Undressed by the Earl (8 page)

The earl raked a hand through his dark hair, impatience flaring upon his mouth. “You should learn to temper your words, Miss Andrews.”

“Since I have no intention of being with a man like you, it hardly matters what I say. I only ask that you leave me to make my own choices.” Amelia took a breath, trying to hold back her anger. “I’ve done what I could to help you. You should do the same for me.”

“He’s no good for you,” Lord Castledon warned. He leaned one hand against the stone wall, and Amelia suddenly realized that she was standing entirely too close to this man. The scent of sandalwood emanated from his skin, and she found herself intrigued by it. Her gaze fixated upon his mouth, and a sudden flush came over her cheeks. This was an experienced man, one who had knowledge of kissing and what went on behind closed bedroom doors.

His body was solid, and she suspected that beneath the tailored coat and shirt was a muscled man. In her mind, she tried to compare him to Lord Lisford. But while the viscount was amiable and teasing, the earl was quiet and tense. She ought to be irritated by Castledon…
but instead, she found his sudden outburst captivating.

The flare of anger still lingered in his blue eyes, and she suddenly realized how badly she’d misjudged him. This man did have a hidden passionate side…but he would never show it to any woman. He was completely unattainable, like a man formed of ice.

She blinked, wondering what had prompted her to think of him in such a way. Lord Castledon wasn’t a man she wanted at all. But she couldn’t deny that when she was so near to him, she grew aware of the hard cast of his jaw and his hidden strength. He was broad-shouldered and so tall she had to tilt her head back. Right now, he was eyeing her as if he wanted to take her apart.

“I’ll be the judge of which man is good for me,” she replied. Then she turned back from him, wondering why her heart was pounding so fiercely.

David stood against the far wall, inwardly furious. Amelia’s insistence that he leave her alone to make her own choices was akin to watching her throw herself off a mountain. She was too trusting in others, too eager to see the good in people.

He didn’t want her to be hurt the way her sister Margaret had been. Viscount Lisford took too many risks and seemed to relish the danger. The man had made many enemies among the ton, but it only seemed to make him more attractive to the women.

He shouldn’t care. What did it matter if Amelia Andrews chose to throw herself at a man who would only use her dowry to fund his gambling habits? It was her life, wasn’t it?

But when he watched her enter the ballroom, her face flaming, he saw in her a spirit that should not be dimmed. She needed to be protected, even if she was unaware of the danger.

In his waistcoat pocket, he touched the folded letter his daughter had written to her mother, so many years ago. It was a physical reminder that he had to try again, though he didn’t want to.

One of the ladies on Amelia’s list, Miss Georgina Pearson, was standing with her mother nearby. This was it, then. Time to take his first steps toward leaving behind his widower existence and learning to find someone else.

At first glance, Miss Pearson was fair enough. She had green eyes and long brown hair that was pinned up with a few curls about her face.

Just go and speak with her
, he urged himself.

He made it halfway across the room before another gentleman stepped in and invited Miss Pearson to dance. She beamed and accepted, fanning herself as she followed the young man to line up across from him in a country dance.

“Would you like my help in making introductions?” a female voice spoke from behind him. David turned and saw Lady Lanfordshire smiling at him. He bowed and greeted her. “I would be grateful for it.”

There was no sign of her husband, Lord Lanfordshire, but Margaret stood at her mother’s side. “I believe you have met my daughter Margaret, of course,” the matron said.

He bowed to her. “Miss Andrews, how are you?”

Margaret murmured a response, but she appeared more distracted than usual. Her gaze remained upon her younger sister, and David saw that Lord Lisford was already talking with Amelia.

“Would you like me to introduce you to Miss Harrow?” Lady Lanfordshire said, when David didn’t ask Margaret to dance. He supposed he should have, but Miss Andrews had already excused herself to go to the ladies’ retiring room.

