The Earl's Bargain (Historical Regency Romance) (28 page)

Most impressed over his cousin's cunning in
extricating himself from the turret room, Edward hastened to brag
on what good time he had made coming from London, despite being
slowed down with a lady.

"You were not slowed down
by me. I
wasn't
a
lady!" Dropping her mouth, Ellie amended her statement. "That is, I
behaved as a boy the duration of the journey." Then, pouting, she
said, "I mean. . ." then faltered.

Harry laughed and squeezed Louisa's
hand.

Edward watched smugly, then whispered to
Harry. "Knew you'd succeed with the bluestocking."

"The bluestocking, my dear Edward, is the
next Countess of Wycliff."

Edward had been in the process of swallowing
a swig of ale. At this announcement, he spit it out. "The hell you
say! You cannot be serious."

"Never been more serious or more in love in
my life."

"Do you agree to this match?" Ellie asked
Louisa.

Louisa nodded happily. "Oh, yes."

This time Ellie spit out her ale.

All was silent the next few
minutes, then Ellie spoke, "I beg you will allow me to ride home in
your carriage, Lord Wycliff. The thought of returning with
the
noble
Mr. Coke
is quite repugnant to me."

"I am sure you'll be far more comfortable in
my carriage than in Edward's curricle."

Louisa patted Ellie's hand. "Yes, my pet,
and you will have to tell me all about Mr. Bentham's talks."

"Lucky Harry," Edward lamented, rolling his
eyes. "Timing your journey so it just happened to coincide with the
silly Bentham man's talks. I believe you'd fight wild tigers rather
than sit in the room with all those bloody bluestockings."

Her heart shattered, Louisa looked from
Edward to Harry. And with a sickening realization knew that Edward
did not speak in jest.

Harry's face went white as Edward spoke.

From the look on his cousin's face, Edward
knew he had said something wrong. "Why. . .if the two of you are to
be married and knowing your feelings about honesty in marriage, I
assumed Mrs. Phillips knew your true feelings toward the
reformers." Edward swallowed hard. "I can see now that she does
not."

Louisa rose, pulling her sister with her.
"Mr. Coke, I beg that you take me back to London. I cannot ride
home with your. . .your odious cousin!"

"And I
will
ride home with your odious
cousin," Ellie asserted. "Riding with a liar is preferable than
riding with an insincere snake."

Edward's shoulders slumped. "I seem to be
putting my well shod boots into my mouth rather thoroughly."

"I beg a word with you, Louisa," Harry
implored.

She turned to him, her eyes hollow, her
voice hard. "You can say nothing to me, my lord, for I shall never
believe you again."

"But, Louisa--"

She turned her back to him and stormed from
the parlor. The groom had brought the gig, and Louisa hitched
herself up into it without assistance from Edward. He got in on the
other side, took up his crop and drove the horse from the inn
yard.

As he had coming, Edward made excellent --
even better -- time returning to London. For the first several
hours, Louisa choked back tears. From the beginning, Harry had been
lying to her. He possessed none of the qualities she had credited
him with. She had only been a pawn in his game of reclaiming the
family riches. Had he even meant it when he told her he loved her,
or had it been a sham?

Every tree, every blade of glass they passed
reminded her of the journey over this same land with Harry by her
side.

She and Edward had to spend but three nights
at inns -- where they secured separate rooms. Sharing a room with a
man would only have reminded her of all the nights she and Harry
had slept together.

She should have trusted her original
instincts. There was no such thing as a trustworthy man.

On the second day, she began to ask Edward
about his and Ellie's trip.

"It would have been bloody boring, indeed,
miles and miles of bleak scenery, if you ask me. Thank goodness for
Miss Sinclair's lively recounting of the Bentham man's talks. First
time I ever understood him was through El-- er, I mean, through
Miss Sinclair's intelligent comments. You should be proud of your
sister. Got a head on those pretty shoulders. Never thought I'd
ever be interested in a smart woman, but now I don't think I'd want
one who wasn't."

