Simon's Brides

Simon’s Brides

Yet, just looking at Amy sent a shaft of desire through him. He found himself thinking about taking her to his bed, about pleasuring her and himself until she screamed with it. His groin tightened and he grimaced. He shouldn’t think about that now. No, instead he should concentrate on the missing woman. He tried to remember what Beth looked like but Amy’s face appeared, blocking out the faces of her sisters. He swore silently, grateful when the cottage came into view.

“Simon,” Amy’s shaky voice drew his attention. “I just happened to think of something. I doubt it means anything, but I believe you should know.”

Simon glanced at her. “What should I know?”

He stopped his horse and watched as she chewed her lower lip. Whatever she had to say bothered her. No, it was more embarrassment than concern, he decided.

“You know Harold insisted I marry him.” She shifted on her horse. “One day, shortly after we moved to the cottage, he came here. He said he had ways of making certain I did what he wanted. He thought to force me into accepting his suit by telling me that he would sell my sisters if I didn’t agree to ah--marriage. He--ah--he said he’d make sure his bestial friends did the buying.”

“You haven’t mentioned any of this before. Did you tell your sisters?”

She shook her head.

Simon groaned. “Why not?”

Her head snapped up and she glared at him, “I-I didn’t want to worry them.”

Other Works From The Pen of

Allison Knight

The Secrets of Hanson Hall

Emmi Sanders is companion and nurse to an older gentleman. Someone is trying to harm him. His nephews or his niece? Will Emmi be next?

The Brides of Owl's Head

Isabel Morrison arrives in Maine to marry, only to find her father’s choice dead. She’s inherited the property maybe. If she lives to claim it.

Bargained Vows

Hoping to avoid the kind of marriage her aunt hand in mind, Tory hires a husband only to find out she must keep him for a year.

Wings

Simon’s Brides

by

Allison Knight

A Wings ePress, Inc.

Historical Romance Novel

Wings ePress, Inc.

Edited by: Lorraine Stephens

Copy Edited by: Leslie Hodges

Senior Editor: Leslie Hodges

Executive Editor: Lorraine Stephens

Cover Artist: Christine Poe

All rights reserved

Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Wings ePress Books

http://www.wings-press.com

Copyright © 2006 by Martha Krieger

ISBN
 
1-59705-120-9

Published In the United States Of America

May 2006

Wings ePress Inc.

403 Wallace Court

Richmond, KY 40475

Dedication

Dedicated to two special women,

Dianne and Lyn

who insisted Simon’s story had to be told.

And, as always,

to Hank because...

Prologue

London, August 1835

“Five?”

“Yes, my Lord, five,” George Peters affirmed. “If we could have located you after Baron Kirkley took ill, but before he died, this situation wouldn’t shock you so.”

Simon Warner, the new Baron Kirkley, groaned and dropped his head into his hands. He took a deep breath and tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. Pain sliced through him. After all, he had lost more than a friend and a distant relative in Neville Hargrove. The previous Baron Kirkley had made Simon the man he was.

Simon’s grief was intense. He would miss his mentor more than anyone knew.

Peters, Neville’s solicitor, insisted, “He trusted you. Surely, finding husbands for his five daughters won’t be that difficult?”

Simon stood, grasped his hands behind his back and began to pace. At that moment he would have given anything to be standing on the deck of any one of his ships.

He stopped, turned and cleared his throat.
Five women,
he thought and ran his fingers through his hair. Sweat beaded on his brow. Storms at sea didn’t bother him as much as this.

“The daughters? How old are they now?” he asked.

“Amelia, the oldest, is twenty-four.”

“Oh, God,” Simon winced. “A spinster.”

Peters ignored Simon’s comment. “She can stay at Kirkley until she marries. However, if she reaches her twenty-sixth year and is still unmarried she will stay on and manage the estate which she does now. The second daughter, Bethany is twenty-two, Caroline twenty-one. Those two shared the same mother. The Baron married beneath himself there.”

Simon groaned.

“Please, my lord, I am not finished. Dorothy just turned nineteen and Eleanor, the youngest, is seventeen. Don’t look so upset, my Lord. Each woman has a small dowry. Finding husbands shouldn’t pose too much of a problem.”

Simon flinched. George Peters didn’t know what he knew. Finding husbands for the women he remembered would be impossible. However, Neville had trusted him with this task. He’d also left the management of the estate to him--at least until Amelia was wed.

Simon squared his shoulders. He had to honor Neville’s last request; he owed it to the man he respected above all others. Somehow, he would find husbands for all five of Neville’s daughters, if he had to buy the men.

They stood and Simon turned to the solicitor, “Are we finished?”

“There is one thing more. One Harold Bottomsworth, the brother of Baron Kirkley’s fifth wife, has taken up residence in the house. Until we located you, we felt nothing could be done.”

“That wife would be Patience. Is she there now?” Simon questioned. He wondered if he’d met the lady. Neville went through wives like most men went through cigars and brandy.

“No. She died nine months ago. Her brother arrived several weeks before she died. He claims he’s Eleanor’s guardian, and therefore has a right to reside at Kirkley manor.”

He didn’t want to ask, but he did, “Anything else?”

The solicitor frowned, “Nothing I can think of. However, if I can be of further help, my Lord, don’t hesitate to call upon me.”

Simon thanked Peters and trudged from the office, his heart aching. He groaned thinking about the husbands he had to find. And, the sooner the better!