Love Me Always Read Online Free Page B

anything wrong with talking about the past. In fact, I wouldn’t mind it at all.”
    With a loud sigh, Ian relaxed in the seat across from her. “It relieves me to know the girls’ school didn’t change you into a prude like it does most women.”
    Confusion clouded her mind. “Was I supposed to change into a prude?”
    “Yes,” Greg answered. “Most girls I have known who have gone to finishing schools are prudes, and they are not very interesting.”
    Beside her, Mrs. Berkley snorted and rolled her eyes.
    Catherine couldn’t stop the bubble of laughter springing from her chest. “The teachers at the school did try to teach me proper things, but I found the subjects most boring.”
    Gregg and Ian joined together in hearty laughter.
    She shrugged. “That’s probably why I was a great disappointment to most of my teachers. Rarely did I receive praise.”
    Gregg leaned forward in his seat, his knees pushing against hers. “Were you a naughty little girl, Catherine?”
    She smiled wider. “Let me just say I wasn’t exactly the best pupil.”
    Mrs. Berkley glared. Catherine pretended she didn’t see. If she could put the nosey older woman in one of the wagons, she would. Unfortunately, that wasn’t proper.
    Ian leaned forward. “Oh, do tell. What things did you get away with?”
    She bit her lip in hesitation, wondering if Mrs. Berkley would try and stop her. Then again, although there was still a childhood bond with Gregg and Ian, Catherine would soon marry their uncle. Perhaps they expected her to be well trained in the area surrounding her soon-to-be new title as Duchess of Ashton.
    “I think,” she began softly, “if I tell you everything, I might lose your respect.”
    “Catherine.” Gregg patted her hands and smiled. “Can I let you in on a little secret?”
    She nodded.
    “You’ll soon be the wife of a well-respected duke, so you can pretty much carry on as you wish. The ton will kiss your feet, maybe even imitate you once you are married. Most titled ladies are uptight, and men like Ian and myself prefer them to be more open and relaxed like you seem to be. We would rather be with a woman who could make us laugh than one who is so boring she puts us to sleep.”
    She softened her smile. “Thank you for telling me, Gregg. I certainly feel more comfortable disclosing my sordid childhood escapades now.” She snapped her attention to the woman next to her. “As long as Mrs. Berkley does not disapprove.”
    A hint of a grin stretched on the older woman’s face and she nodded. “Carry on.”
    Catherine let out a relieved sigh.
    “So, Catherine, tell us what wild things you did in school,” Ian urged.
    “I had a normal experience, I think, but I had one friend whose reckless encouragement landed me into many tangles with the school authorities. Because of my background, the teachers looked down on me, yet I caught on just as quickly as the other girls. There was one teacher who belittled my friend and me. She had called us both simpleminded twits. Liz and I decided not to take it lightly, so we planned our revenge.”
    Ian and Gregg sat forward, eagerness twinkling in their eyes. She smiled wider then continued. “Usually, the teacher prepared her lessons on the chalkboard ahead of time, so one day Liz and I arrived at the classroom early and changed everything the teacher had written on the board. It wasn’t a drastic change, mind you, but we made it appear as if she were the simple-minded twit because of what we had written. In addition, we purposely misspelled a few words.”
    Both Gregg and Ian whooped with laughter, and it lightened her heart when even old Mrs. Berkley chuckled.
    “It pleases me to see you have a mischievous side,” Gregg said. “I would hate to think the new member of our family had no sense of humor.”
    “Well, Gregg, I’m definitely not a prude. In fact, when the occasion calls, I’m bound to say a few things that might make your ears burn.”
    Both brothers