Improperly Enticed By The Rascal Earl (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 4

  I write you all this to merely say that I am well. Truly, I am, thanks to my dear husband. He has become my rock in these stormy waters, but you remain my light. Were it not for your compassion and understanding, all that is happening would be far worse. I know you may not believe that to be true, but I assure you that it is. Please, do not hesitate to write me while you are away. I know we risk further fanning the flames, but I do not think I could bear it if I could not receive word from you now and again. I hope you bear no ill-will toward me as a result of everything that has happened, because I can promise you, I feel only the upmost love and tenderness for you.

  Yours Sincerely,

  Emma Quarterbow, the Countess of Pimperton

  It broke his heart to think of his dear friend in so much pain. He was grateful to Lord Pimperton for his care and loyalty to her, but he wished that the situation could be fixed entirely. Yet, Emma did not give him the piece of information that would be necessary to bring it all to an end. She refused to say who exactly it was that had fathered her child.

  Without a name, Edwin did not know who to unleash his wrath on. So, instead, he rode harder. Faster. Further. He rode as if the devil himself chased him, and were he to stop or slow, he would be overcome and dragged down to hell. The landscape around him became unfamiliar, but he did not stop. He would not return to Catham until this boiling anger within him was brought to heel once more.

  He climbed a small hill and reached the peak of it, plunging down the other side without pausing to see if the coast was clear. A young lady and her maid gaped up at him as he came careening down toward them. Tugging his reins, he turned his horse to avoid colliding with them and slowed the animal to a stop. Turning back around, he trotted toward the pair, his chest heaving as he caught his breath.

  “I beg your pardon, Madam,” he said, coming to a stop before the young lady. His whole body stiffened in his saddle when he got a good look at her.

  Aphrodite come down from heaven.

  Thick red hair curled around her pale face, and bright emerald eyes stared up at him in shock. The lady was tall and strongly built. She was no willowy wisp of a lady but fleshed out in all the ways appealing to a gentleman. Her cheeks were flushed rosy, and her full, parted lips were nearly the same shade in color.

  His body reacted to the sight of her as though he had been struck by lightning. His thighs tensed around his horse, and he clutched his reins tightly in his hands as he felt a stirring within his loins.

  Such a formidable beauty…one would not be able to miss her standing in a crowd.

  Her shock flickered into anger, and she glared up at him.

  “Just what do you think you are doing, riding so recklessly without looking to see who might be around you?” she snapped.

  In that moment, he remembered that he had nearly run her and her companion over.

  “My apologies, Madam. I did not…”

  “Who do you think you are?” she demanded, her eyes burning green fire.

  A gentleman enchanted by a furious lady.

  He did not say so out loud, however. It was likely best, in the presence of her fury, that he kept such thoughts to himself.

  Chapter 5

  The nerve of this brute.

  Tabitha clutched her book to her chest and glared up at the stranger who had nearly run her and Lizzie into the ground. He had come out of nowhere, and it had been clear to her almost immediately that he was not paying attention to his surroundings.

  Arrogant, self-centered…

  “My deepest apologies, Madam,” he said. To her surprise, he slid from his saddle to stand before her, hat in hand. “I am afraid I was rather distracted with a personal matter and did not pay proper attention to where I was riding.”

  Tabitha pursed her lips. The apparent sincerity of his apology did cool the worst of her pique, but she still thought he must be rather egotistic to ride so carelessly.

  “Well, I suppose no harm was done,” she said with a curt nod. “If you will excuse us, we will be on our way.”

  She moved to walk on, but he stepped into her path, stopping her.

  “Please, Madam, I do not wish you to leave with such a poor impression of me,” he said. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Edwin Bolton, the Earl of Morrington. My friend and I have recently taken up residence in Catham, and…

  “Ah, so you are the ones the county is all abuzz over.” Of course it would be her luck that while attempting to escape the subject of the two gentleman, she would happen upon one of them.

  He smiled sheepishly. “I suppose we are.”

  She sighed. “Well, welcome to Laurelborough, My Lord. I am sure you will find your time here quite pleasant.”

  Once more, she tried to continue on her way, but once more, he blocked her. She released a huff of frustration and gazed up at him.

  “Is something amiss, My Lord?”

  He furrowed his brow as if confused.

  “I have given you my name, Madam, but you have not given me yours.”

  She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

  “If I give you my name, will you allow me to pass?”

  Crossing his arms over his chest, he studied her for several moments. Amusement cross his expression, and a grin tugged at his mouth. The sight did something strange to her heart, and it beat harder in her chest.

  “My Lord?” she prompted when he did not answer her.