He agreed, but it was difficult to take his gaze off Amelia. As he walked alongside Lady Lanfordshire, she sent him a knowing look. “My youngest daughter has always been a girl who wants to help others, whether they want her assistance or not.”

“Lord Lisford is definitely a man in need of assistance from a large dowry.” He decided there was little point in mincing words. Amelia’s mother was well aware of the viscount’s debts.

“The more I try to tell Amelia what she shouldn’t do, the more she runs headlong into danger,” Lady Lanfordshire insisted. “She has an impulsive, meddling nature.”

“Then how do you protect her?”

“Once she’s put her mind to it, stopping Amelia is like trying to capture a thunderstorm. I fear she’s destined to have her heart broken one day.” The matron sent him a rueful gaze. “As a parent yourself, I’m certain you’ve encountered willfulness.”

He had, for Christine had inherited his own stubborn nature. “My daughter has spent many hours staring at the wall after she was defiant,” he admitted.

“But how do you punish a young woman who only wants to help others? Amelia hasn’t a cruel bone in her body. She genuinely believes there is good in the man. Am I to punish her for trying to help someone?”

David could make no argument with that, and he said, “I suppose not.” Soon enough, he found himself in front of Miss Harrow. Lady Lanfordshire introduced them, and he greeted the young lady.

Miss Harrow was a sturdy sort, with a plain face and hair the color of straw. Although she wasn’t at all what most men would consider attractive, she had a pleasant way about her. She could not be more different from Katherine, which made it even easier.

“Are you enjoying yourself this evening, Miss Harrow?” he asked.

The woman shrugged and offered a light smile. “I believe I’ve earned the title of Queen of the Wallflowers. But I’m accustomed to it.”

“Sometimes wallflowers have the most interesting conversation. They see everything that happens at a gathering.” He offered her his arm. “Would you care to dance and tell me your observations?”

The young woman smiled at him with a blend of joy and surprise. “I would be delighted, my lord.” It was as if no one had asked her before, and when Miss Harrow took his arm, she appeared to be bursting with excitement.

The country dance involved intricate steps that David could hardly remember for the life of him. “I fear I may tread upon your toes, Miss Harrow,” he apologized, when they lined up across from one another.

She sent him a warning look. “You may have to be mindful of your own toes, Lord Castledon. Sadly, I will likely stumble. Every last dancing lesson has fled my brain at the moment, I’m afraid.”

Whatever grace Miss Harrow lacked, she made up for with enthusiasm, and he found himself enjoying the dance. She had a hearty laugh, and he liked her a great deal. True to their apologies, both of them stepped on each other’s toes, but he appreciated her blunt humor and the way she laughed at her mistakes.

It was clear that her marital prospects were bleak, but more and more, he was beginning to see the woman as a viable option. So long as she was willing to be a mother to his daughter, she was pleasant enough. He could give her a splendid house, leaving her to run it as she chose.

When they began changing partners, he was startled to find himself paired briefly with Lady Sarah Carlisle. Her face flushed, and she nodded to him but looked as if she wanted the floor to swallow her up.

“My lord, I want to apologize for what happened a few years ago. I—I was wrong to try to ensnare you into marriage when you were hardly out of mourning. I hope you can forgive me.”

He tensed, remembering the night when he’d been caught alone in the library with Lady Sarah. She had intruded upon his moment of solitude, and before he knew what was happening, matrons were trying to arrange a wedding. He’d protested vehemently, and though the young woman had been embarrassed, there was nothing to be done for it.

“As I recall, neither of us did anything wrong except to be at the wrong place at the same time,” he said. “But I accept your apology, and I’ll admit that it hasn’t crossed my memory until I saw you just now.”

She ventured a painful smile, and he turned her in a circle. “Are you enjoying your evening, Lady Sarah?”

Her smile faded. “Not really. It seems that the ton hasn’t forgiven me for my mistakes or for my brother’s.”

