The Earl's Passionate Plot (5 page)

"No, your lordship, I assure you that is the last thing that will happen."

He wondered if she realized at that moment she had laid out a challenge it would be impossible for him to ignore.

It had been a long, restless night and the morning hadn't gone much better.
Mariah was informed a weasel had gotten into the henhouse. They'd lost several good laying hens and two cockerels that had been scheduled for dinner this week. Plus, the most dangerous type of weasel of all had somehow burrowed into Mariah's mind and simply would not leave.

She could not stop thinking about Lord Dovington.

Everything about the man should repulse her. He was vulgar and impertinent. He was stubborn and self-centered. He was the sort of man who would think nothing of ruining a woman's reputation as well as her heart. He was everything she'd devoted her life to avoiding, and here he was, occupying her house and every waking thought.

He interrupted her dreams, as well, and she was furious with herself over that.

What on earth was wrong with her? She knew all too well the consequences of giving in to silly infatuation, to trusting one's heart to a man who should not be trusted with so much as a penny. She knew exactly what sort of man he was
and
that he was destined to marry an heiress he didn't even like simply to gain the girl's money. How could she possibly let the dark promise in his eyes and the teasing grin at his lips be in any way attractive to her?

The man was a tiger, a wild beast. He saw
women as nothing more than his next meal. He would single out his prey, happily devour her, ravage her soul, and leave her for dead—metaphorically speaking, of course. But the result would be no less devastating.

Clearly he viewed her as prey. And of course, she would be the most logical victim here. He knew she had no father, had no claims of respectability. Certainly her step-father had always treated her as his own, but Dovington obviously knew the truth. Ella was a child, the daughter of a gentleman; Mariah was not. Miss Vandenhoff had a doting father and buckets of money; Mariah did not. If Lord Dovington was to amuse himself with any female here, she would be his obvious choice and it had nothing to do with any great merit on her part.

She was merely convenient, and posed no threat in the way of consequences. If he could sway her, he'd be able to take what he wanted then simply walk away without a care in the world. He was the worst sort of bounder and she sensed danger oozing from him.

It was simply abhorrent that her heart would pound and her blood would quicken at the very sight of him. Yet it did. She walked into the breakfast room, simply hoping to make sure the servants had cleared things from earlier, and there he was. Her
breath caught in her chest when his eyes fell on her and he gave that dratted, irresistible smile.

"Ah, Miss Langley, we were just discussing you."

Now she noticed a gentleman with him. A few years younger than the earl, this man was not quite as tall, not quite as broad, not quite as elegant, not quite as irresistible, and not the least bit dangerous. The family resemblance was obvious, though. Apparently the cousin had arrived.

"May I present my cousin
, Edmund Chadburne," the earl announced as the younger man made gallant show of gushing over his hostess.

"I'm so happy to meet you, Miss Langley," he said in very amiable tones. "
Dovey tells me you've done remarkable things with The Grove during your tenure as manager here."

She was impressed to learn that the earl had noticed her efforts, and almost giddy inside to hear that he'd spoken so highly of her. She refused to comment on any of that, though.

"Dovey?"

The earl cringed and his cousin guffawed. "Sorry,
his lordship
, I mean. He hates that old nickname."

"Old nickname? He's only had the title for a year, hasn't he?"
she asked.

"Ah, but he's had the nickname for years. Since school. The coves there saddled him with it
because—"

"It hardly matters," the earl interrupted. "As you see, Miss Langley, my cousin has arrived. Your housekeeper was kind enough to lay out a
n early luncheon for him since he didn't bother to eat along the way."

"It was too
nice a day to waste time in a dreary inn somewhere eating bad food. Besides, I couldn't wait to meet... that is, to see my dear old cousin again. He's been so busy working over his ledgers and rolling up his sleeves at that pile of stone there in Surrey that I haven't seen him gallivanting around Town in ages."

"Dovington Downs has needed my attentions far more than London has," the earl said. "But it is good to see you again,
Ned. I'm sure Miss Langley and her family will make your visit here quite comfortable."

"Indeed, I hope you feel very welcome here," sh
e said and sincerely meant it even though he did call her home by the wrong name.

"I do, thank you," he replied. "Dovey was just offering to take me about for a look at the lands around here. He says the views are quite good.
Why, even just now I was admiring out the window and remarking how very romantic it all is. You have a hermit's hut on the grounds, don't you, Miss Langley?"

She followed his gaze out the window and realized Mr. Chadburne had fixed on the old groundskeeper
's hut down past the formal gardens and built into a hillside. Indeed, she hardly paid mind to it herself, but she supposed to a newcomer it must appear somewhat romantic, framed by the green of the hill and two vining roses that were just now going to bud. The most distinctive feature, however, was the red door. It was faded now after years of weathering, but against the backdrop of nature it really was eye-catching.

"We had an old groundskeeper who lived
there, but my step-father built new accommodations for that when I was still just a child."

"I'm sure I see smoke from the pipe, though. Surely someone lives there," Mr. Chadburne insisted.

"Yes, it is still a snug little house. We have a lodger there right now, someone new to our area who is having a house in the village readied for himself," she explained and hoped the earl wouldn't immediately rush out and raise the poor man's rent fees.

"I see," Mr. Chadburne said with a nod. "It is all even better than expected. I cannot wait to get out and see what other wonders we can find around here."

"We do have many lovely places," Mariah assured him. "The River Itchen flows nearby and you will find ridges and outcrops to provide exceedingly nice vistas."

"Exactly what I need after being pent up in Town for so long. But surely you will join us, Miss Langley?"

"What? Oh, no, I couldn't—"

"Of course you could. Dovey hasn't been here in ages. You must accompany us on our outing so you can point out all the best places to go."

