by Ella Edon
The Earl’s Dangerous Passion
He is her only hope of escape, she is his only prospect of hapiness...
Ella Edon
Contents
Thank you
About the book
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Extended Epilogue
Afterword
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About the Author
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About the book
He is her only hope of escape, she is his only prospect of happiness...
Lady Amy Hartley is in danger. Her incredible beauty has engaged the attention of a lunatic admirer who sends her obsessive and threatening letters. After expressing their admiration for her, all her suitors are found dead. Amy is terrified for the safety of everyone around her, as well as for her own life.
Her only hope to escape from this miserable situation is her childhood friend, Lord Daniel Nottage, the handsome Earl of Derby. Having lost his fiancée, he is determined to unravel Amy’s psychotic follower and keep her from harm. Daniel soon realizes that he is putting himself in grave danger since he’s falling desperately in love with Amy…
Will he be able to discover the inconceivable truth and save both his and Amy’s life?
Chapter One
The walls felt as if they were closing in on her. She was having problems breathing properly, and having people coming to congratulate the bride on her nuptials, jostling her as they went past, was not helping the matter. Amy took a deep breath and tried to stop her heart from going too fast.
She hated social occasions. Balls, dinner parties, weddings, the whole lot. It meant going into Society and seeing people that Amy had no desire to interact with. Her idea of socializing was two, maybe three, select friends coming over to the house or meeting her in the park. Small gatherings suited her much better. If it wasn’t for Sarah, Amy wouldn’t be here at all.
Beside her, Sarah, the new Marchioness of Merseyside, signaled one of the footmen over. She gave the young man a pretty smile as she put her empty glass on the tray, picking up a full flute with the other hand. The footman gave her a slight bow and silently moved on. Amy frowned. Her best friend had drank quite a bit since she had gotten married earlier in the day. Already her cheeks were a little more flushed than normal under her powder.
“You need to take it easy, Sarah,” she warned. “You’re going to keel over if you keep drinking so much, and I’m not going to pick you up off the floor.”
Sarah laughed and took a sip, her eyes twinkling at Amy.
“Oh, don’t fuss so about me, Amy. It’s a wedding. My wedding. I’m allowed to enjoy myself.”
“Not to the point you’re unable to walk at the end of the evening.”
Sarah rolled her eyes and linked arms with her best friend. In her wedding gown, her fiery red hair perfectly piled up on her head, she looked the vision of an angel. Amy didn’t think it was possible for Sarah to look any more beautiful.
“You are such a fusspot, Amy,” Sarah teased.
“I’m no such thing!”
“You are. You worry over the slightest thing.” Sarah squeezed Amy’s arm, taking another sip. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Believe it or not, I can drink a lot more than this and still be coherent.”
Amy didn’t believe that. But, Sarah was determined to have a good fun. And why shouldn’t she? It was her wedding day. It was something to celebrate. Amy had only met Sarah’s new husband, Kenneth Cliff, Marquess of Merseyside, very briefly, but he was a fine-looking man who was very gracious towards Sarah. He treated her like a princess, which had Sarah practically simpering over him. It was quite sweet to see.
She knew she should be happy for her friend. And yet, Amy couldn’t bring herself to relax. She had tolerated the wedding and the wedding dinner for Sarah, but now Amy wanted to leave, but she knew her father would outright refuse. She wasn’t going anywhere.
“Oh, Amy?” Sarah nodded across the crowded room. “I think your father’s trying to get your attention.”
Amy looked up. Viscount Graham Hartley was near the orchestra, frantically waving at her. He would stop whenever someone was walking past and give them a nod of greeting, and then go back to waving at his daughter. Amy sighed. Her father had been attempting to get her attention all evening, and Amy had been successful thus far not to cross paths with him. She knew perfectly well what he wanted. Her presence so she could be introduced to the various young men Hartley kept parading in front of her.
Amy sighed and turned away.
“He can wait. I don’t want to deal with him right now.”
“Since when is that different?” Sarah frowned at her. “Have you fallen out with him again?”
