Improperly Wed (Aristocratic Grooms 3)

Colin turned toward the door of his home office at Halstead Hall.

When he saw Belinda, a swell of pleasure coursed through him. She was still dressed in the attire she’d had on at the polo field earlier—knee-high black boots and a tweed dress cinched by a thin belt. He couldn’t wait to undress her.

He’d just had time to shower and put on some clean clothes, but he’d be happy to strip down again for her if it meant getting her into bed—or for that matter, even without a bed.

In fact, he was tempted to lock his office door right now…

He cut the distance between them.

“How could you?” Belinda demanded.

In the process of bending to kiss her, Colin pulled back and arched a brow. “How could I what?”

“You bought, and then promptly turned around and sold, the Elmer Street property without anyone being the wiser.”

He stilled. She’d caught him off guard. He’d meant to tell her and explain why his actions made sense, but now he had to improvise.

“How did you find out?” he asked without inflection.

“Uncle Hugh informed me.”

“Fine chap, Uncle Hugh.”

Belinda continued to frown at him. “A business associate of his discovered the truth. He investigated Halbridge Properties and told Uncle Hugh who the true owner was.”

“Of course,” Colin said drily. “Why am I not surprised Uncle Hugh has been keeping his ear to the ground? Or should I say, more accurately, has friends doing it for him?”

“Yes, well, at least he has the Wentworth family interests at heart!”

“Does he?” Colin countered. “He sold the property in the first place. And in this case, I agree with him. The Elmer Street property is not in good shape. It needed to be sold, and the proceeds need to be used to upgrade the other Wentworth properties.”

If possible, Belinda looked more irate. “So you admit that you intended to sell as soon as you bought the property?”

He said nothing, and she read her own meaning into his silence.

“Does everything with you come down to a decision based on numbers?” she asked. “What about emotion and sentiment? I can’t believe you are the same person who eloped with me in Vegas.”

Colin tightened his jaw. “What makes you think marrying you wasn’t my biggest gamble?”

“So that’s what it was to you?” she countered. “Another calculation of risk and potential payoff?”

He thought he was doing her—and the Wentworths—a good turn by bringing some sanity to their financial chaos. Of course, he’d anticipated that Belinda’s initial reaction might be negative, so he’d been looking for the right moment to explain. But now she’d discovered matters for herself in the worst way possible, and she showed no signs of being able to see his side.

“I said it was a gamble, not that emotion didn’t enter into it,” he responded. “The Elmer Street property is of sentimental value to you? You never even lived there.”

She tilted up her chin. “It’s been in the Wentworth family for two generations.”

“And that line of thinking demonstrates precisely why the Wentworths found themselves in a financial fix.”

“I’m a Wentworth.” She placed her hands on her hips. “We had an agreement. You promised not to sell Wentworth property.”

“I promised to sign over to you the Wentworth property that I owned. The Elmer Street property is one that I subsequently bought.”

Belinda fumed. “No wonder Uncle Hugh didn’t suspect you were the buyer. He thought you were bound by our postnuptial agreement.”

“I am bound by it, and I haven’t broken it.”

“You still violated the spirit, if not the letter, of our agreement. We agreed to stay married partly to keep Wentworth property together.”