  “I am thinking,” he replied.

  She frowned, as baffled now by him as he appeared to have been of her just moments earlier.

  “Thinking? Whatever are you thinking about?”

  He scratched his chin contemplatively. “I am considering if your name is a price worth losing your company over. Or if, instead, I should draw out this encounter for as long as I am able.”

  Tabitha gasped, and she heard her maid try to muffle a giggle behind her. Her always rosy cheeks heated, and she knew her entire face would be a bright red.

  “That is a rather bold thing to say, My Lord. Especially to a stranger you have only just met.”

  He shrugged. “You did ask what it was I was thinking. I thought honesty the better path to take.”

  Tabitha released a huff of frustration.

  “My Lord, please let us pass. I am not sure what enjoyment you are getting out of this, but…”

  “I am simply trying to determine which option will serve me better in the long run.” His eyes crinkled at the corners as his mirth grew. “On the one hand, were I to agree to let your name be the toll to pass me by, I risk missing out on what I believe would be a very entertaining encounter. On the other hand, if I had your name, I would likely be able to find you again.”

  “What makes you think I would want you to find me again?” With every word he spoke, he convinced her more and more that he was a frivolous, playful sort who did not take the concerns of others seriously. It did not matter that he was easily the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on, she would not be swayed by his forced charm.

  She would not be.

  Yet, she could not help but admire the slight curl in his blonde hair, or how his gray eyes reminded her of a summer storm. She was rather tall, but even she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. His shoulders were broad, and his waist narrow. He was rather beautiful to behold. It was a shame he did not appear to have a personality to match his outer appeal.

  He gave her a teasing smile. He was flirting with her so blatantly that it almost flustered her. Luckily, she was so used to receiving such attentions, she did not so easily fall under his spell.

  “My Lord, I really must insist that you allow me to be on my way. I am afraid I do not have time to linger here,” she replied.

  His smile faded and his eyes widened slightly. She wondered if a lady had ever turned down his advances before.

  He is in for a rude awakening, if that is the case.

  “You truly want to get away from me?” he asked, sounding astonished.

  She arched her brow. “Is
that not what I have been saying this whole time?”

  He stared at her as though she were a riddle he could not determine the answer to. Taking his silence as acquiescence to her wishes, she stepped around him, careful to give him a wide berth. She called for the maid to follow after her. Lord Morrington did not pursue her, or even speak a word of protest at her cold departure, but she could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head.

  She ignored the sensation as best as she could, however, and the tempting urge to glance back at him.

  She did not wish to encourage him.

  “Madam? Are you all right?” the maid, Lizzie, asked as they continued on their way.

  Tabitha nodded. “Yes, I am, thank you. The gentleman merely startled me with his reckless riding.”

  “Do you know that gentleman, Madam?” the maid said in a breathless voice.

  “Of course not,” Tabitha snapped, feeling a jolt of annoyance given the gentleman’s undignified character.

  “Apologies, Madam,” the maid murmured, hanging her head.

  Guilt roiled in Tabitha’s gut. She should not have spoken so harshly to the poor girl. It was not her fault that Lord Morrington had interrupted their outing. Tabitha did not know what had come over her to snap at the maid as she had.

  He’s a bold flirt brimming with arrogance…never mind that he is handsome.

  The thought startled her. Yes, for a moment, she had let herself admire his fine features, but Tabitha was not a young lady who only concerned herself with looks. She sought out more substance in the people she interacted with, and Lord Morrington had seemed to her lacking any admirable characteristics.

  The way he had spoken to her highlighted an arrogance that suggested he thought himself entitled to her interest. He also was so blatant in his flirtations with her, she was certain he was a gentleman who passed his affections from one lady to another with little discretion.

  Handsome he may be, but that beauty is not reflected in his actions.

  Yet, even as she thought these things, the temptation to glance back toward him finally proved too much to bear. Slowly, she turned her head to try and spot him, but found herself surprisingly disappointed when it became clear he was already gone.

  * * *

  Edwin rode back to the Manor at a more casual pace, his mind consumed by the red-haired beauty he had just encountered. The one who had stoked the flames of his desire with one glance into her bright green gaze, and at the same time brought his male pride to its knees with her cold indifference.

  She had not appeared interested in him in the least. Even after he had revealed who he was, she had not been impressed by him. It had been oddly…refreshing. He was used to ladies fawning over him for his looks, his wealth, or his title. Never after being introduced had one dismissed him so readily.

  How wonderfully fascinating she is.

  He was sorely disappointed he had not managed to learn her name. She had a maid as her chaperone, so she must come from a family of some means. He did not know if she was a peer, however, or if she were unattached. Edwin knew nothing about her, yet he burned with an overwhelming desire to see her again.

