His stand-in Bride by Michelle Styles
Tyne Valley, 1813
When her sister eloped with someone other than her bethroted, ady Anne Dunstan knew two things. One, That she completely supported her sister's making her own choice about who she would marry. And two, That Anne -- the responsible one -- would have to clean up the mess.
What she didn't know was how her sister's intended, Jason Martell, would take the news. Or howAnne would respond to the force of his presence, his rugged good looks, his less-than-gentlemanly advances.
Or to his proposal of marriage.
Pengantin Pengganti oleh Michelle Styles
Tyne Valley, 1813
Ketika adiknya kawin lari bersama seorang pria yang bukan tunangannya. Lady Anne Dunstan hanya tahu dua hal. Pertama, dia benar-benar mendukung keputusan yang dipilih adiknya tentang dengan siapa dia akan menikah. Dan yang kedua, bahwa Anne--penanggungjawab satu-satunya-- akan harus membereskan kekacauan tersebut.
Dia tidak tahu, bagiamana Jason Martell akan menerima kabar tersebut. Atau, bagaiamnan Anne akan merespon pengaruh kuat akan keberadaannya, ketampanannya yang kasar serta pendekatannya yang kurang ajar.
Atau pada lamaran pernikahannya.
Chapter One
Spring 1813 --Ladywell, Tyne Valley
The impatient male voice with the slightest coating of gentility cut trough Lady Anne Dunstan's carefully prepared greeting.
"You wished to see me? Less than two hours before the wedding? Why? What is this matter of the utmost urgency?"
"My sister...that is..." Anne tightened her grip on her black beaded reticule and kept her gaze on Jason Martell's immaculately manicured hands rather than on his longer-than-strictly-respectable hair or his full lips. Her sister was correct. The man was barely a gentleman. This was far harder than she'd first considered, confroting him, being the bearer of bad tidings.
Bab I
Musim semi, 1813 Ladywell, Tyne Valley
Suara laki-laki yang tidak sabar dengan sedikit lapisan kebangsawanan membuyarkan sapaan Lady Anne yang disiapkan dengan cermat.
"Kau ingin bertemu denganku? Kurang dari dua jam upacara pernikahannya? Mengapa? apa ada hal yang begitu mendesak?"
"Ini tentang...adikku..." Anne mencengkeram erat tas tangannya dan menjaga pandangan matanya pada tangan Jason Martell yang bersih dimanikur daripada memperhatikan rambutnya yang panjang atau pada bibirnya yang penuh. Adiknya benar, laki-laki ini benar-benar tampan. Ini membuatnya jauh lebih sulit dari yang diperkirakannya, mengkonfrontasinya, menjadi pembawa kabar buruk.
But someone had to explain. Her stepmother had taken to her bed; her father was close to apoplexy and incapable of coherent thought -- let alone speech-- and her sister, the cause of this debacle, was far away, presumably safe in the arms of the man she loved. So Anne was the only one left. She knew it was right and proper thing to do, even if she wished she wasn't the person have to do it.
How did one explain the.....situation....at this hour in the morning in a man's library? Particularly to someone like Jason Martell, a man not known for his forgiving nature?
Tapi harus ada yang menjelaskan. Ibunya memilih menenangkan diri, ayahnya marah-marah dan tidak dapat berpikir jernih - terus bicara sendiri - adiknya, penyebab bencana ini, telah pergi jauh, diperkirakan aman dalam pelukan lelaki yang dicintainya. Jadi tinggallah Anne sendirian. Dia tahu iniadalah tindakan yang benar dan tepat, bahkan jika dia berharap bukan dia yang mesti menanggung semua ini.
Bagaimana seseorang bisa menjelaskan....situasi ini pada jam seperti ini di pagi hari di ruang perpustakaan seorang pria? Tepatnya pada seseorang seperti Jason Martell, seorang pria yang tidak dikenal karena sifat pemaafnya?
He'd built his fortune from nothing to become one of the wealthiest figures in Northumberland, rivaling even Earl of Strathmore. An imminent knighthood was rumoured. The match between her sister and Mr. Martell was to have been the crown jewel in his quest for society's acceptance, or so her stepmother had confided. But now...Anne worried a bit of lace on her glove.
"That is to say...Cressida asked me..." she began again.
"Your sister Cressida, my bride." He gave an impatient wave of his hand which only served to emphasize the broadness of his shoulders. "I'm making nervous. I regret that we have not spoken properly before Lady Anne. There will be time after the ceremony. Whatever trifle--"
"That is the problem. There will be marriage today," Anne said quickly before her legs gave way. "Or ever."
