[Harlequin] - Brenda Hiatt - Gabriella (txt), Ksiazki, txt, ebook, pdf

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GabriellabyBrenda HiattBrenda HiattMILLS BOON'For my husband, Keith,who believed in me when I didn'tDID YOU PURCHASE THIS BOOK WITHOUT A COVER?If you did, you should be aware it is stolen property as it wasreported unsold and destroyed by a retailer. Neither the author northe publisher has received any payment for this book.All the characters in this book have no existence outside theimagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyonebearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspiredby any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidentsare pure invention.All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or inpart in any form. This edition is published by arrangement withHarlequin Enterprises II B.V. The text of this publication or any partthereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by anymeans, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without thewritten permission of the publisher.This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way oftrade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulatedwithout the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding orcover other than that in which it is published and without a similarcondition including this condition being imposed on the subsequentpurchaser.MILLS & BOON and MILLS & BOON with the Rose Device are registeredtrademarks of the publisher.First published in Great Britain 1997Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited,Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SRBrenda H. Barber 1992ISBN 0 263 80194 2Set in Times Roman 10 on 12/4 pt.04-9706-01367 CIPrinted and bound in Great Britain by BPC Paperbacks Limited,AylesburyCHAPTER ONEGABRIELLA I INSIST," said Mrs. Gordon firmly,smoothing out the letter which lay before her on the breakfast tableand flicking an imaginary crUmb off its well-perused surface. "It isextremely kind in your sister to make the offer at all, with youalready past the usual age for a girl making her come-out inSociety.""An offer she has been most persistent in making these three yearspast," replied the girl across from her, impatiently winding a strandof her long, golden brown hair about one slim wrist. "You know verywell that it was never my wish, nor Papa's, that I accept one ofAngela's invitations.""It is my wish, however," snapped her mother, "and your papa, beingdead, God rest his soul, no longer has any say in the matter.""And that's another thing, Mama," continued Gabriella in a carefullyreasonable tone. "I will not yet be out of mourning when the Seasonstarts in May, and so would be unable to attend any of those glitteringsocial functions which Angela describes at such length, even if I wereto go." Shetried not to sound smug as she delivered what was surely anunanswerable argument."Nonsense!" Her mother dismissed such reasoning with a flick of herfingers. "You know as well as I that your papa would never have wantedyou to deny 3/ourself pleasure as a way of remembering him. Who inLondon is to know that he died in July rather than April, unless yousee fit to bruit it about? I doubt that Angela will wear mourningthrough the Season.""I rather doubt it, too," responded Gabriella with a touch of sournessthat her mother, thank fully, did not notice. She had not seen hersister in nearly five years, even their father's funeral having beenunable to drag her from her busy social schedule, and could notremember that young lady ever bowing to any consideration which mightinterfere with her own pleasure. She could not understand why Angelawas so determined in her efforts to present her to the London ton butsomehow suspected, from what she knew of her sister, that Angela wouldfind more amusement in the endeavour than she would.There was no point in telling her mother this, however. Angela hadalways been the apple of their mother's eye, with her fairy like blondebeauty and cultured airs. Mrs. Gordon had predicted, almost from herbirth, that her eldest wOUld go nor had been mistaken. At nineteen,Angela had managed to catch the eye of Sir Seymour Platt, a young andtolerably wealthy baronet, who had married her and whisked her off toLondon to be (if her letters were to be believed) the reigning toast ofthe Town, and one of its leading hostesses. Mrs. Gordon wascompletely unable to fathom how her younger daughter could fail todream of a similar conquest."But what about the practice?" Fifteen-year-old Gabe, whose presenceboth ladies had hitherto been inadvertently ignoring, broke into thelengthening silence. "We'll never be able to hold on to it if Brieleaves. Why, already more