"I'm sure his lordship can find his way without me just fine."

"And what of this Miss Vandinghorfer?"
the younger man asked.

"Vandenhoff," the earl corrected. "You must mean Miss Vandenhoff."

"The very one. Didn't you say she is a guest here as well? We'll bring her along, and anyone else Miss Langley thinks we ought to have. We'll make a picnic of it!"

"A picnic? Oh, I don't know that we should
—"

"It's an excellent day and what could be more perfect than a picnic out in the verdant embrace of nature? Come, Miss Langley, say you will let us. Everyone longs for the romance of a pleasant day in the countryside?"

Er, no, everyone did not long for that. Romance indeed! She would much prefer never subjecting herself to any situation that could possibly include both Lord Dovington and romance.

Then again, the day was every bit as lovely as Mr. Chadburne said, and Mariah was looking for opportunities to put his lordship together in amiable company with Miss Vandenhoff... yes, perhaps this picnic was what they all needed, after all. She would just take care to ignore any of the inherent romance.

"Very well," she consented. "I'll talk to cook about putting together a hamper for us and find out if others are interested."

"
Capital! This is shaping up to be a most distracting holiday for me," Mr. Chadburne said with a grin.

Mariah knew her attempt at a corresponding grin was not nearly so successful. This might be a holiday for Mr. Chadburne, but it was serious business for her. She had to somehow throw together a picnic outing and convince Miss Vandenhoff to come along. Worse, she had to convince the girl to enjoy it.

The earl eyed his cousin once Miss Langley left the room. Ned seemed in high spirits today—a little too high, by his estimation. If his plan was to have any hope of working out, he'd best make very certain his cousin understood his goal here.

"
Verdant embrace of nature
?" he quoted, not holding back on the mocking sneer.

"I thought she might be of a romantic nature and be given to fancy language."

"She isn't."

"She seems a game sort, though," Ned assessed. "And I certainly like the looks of her."

"Well, don't. She's not your quarry and I'll thank you to stop liking her looks or anything about her."

"Oh? Got some designs of your own, cousin?"

The earl snorted at that—perhaps a bit too loudly—but he hoped his quick explanation would cover.

"Hardly. She's my
tenant, Ned, and off limits to you. I've brought you here for one purpose and that's what you should concentrate on."

"The heiress. Right. I'll win her over, no doubt, but I don't see why I can't enjoy the rest of the scenery while I'm here."

"Miss Langley is not scenery."

Now Ned was the one who snorted. "She definitely looked like it to me."

"Well stop looking. If you must start making cow's eyes at someone, then Miss Vandenhoff is your aim."

Ned shrugged. "I don't see why you don't just marry her yourself and let me go pick out my own bride."

"We've been over this. I'll put things back to right after my father's embarrassing tenure, but I won't be responsible for future generations. That's to be your purview, I'm afraid, and the Vandenhoff chit is just what is needed to breathe a little fresh air into our bloodline."

"Fresh money, you mean. And my father was nearly as bad as yours was about looking after things," Ned insisted. "I don't see why you're so convinced I need to be the one to carry on the family tree."

"Trust me, your children will thank me."

Ned seemed unimpressed with the prospect. "If you say so. I'm just hoping not to have children who look like the very devil. Is this Vandenhoff chit easy on the eyes? Am I going to have to hide her away in the country all our married life?"

"She's perfectly passable."

"Oh good God. She's a
wildebeest, isn't she?"

"Absolutely not. Miss Vandenhoff is adequately sized, has all the right features in all the expected places, and you'll note that her complexion is better than average. She dresses herself well and will be seen as a credit to any man."

"As will her father's money. Are you certain I must go through with this?"

"Yes.
The estate needs an heiress, so I've found you one."

"Word around Town is that you've done miracles for the depleted family coffers already. You seem to have a knack for this finance business, Dovey. Why not just keep doing what you have been and let nature take its course? You're putting the estate back to rights, and we can both just go on and marry whomever we please."

"
I
will never marry anyone," Dovington said firmly. "And
you
will marry an heiress; preferably this one. This is the way it needs to be, Ned. Don't tell me you've gone soft in the head and started believing in romantic nonsense about true love and marital bliss. You and I have both seen enough to know that's nothing but rubbish."

"You're right, of course. The Chadburne family hasn't exactly perfected the art of chivalrous behavior. Still, I can't help but wonder if
—"

"Well stop wondering. You're here to attach Miss Vandenhoff.
Don't bother yourself with any task but that. Once you've snagged her and produced the obligatory heir,
then
you can go out and start looking for someone to make you happy. Personally, I'd suggest you just find a devoted bulldog instead."

Ned helped himself to another plate of cold meat off the sideboard and shrugged.

"I just don't see why you dislike women so much, Dovey."

"I don't dislike women. I like women very much, as a matter of fact. What I dislike is what Chadburne men become when they attach themselves to women. For you, at least, I have hope that the cycle might be broken."

"I'll do my best for you, old man. You've always been good to us, putting me through school when you were barely out of it yourself, and looking after my Mum and my sisters. I suppose the least I can do is marry this American chit and do right by the family name."

"Well said. Now don't gorge yourself here or you won't have any room for our picnic. I'm sure Miss Vandenhoff won't
appreciate having to eat alone today."

Nor would she appreciate dining
al fresco
, or sitting on the ground, or taking sun, or taking chill, or being carried in a litter like a damned Egyptian princess, or any number of things Dovington could imagine. How Miss Langley would manage to get the girl to go along with their plans he had no idea; he only hoped she would accomplish it somehow. Everything hinged on a favorable meeting between the two young people, and Dovington would be damned if he let a little thing like Ned's impulsive request for a picnic ruin his matchmaking plans.