Pretty shoulders?
Could Edward Coke be smitten over Ellie? Was
that
really
why he
stepped forth with an offer to marry Ellie?

"Tell me, Mr. Coke," Louisa began coyly,
"was it difficult procuring a room for the lad Ellie pretended to
be?"

He coughed, and she wasn't certain, but she
thought he blushed. "Actually, I didn't like to think of her alone
in a strange inn. She's such a tiny, helpless little thing, you
know. And she wasn't keen on it, either. Never saw a gal with fears
as great as hers. A good thing she trusted me. . .then." His face
fell.

"Sir, I believe you are in love with my
sister."

"In love with your sister?" he said
incredulously. "I admit we have grown close, and I am truly fond of
her, but love?" He whipped at the horse. "Never gave it a
thought."

"A pity because I believe my sister is very
fond of you."

"She told you so?" he asked.

Louisa would swear there was hope in his
question. "Not exactly, but I know my sister quite well."

"You are, after all, almost a ringer for
her."

She smiled.

He waited for ten minutes before he decided
to continue the conversation. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble
for you, I would be obliged if you could. . ."

"Ask Ellie what her feelings are toward
you?"

He shrugged. "I would hate her to have any
hard feelings toward me. After all, we did share a bedchamber
together -- quite innocently, I assure you. I slept on the
floor."

"Then I was much kinder to Lord
Wycliff."

He blushed.

She giggled. "It was all quite chaste. Your
cousin was a gentleman. A pity he's a liar. And a pirate."

"Former pirate. You're the only other person
he's ever told about the source of his wealth."

"A pity I cannot be gratified that he was
only partially dishonest to me."

* * *

When Louisa reached the Grosvenor Square
House, Harry was waiting for her on the pavement. "I have to talk
to you, Louisa," he said.

Refusing to make eye contact with him, she
brushed past him as if he were invisible. She walked up the two
steps, opened the door herself, then called back to him. "My butler
will tell you I am not in, my lord."

Then she slammed the door on him.

Ellie ran down the stairs, threw her arms
around Louisa's neck, then burst into tears.

Tears springing to her own eyes, Louisa held
her close. "I know. You have fallen in love with Edward Coke, have
you not?"

"Yes I have," Ellie said through sobs. "And
it's not at all pleasant as I thought it would be."

Louisa held Ellie with straightened arms and
wiped a tear. "That, my pet, is because you acted very
foolish."

"How?"

"By getting mad at Mr. Coke when he offered
for you."

"But he didn't offer for me. He only said
what he said because he was obliged to!"

"Come, my pet, he was obliged to offer for
someone dressed as a boy?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"That whether he was consciously aware of it
or not, Edward Coke is in love with you."

"Did he tell you that?"

"That is not what matters, pet. Your
feelings are all I care about. If you truly love someone, you must
put aside foolish pride. Are you willing to do that?"

Ellie burst out crying again. "He's all I
could think of with every churn of Lord Wycliff's carriage wheels.
Every village and every rock seemed to bring back memories of our
journey together. I've never in my life enjoyed myself so
excessively."

Louisa held her close. "I know, my pet."

"What should I do?"

"Mr. Coke made the first move when he
offered for you. Since I've always promoted honesty above
everything and never believed in feminine coyness, I believe you
should make the next move and tell Mr. Coke your true
feelings."

She handed Ellie a handkerchief.

Ellie dried her tears. "I don't know how I
shall do that, but I must."

During the following week,
Harry called every day at the Grosvenor Square house, but the
butler's grim reply was always the same.
Mrs. Phillips is not in
. After that
week, he did not call any more.

When it was clear to Louisa that Harry would
not call again, Louisa convinced herself that his remonstrances
were merely to assuage his conscience. While he would resume the
usual practices of men of fashion, she felt she had nothing to
return to. The pain in her heart was irreparable. She lost interest
in her Tuesday meetings with the bluestockings. She did not feel
like writing essays. She spent a great deal of time dwelling on the
month she and Harry had spent together in Cornwall. Every glance,
every conversation that had passed between them continued to invade
her thoughts. And the intimacy they had shared invaded her
dreams.

