The Earl Claims a Bride (9 page)

“He is handsome but I found him rather arrogant for my taste, Helen.”

The green-eyed debutante with flame-red hair dropped Angelina’s hands as if they were hot coals. “Then you must have said something most unbecoming of a young lady to have sparked such a response from him.”

True.

“What did you say to him?” she demanded.

Angelina didn’t want to be drawn into a conversation about the arrogant earl. Helen was probably itching to hear something more about the man from Angelina so she could tell everyone she knew.

“Have you met him?” Angelina asked.

Helen hesitated and pretended to brush a strand of hair from her face. “No, not yet, but I will soon. I haven’t only because Papa didn’t want just anyone presenting me to the earl. It’s very important who you know and who knows you. We are waiting for Viscount Thistlebury to arrive so he can do the honors for me.”

“That’s an excellent idea, Helen,” Angelina said with a smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me I was looking for someone.”

“Who? Maybe I can help you find her.” She smiled deviously. “Or him?”

Angelina had never been any good at lying so she simply said, “No need. I see who I’m looking for. And perhaps you should go find your father. I see that Lord and Lady Thistlebury just arrived.”

“Oh, I’m so glad you saw them. I must go at once,” she said and hurried away.

As soon as Helen vanished, Angelina was beset with another young lady from her reading society. She politely chatted even though she was eager to be on her way. When a couple of other young ladies joined them, Angelina excused herself and continued her search for the earl.

He wasn’t in the main ballroom, the buffet room, or the vestibule. She was beginning to think he had left the party when she saw him near a set of double doors that led to a garden. He stood with his legs spread just far enough apart to lend a touch of arrogance to his stance. He was talking to a gentleman who was just as tall, handsome, and powerfully built as the earl. A beautiful young lady with golden-blond hair stood with them. She was looking up at Lord Thornwick and smiling.

Angelina debated approaching the earl while he was engrossed in a conversation with others. The rules were clear: It was rude to do so. Be that as it may, Angelina had no choice but to interrupt their conversation. She might have botched her first opportunity with Lord Thornwick, but she wasn’t ready to give up on him just yet. Her father’s freedom was threatened. She had to stay courageous and fight for him.

Though she didn’t realize it, she must have held her breath all the way across the room. She sounded breathless when she stopped beside the earl and said, “Lord Thornwick, I’m sorry for interrupting, but may I have a moment of your time?”

When he turned and looked at her she saw a sparkle of surprise in his eyes. His gaze quickly swept up and down her face. She immediately felt those same wonderful sensations that had simmered through her when they talked before. The earl was an imposing, magnificent man. His chest was broad and his shoulders straight. He was superbly dressed in a black dinner jacket with a tightly fitted beige waistcoat. Surely his handsomeness was the only reason he’d set her heart to fluttering.

“Miss Rule,” he said, a half smile forming his well-sculpted lips. “Of course. Was there something you forgot to say to me when we spoke earlier?”

Oh, he is a devil.

Apprehension raced through her, but she hoped she looked calm on the outside as she said, “Yes, if you don’t mind.” She glanced at the young lady and then the other gentleman, hoping desperately she was showing more confidence than she was feeling. “I do hope you will forgive me for barging in on your conversation.”

“Of course,” the lady said with a friendly expression. “We don’t mind at all, but would you please allow Lord Thornwick to introduce us?”

Angelina’s heart gave an uncomfortable lurch when the earl presented her to the Duke and Duchess of Drakestone. She curtsied low, hoping the heat in her cheeks would have lessened by the time she had to look them in the eyes. She never would have interrupted them if she’d known he was talking to a duke and duchess.

Nothing was going right for her concerning the earl. She seemed to be making one blunder after the other.

“It’s my pleasure to meet you both,” Angelina said, thinking what she really wanted to do was make the floor open up and swallow her. “I was presented to your mother, Your Grace, a short time ago.”

“Then you have managed to do something it has taken others several Seasons to do. I hope she behaved herself, Miss Rule, and didn’t have you in tears before she parted.”

