The Unwanted Earl (20 page)

Bother. They haven’t forgotten me. I should have scurried behind that oak while they
were otherwise occupied. I do
not
want to do this. At best, I will humiliate myself.
 

Amelia strolled in his direction. Sunlight dappled across her pale skin and glinted across her eyes, which looked to be caught in bright green flames. Her plump lips curved into a smile. Exactly
how long
had it been since she’d kissed him that first night? Had that really been the only time?

Funny
that, since he’d replayed it so many times in his mind that it should have been a thousand kisses instead of one.

“
Conrad, it’s your turn.” She wrapped her long fingers around his upper arm and squeezed. Her breast pressed against his sleeve.

“
I…” His mouth went dry.

Amelia angled her head. “What was that?”

“
That is, I’d rather not play.”

“
Rather… not?”

“
Yes, that’s right. Rather.
Not
.”

“
Don’t be silly. Come along.” She tugged hard and he stumbled. A scant moment before he completely lost his balance, she wrapped her arms around his middle. “There now. I have you.”

Oh my… you certainly do.

“
Ready?”

He leaned forward, his eyes half closed.
To kiss you? Always…
 

The slight intake of air through her partly opened lips was his only clue that he should
not
do what he had intended.

He opened his eyes wide and turned his head. Oliver chuckled. Lucy’s hand was over her mouth, holding back laughter. And Cecilia’s face was red, but she, too, had a mischievous grin.

Hmm
. He stood upright again and pulled away from Amelia. He straightened his hat and coat and cleared his throat.
What was I thinking?
I’d completely forgotten the rest of them were even here!
 

Amelia bit her lower lip and her nostrils flared slightly. Was she trying to hold back amusement as well? “Um… ready to play Pall Mall?”

He stood up straight. “Of course. That’s what I… I… Of course.”

She tugged on his arm again drawing him toward the others but kept a tighter hold on him. Did she think he would
fly
away?

Stop thinking of bird references. It only gets you in trouble.

The other three in their party were all still grinning like Bedlamites.

All right… in
more
trouble.

He accepted the mallet from Oliver and stepped to the ball that sat a couple of feet away. As he bent slightly at the waist, Amelia’s long arms came around his middle from behind. The aroma of lavender engulfed him. Her fingers grasped his where they held the mallet.

What is she doing? Doesn’t she realize that I want nothing more than to throw her to the lawn and ravage her with kisses?

Amelia placed her chin on his shoulder blade. “Now just bring back the mallet slowly and give it a good smack.”

His hands shook.
Smack?
Smack what? Oh yes… the ball. But thoughts of anything besides her warmth against his back, her arms dangerously close to his lower extremities, and her sweet scent drifting around his nose flew away on the breeze.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he acknowledged that he pulled back on the mallet and then drew it forward toward the ball.

“
There! You’ve hit the ball, Conrad.”

He looked down.

It had moved one inch.

Oh the humanity.

Laughter came from behind and from a few feet away.

He shut his eyes briefly.
Blast! I cannot appear as meek and mild as my little
sister!
Conrad pushed away Amelia’s arms and leaned down to the ball again. He turned his head to the side and said through clenched teeth. “Stand away, I’m going to hit it. Hard.”

Though Amelia still smirked, she nodded and stepped back a few feet. “As you wish,
Lord Lofton
.”

She was mocking him! No more of that. He bent a little farther and pulled back on the mallet, raising it high above and behind him.

With all the strength he could muster, he swung it down. The loud
crack
of the wood against the ball echoed about the gardens and back.
I’ve
hit it!
His elation turned to horror, however, when the ball not only sailed through the air, over the intended target of the hoop, past a row of roses and hedge and toward the very tree behind which he’d hoped to hide but a few moments prior.

Oh no…

The ball climbed higher and punched through thick leaves halfway up the tree. A startled
squeak
, followed by a chattering
squawk
produced something small and red that fell from above.

What in the world…
Conrad squinted
. A squirrel?
 

The rodent, its fur bristled and its tail waving like a raised flag ran right at Conrad. Its little razor-like teeth were bared.

It’s going to bite me!

Shock and fright coursed through Conrad. His hands turned icy and the mallet slipped to the ground, landing with a thump.

Run. I should run. Why won’t my legs move?

The animal raced forward, its tiny claws tearing into the dirt. It chattered louder and jumped into the air.

And landed on Conrad’s shoulder.

Conrad screamed.

I’m going to die at the hands of the earth’s tiniest beast.

He closed his eyes.
This is not how I envisioned my end. How sad. But how
fitting.
A lonely earl and his executioner… the squirrel.
 

Cool air wafted over his forehead and hair. The squirrel’s chatter increased but was somehow harder to hear.
If it’s on my shoulder shouldn’t it be louder?
 

He opened his eyes. The red squirrel, with Conrad’s headwear clenched in its teeth, had jumped to the ground. It tugged the hat toward the tree. The animal was moving backward because the hat was
bigger
than the squirrel.
Does the insane rodent think it’s going to drag my hat up into—?
 

Quick as lightning, the squirrel dove beneath the hat and turned. Its tail and feet were the only things visible beneath the brim. Conrad’s hat ran up the side of the tree and disappeared into the leaves.

Conrad’s heart raced. With a shaky hand he pointed in the direction where the squirrel had disappeared. “That fluffy-tailed fiend has absconded with my hat!”

A flurry of activity
spun around Amelia. Today Conrad and his mother were coming for a visit. Her stomach twisted in knots. She’d met her future mother-in-law so she knew how disagreeable
she
could be. But her own mother might be even worse. How would they get through having tea with both of them without someone doing someone else serious bodily harm?