He didn’t know how to respond to that, but managed, “I hope you find a gentleman who suits you.”

“Finding him isn’t my difficulty,” she admitted. Her eyes met his, and she held his gaze for a moment. “It’s finding someone who doesn’t care about my past scandals, who will see that I’ll be a good wife to him.”

There was a trace of longing there, and it made him uncomfortable to see it. “I’ll bid you good hunting, then.”

He was paired back with Miss Harrow, and then at last, he was Amelia’s partner. She touched her palm to his and said, “I see you listened to me and gave Miss Harrow a chance.” The look on her face was smug, as if to say,
I told you so
.

“I did. She is a kind person,” he admitted.

There was a softness that came over Amelia, and she nodded. “Few men take the time to know Lavinia Harrow. But she deserves a gentleman who can see her for the woman she is.”

He walked in a circle with Amelia, her words sinking into his consciousness. In the past five years that he’d known her, he
had
seen the woman emerging from the enthusiastic girl. He knew the woman Amelia had become, faults and all.

“I also spoke briefly to Lady Sarah Carlisle,” he told her. “I wasn’t aware that she was still seeking a husband.”

A flash of tension stiffened Amelia’s smile. “I suppose she is. And I hope, for her sake, that she finds one.”

He couldn’t understand why Lady Sarah would upset her so—though he remembered how the woman’s brother, the Earl of Strathland, had threatened Amelia’s family. “I’m certain she will marry eventually.”

With a chagrined smile, Amelia squared her shoulders. “I’ve been thinking, Lord Castledon. We should call a truce between us.”

“I wasn’t aware we were at war.” But he offered his hand, and she squeezed it.

Teasing mischief brimmed in her eyes, but it didn’t seem she was holding a grudge. “Only if you continue to disrupt my efforts to win Lord Lisford.”

David could give no answer, as they switched partners. He continued the set with Miss Harrow, and before the dance ended, Amelia approached him. In a low voice she murmured, “Come and pay a call upon us Saturday next. My aunt Charlotte is hosting a birthday party for her son Matthew, and all of us will be there. It will be a good chance for you to see Margaret and try another name on the list.”

She smiled and returned to her sister. Although it was a reasonable invitation, he wondered at the wisdom of accepting. He doubted if Margaret would seriously entertain the idea of courtship after she’d been jilted once before.

Miss Harrow was a leading candidate for marriage, not only due to her kind nature, but also because he was not attracted to her beyond friendship. There was no danger of falling in love with a woman like her.

He should decline the invitation to the birthday party. Not on Margaret’s behalf, but because every time he was in Amelia’s presence, he found himself watching her. She had always caught his eye, even when she was too young to join in the soirées and the dancing.

She
was the danger, not her sister. She might be a meddling sort, with the genuine intent to help others…but he sensed an invisible thread pulling him toward her. Earlier, in the garden, Amelia had caught him unawares when she’d claimed to be in love with the viscount. Her naïveté would bring her into ruin if she wasn’t careful.

But then he’d revealed too much to her. She’d looked upon him with the eyes of a woman who sympathized with him. Although David hadn’t wanted her pity, it was the sudden pulse of awareness that caught him off guard. Her green eyes had shone with unshed tears while she’d lifted her face to his. If he’d dared to lower his defenses, she might have rested her cheek against his beating heart, offering the comfort of an embrace.

And God above, it had been so long.

So many times, he’d awakened in the night, reaching for the empty pillow beside him. Sometimes he imagined the scent of Katherine’s hair lingering. And the ache of loneliness kept him up for the remaining hours until dawn.

“Are you all right, my lord?” The voice of Miss Harrow broke through his dreaming, and he pushed back the memory.

“Yes, of course.” He escorted the young woman back to her chaperone, but it wasn’t long before he spied Amelia laughing with Lisford. The man was gawking at her, as if he worshipped the ground she walked upon. The more he stared, the more Amelia blushed.