Pria itu membangun keberuntungannya dari bukan apa-apa menjadi sosok terkaya di Northumberland, bahkan menandingi Earl of Strathmore. Kabarnya gelar ksatria sedang dipertimbangkan. Perjodohan antara adiknya dan Mr. Martell telah menajdi puncak pencapaian usaha pria tersebut agar diterima di kalangan masyarakat atau begitulah yang diyakini ibu tirinya. Tapi sekarang....Anne meremas renda pada sarung tangannya.
"Maksudku....Cressida memintaku...." mulainya lagi.
"Adikmu Cressida, pengantinku." Pria itu melambaikan tangan tak sabar yang hanya makin menegaskan pundaknya yang lebar. "Aku membuatmu gugup. Aku menyesal belum pernah berbincang secara pantas sebelum ini, Lady Anne. Akan ada waktu setelah seremoni. Hal-hal yang sepele..."
"Itu masalahnya. Tidak akan ada pernikahan hari ini." Kata Anne cepat-cepat sebelum kakinya menjadi lemah. "atau setelahnya."
Anne watched the color completely drain from his face. And despite Cressy's confidences about his indiference towards her as a person, it was clear the news was a blow. But before she could draw a breath, he recovered and Anne wondered if she'd imagined it.
"Should't your sister be here telling me?" The low growl rippled over Anne's strained nerves.
"Am I not be given the courtesy of hearing it from her lips?"
"She's not here. She's...away." Anne caught her upper lip between her teeth and hoped.
"I see." He tapped his long fingers on the desk and leaned forward, looming over her. "Your sister has suddenly departed on the day of our wedding. Do you know the reason, or am I supposed to guess?"
Anne menyaksikan wajah pria itu memucat. Dan meskipun Cressida yakin akan ketidakpedulian pria itu padanya sebagai seorang pribadi, jelas terlihat kalau kabar itu menjadi sebuah tamparan baginya. Namun sebelum dia bisa menarik nafas, pria itu telah kembali pulih dan Anne bertanya-tanya apakah tadi hanya membayangkannya saja.
"Tidakkah seharusnya adikmu sendiri yang mengatakannya langsung padaku?" geraman pelannya membuat darah Anne berdesir. "Apakah aku tidak pantas mendengar hal ini dari bibirnya sendiri?"
"Dia tidak di sini, dia....sudah pergi." Anne menggigit bibir bawahnya sendiri dan berdoa.
"Aku mengerti." Dia mengetuk-ngetukkan jarinya yang panjang di meja dan mencondongkan badan ke depan, menjulang tinggi diatasnya. "Adikmu tiba-tiba saja pergi di hari pernikahan kami. Apa kau tahu alasannya, atau aku harus menebak-nebak?"
She eloped with Lord Hazelton's younger son in the early hours of this morning. They're in love," she babled, wincing as she heard the words tumble out of her mouth. The news had emerged far more starkly than she'd practiced in the governoss's cart.
"Eloped? With Hazelton's son? That Fragant fop?"
"It is true love," Anne said indignantly, getting a hold of herself and stiffening her resolve. She held out the crumpled note. Hazelton might not be as wealthy as Mr. Martell but she'd seen the pair together and knew that he worshipped the ground on which Cressy trod. ho was this mas to make judgments? Cressy wrote a letter explaining everything, but i thought it best to deliver the message in person. You deserved to hear it from on of the family. This is the note she left for me to find. You can read it, if you like."
he waved the paper away. "Whay? It is not addressed to me?"
"Dia kabur bersama putra Lord Hazelton yang paling muda pagi-pagi sekali tadi. Mereka saling jatuh cinta," ocehnya, mengernyit mendengar kata-kata yang keluar dari mulutnya. Ia telah mencoba berlatih dalam kereta pengasuhnya tadi, dan berita itu masih terdengar kejam baginya.
"Kabur? Dengan anak Hazelton? Si pesolek wangi itu?"
"Itu adalah cinta sejati," kata Anne marah, berusaha menahan diri dan menjadi kaku dalam upayanya. Ditariknya keluar sehelai kertas yang telah kusut. Hazelton mungkin saja tidak sekaya Mr. martell, tapi Anne telah melihat pasangan itu bersama dan Anne tahu betapa Hazelton memuja tanah tempat Cressida berpijak. Jadi siapalah pria ini sehingga berani menilai? "Cressy menulis surat yang menjelaskan segalanya, tapi kupikir lebih baik ada seseorang yang mengantarkan surat ini. Kau pantas mendengarnya dari salah satu anggota keluarga. Ini suratnya. Kau bisa membacanya jika kau mau."
