My Dangerous Rogue, Paula Wong [best books to read for self improvement TXT] 📗

eyes widened. “Where did you hear that from?”
“From Lord Frinchester. I would have left you know. I did not want to marry him,”
“It is not that we want you to leave. It is just you are in that age. The age to wed. It is true we wanted a family but we wanted to take care of you first. To make sure you have a good husband,”
“Lord Frinchester is not a good husband mother.” She looked up at her with cold eyes. ‘He is older than father,”
Joanna bit her lip. “Maybe he was the wrong choice but for crying out loud he is the only man that is good enough to take care of you,”
“There are lots of gentlemen-“
“Those gentlemen are rude, irresponsible, and cares nothing for the wife except sex.”
She felt her face turn red but was not about to lose this argument. “But Frinchester is different? Come on mother, all that old dig bat cared about was me about to produce his child because his other wives cannot.”
Her mother sighed and nodded. “Alright, maybe you do have a point. But he is able to take care of you the way other men in the ton can’t.
“Mother, he tried to rape me,”
“I know, Frinchester said that is what he did. But don’t worry you are safe in the estate. That rogue will not get to you,”
Loretta pulled away just as her mother pulled her in to hug her. “No mother, Frinchester. I was talking about Lord Frinchester.” She let out a breath. If this is the chance to tell the truth she should tell it now before it is too late. Well part of the truth. “He led me out to talk to me. He said he wanted to get to know his wife. Then when I confronted him to tell him I don’t want to marry him he lost it. He tried to grab me, and he did. I didn’t know what was going to happen to me, I was alone and no other person was in the garden. Then Lord Richard O’Conner took me away from his grasp. He saved me mother.”
Joanna’s eyes widened. “Impossible. We trust Lord Frinchester. He is your father’s friend,”
“I know,” she whispered hugging her knees. “But please trust me mother, Frinchester did do that to me.”
“So Lord O’Conner took you away from Frinchester’s grasp then forced himself on you?”
Loretta hesitated, looking at the bed sheets. Fiddle sticks, she doesn’t want to lie. She doesn’t want to make O’Conner’s reputation worse than it is. But she has no choice. She has to carry on with the plan.
Then with a realization, she nodded.
Though she wasn’t sure it was a nod, it was crossed between a shake of her head to a nod. But it was close enough to a nod.
Her stomach already clenching with guilt.
“Alright dear, I will inform your father of what you had just told me,” she whispered and kissed her forehead one last time before getting up to fix her blankets, making her daughter comfortable.
As her mother exited out the room, she closed her eyes. Prying that the sleep would consume her.
The door opened.
Quickly in alarm, Loretta’s eyes fluttered open she expected that Frinchester was going to confront her again about what had happened but it wasn’t Frinchester.
Wilhelmina.
“Mistress,” she whispered closing the door behind her yet again. “Are you alright? Are you ill? You father just called the masquerade ball off, he said that you were unwell and the party could not go on,”
“Yes you could say that,” she whispered sitting up.
“Do you want me to fetch you anything? Or maybe Lord O’Conner?” she asked her eyes searching Loretta’s as if she knew what had happened. Her heart suddenly contracted, she was sure no one was a the garden of the time. The thought of making love with someone watching them brought a sudden blush upon her face.
“What are you talking about Wilhelmina?” She asked clearing her throat.
“I saw what had happened mistress. It is bad enough that Lord Frinchester had tried to hurt you but you managed to drag the Lord along. Madam Loretta, what were you thinking? Lord O’Conner has not done anything wrong for you to betray him like that.”
Her eyes widened at the realization. Wilhelmina was there, she had seen everything. Including her seducing Richard O’Conner.
“It- it wasn’t like that Wilhelmina,” she whispered looking at the ground, the barriers melting, mixed emotions of guilt and sadness grew. “I didn’t mean it to be like that. I didn’t know what I was doing. But the plan had to go on. I cannot stop there. It wasn’t my fault that the man was Lord O’Conner, he-“
“Even if it was not Lord O’Conner,” Wilhelmina interrupted walking toward the bed, sitting down. “No man deserved this. No man deserved to betrayed,”
Loretta looked up at her, suddenly getting up from the bed, anger in her eyes. “Do you not think I know this? Do you think I wanted this to happen? I did not wish for this. I did not wish for Lord O’Conner to be the mysterious man with the mask,” she whispered pacing around the room.
“Exactly what I mean mistress,” Wilhelmina said sternly. “You would do that to any man. Maybe there is a reason why fate has made that masked man your enemy. Do not get me wrong mistress, I do not wish to fight you with words but what you had done is wrong.”
