Intentions of the Earl (22 page)

This was worse than Brooke thought. In a way
it seemed silly, but in another way, she knew her very sister well.
Liberty never spoke to anyone this way, not even her. “Is this when
Mr. Grimes said she was mean and callous?” Brooked asked, not sure
if she could take much more.

“Yes, although I do believe he said she was
mean-spirited and had a callous heart.” Madison looked surprising
unsettled by the whole exchange. “I know I shouldn’t say this, and
do not tell Liberty what I’m about to say, but I think she deserved
to hear the things he told her. Maybe not from a stranger, but all
the same, I don't believe the words were undeserved. She made some
very unkind remarks.”

“Yes, she did,” Brooke agreed, thinking of
what she was going to say to Papa. This was no little incident that
could be swept under the proverbial rug. At some point he was going
to find out about it. It might as well be sooner rather than
later.

Brooke stood to leave, but when she got to
the doorframe she turned back to her sister. “Madison, do you know
what sorts of issues Mr. Grimes is dealing with?”

“I've been wondering the same all morning,”
Madison confided. “I tried to ask Mama, but she immediately changed
the subject.”

“She knows then,” Brooke mused. “I suppose
it’s unimportant just. We'll need to find a way to sort this out. I
better be on my way.”

***

Paul spent the better part of his morning in
a private sitting room staring blankly at an open book. Every time
he heard footfalls in the hall he thought it was John coming to put
an end to their arrangement. It wasn’t anything less than he
deserved for the hateful things he’d said to Liberty, but he still
wanted to avoid it if possible.

He thought about the conversation again. It
wasn’t that he had intended to be mean to her; but neither was he
going to just stand there as she upbraided her sister in such a
way. Before he knew what he was doing, the words just poured out.
Then it went from bad to worse when she started raging at him. He
should have just left, but he hadn’t and now it was time to deal
with the consequences.

With a sigh, he stood and left the room to
search for the bane of his existence. There was no time like the
present to atone for one’s sins.

He walked out of the house and went to the
lawn where he saw her sitting in a lounge chair close to where
other guests were playing lawn bowls. Her brown hair was neatly
pulled into a bun on the top of her head. A few wisps of brown hair
falling down beside her face. Her arms were crossed and she was
impatiently kicking her feet back and forth. Her face was no more
inviting than her posture. Her hazel eyes appeared hard as stone
and she was baring her teeth in a way that could pass as a smile or
a sneer.

“I have been searching for you,” he said,
approaching her from the side. “Would you mind if we talked for a
moment?”

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she
heard his voice. “I have nothing to say to you,” Liberty
snapped.

“I think you do, it’s just nothing nice,”
Paul teased gently. “I wanted to apologize to you. I am entirely to
blame for the unfortunate conversation we had this morning. I
should have ducked back out of the room when I saw you and your
sister were in there alone.”

“We have finally found something about which
we both agree,” she replied stiffly.

“Yes, well, the matter is that I did not.” He
took a seat next to her, watching the player rolling the bowl. This
was harder than he had anticipated it would be. He was trying to
apologize, and she wanted to argue more. “I have come to make
amends. I said some very harsh things to you, and I shouldn’t have.
As a man of integrity and as a man of God, I should have known
better. I spoke before thinking and I offer you my heartfelt
apologies.”

“Apology not accepted,” Liberty said angrily,
watching the profile of his rigid face. “Sir, I understand that you
and Papa have some work to do. I shall not be in the way of that. I
have no desire to tell him about the events of this morning, and I
advise you not to mention it, either. If you do, he shall take my
side, because I am his daughter after all, and you will once again
be looking for a mentor.”

“Very well,” Paul replied. Coming to his
feet, he accepted what she said and decided not to press her. He
actually felt better after hearing those last angry words than he
might have if she had accepted his apology and agreed to start
over. He had no intention of being fast friends with her at this
point. But the advice of her father was invaluable, and the thought
of losing him as a mentor had been part of what had compelled him
to seek her out and do the right thing.

“Why do you need the help of my father
anyhow?” she asked, her tone considerably softer.

“That is a confidential matter.” There was
enough going on in his life with the vicious lies, rumors and
gossip, he had no intention of adding to it by telling anything to
this dreadful young lady. She could ask all day and he still
wouldn’t tell her.