“How can you fall out with someone you weren’t on the best of terms with in the first place?”
Sarah didn’t answer. She knew Amy’s situation. Viscount Hartley and his second wife, Viscountess Beatrice Hartley, were not very kind people. Somehow, they were invited to social events in spite of everyone’s intense dislike for them. Amy was surprised she wasn’t completely ostracized because of her father and his behavior. Maybe that was why she was approaching the age of one-and-twenty and still unmarried: no one wanted to be associated with the Hartley family.
“Your father’s coming over here.” Sarah tugged Amy with her. “Come on. Let’s take a wander. By the time he gets through everyone, he won’t be able to find us.”
Amy wasn’t about to argue with that. Sarah started to lead Amy around the edge of the dancefloor. Everyone’s dance cards seemed to be full right now. Amy hated dancing, and she had been avoiding it as much as possible. As long as she could get through the evening without panicking, she was happy.
“I still wonder why you’ve living with them.” Sarah commented. “The three of you clearly don’t like each other.”
“You know the conditions of marriage and divorce. Women cease to exist once they become wives. They can’t own anything.” Amy sighed. “I’m my father’s property, whether I like it or not.”
That part Amy hated. Divorce was incredibly rare, especially being granted to women. Her mother had been incredibly lucky to be granted a divorce, but she hadn’t been allowed to ta
ke Amy. Hartley still had control of his daughter, and he would until Amy married. Even after his Amy’s mother had remarried, her father still had the say over Amy.
Amy wished he didn’t, because his motives were certainly not in her best interests.
“What are you three arguing about now?” Sarah asked pulling Amy from her reverie.
“What do you mean, now? We’re always arguing.” Amy shook her head and scowled. “Father and Beatrice have been attempting to marry me off for months now. They want to make me someone else’s problem.”
“I would have thought you would jump at the chance to get away from them. You’ve always said you would take the first chance possible to leave.”
“I would have agreed if they didn’t keep trying to match me to the men in their social circle.” Amy made a face. “Men like them. I don’t want to marry someone like my father.”
Sarah winced.
“I see your point. That is a problem.” Then she brightened up. “I tell you what. Perhaps you can find yourself a potential husband here. You know weddings are supposed to be a good place to find a match.”
“No!” Amy stopped short. She shook her head. “No, don’t.”
“Well, you need a husband. And where better to find one than at my wedding?” Sarah winked. “That could be my special wedding present.”
“Sarah,” Amy groaned. “Please don’t go matchmaker on me. I don’t want it.”
“Oh, Amy.” Sarah took Amy’s hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “I love you, and I want you to be happy. I just want to help.”
Amy knew Sarah wasn’t going to let her walk away from this. One thing for certain with regards to Sarah, she was persistent.
Amy sighed and looked at the floor.
“All right, very well. I’ll humor you. For now.”
Sarah grinned. Then she linked arms with Amy again and drew her to the edge of the dancefloor. Standing beside a pillar and hiding behind a huge plant, they were hidden from most of the guests. Amy could see her father looking around in frustration when he realized he had missed her. Then he made a face and stomped away.
At least he was gone, for now.
“Right.” Sarah looked around the room. “Let’s see who there is. There are plenty of eligible bachelors here.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“How many have you met?”
Amy sighed. “I have no idea, but I’ve met plenty.”
“Not all of them are like Viscount Hartley. Look, over there, by the dining hall door.” Sarah pointed. “That’s Viscount Neil Sagel. He’s quite a handsome young man. A little older than us, and he comes from a titled family.”
Amy was already shaking her head before Sarah had finished.
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s the oldest son of one of my father’s friends. Father’s already considered him as a suit and I rejected him.” Amy shuddered. “He is a polite young man, yes, but I don’t want anyone associated with my father.”
Sarah tittered.
“Picky, aren’t we?”
“I think I’m allowed.”
“You’re not going to find yourself a husband if you get too picky. Everyone’s going to know about your father somehow.”
“I don’t care about finding a husband.” Amy giggled. “Hopefully, I can get banished to a cottage in the middle of nowhere with an allowance, so Father doesn’t have to worry about me.”