  No! There is one thing I do know about her.

  She clearly enjoyed reading. During their brief conversation, she had a book clutched to her chest. It had appeared to be a work by the novelist Jane Austen. A romance, then, most likely. An intriguing notion given that she had appeared unimpressed meeting a handsome, well-to-do stranger on a crisp spring morning in a field. Did that sort of scene not seem to come straight from one of Ms. Austen’s works?

  Reaching the gate of the Manor, he rode up the long, gravel drive and past the house toward the stables. Dismounting, he handed the reins to a waiting groom and entered the Manor. He was distracted by his thoughts of the lady in the field, and did not notice Habtage approaching him as he wandered through the corridor by the library.

  “Ah, Morrington, back from your ride so soon? You usually stay out for more than an hour.”

  Coming to a stop, Edwin turned toward his friend with a shrug. “I lost my focus and decided it better to return.”

  Habtage arched his brow. “Oh? I thought the point of your early rides was to clear your head. What could have you so distracted?”

  “Come with me, my friend, and I will tell you.” He began moving down the corridor once more toward the late Duke’s personal study. It was still decorated as His Grace had left it, with dark wood and leather, and smelled permanently of pipe smoke. Once inside, Edwin moved toward a pair of cushioned chairs that sat by a large window. He sat and invited his friend to do the same.

  The moment Habtage was settled, he asked, “All right, now tell me, Morrington, what is occupying your thoughts so thoroughly that you could not even enjoy your coveted morning ride?”

  “Ah, Habtage, that is where you are wrong,” Edwin began. “I enjoyed my ride this morning very much indeed. It is what I discovered while out that has me so preoccupied.”

  “I am more than intrigued,” Habtage admitted.

  Edwin leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “While I was out riding, I nearly ran down a young lady.”

  Habtage’s eyes went wide. “What do you mean you nearly ran her down?”

  “I was admittedly riding somewhat recklessly,” Edwin admitted. “I came over a hill, and I did not immediately see her walking.”

  Scratching at his temple, Habtage furrowed his brow. “So, does your distraction stem from your near collision?”

  Edwin shook his head. “No, though I do feel sorry to have startled her so. My distraction, I must admit, comes from the lady herself.”

  Habtage’s eyes lit up with interest. “Oh? A lady has caught your eye at last? Tell me more. What is her name? Who is her family?”

  Edwin sighed and sat back in his chair. “That is the rub, I am afraid. She would not grant me her name, and I know nothing of her family. I do not even know if she is from Laurelborough.”

  His friend stared at him with wide eyes. “You do not know her name, and find yourself so preoccupied with her? She must have been a great beauty to hold your attention so.”

  “She was,” Edwin nodded. “Yet, that is not what I find fascinating about her.”

  “Well, if not her fair face, what about this lady does appeal to you so?”

  “She was wholly uninterested in me. The book she clung to seemed to hold more appeal for her than my presence.” He continued to be awed by her cool response to his advances.

  Throwing his head back, Habtage released a bark of laughter.

  “Morrington my friend, I believe you have felt the sting of Cupid’s arrow.”

  Edwin frowned. “What on earth are you speaking of, Habtage? That is utter nonsense.”

  Habtage grinned. “Is it? I have never heard you speak so wistfully about a lady before. Particularly not about one whose name you do not even know. You were taken by her and her ability to see past your flirtatious exterior.”

  “It is not that I feel any sort of affection toward her,” Edwin protested. “I simply find her interesting. I am not used to being ignored by the fairer sex, and am curious as to her reasoning for her opinion of me.”

  His friend just shook his head with a small chuckle. “Deny it all you please, Morrington. That lady has clearly gotten under your skin in a way no one before her has been capable of. It is more than simple curiosity that keeps her on your mind, mark my words.”

  No. Habtage was wrong. Edwin was certain of it. It was not possible to fall for a person so instantly, and especially someone he knew absolutely nothing about.

  Yet, even as he denied it to himself, he could not drive those emerald-green eyes from his mind. The mysterious beauty refused to leave his thoughts no matter how hard he tried to expel her from them.

  Chapter 6

  Tabitha returned home in a state of agitation. She had not been able to read her book as she had hoped, as she was finding herself too distracted by her thoughts. Lord Morringt
on would not leave her mind, no matter how badly she wished to dispel him.

  He had made it impossible to focus on the words printed on the page, and she had found herself rereading the same lines again and again. She had given up in frustration and returned home in a sour mood.

  Why is this gentleman proving so difficult to put from my mind?