Then without so much as a fare-thee-well,
Paul vanished.

***

Alex was sitting alone in his library making
a list of materials needed for his upcoming experiments when the
door opened.

“May I join you?” Andrew asked, taking a seat
before receiving an answer.

Alex shrugged.

After the tour this morning, he'd done
exactly what he told Andrew he would: he locked himself in the
library and read his newest issue of
Popular Plants
. There
was a writer named E. S. Wilson who wrote some of the most
fascinating articles for the magazine. For nearly two years Alex
had tried to get information about this writer, but the publisher
adamantly told him the writer was a recluse that he himself had
never met.

He’d finished the article earlier, but was
still thinking about it. He made a mental note that he would have
to order some new trees in order to do the experiment outlined in
the article. Not that he didn’t trust this E. S. Wilson fellow, but
he liked to do the same experiments to make sure this unknown
writer’s facts were straight.

“Did you have any success convincing Brooke
you have no interest in Lady Olivia?” Alex asked after a few
minutes. He knew the reason for Andrew’s visit had to do with
Brooke. He wasn’t sure just how interested Andrew was, but it only
took him thirty seconds of Brooke’s blabbing the night before to
surmise she was in love with Andrew. Alex liked both Brooke and
Andrew and saw no reason to stop them if they intended to make a
match.

“I believe so,” Andrew answered. “She has
agreed to go riding with me tomorrow.”

Alex sat bolt upright and opened his mouth to
object, but Andrew cut him off with a wave of his hand. “You’re not
required to join us. I believe we shall stay close enough that a
chaperone is not necessary. If we do wander off, I’ll secure a
groom.”

Alex relaxed. He liked them both, but he did
not condone Andrew compromising her, even if he had suggested that
very thing to Brooke the night before. What had he been thinking to
suggest such a thing? “As long as I don’t have to be trapped with
Lady Olivia I don’t care how you conduct your courtship. Within
reason,” he added with a glare. His eyes were piercing into Andrew,
trying to communicate a nonverbal message saying: do not push this
too far.

“Of course,” Andrew confirmed. “Thank you for
keeping Lady Olivia out of our hair. She can be such a nuisance at
times.”

“At times?” Alex scoffed. “Try all the time.
I was about ready to tear my own heart out of my chest just to put
myself out of misery during that hour I was trapped with her.”

“It’s good you did not take such drastic
measures,” Andrew said dryly. “It would be a waste to throw your
whole life away because of something that would be over soon.”

“That’s what you think. You didn’t have to
suffer her annoying habits for an hour,” Alex said, screwing his
face up in distaste.

“It couldn’t have been that unbearable.”

“It was. Not only did she jabber on and on
about you, but the only time she talked of anything else, she threw
my past sins in my face.”

Andrew smiled. “Your past sins? What could
those be?”

“I had her and her cousin, Lady Caroline,
thrown out of the
Society of Biological Matters
back in
London. I did it at Lord Sinclair’s request, but it had to be done
in a way they wouldn’t suspect he was behind it. Therefore, I
became the scapegrace and she will forever blame me for it.”

“You lied to her about why she couldn’t
belong to the
Society of Biological Matters
?” Andrew asked
dubiously, his eyes narrowing.

“Yes. I know it sounds bad.” Alex thought
about it a minute. “All right, it not only sounds bad, it is bad. I
should not have done it. But I had good reason to do it.”

Andrew’s face took on a look of deep
contemplation. “Are you saying you agree with lying if the outcome
is for the greater good?” Andrew asked.

“I suppose that’s what my actions would
suggest,” Alex admitted. He never had liked to admit his mistakes,
and this was the closest he’d ever come to doing so.

“I’m glad you think that way,” Andrew
informed him. “Well, I must be going then. I need to make a quick
visit before dinner is served.”

Alex watched his friend leave. That was the
most bizarre conversation, he thought to himself. Andrew’s reaction
to his lie and his question meant he was up to something. He just
couldn’t figure out what it was.

***

Brooke was on her way to go speak with Papa
when Mr. Grimes intercepted her.