"Because I feel it necessary." Anne pushed her spectacles farther up her nose and resisted the urge to tug at the Elizabethan ruff of her made-over-gown. Infuriating man. She understood completely why Cressy hadn't wanted to marry him. The only mystery was why she'd agreed to it in the first place, and why her father had been so obstinate that the match must go ahead. "It was the only polite thing to do."
"Karena aku merasa ini penting" Anne mendorong kacamatanya naik ke atas batang hidungnya dan menahan diri untuk tidak menyentakkan bulu-bulu bergaya Elizabeth dari gaun jahitannya sendiri. Pria yang menjengkelkan. Dia paham sepenuhnya mengapa Cressy tidak ingin menikah dengannya. Satu-satunya misteri adalah kenapa dia setuju untuk berada di sini dan kenapa ayahnya begitu bersikeras untuk mneruskan perjodohan ini. "Hanya ada satu hal kesopanan yang mesti dilakukan."
"Politeness has no place in this."
"It has every place," Anne retorted tartly. Without politeness and propierty civilization ceases."
"Lady Anne, the church is being prepared as we speak. The guests will arrive in mere hours. Surely your family knew about this...defection earlier. Someone must have had an inkling. And yet i was left hanging on. Did you think I am a fool? A piece of rubbish to be used and discarded at will once the true quarry was brought up to snuff? Where the propierty in that?"
"Kesopanan tidak diperlukan di sini."
"Tentu saja ada," jawab Anne kecut. "Tanpa kesopanan dan kepantasan, peradaban akan musnah."
"Lady Anne, saat ini gereja sedang dipersiapkan sementara kita berbincang-bincang. Para tamu akan datang dalam beberapa jam lagi. Pastinya keluargamu tahu tentang hal ini...pembelotan ini. Seseorang pasti ada yang mempunyai firasat. Dan aku sudah ditinggal pergi. Apa kau pikir aku ini bodoh? Sepotong sampah yang dipakai dan dibuang setelah bruan yang sesungguhnya tercium? Jadi dimana kepantasan itu?"
Tyne Valley, 1813
When her sister eloped with someone other than her bethroted, ady Anne Dunstan knew two things. One, That she completely supported her sister's making her own choice about who she would marry. And two, That Anne -- the responsible one -- would have to clean up the mess.
What she didn't know was how her sister's intended, Jason Martell, would take the news. Or howAnne would respond to the force of his presence, his rugged good looks, his less-than-gentlemanly advances.
Or to his proposal of marriage.
Pengantin Pengganti oleh Michelle Styles
Tyne Valley, 1813
Ketika adiknya kawin lari bersama seorang pria yang bukan tunangannya. Lady Anne Dunstan hanya tahu dua hal. Pertama, dia benar-benar mendukung keputusan yang dipilih adiknya tentang dengan siapa dia akan menikah. Dan yang kedua, bahwa Anne--penanggungjawab satu-satunya-- akan harus membereskan kekacauan tersebut.
Dia tidak tahu, bagiamana Jason Martell akan menerima kabar tersebut. Atau, bagaiamnan Anne akan merespon pengaruh kuat akan keberadaannya, ketampanannya yang kasar serta pendekatannya yang kurang ajar.
Atau pada lamaran pernikahannya.
Chapter One
Spring 1813 --Ladywell, Tyne Valley
The impatient male voice with the slightest coating of gentility cut trough Lady Anne Dunstan's carefully prepared greeting.
"You wished to see me? Less than two hours before the wedding? Why? What is this matter of the utmost urgency?"
"My sister...that is..." Anne tightened her grip on her black beaded reticule and kept her gaze on Jason Martell's immaculately manicured hands rather than on his longer-than-strictly-respectable hair or his full lips. Her sister was correct. The man was barely a gentleman. This was far harder than she'd first considered, confroting him, being the bearer of bad tidings.
Bab I
Musim semi, 1813 Ladywell, Tyne Valley
Suara laki-laki yang tidak sabar dengan sedikit lapisan kebangsawanan membuyarkan sapaan Lady Anne yang disiapkan dengan cermat.
"Kau ingin bertemu denganku? Kurang dari dua jam upacara pernikahannya? Mengapa? apa ada hal yang begitu mendesak?"