“No, of course not. I’m happy to say we had a lovely chat about the artwork on my fan.” Angelina held up the fan and then quickly put it down again.

“Thank you for letting me know she can behave herself at times,” the duke said.

“I can see why she noticed your fan,” the duchess added. “It’s lovely. That sheen on the water is remarkable. And I like the dramatic colors. It looks especially appealing when pastels are all the rage.”

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you to say,” Angelina said and glanced at Lord Thornwick.

He extended a glass to her. “I thought you might like a glass of champagne?”

His expression was soft, caring, and she appreciated his trying to make her feel more comfortable. She wasn’t usually the type to be nervous, but she’d be a fool not to be cautious in dealing with the earl. “Yes, thank you,” she said and took the glass from him. “I believe I would.”

“Is this Season your first, Miss Rule?” the duchess asked.

“Yes,” she said, trying not to be upset with herself for making it so obvious.

“Perhaps later I could to introduce you to some other young ladies before the night is over.”

“Thank you, Duchess,” Angelina said, thankful Her Grace was so friendly. “That’s very kind of you. I’ll look forward to it.”

“Good. If you and Lord Thornwick will excuse us, Bray and I see someone we need to speak to.”

“Yes, of course.”

Good-byes were said and the duke and duchess walked away. Angelina took a sip from her glass. The champagne was cold, bubbly, and soothing. Getting Lord Thornwick to agree to what she wanted wouldn’t be easy. She’d made a muddle of her first conversation with him but was determined to rectify her earlier mistakes.

“Was there something else you wanted to say to me?” he asked.

“I’ve been thinking over our conversation and I have a favor to ask of you.”

“A favor, you say?” He folded his arms across his chest and looked at her from guarded eyes. “This could be very interesting. Tell me what it is.”

She lifted her chin and her shoulders. “I understand you not wanting to marry me because of my feelings for another, but I would like to ask you to please consider pretending that we will make a match by the end of the Season.”

He didn’t move but continued to regard her carefully. There was a calmness about him that made her feel as if he could see inside her and know how desperate she was feeling. It was a position she didn’t like being in but she had no other choice.

“If you will agree, it will give me time to come up with another way for me to help my father avoid prison.”

Keeping his tone casual and his body relaxed, he asked, “You want me to pretend through the entire Season that you and I will marry at the end of it?”

She knew it was a lot to ask of an earl, a dashing handsome earl who could snap his fingers and have more than a dozen young ladies willing to marry him in an instant. For a moment, she considered fleeing his questioning gaze, but she had to fight against her instinct and stand her ground and persist. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m asking.”

“I don’t like any kind of pretense, Miss Rule.”

One hand tightened on her fan and the other on the glass she held. “It may be difficult for you to believe, my lord, but neither do I. In fact, this is very hard for me to ask of you but I must.”

A tempting, roguish grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “I don’t find that difficult to believe.”

Her breathing became shallow and her heart started fluttering again. Just when she thought he might scowl at her, he smiled, giving her hope. On a rush of words, she continued, “Our engagement wouldn’t need to be announced to the ton. In fact, it would be best if it wasn’t. As long as my father believes it will happen, he will tell the Prince and that will be enough.”

“And that is because you wouldn’t want your army officer to think you had eyes for anyone but him, right?”

Was it?

“No. At this point, my lord, I am only thinking about my father. The captain isn’t here tonight. I can only assume he hasn’t returned from India. My father is in very real danger. I’m not excusing his behavior, but he hasn’t quite been the same since my mother died. He shouldn’t be in this unsavory position, but he is. I will not run from it; nor will I hide. I will do whatever I must to help him.”

Her pulse quickened and her hope soared as he leaned toward her. He lifted his chin a notch and his gaze skimmed over her as he said, “Then my answer is I will think about the favor you request and let you know my answer at a later time.”

His words feathered softly across her cheek. A shivery tingle raced up her back, and all her senses went on alert.