“Mr. Grimes,” Brooke said, startled. She
hadn't expected to see him. She knew he was now a houseguest at the
party and they would run into each other at some point, but not so
soon.

“Miss Banks,” he said cordially. “If you’re
looking for your father, he’s downstairs.”

“Thank you,” Brooke returned. “I shall not
keep you then.”

Brooke had barely walked past him, when he
spoke to her. “Miss Banks, if you’re going to speak to him about
the events of this morning I would like to beg your silence”

Brooke turned around and was face to face
with Mr. Grimes. “Beg my silence? But why? I love my sister, but
what she said was inappropriate.”

“I agree with your ascertainment, but I must
ask that you not say anything. I responded to her words in an
equally inappropriate manner. I have asked her forgiveness. She has
refused to give it, of course. However, we have come to an
agreement that we will not speak of the event again, nor mention it
to your father.”

“But…are you…” Brooke stammered. She couldn’t
help but wonder why would he allow Liberty to say such harsh
remarks and not want vindication for it.

“Yes,” Mr. Grimes answered for her. “I am
certain that I do not wish to involve your father in this. Not that
I have anything to hide. I would admit to any of the things I said
if need be, but I do not wish to cause any trouble for Miss
Liberty.”

Brooke nodded. She wasn’t sure why he wanted
to spare Liberty the tongue lashing she deserved, but who was she
to dissuade him?

Chapter 18

Brooke was relieved to find dinner that
evening was a lot more enjoyable than it had been the night before.
She would have preferred to sit next to Andrew, but he wasn’t
present, so she sat with Mr. Thomas, Madison’s gossipy dinner
companion from the night before.

Brooke and her sisters sat closer together
this time, with Mr. Grimes and Lady Olivia seated as far away as
possible.

When the men rejoined the ladies after their
gentlemen pursuits Brooke noticed Andrew was still missing.

Brooke was not the only one to notice.
“Where’s Townson?” asked Mr. Cook, taking a seat in a chair close
to where Brooke and her sisters were sharing a settee.

Alex shrugged before taking an empty chair on
the other side of girls. “I haven’t seen him for several hours. The
last time I saw him he mentioned something about a meeting or some
such. I don’t recall exactly.”

“You don’t seem to recall much unless it has
to do with science,” his father gently teased him.

Alex gave a lopsided grin. “What can I say,
science is fascinating, whereas Townson’s whereabouts are not.”

“Hear, hear,” the Duke of Gateway said,
holding his glass up in a mock toast. Some of the ladies who had
tittered at Alex’s remark burst into full giggles at the
duke’s.

Brooke didn’t think it was so funny. “Should
we send someone to go look for him?” she asked with a pointed
glance to Alex.

“No,” the duke answered in a dismissive tone.
“He’s probably out visiting his mother.”

“His mother lives ‘round here?” Mr. Cook
asked curiously.

“Yes,” the duke answered again.

“I always thought she was a recluse,” Mr.
Cook said without thinking.

“She is,” the duke confirmed.

“Hmm…I wonder why that is?” Mr. Cook
ventured.

Lady Algen and Mr. Thomas both looked as if
they were about to burst at the seams. However, Lady Algen started
to speak first, and because Mr. Thomas was a gentleman, he didn’t
interrupt her. “She was always a recluse. Her family, whoever they
may be, had kept her hidden and away from society until she was of
marrying age. Her parents bought her a husband while she was still
hidden away in the countryside. Townson brought her to town only on
their wedding day. But shortly after they were married, he packed
her off to the country where she’s remained ever since.”

“Why?” Lady Olivia asked, her voice full of
wonder.

This time Mr. Thomas was quicker to speak
than Lady Algen. “When the old earl agreed to take her as a bride,
he was lied to by the gel’s family. The details have always been
real hushed up, but I believe that it is not necessarily about her,
but about her real family. Either way, the earl was displeased and
stowed her off in the countryside and began to seek an annulment.
Before the marriage could be annulled, it was discovered the
countess was with child. Therefore, the annulment was called off.
Townson began to file for a parliament divorce, but couldn’t prove
adultery, nor could his reputation handle such a blow. So he did
what any man would do in his situation: confined her to an old
dilapidated estate in the middle of nowhere.”