The Unknowing Heiress

Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

“And how are you liking the plantation?” Janna asked Max curiously, her delicate hand still on his forearm.

Joanna had introduced the two of them very suggestively and Max was under the impression that she expected their interlude to escalate. Perhaps Joanna fancied herself as a matchmaker. Regardless, she seemed to take a special interest in him once she realised he was the son and heir to the Montgomery Hotel empire. Max realised there was a very large fortune attached to his name, but he honestly never thought about it. Was it not morbid to look forward to such a fortune? To inherit would mean his father’s death. He did not care to think of the future. He much preferred to spend his days with a blank piece of paper and a graphite pencil in his hand, preferable drawing his favourite muse.

Max was very aware of Janna’s contact though. He didn’t like to be rude but it was unwanted. Janna Sunderland was a very pretty girl. She was very pale and petite with soft blonde hair and eyes the colour of the Georgia sky. She had a charming smile and musical laugh and would be, to any other man, a magnicient specimen to behold, but Max was disinterested. It didn’t stop him from wondering at her interest. Pretty women simply did not pay him romantic attention.But that didn’t change the fact that her flirtatious behaviour made him uncomfortable. He smiled though, and made an effort to appear as though he was enjoying her company.

“Very much,” he replied. “It’s positively beautiful. I do hope to see the grounds tomorrow as all we’ve seen is the house.” Well, the atrium and his bedroom. He’d already inspected his bedroom and the windows that led out onto a private balcony. He’d already measured the distance between his and Maggie’s balconies and it was a distance he would be able to climb should they ever want to continue their evening routines from the ship.  

“I adore this house,” Janna gushed, smiling up at him. “Just as I adore your accent. Are you sure you’re American?”

Max chuckled. His American accent was long gone. “Born in Philadelphia, raised in Derbyshire,” he said proudly. “I’ve grown up around my British family so I suppose they have heavily influenced me.”

“I’ve always wanted to go to England,” Janna informed him. “What’s it like? Is it gorgeous?”

He did find England, the country he now considered his home, gorgeous. “If you do venture across the Atlantic I do recommend Derbyshire. It is without a doubt the most picturesque county in England. The weather can be miserable at times and winter seems to carry on forever but it is home,” he said fondly.

Janna’s blue eyes sparkled as she smiled. “I’ll have to, won’t I?” she said seductively. “Perhaps you might even like to show me your favourite places,” she hinted.

“Miss Sunderland,” Max said regretfully.

“Janna, please,” she insisted.

“Janna,” he corrected. “I do feel as though I must tell you that I am not interested in courting anyone,” he said awkwardly. He’d never had to reject a woman before. This was an entirely new experience.

Janna’s face fell a little before she plastered on a brave smile while removing her hand from his forearm. “Well, neither am I,” she said positively. “Courting is stressful,” she joked, “and it absolutely ruins a young lady’s complexion. Besides, Daddy’s made his fortune in shipping. I don’t need to marry for money like many of the other young ladies in this room.”

At that moment Max noticed a couple start to dance in the vacant atrium. A moment later he realised that it was Maggie dancing in the arms of a tall, good looking gentleman. He frowned at the starry eyed expression on her face, as if she had been bewitched by the man she’d only just met. “Who is he?” he asked himself bitterly.