Sarah laughed.
“Beatrice would love that.”
“It would more than likely be her idea. Although she would say I shouldn’t have such a huge allowance.”
“You’d take it either way, wouldn’t you?”
“Absolutely.”
The idea of marriage made Amy very squeamish. She couldn’t think about it as a happy occasion, not when she was under her father’s thumb. He would have the final say on anything, including any proposals. Amy didn’t want to get married to a man Hartley had picked out for her.
They carried on walking around the room, Sarah stopping occasionally to talk to some of the guests as they congratulated her and gushed over her wedding dress. Amy hovered nearby, trying not to impose and trying not to panic over the press of people around her. It was getting even harder to breathe now. Eventually, after what seemed like a lifetime, Sarah managed to get away from the happy guests and urged Amy to follow.
She pointed out several more options for Amy, but Amy turned them all down. There was something off about each of them, something that Amy didn’t want to go into. Sarah was getting frustrated by the end of their walk around the room, but she bit it back and kept her smile on. However, Amy could see the annoyance building in her friend’s eyes.
She hadn’t ask for Sarah to look for her a potential husband. Amy was happy to blend into the background. Being a wallflower seemed more inviting than anything else right now.
“Oh!” Sarah stopped suddenly, her eyes lighting up. “I have an idea. What about Daniel?”
“Daniel?” Amy frowned. “Who’s Daniel?”
“Oh, you know who Daniel is. My brother. He’s not married either, and he’s eligible.”
Daniel. Amy felt her pulse skipping. Daniel Nottage, the Earl of Derby, was Sarah’s older brother. Amy had known him since she was a little girl, and she had been in awe of him from the first moment. Derby was one of those people whose presence was always noticed, and someone you wanted to be around. Sarah adored her brother, and the feeling was mutual.
Amy had often wondered what it would be like if she married Derby, but it had always been a dream. A dream she had never told anyone. Now, she was beginning to feel a hot flush spread across her body.
“Derby?” She squeaked, clearing her throat when Sarah looked at her strangely. “Are you seriously trying to match me with your own brother?”
“Why not? He doesn’t care about your father at all, and you two get along very well. I can barely get your attention when the two of you are in deep conversation.” Sarah grinned. “And he is fine to look at.”
“Sarah!”
“What? I’m just being truthful.”
Amy knew that she was flushed in the face. No amount of makeup would be able to hide it. She could see Derby now across the room, talking to the Marquis of Merseyside, Sarah’s new husband. Tall and fair-haired, Derby had taken to growing a beard in recent months that he kept trimmed. His clothes were of finest silk in dark blue, a blue that would match his eyes. Amy knew she wasn’t the only woman staring at him.
She gulped and looked away.
“I can’t consider Derby, Sarah!”
“What’s wrong with my brother?”
“Nothing’s wrong with him.” Amy chewed at her lower lip. “But he’s just lost Katherine. They were about to get married. It hasn’t been that long since she died. Derby wouldn’t be in the market for a wife.”
Sarah shrugged.
“Well, you never know. Women queue up for his attention.”
“Sarah, I can’t.”
“But why not?”
Amy tried to find an excuse, but she couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t insult anyone. Then Amy saw Sarah’s expression. Something lit up in Sara’s eyes and she was looking slyly at Amy.
“Oh, I see. That’s how it is, is it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You and Derby.” Sarah giggled. “I didn’t realize you had a fancy for Derby.”
“No!” Amy saw people looking over and lowered her voice. “I don’t have a fancy for your brother. We’re just good friends, that’s all.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Amy protested when she saw Sarah’s expression. “I don’t!”
Sarah was making a face that said she was trying not to laugh. Amy shuffled from foot to foot, wishing she could escape and hide somewhere. This was more embarrassing than interacting with the men her father kept parading around in front of her.
“Maybe you should stop
glowing bright red before you try and convince me,” Sarah said as she sipped her drink. “But you should consider him. He is an option, after all. And I would prefer you married my brother than someone who would make you miserable. I know my brother always makes you smile.”
