The Countess Intrigue (5 page)

She offered him a brief curtsy and then turned on her heel and departed his company without a backward glance.

* * *

C
onstance and Emmaline
were quick to surround her. “You just danced with the Evil Earl of Heath?” Emmaline was aghast and avid with curiosity all at once.

“I really don’t think you should call him that, Lady Emmaline,” Elizabeth could hear the reprimand in her voice and cringed at the thought of the gossip that would ensue.

“You haven’t set your cap for Lord Sinclair, have you?” Constance was quick to follow her sister’s lead.

“No, I have not done something so vulgar as to set my cap for anyone, let alone the Earl of Heath. It was just a dance, ladies, nothing to cause alarm.”

“It looked a little more involved than just a dance,” Emmaline commented snidely, her eyes bright with curious glee. “He really is a handsome man, but I would be afraid if I were you, Lady Elizabeth.”

“I appreciate your concern,” Elizabeth replied drily. She refused to grant either of the other women the satisfaction of knowing that she shared their concerns. She would not sink to their level of gossip and innuendo. “That was a vigorous and long dance, I am just going to go to the refreshment room and get a glass of punch. Enjoy your evening,” Elizabeth dismissed them as carefully as she could manage, not wanting them to accompany her but also not wishing to stir up their curiosity either.

With relief she left them both behind and made her way to the room where Lady Oliver had arranged for refreshments to be served. Elizabeth really did feel the need for a drink before she went in search of the picture gallery and her appointment with the earl. Nerves made her mouth run dry. She wished she could bring the punch bowl with her. She felt like giggling over the silly thought and realized she was bordering on hysterical over the crazy stunt she was about to pull. But the earl was quite correct, Broderick needed to be stopped if he was still on the loose. She was certain Rosamund was safe, but she couldn’t be so sure that Broderick was under control, although she had full confidence in the Duke of Wrentham.

Trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, Elizabeth made every effort to glide innocently from the room, making her way to the back staircase and climbing to the second floor as the earl had directed. No one else was about, and she felt very conspicuous standing in the large, empty room. Before she knew it, a warm hand closed around her arm and pulled her into another chamber. She hadn’t even noticed the open door and the handsome man standing there waiting for her.

He shut the door with a quiet
click
and Elizabeth turned to him with her hand still clutching her throat in fear. “You nearly scared the life out of me, my lord.”

“Did you not expect me to be here?” He stood very near to her, with his hand still on her arm. Her heart was hammering in her chest, first from the fright he gave her but now from his nearness. Realizing he was going to think her a simpleton, she tried to recover.

“Well of course I did, but surely you realize my nerves are frayed from the impropriety of meeting you. But never mind about that, I don’t mean to be a ninny hammer, my lord. We ought not to spend any more time here than necessary. Before I tell you everything I know about Broderick, could you tell me why you want to know?” He finally let go of her arm and she took a small step back. She hoped he didn’t notice or realize that she found him attractive.
That would just make this even more mortifying than it already is!

“Why, my lady? Are you trying to defend him?” The earl sounded shocked as he questioned her.

“No, of course not!” She was aghast at the thought. “Really, I am just curious. I would like to help you in your investigation if I could. I was helping my friend, Rose, investigate him a little bit and I found it fascinating and exciting to be involved in such an inquiry. Could I please help you, my lord?” She could hear her voice becoming wheedling and blushed with embarrassment. “I am sure I would be of great help,” she continued with more dignity. “I know Rose was happy for my help.”

“Let me first see what you know and then I will determine if you will be able to be of much help to me.”

Elizabeth was frustrated with his noncommittal answer but decided to quit dithering on the subject. If they were going to avoid detection, they needed to keep this audience as short as possible. “Very well, my lord, I will accept that as a polite no, but I will tell you what I know anyway. I agree with you that Broderick is a very bad man and needs to be stopped if he has more schemes up his sleeves.”

Lord Sinclair took her hands and was about to lead her to a chair when there was commotion at the door of the room they were in. Elizabeth froze and knew her mouth was probably dropping open in shock as the door burst open and a crowd of people crammed into the room. It seemed that bedlam broke out as everyone spoke at once.

Elizabeth could feel all the blood draining from her face and head and she felt momentarily faint. She was grateful for the arm the earl placed solicitously around her but knew in that moment that it was about to condemn them both to an uncertain future.

“Elizabeth Marie Castleton, what is the meaning of this?” Elizabeth’s mother demanded, obviously trying to sound strict but the glee was lurking in her tone.

Elizabeth wanted to sink through the floor when she heard the buzz of the other occupants as they speculated about her and the earl. Emmaline and Constance were also in the background fanning the flames of gossip that were about to incinerate her reputation.

She felt almost relieved at the thought that her mother would have to leave her alone now if she was about to be beyond the pale. She smiled wanly at her mother. “We had an important matter to discuss, Mother, and did not wish to be disturbed.” Elizabeth knew they had not done anything wrong so she refused to be shamed.

Elizabeth saw the earl looking about at the gathered gossips and then he met her eye with a look of apology. His next words caused the buzz to increase tenfold.

