Page 39 of Reluctantly His

I was to marry a man I had never met, and there wasn’t a single thing I could do to stop it.

CHAPTER 15

REID

“Did you hear Miss Charlotte’s going to be a baroness?”

“No! Spill!”

Two of the upstairs maids were gossiping in the corner as they stocked their baskets with cleaning supplies.

“I overheard them shouting at one another in Mr. Manwarring’s office. He’s marrying her off to a British baron. And she was all like—it’s my life, and I’ll do what I want, you can’t make me!”

“She didn’t! To Mr. Manwarring? Can you imagine?”

The first one nudged her with her shoulder and giggled. “I can imagine him getting all growly and domineering as he made me obey.”

The second one giggled. “You’re terrible.”

“Like you haven’t thought about it. The man’s a freaking daddy. I’d fuck that man sideways if he looked twice at me.”

“Who would you rather be, the new Mrs. Manwarring or a baroness?”

“That’s a tough one. One is dirty hot sex and gobs of money, the other is an English title and people bowing and curtsying to you.”

Then at once, they both said, “Hello, Daddy.”

After their laughter abated, the one shook her head as she reached over the other for a stack of white rags. “All the same. I like Miss Charlotte well enough, but can you imagine being so spoiled you’d turn down marrying a freaking British lord?”

The one sighed. “She’s literally living a freaking Downton Abbey episode, even if the man winds up being pasty and boring in bed.”

“True.”

I’d been sitting in the Manwarring kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee.

Having gotten shit for sleep, the caffeine was badly needed.

With my expression neutral, I waited until they’d left the room.

Then calmly stood… and hurled my mug against the exposed brick wall. Shattered pieces of white porcelain littered the coffee-stained floor.

My phone lit up.

Lucian Manwarring

Change of plans.

Need you to run point coordinating security with Zeigler’s head of security.

They will be taking over some duties regarding Charlotte.

And there it was.

God fucking dammit.

My body hummed with the conquering instinct to just march upstairs, snatch Charlotte to me, and claim her for my own.

It was an unhinged, ludicrous idea.

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