A kitchen maid whisked by her with a tray holding several different types of tarts. How many people did her mother think they would be serving? Another maid carried a huge pot of steaming tea. If they consumed its contents, they’d float away as if on the Thames.

“
Amelia, you’re not wearing
that
, are you?”

She glanced down at her new dress. The one she’d had specially made for today. “Yes… I was thinking that—”

Her mother squelched any further words to her response. It was amazing what the woman could do with a frown and lowered bushy eyebrows.

Amelia turned and headed back to her bedroom to change. She knew what her mother wanted her to wear… that outlandish bright green dress that along with her red hair made everyone wish for Christmas. But if she didn’t wear that, Mother would have an apoplectic fit.

Today would not be a good day for one of those. Not that any day was.

When she reached her room, Annie was there. What did
she
want?

The maid, her face red and angry, practically seethed, chest heaving, boot tapping against the wooden planks of the floor.

What now…
? “Something amiss, Annie?”

“
Why yes, as a matter of fact.”

Sorry I asked
. “And that would be…?”

“
I’ve been told by one of the grooms that you had an outing yesterday.”

“
Alert the news. It’s a miracle.” She stepped to her closet and drew out the ugly dress of her mother’s choosing. It was Annie’s job to do that, but Amelia hadn’t the time to wait for her to finish her tirade before dressing.

“
What I’ve heard is that you had someone else, a stranger, along as your chaperone.”

Ah… so that was it
. “Yes.”

“
So you don’t deny it?”

She turned sharply. “Annie, I’ll thank you to watch your tone. Sometimes I think you forget your place.”

Annie had the decency to look chagrined. For about three seconds. “Who was the girl?” She at least fetched the shoes that matched the gown while she pouted.

“
Not that it’s any of your concern, but she is a… friend of Lord Lofton’s.”

Annie’s eyebrows rose to her hairline. “Oh? A
friend
?”

Amelia groaned inwardly.
I’ve done it now. Who knows what kind of drivel the
irritable maid will spread now
. “Yes. A friend.” She turned her back. “Kindly unbutton me. I’ve guests coming soon.”

Rough hands undid the buttons, tugging harder than was necessary.

“
Leave the buttons intact, Annie. I do plan to wear the dress again at some point.”

Her maid
harrumphed
.

Why is she the one that Mother insists I must use?
But then she brightened.
Soon, though, very soon, I won’t have to deal with her any longer. I won’t live here. I’ll be
Lady Lofton.
Amelia chuckled.

“
Something amusing, Miss Talbot?”

“
Yes.”

Annie’s hands paused over the buttons. Amelia could guess the other woman desired to know what caused Amelia’s change in mood.

Amelia shook her head but said nothing further.
Too bad for you,
dear Annie. You’ll have to stew on it because I won’t be sharing my happy thought with you.
 

Once dressed, she winced at her reflection in the looking glass. Hopefully her appearance in the horrid thing wouldn’t cause Conrad to turn tail and run. Though she couldn’t blame him. For the dress or…

She wished just for one day she could forget about how their betrothal had come about. When she’d first come up with the scheme, she hadn’t really known Conrad. She’d met him, but hadn’t spoken to him much beyond polite platitudes.

Since spending time with him, though, something had taken control of her heart.
I never expected that. Was just desperate for a way out of marriage to a wrinkled old goat.
But Conrad’s eyes had drawn her in. And when she’d kissed him… Scandalous, yes. But she’d thought it necessary at the time to fully secure their future union. She’d needed the further excuse of kissing him in hopes that Annie would tattle to Amelia’s parents. And she had.

That kiss…
Her lips warmed at the thought of the searing heat that had raced though her body all the way to her slipper-covered toes.

How could physical contact with someone you barely knew make such an impact?

Instant attraction. She’d heard of it before but had never believed it truly possible. Well it was.

And it’s happened to me.

She left her room, leaving Annie gaping at her.
Let her wonder at my amusement. It will give her something to do, since she doesn’t seem to do much else around here.
 

As she descended the stairs, her good humor fled. Mother was yelling at the butler in her nasal whine. Something about a stain on the settee.

That stain, a tiny almost imperceptible speck, had been there for years, a product of a drop of spilled red wine that no one had noticed at first. And when they did, that stain was set and could not be removed.

Mother was the only one who ever even noticed it. Amelia had had to lean down very close to the fabric and squint to even make it out.

She sighed. Was this the way the visit with Conrad and his mother would go? Probably.

Getting their two maternal figures together might not have been such a great idea.

She reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped. One of the downstairs maids rushed by her in tears.

But isn’t that how she treated Annie? Amelia frowned. But she deserved it.
She’s so mean and the other servants are at least cordial.
A tiny speck of guilt nagged at her but she pushed it away.
No time to dwell on it now. Our guests will soon arrive.
 

A knock came from the front door. The butler passed by Amelia and headed in that direction.

They’re here!
She pressed her hand against her middle.
Stay calm, Amelia
.

Her mother emerged from the parlor, perfectly coifed and dressed. “There you are. And don’t you look divine?”

Amelia glanced down and inwardly winced. She took care not to let her feelings show on her face. That would only incite her mother’s further irritation and now was not the time for that.

As she stepped to the parlor to stand with her mother, Amelia glanced around. Everything seemed in order. But then of course it would be. That was what her mother was good at. Yelling at the servants until perfection was achieved.

Poor people.
But you don’t feel any remorse toward treating Annie the same way
. She again pushed aside the thought.
That’s different. She’s spiteful and mean.
 

The butler reached the door and opened it, welcoming their guests.

Conrad handed the butler his hat and then looked up.

Must be his third favorite
hat, since the red squirrel now owned one and the elephant had drooled on the other.