"Ini tentang...adikku..." Anne mencengkeram erat tas tangannya dan menjaga pandangan matanya pada tangan Jason Martell yang bersih dimanikur daripada memperhatikan rambutnya yang panjang atau pada bibirnya yang penuh. Adiknya benar, laki-laki ini benar-benar tampan. Ini membuatnya jauh lebih sulit dari yang diperkirakannya, mengkonfrontasinya, menjadi pembawa kabar buruk.
But someone had to explain. Her stepmother had taken to her bed; her father was close to apoplexy and incapable of coherent thought -- let alone speech-- and her sister, the cause of this debacle, was far away, presumably safe in the arms of the man she loved. So Anne was the only one left. She knew it was right and proper thing to do, even if she wished she wasn't the person have to do it.
How did one explain the.....situation....at this hour in the morning in a man's library? Particularly to someone like Jason Martell, a man not known for his forgiving nature?
Tapi harus ada yang menjelaskan. Ibunya memilih menenangkan diri, ayahnya marah-marah dan tidak dapat berpikir jernih - terus bicara sendiri - adiknya, penyebab bencana ini, telah pergi jauh, diperkirakan aman dalam pelukan lelaki yang dicintainya. Jadi tinggallah Anne sendirian. Dia tahu iniadalah tindakan yang benar dan tepat, bahkan jika dia berharap bukan dia yang mesti menanggung semua ini.
Bagaimana seseorang bisa menjelaskan....situasi ini pada jam seperti ini di pagi hari di ruang perpustakaan seorang pria? Tepatnya pada seseorang seperti Jason Martell, seorang pria yang tidak dikenal karena sifat pemaafnya?
He'd built his fortune from nothing to become one of the wealthiest figures in Northumberland, rivaling even Earl of Strathmore. An imminent knighthood was rumoured. The match between her sister and Mr. Martell was to have been the crown jewel in his quest for society's acceptance, or so her stepmother had confided. But now...Anne worried a bit of lace on her glove.
"That is to say...Cressida asked me..." she began again.
"Your sister Cressida, my bride." He gave an impatient wave of his hand which only served to emphasize the broadness of his shoulders. "I'm making nervous. I regret that we have not spoken properly before Lady Anne. There will be time after the ceremony. Whatever trifle--"
"That is the problem. There will be marriage today," Anne said quickly before her legs gave way. "Or ever."
Pria itu membangun keberuntungannya dari bukan apa-apa menjadi sosok terkaya di Northumberland, bahkan menandingi Earl of Strathmore. Kabarnya gelar ksatria sedang dipertimbangkan. Perjodohan antara adiknya dan Mr. Martell telah menajdi puncak pencapaian usaha pria tersebut agar diterima di kalangan masyarakat atau begitulah yang diyakini ibu tirinya. Tapi sekarang....Anne meremas renda pada sarung tangannya.
"Maksudku....Cressida memintaku...." mulainya lagi.
"Adikmu Cressida, pengantinku." Pria itu melambaikan tangan tak sabar yang hanya makin menegaskan pundaknya yang lebar. "Aku membuatmu gugup. Aku menyesal belum pernah berbincang secara pantas sebelum ini, Lady Anne. Akan ada waktu setelah seremoni. Hal-hal yang sepele..."
"Itu masalahnya. Tidak akan ada pernikahan hari ini." Kata Anne cepat-cepat sebelum kakinya menjadi lemah. "atau setelahnya."
Anne watched the color completely drain from his face. And despite Cressy's confidences about his indiference towards her as a person, it was clear the news was a blow. But before she could draw a breath, he recovered and Anne wondered if she'd imagined it.
"Should't your sister be here telling me?" The low growl rippled over Anne's strained nerves.
"Am I not be given the courtesy of hearing it from her lips?"
"She's not here. She's...away." Anne caught her upper lip between her teeth and hoped.
"I see." He tapped his long fingers on the desk and leaned forward, looming over her. "Your sister has suddenly departed on the day of our wedding. Do you know the reason, or am I supposed to guess?"
Anne menyaksikan wajah pria itu memucat. Dan meskipun Cressida yakin akan ketidakpedulian pria itu padanya sebagai seorang pribadi, jelas terlihat kalau kabar itu menjadi sebuah tamparan baginya. Namun sebelum dia bisa menarik nafas, pria itu telah kembali pulih dan Anne bertanya-tanya apakah tadi hanya membayangkannya saja.
