and break through the rigid veneer of ice that stood between them. “I am quite partial to landscapes. What do you think?”
    He glanced at the painting without interest, shrugged, then moved on to the next.
    Anne’s stomach slowly began to tighten with displeasure. The Sinclairs had come to her , not the other way around.
    The excruciating silence seemed to go on without end, while Anne grew increasingly frustrated. Could she endure this man’s reticence for a full two weeks?
    Yes. She supposed she could survive anything for personal freedom, but would their performance be convincing enough for the duke? He expected a love match.
    “ Garrett.” Her fiancé’s name shot over her lips rather harshly, which was not what she’d intended, but it was too late to take that back. She stopped and let go of his arm.
    At last, he spoke. “You wish to say something?”
    “ I do,” she replied, then began carefully. “Clearly this is an awkward situation. For that reason, I believe it will require a certain measure of cooperation on our parts. There is no point avoiding the fact that this is a sham. We both know it, but we must at least put on a good show for your father. I will do my part if you will do yours. Perhaps it would be best to discuss a strategy?”
    He glanced about the room as if he needed time to reconsider all this.
    “ Do you wish to change your mind?” she asked, shocked by the direction this was heading. She had only just arrived. She hadn’t even met the duke yet.
    Garrett’s blue eyes shot to hers. “No, I do not wish that.”
    “ Then could you at least try to be polite?” she suggested.
    “ I didn’t think I was being im polite.”
    “ You’ve barely spoken two words to me since we left the drawing room. Let me ask you again, Lord Garrett. Are you uncertain about this? If you are, tell me now, because I have no intention of dragging you to the altar. I am not that desperate.”
    Though she was desperate, for she simply could not face the idea of returning to her uncle’s house, and she’d already begun to fantasize about her new life. She’d made plans in her mind—plans that included a modest, cozy little house in Oxford...or perhaps Bath.
    Garrett’s eyes narrowed. “We hardly know each other, Anne, and already we are knee deep in an argument.” He began to slowly pace.
    “ This is not an argument.”
    His eyebrow raised in question. He glanced over his shoulder at her, as if to say you’re still arguing .
    Anne took a deep breath and wondered how best to reply, for clearly Garrett had more than a few reservations about this