“We needed to discuss the terms of our engagement. You may all wish us happy, although I cannot fathom what brings you all by.”

“Oh, Elizabeth, that is wonderful news. Now you come right along and accompany me back to the ballroom. It wouldn’t do to sully your reputation at this point. What a coup. The Earl of Heath. You shall make a fine son in law, my lord.” Lady Castleton was beaming at the earl with such delight that Elizabeth felt sick to the pit of her stomach.

She closed her eyes hoping she could open them and it would turn out this had all been a bad dream. Unfortunately, in the next moment, she realized it was sadly very true. Lady Emmaline and her sister were fluttering around her agog with the news. Almost as quickly as everyone had filed into the room they had filed back out, clearly anxious to spread the news of what they had witnessed. Within a couple short minutes it was just the earl, Lady Elizabeth and her mother standing in the room with varying degrees of consternation on their faces. In the commotion, the earl had been jostled to the other side of the room. He stayed where he was but kept his eyes trained upon the two ladies.

“This is not exactly how I would have liked this to be arranged, I must say, but I am thrilled to have you finally betrothed, my dear.”

“Mother, how can you stand there and say you’re happy to see me engaged to marry the Earl of Heath?” Elizabeth was shocked that her mother’s single mindedness would extend to such lengths.

“Why not? He is wealthy, well born, and mannerly. He shall be an excellent husband for you, to be sure.”

“Mother,” she began again. Grateful that he had remained on the other side of the room, Elizabeth turned her back to the earl and kept her voice low in the hopes that he could not hear. “I know we have already discussed this but it bears repeating — it is rumoured he killed his wife. Do you really wish to see me committed to him for life? It might not be for very long.” She knew he had heard her when she heard a soft sound behind her as though he were snuffing out a burst of laughter. She crossed her arms and shot a glare over her shoulder at him. “And how did you know to come looking for me here?” she demanded of her mother crossly. “We had just arrived. We truly did need to talk, nothing of a scandalous nature was about to take place.”

“That is neither here nor there, my darling daughter. Your little friends came and told me they were worried about you. They thought you had gotten lost because they saw you climb the stairs to the second floor and yet you had not returned. It struck me as being quite uncharacteristic of you, so I decided to follow you. And then the girls wanted to come too and his lordship. It all happened very quickly, really. But all is well that ends well, as they say, would you not agree?”

“No, I would not agree. I cannot marry him,” Elizabeth insisted.

“You certainly should have thought of that before you agreed to an assignation with the man,” came her mother’s unsympathetic reply.

“This was not an assignation!”

Elizabeth had lost count of how many times she had wished to disappear since she had come into association with the Earl of Heath, but once more the sensation swept her. She glanced over her shoulder at him again for the barest moment, wondering how he was taking the discussion he could obviously hear, and wondering why he did not speak up.
Surely he couldn’t wish for this match!
But the daft man remained where he was, at least on the surface looking as though he hadn’t a care in the world.

Elizabeth wanted to stamp her foot with frustration but managed to hold her composure, at least in front of her mother. She would truly die of mortification if her mother gave her another lecture in front of the earl. The dutiful daughter could just hear it, ‘a lady will never find a gentleman to marry if she cannot control her temper, my dear.’ She shook her head and dragged her attention back to her mother as she was replying to Elizabeth’s assertions.

“It certainly looked like it. Why else would you be in a private room away from all the other guests with a man holding your hands? You have no choice; you must marry him. You are just lucky that he had the good sense to see that. I am surprised and disappointed that you do not. Now I will give you five minutes to discuss matters while I stand outside, and then we will return to the ball and you will accept the congratulations that will be directed your way as graciously as you can muster.”

Elizabeth watched with a dropped jaw as her mother strode from the room on the heels of her words, leaving her alone with the earl. She couldn’t meet his eye. She was mortified at the turn of events. Elizabeth wanted to wail in frustration. Her one attempt at having an adventure had gone horribly wrong.

“I am so sorry, my lord, I had no idea things could possibly turn out this way,” she began to apologize before her anger overtook her. “But what were you thinking making a declaration like that? We could have brazened it out. Now we have to become betrothed. What were you thinking?” she repeated in her frustration. “You cannot possibly want to become leg shackled to me, do you, my lord? Was it not just this afternoon that we discussed the matter? You are searching for a much different countess than I shall ever prove to be.”

* * *

J
ustice took her cold
, trembling hands into his and chafed them, trying to bring warmth to her as he knew she was struggling with shock. It was most definitely not how either of them had foreseen their evening progressing, but he could not find it within himself to be disappointed. She was quite correct in her assessment that she was not what he had been looking for, but he could feel anticipation building within himself at the thought of having the lovely young woman as his wife.

“It was the only possible way to defuse the situation, surely you see that. I am sorry it has turned out this way, but we can make the most of it.”

“You are much too calm about this, my lord. I am beginning to think you had a hand in orchestrating this. I do not trust you and I cannot imagine there is any way we shall be able to salvage a comfortable life out of this mess. Why could you not have kept your mouth shut?”