“Thank you,” she whispered, feeling a little relief. “You are a formidable opponent, my lord.”

“I’ve had much practice.”

She drained the glass and held it out to him. “I didn’t realize how much I needed that.”

He took the glass and asked, “Another?”

She shook her head once. “I’ll wait to hear from you, Lord Thornwick.”

Angelina turned and walked away, her step much lighter.

Chapter 7

He will give the devil his due.

Henry IV Part 1,
Act I, sc. 2

Hell’s teeth.

Harrison rubbed the back of his neck as he walked out of the stuffy room with Bray. All the probing questioning he’d had to endure just to become a member of the Heirs’ Club was ridiculous and beyond his rational thought. Why he had to go through a series of boring conversations just to become a valid member, he had no idea. It wasn’t like the three fellows on the panel didn’t know he was now the Earl of Thornwick, or that they didn’t know
him
. He’d been coming to the club as Bray’s guest for close to ten years.

The only reason he was making it official now was because he could. That and so he wouldn’t have to depend on Bray getting him inside the smaller, quieter club when he was in town. That is, if the old bats on the review board, in their ceremonial robes and outdated, powdered wigs, decided to put their mark of approval on his request and confirm he was indeed the legitimate eighth Earl of Thornwick.

Harrison followed Bray through the maze of corridors that led them out of the private inner sanctum of the secluded building and into the area where the members drank, played, and occasionally conducted a little business. They bypassed the gaming rooms, where Harrison heard the sound of billiard balls smacking together and rounds of laughter. All was quiet when they passed the reading room, though a glance inside showed several gentlemen seated with newsprint in front of their faces.

The two friends didn’t break stride until they entered the large taproom. It was just past midday and only a handful of people were in the darkly appointed room. Harrison and Bray stopped by the highly polished bar and ordered up two tankards of ale. They greeted the gentlemen standing nearby but didn’t stay to chat after their drinks arrived. Harrison motioned to a table by the window where a slice of sunshine filtered through and they settled themselves in their chairs.

Bray lifted his tankard and said, “To the latest member of the Heirs’ Club.”

Harrison acknowledged the toast with a nod and took a drink.

“So,” Bray said, “what do you want to talk about first?”

“Why don’t we talk about you first?” Harrison answered. “Tell me about married life.”

“You are making this very easy, my friend. I am content. Quite happy and finally settled in my larger home with my lovely wife and all four of her sisters.”

“That many sisters?” Harrison shifted in his seat. “I didn’t remember. How are you handling that?”

“I’m managing. There have been a few instances when I wished it was only the two of us, but very few. I’m getting used to having sisters.”

Harrison gave him a doubtful look. “Really? Ah, but then they are girls. I suppose they are much quieter and nicer than boys.”

“There was a time I would have thought that, too,” Bray said. “But no. It’s maddening at times. They will cry over nothing, squeal to the high heavens when they are happy, stand still, pout, and say nothing when they are angry. But things are better now that I’ve employed a tutor to keep them busy with learning.”

Harrison laughed.

“What is amusing you?”

“You. That you’re not just married, but living in a house with five females. You who never had a brother or a cousin. And as of now, your mind still seems to be sound.”

Bray laughed, too. “I know. It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? But I like having sisters,” Bray assured him. “Most of the time, anyway. They are all different and I enjoy each one of them. But even if I didn’t, I would put up with any amount of aggravation from them to have Louisa in my life because she’s worth it.”

“I’m sure Louisa appreciates your good nature about them,” Harrison said and took another drink. “I suppose that’s how Adam felt about his wife, too.”

“Damnation, don’t remind me of the horror he went through. Better than ever now, I understand why he gave up on life and moved to the cold north to be alone. I can’t imagine life without Louisa in—”–Bray paused and seemed to consider his words. “I know it was just as hard on you losing Maddie.”

“No,” Harrison said and knew it was the truth. “It couldn’t have been. I made peace with my feelings for Maddie after she married my brother and had his son. I considered her my sister. It was still difficult losing them all at once.”