than half of the farmers are sending to Mr.Bennet over in White Rock instead of to us. What about that, MaT'Gabriella winced. While grateful for her brother's support, she waswell aware that this was hardly the argument which would be likely tosway their mother. Mrs. Gordon had objected, even while her husbandwas alive, to her daughter's interest and involvement in his veterinarypractice, and Brie considered herself lucky that her mother had notgone so far as to forbid her continued involvement in it since hisdeath. What she didn't need right now was Gabe's reminding theirmother of her unfeminine interests; if anything, itwas likely to strengthen her determination to bundle Gabriella off toLondon!"I spoke to Mr. Bennet yesterday," stated Mrs. Gordon calmly, causingboth her children to gape at her in astonishment. She had neverinvolved herself in the practice any more than was absolutelynecessary, and not at all since their father died. "He has agreed topurchase the practice from us, along with all of your father'smedicines and equipment, for a very useful sum. That seemed the wisestcourse since, if we wait, he will no doubt acquire most of it, anyway,with no compensation to us for poor Gabriel's years of work at buildingit up."Gabe and Brie stared at their mother in stricken silence. Brie managedto find her voice first."Mother, how could you?" she asked in a horrified whisper. "Thepractice was to have been Gabe's! You know that was always Papaintention." '"Your papa, God rest him, expected to carry on the practice himselfuntil Gabe was of an age to become his partner. None of us could haveforeseen the accident which took him last year. Why he couldn't haveleft the drat ted lamb on that ledge... But that is over and done.What matters is how we are to live now." Two sets of eyes continued toaccuse her, and she straightened her shoulders defensively."You said yourself that many of the farmers are already taking theirbusiness to White Rock. I fail to see how You thought we couldpossibly hold the practice together for several more years. Why, Gabehas not even finished his apprenticeship! Which reminds me--Mr.Bennet said if Gabe were to go to school for a year or two, get someformal education, that he would be willing to take him on as anassistant afterwards. So it's not as though I had forgotten you," Thislast was delivered almost pleadingly to her son."Perhaps you are right, Mama," said Brie. She was beginning to recoverfrom her shock, though Gabe was still looking rebellious. "I supposewe were deceiving ourselves to think we could go on as before withoutPapa, The farmers trust me, and Gabe, too, but there is no denying thatneither of us is strong enough for the really heavy cases." Her eyesturned to her brother."Can you blame them for calling in Bennet for a difficult calving? Youknow as well as I do that in those cases knowledge is no substitute forplain brute strength." She still felt betrayed by what her mother haddone, but had no desire to see a permanent rift in the family becauseof it. Gabe met her eyes, and some of the tension went out of hisface."Maybe, so," he said reluctantly. "But I tell you to your head, Ma,that I want no part of being Bennet's assistant. I'll go to school ifyou want, but I'll apprentice elsewhere. Then mayb I'll come back hereand give old Bennet some competition!"Mrs. Gordon was so relieved to have the dreaded confrontation overthat she did not feel disposed to argue with her son. She had beencertain that she was doing the right thing, but equally certain thather children would violently disagree with her, and she was quitepleased with herself for successfully diverting the expected storm. "Itnever occurred to her that much of the credit for that wasGabriella's."Does Mr. Bennet take over immediately, or are we to have a graceperiod?" asked Brie, her tone sharp*in spite of her efforts atpeacemaking."We decided on 'a two-week delay," answered her mothers "That shouldgive us time to notify all the farmers of the change and to tie up theloose ends of the business. Now,. if you will excuse me, I havecorrespondence to attend to." She rose swiftly and vacated the room,leaving Brie and Gabe to hash out the details themselves."Us!" sputtered Gabe sarcastically. "When has she ever concernedherself with the farmers or any other part of the practice which didn'tcome right into the house?""Now that's not fair," said his sister, though her feelings were muchthe same. "Don't you remember that pair of kids last spring? Mamawent out to the barn to bottle-feed them twice or thrice a day forweeks. I'm not sure she didn't become a bit attached ... [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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