Ellie, too, was glum and full of remorse
over her refusal of Mr. Coke. Like Louisa, she spent hours on end
reliving in her mind those few glorious days she had spent with the
most wonderful man on earth. She had decided that Louisa was right.
She was the one who needed to make the first step toward repairing
the damage, but she did not know how, nor did she know if such a
move would meet with any success at all. It wasn't as if Mr. Coke
were beating her door down, as Lord Wycliff was doing for
Louisa.

Ellie had rather resigned herself to the
fact that she and Louisa would live a most sedentary life together.
No more gentlemen of quality paying morning calls. No reason
whatsoever to dress fashionably for no one who mattered would ever
see them. So it was that she and Louisa were sitting in the drawing
room sewing one afternoon when Williams informed them that he had
shown Mr. Coke into the morning room.

Looking at Louisa, he said, "Your denial to
Lord Wycliff did not extend to his companion, did it?"

Smiling, Louisa assured him
that Mr. Coke was most welcome. Then, turning to Ellie, she said,
"It appears you will have your chance with Mr. Coke. It is hoped
you will not destroy it -- for you may never get another."
Inwardly, Louisa ached with her own regrets. Perhaps she
had
been too unwavering
with Harry. But she knew her chance was long gone. Harry had
already lost interest in her.

Ellie leaped to her feet, her hands on her
cheeks. "I cannot go to him like this. Just look at what a horrid
sight I am!"

Louisa laughed. "You are not, my pet. You
always look lovely." She took Ellie's hand. "Remember, Mr. Coke
made his offer to you when you were dressed like a lad. I think he
loves you however you look."

"Pshaw!" Ellie protested.

"Trust me." Louisa squeezed her hand. "Mr.
Coke will find you beautiful."

* * *

Edward had never been so nervous in his
life. It had taken him a week to gather the courage to come see
Miss Sinclair, then another week to think of an excuse for his
visit.

When Miss Sinclair walked into the morning
room, the air nearly swished from his lungs, fairly robbing him of
breath. Demmed but she was a deuced fine looking girl. Or was
eighteen considered a woman? Her looks were so extraordinary, she
even made a fine looking lad. At the thought of her dressed as a
lad, sitting up beside him on the box hour upon hour, he grew
melancholy. Never before in his life had he wished to turn back the
clock. Until now.

His throat grew dry. His pulse accelerated.
"How very good it is to see you again, Miss Sinclair."

As graceful as a swan gliding across a pond,
Miss Sinclair strolled to him and offered him her hand.

He took it in both of his hands and bent to
kiss it. When he came back up, his face was flaming. He could not
even remember what excuse he had come up with to explain his
presence. Fortunately, she did not ask for one. "How very good it
is to see you again, Mr. Coke," Ellie said, her eyes alive and
dancing. "Won't you please sit down."

He sat on one of the twin settees that faced
each other in the middle of the room, and Miss Sinclair sat on the
other one.

"I see the fine weather we enjoyed on our
journey to Cornwall has continued," she commented.

"Yes. Very fine indeed." Then he had no idea
what he was going to say next.

"You have enjoyed good health?" she
asked.

"Excellent. You?"

She sighed. "Physically, quite excellent."
Then she took a deep breath and continued. "I find myself
reminiscing with unexpected fondness over the journey you and I
took together." She could not meet him in the eye.

A smiled flashed across his face. "It is the
same with me! I find I think most fondly of the journey."

"Not just the journey," she said coyly. "The
degree of closeness we gained -- you and I -- during the journey. I
have found that I enjoyed that excessively."

"'Twas the same with me! I'd give my next
quarterly to do it again."

"A pity I was so beastly proud when you felt
compelled to offer for me, for I believe I should very much have
enjoyed being married to you." She had not been able to look him in
the eye when she spoke.

He leaped to his feet, bounded across the
patterned carpet, and dropped to one knee in front of her. He took
her hands in his. "It's the same with me, Ellie." He looked up into
her smiling face.