"Tidakkah seharusnya adikmu sendiri yang mengatakannya langsung padaku?" geraman pelannya membuat darah Anne berdesir. "Apakah aku tidak pantas mendengar hal ini dari bibirnya sendiri?"
"Dia tidak di sini, dia....sudah pergi." Anne menggigit bibir bawahnya sendiri dan berdoa.
"Aku mengerti." Dia mengetuk-ngetukkan jarinya yang panjang di meja dan mencondongkan badan ke depan, menjulang tinggi diatasnya. "Adikmu tiba-tiba saja pergi di hari pernikahan kami. Apa kau tahu alasannya, atau aku harus menebak-nebak?"
She eloped with Lord Hazelton's younger son in the early hours of this morning. They're in love," she babled, wincing as she heard the words tumble out of her mouth. The news had emerged far more starkly than she'd practiced in the governoss's cart.
"Eloped? With Hazelton's son? That Fragant fop?"
"It is true love," Anne said indignantly, getting a hold of herself and stiffening her resolve. She held out the crumpled note. Hazelton might not be as wealthy as Mr. Martell but she'd seen the pair together and knew that he worshipped the ground on which Cressy trod. ho was this mas to make judgments? Cressy wrote a letter explaining everything, but i thought it best to deliver the message in person. You deserved to hear it from on of the family. This is the note she left for me to find. You can read it, if you like."
he waved the paper away. "Whay? It is not addressed to me?"
"Dia kabur bersama putra Lord Hazelton yang paling muda pagi-pagi sekali tadi. Mereka saling jatuh cinta," ocehnya, mengernyit mendengar kata-kata yang keluar dari mulutnya. Ia telah mencoba berlatih dalam kereta pengasuhnya tadi, dan berita itu masih terdengar kejam baginya.
"Kabur? Dengan anak Hazelton? Si pesolek wangi itu?"
"Itu adalah cinta sejati," kata Anne marah, berusaha menahan diri dan menjadi kaku dalam upayanya. Ditariknya keluar sehelai kertas yang telah kusut. Hazelton mungkin saja tidak sekaya Mr. martell, tapi Anne telah melihat pasangan itu bersama dan Anne tahu betapa Hazelton memuja tanah tempat Cressida berpijak. Jadi siapalah pria ini sehingga berani menilai? "Cressy menulis surat yang menjelaskan segalanya, tapi kupikir lebih baik ada seseorang yang mengantarkan surat ini. Kau pantas mendengarnya dari salah satu anggota keluarga. Ini suratnya. Kau bisa membacanya jika kau mau."
"Because I feel it necessary." Anne pushed her spectacles farther up her nose and resisted the urge to tug at the Elizabethan ruff of her made-over-gown. Infuriating man. She understood completely why Cressy hadn't wanted to marry him. The only mystery was why she'd agreed to it in the first place, and why her father had been so obstinate that the match must go ahead. "It was the only polite thing to do."
"Karena aku merasa ini penting" Anne mendorong kacamatanya naik ke atas batang hidungnya dan menahan diri untuk tidak menyentakkan bulu-bulu bergaya Elizabeth dari gaun jahitannya sendiri. Pria yang menjengkelkan. Dia paham sepenuhnya mengapa Cressy tidak ingin menikah dengannya. Satu-satunya misteri adalah kenapa dia setuju untuk berada di sini dan kenapa ayahnya begitu bersikeras untuk mneruskan perjodohan ini. "Hanya ada satu hal kesopanan yang mesti dilakukan."
"Politeness has no place in this."
"It has every place," Anne retorted tartly. Without politeness and propierty civilization ceases."
"Lady Anne, the church is being prepared as we speak. The guests will arrive in mere hours. Surely your family knew about this...defection earlier. Someone must have had an inkling. And yet i was left hanging on. Did you think I am a fool? A piece of rubbish to be used and discarded at will once the true quarry was brought up to snuff? Where the propierty in that?"
"Kesopanan tidak diperlukan di sini."
"Tentu saja ada," jawab Anne kecut. "Tanpa kesopanan dan kepantasan, peradaban akan musnah."
"Lady Anne, saat ini gereja sedang dipersiapkan sementara kita berbincang-bincang. Para tamu akan datang dalam beberapa jam lagi. Pastinya keluargamu tahu tentang hal ini...pembelotan ini. Seseorang pasti ada yang mempunyai firasat. Dan aku sudah ditinggal pergi. Apa kau pikir aku ini bodoh? Sepotong sampah yang dipakai dan dibuang setelah bruan yang sesungguhnya tercium? Jadi dimana kepantasan itu?"
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