The Wedding Contract. Nicola Marsh

The Wedding Contract - Nicola Marsh


Скачать книгу
to work. It’s just some perverse streak that pushes you to earn a living when you’re more than comfortable.’

      Georgia Rockwell, queen of the understatement. His mother’s version of ‘comfortable’ meant filthy, stinking rich, a fact he’d been only too aware of his entire life. She’d never understood his ambition to be self-made, to spend his hours grappling with complex problems in order to feel some degree of achievement.

      No use trying to convince her now, he’d wasted enough breath in the past. ‘What did you want, Mother?’

      She sighed, a superficial sound she’d used many times over the years to coerce him into doing something he didn’t want to do. ‘Your grandmother’s condition is progressively worsening. I just thought you should know.’

      A strange hollowness filled his heart at the thought of the delicate old woman, who had been the only person to show him any real love growing up, lying helpless in bed, eaten away by cancer.

      ‘How bad is she?’

      ‘The doctors only give her another few months at the most.’

      Panic gripped him. He’d made a promise to Ethel St John when she’d first been diagnosed and unfortunately had yet to follow through. She’d said it was the one thing sustaining her, the thought of him marrying and bearing an heir for her fortune. That was one thing they particularly shared, a lack of confidence in his society mother, who would squander the money rather than fulfil a dying lady’s wishes.

      His mother’s next words made him sit down. ‘She told me, Steven.’

      ‘Told you what?’ Surely his grandmother hadn’t confided in the daughter she despised?

      ‘About your promise. So what are you doing about it?’

      He proceeded with caution. His mother hadn’t mentioned the money and he found that unusual. If she’d known about the stipulation in Ethel’s will she would have been screaming into the receiver rather than speaking in the cultivated sotto voce he’d grown to hate. ‘What do you mean?’

      ‘Stop answering my questions with questions. You know perfectly well what I’m talking about. Mother informed me that the only reason she’s fighting this nasty disease is to see you married. Well?’

      Her short, clipped tones reminded him of endless criticisms of days gone by. ‘Steven, don’t talk with your mouth full. Don’t run inside. Don’t speak like a commoner. Don’t let me catch you playing with that little tramp from next door…’ It had continued throughout his childhood, a never-ending nightmare.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEAYABgAAD/4Ru1RXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAcAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAjodp AAQAAAABAAAApAAAANAADqYAAAAnEAAOpgAAACcQQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTMiBXaW5kb3dz ADIwMTQ6MTA6MjYgMTM6MzM6MjEAAAAAA6ABAAMAAAABAAEAAKACAAQAAAABAAAB9KADAAQAAAAB AAAC1wAAAAAAAAAGAQMAAwAAAAEABgAAARoABQAAAAEAAAEeARsABQAAAAEAAAEmASgAAwAAAAEA AgAAAgEABAAAAAEAAAEuAgIABAAAAAEAABp/AAAAAAAAAEgAAAABAAAASAAAAAH/2P/gABBKRklG AAECAABIAEgAAP/tAAxBZG9iZV9DTQAB/+4ADkFkb2JlAGSAAAAAAf/bAIQADAgICAkIDAkJDBEL CgsRFQ8MDA8VGBMTFRMTGBEMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAENCwsN Dg0QDg4QFA4ODhQUDg4ODhQRDAwMDAwREQwMDAwMDBEMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwM DAwM/8AAEQgAoABuAwEiAAIRAQMRAf/dAAQAB//EAT8AAAEFAQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAMAAQIEBQYH CAkKCwEAAQUBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAQACAwQFBgcICQoLEAABBAEDAgQCBQcGCAUDDDMBAAIRAwQh EjEFQVFhEyJxgTIGFJGhsUIjJBVSwWIzNHKC0UMHJZJT8OHxY3M1FqKygyZEk1RkRcKjdDYX0lXi ZfKzhMPTdePzRieUpIW0lcTU5PSltcXV5fVWZnaGlqa2xtbm9jdHV2d3h5ent8fX5/cRAAICAQIE BAMEBQYHBwYFNQEAAhEDITESBEFRYXEiEwUygZEUobFCI8FS0fAzJGLhcoKSQ1MVY3M08SUGFqKy gwcmNcLSRJNUoxdkRVU2dGXi8rOEw9N14/NGlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vYnN0dX Z3eHl6e3x//aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8A2MTMsx94qa3dbG57hr7foq9i31ZTnWZAa6yNocIgQYc3+tuW c6h0EtmfBvPntn8/9xToO0zYd7Icxr63OLHbfZjtqFtdVtf2Zm2i/wBX1vof8ErhPqArfr5NYDQm 9unmlswOn2dSqqyK2WMZuc2dBMbofH0/7ar9Y6P0wUubi4wbZrY2yqZIifHb6alecJ24Oa8zuDZ4 kkGo/S3fo27mP/fUxmUNYGtJB1G5wcRs3aNdtdv/AJj2f8YniUhRBLGRHUEDzeQLColpC18uvp9d 9gLXOa4y0MJ3NBDt3uJ2b2P9N7PZssVG5tZsPpt2sGg51gn3w4v2Oc38zcrIlfQtQ6dWttKW0o2x NsTlvEi2lPt080QsS2o0rjQwU8FF2/NNsQVxo9w8RPCUrQfmi2u31WsY9zHMa1rJB3bju37tzX7n /TVLboD3QF9k8Q7v/9DoOr1uxcX1KjteBq/z/tLmLurZbcd1g6g45ABIx/Ra4Eh9bGN9bbt91Lrb v+s+n/hF6BRRkh7bPzedunu8hu9v+crgu1gs2QY3Hbq7932SpclkgCmIVXZ82o6vltuo/wAobmOa Tfa3EBNbwHHZWx9X6eux3psqt/7crrRft+aRca3ttcyyKQ7DaPUrIf8Apv

Скачать книгу