“I know,” Loretta replied with a small voice. “Don’t you think I know that? I regret, so bad.”
“Then tell the truth, it is not too late. I’m sure they’ll understand-“
She shook her head fiercely. “No, I can’t. I’m sorry,”
“It’s either that or suffer by being Lord O’Conner’s wife.”
Loretta sat up. “What do you mean by that?”
Wilhelmina sighed. “I’m sorry mistress, but I overheard your mother and father talking. They cannot do anything for you. You will have to marry him. It seemed Lord Frinchester has a mind of a watermelon. He told his closest friend about what happened in the engagement ball. The friend turned out to be another member of the ton. The rumors are spreading across the England. It seemed the most responsible thing to do is to marry Lord O’Conner.”
She looked at Loretta with widened eyes. “No,” she whispered. “That can’t be,”
“If your mother and father send you off to another country then the rumors will pose as true and your reputation in the ton will be ruined. No one will wish to marry you, and no one will want to befriend you.”
“But there’s got to be some other way-,”
“No.” Wilhelmina shook her head. “No there isn’t. You have to marry him.” Chapter 7

The next morning, Richard was waiting outside of the mansion gate. His newly tailored purple coat and vest made him look dashing as the radiant sun, trousers perfectly fitted on his masculine body. He was still carrying that silver cane, his boots thudding on the concrete floor of the front door.
For some odd reason, there has a sudden change of atmosphere. He held out his hand and knocked on the door, waiting, taking out his watch on his breast pocket to observe the time. Quarter past ten. Odd, shouldn’t there be a gardener watering the plants by now?
The doors swung open and a butler came into view. “I am sorry for the wait sire but Lord Peter and Lady Joanna are not taking any guests right now. It appears something has come up, if I can leave a message for them?”
“I am Richard O’Conner,” he declared, taking off his hat. “Is there something wrong?”
The butler’s eyes suddenly widened. He appeared to look like in his twenties, young and lean. “You are Lord O’Conner?”
“I do not wish to repeat myself but since you asked, yes I am Richard O’Conner,”
“Lord O’Conner, p-please do come in. It seems everyone in the estate is at a ruckus. Specially with what had happened.” The butler led him inside the mansion. He was right, everyone was running around, every maid and servants. It seemed they were trying to look for someone.
“Did something happen?” He asked looking down at him, his cane inside his arm, removing the gloves from his hand before taking the cane and putting it on his right hand again.
“Yes you could say that my lord.”
Richard waited for him to continue, but when he didn’t he let out a sigh. “What happened?”
Raymond, the butler, nervously wiped a hand on his forehead. “Well you see Ms. Chase is…”
He raised a brow and glared at him, spinning him around fisting his hands on the collar of his uniform, raising him up slightly. “Ms. Chase is what?” he hissed shaking him slightly to continue.
Raymond looked at him, his eyes widening in fear. “Ms. Chase is gone. She disappeared. We can’t find her anywhere. It seemed that one of our servants seen her last night with a carriage. Her belongings are gone as well.”
“Where has she gone?” He asked urgently.
“We do not know. But we are trying to find out, if she had left a note or something-.”
“No, she would never leave a note.” He said, more to himself than him. “Why would she run away? She is not that type of woman, to just run away without saying anything. That would be the last thing she would ever do. Unless she had to do it. She had no choice.” He released Raymond’s shirt, which he hurried to straightened the wrinkles.
“What was the decision?” Richard asked looking at him.
“Sire?”
“What did the Count and Countess of Abingdon say about me and Ms. Chase?” He repeated slightly getting irritated.
“We don’t know. But one of the servants had said that she had seen one of Ms. Chase’s maids on the front door of their room,”
“Who was this maid?”
“Her name is Wilhelmina Johnson,” he replied, smiling. “She is beautiful with fiery red hair and a total opposite to what other people call her. Others think that because of her features, she would be ill mannered. But they are wrong. Wilhelmina has a heart of an angel. She would never harm anyone.”
Richard raised a brow. “You have feelings for this woman,” it wasn’t a question. More like a statement.
“Of course not. But this morning, Lord Chase has announced that Ms. Chase will marry you,”
“And that is why she ran away,” He muttered stopping. Does she really despise him that much? He shook his head, his eyes turning dark. Normally he won’t care about this but for some reason, an unwanted feeling rose in her stomach. Yes, no one can love him. That’s his curse.
“Do you know anyone that she might go to?”
He shook his head. “Though, the mistress has a club,”
Richard’s gaze held his. “A club?”
“Yes, she goes to it every day.
“Who is in the