Taming His Scandalous Countess Read Online Free

career
as a courtesan. Impossibly tempting as it sounds, I'm afraid I must decline
your offer, my lord."
    Isabelle stormed over to the
window, but Snow saw how her mouth shook. Damn, he'd hurt her, when he only
wanted to comfort her.
    "Isabelle."
    She wouldn't turn around.
    "I'm sorry if I've made
everything worse. That was far from my intention." He stopped, unsure. Why
was he apologizing to a woman?
    Her shoulders drooped. He sought
for the words which would convince her.
    "Isabelle, you are a lovely
and spirited woman."
    Her head lifted.
    "I want to give you a chance
to be back in the world where you belong, not immured here like some medieval
nun."
    Isabelle swung around, hands clenched
at her sides. "Such altruism. You want to save me, oh, I am truly moved,
my lord."
    "Why do you mock me? I want to
help you, to care for you..."
    "Get out of here. Get
out!" Isabelle grabbed a cushion from the chair and threw it at his head.
    Snow ducked and held up his hands.
"I'm sorry, Isabelle, truly. I'll leave you alone."
    Isabelle's bosom heaved with the
force of her emotions. She was so angry, but Christ, she was so beautiful. He
took one last look before slipping quietly out of the room. The sound of china
smashing against the door only made him smile. Such fire. Now if only he could
direct her passions towards a more ardent conclusion, in a much more alluring
milieu...
    *
* * * *
    "Sir?  Do you still plan to
depart tomorrow?  I could begin your packing." Cheem opened the bureau
drawer.
    Snow stared out the window, his
gaze drawn to the lake beyond. The view was a charming one, but he saw only
Isabelle, clad in starlight, walking out of the water. Today, when she'd told
him her terrible story, he had felt something stir within his petrified heart,
something which terrified him. Something he longed for.
    His plan to carry Isabelle away
when he left, picked up like some stray bitch, was unspeakably selfish in light
of her history. She was right. Sir John would not permit it. Even if he managed
to steal her away, the ensuing scandal would destroy her. He'd survive,
cushioned by his wealth and rank, but doors would be closed to her, forever.
The whispers, the snubs, Isabelle couldn't bear it. There must be something
else he could do.
    *
* * * *
    "Lord Snow to see you, Sir
John."
    Snow could see his host over the
butler's shoulder, hands clasped on the ornate desk.
    "Thank you, Fulford." Sir
John rose. "Lord Snow, come in, please. The paper work for the foal is complete
and ready for signing."
    Snow took a seat. Sir John wouldn't
meet his eyes. He sighed inwardly. His behavior last night must have occasioned
more conjecture than he'd supposed.
    "Excellent. But I've come to
speak to you about another matter. It concerns your sister."
    Sir John blinked. He'd obviously
not expected Snow to be so blunt.
    "What about her?"
    Snow steepled his fingers and
stared at his host. "I understand there was a scandal involving Lady
Croucher's husband. His abrupt demise, to be more precise."
    "There was, my lord. How is it
any business of yours?" Sir John could be blunt as well.
    "Please bear with me. Do you
believe your sister murdered her husband?"
    Sir John inhaled sharply. "My
lord! I must protest..."
    Snow waved a hand. "Confine
yourself to answering my question. It is important."
    Sir John turned and paced around
the room. "I don't know. I can hardly believe that she would commit so
foul an act, no matter how provoked."
    "Provoked how?"
    Sir John hesitated. "The
marriage was not a happy one. Lord Croucher was..."
    "A drunkard, a gambler and a
wastrel?"
    "Precisely, my lord."
    "And Isabelle, Lady
Croucher?"
    "She bore it as best she
could, as she must. The child was a comfort, of course, but then..."
    "There was a child?"
    "A wee girl, very like her
mother. On the night Croucher was killed, I found the babe dead as well, dead
in her cradle. Terrible it was, the worst night of my life."
    Sir John sat down and pulled the
whiskey decanter towards