The Exception of an Earl

by Deborah Wilson

  “So, why not show passion all the time?”

  Emily reeled back. “Camilla, that is not the way of a woman. We are to be demure.” She smiled. “We’re to let our husbands lead. They are the ones who show passion.”

  “Did Luke tell you that?”

  Emily opened her mouth and then shook her head. “No, my mother did.” She smiled again. “And now, I’m telling it to you.” She sounded so proud of herself.

  Camilla didn’t want to break her heart. “I believe… I think the advice might be right for some women, but… I believe you should do what pleases you and your husband most.”

  Emily shook her head in a way that said Camilla and young and naive. “My dear, trust me…”

  Camilla squeezed her hand. She tried to make her gaze as strong as possible. “Emily, listen to me. If your husband enjoys your passion, give it to him.”

  “Camilla—”

  “Do it or someone else will.”

  Emily gasped in shock. She opened her mouth and closed it. This happened repeatedly. Then she blinked. “What are you saying, Camilla? I don’t understand.”

  Camilla smiled. “It’s just… I feel strongly about this, all right, Emily?”

  “No, it’s not all right.”

  Camilla felt panic lick at her blood as Emily snatched her hands away.

  “What are you saying?” Emily demanded. “Did Luke say something to you? Did you see…?”

  “No! No! Forget it. Never mind, Emily. Pretend I said nothing. Please.” She wished she could take it all back.

  Emily watched her for a moment and then she turned away. She placed her hands on her hips and took a deep breath. Then she looked at Camilla again. She narrowed her eyes. “You think… You suppose Luke likes passion?”

  Camilla hesitated and then nodded.

  Camilla watched her a moment longer and then looked up at the ceiling. Her eyes filled with tears, but when she looked at Camilla again, it was with defiance. Eyes still burning with unshed tears held Camilla’s as she declared, “I won’t lose my family.”

  Camilla nodded. “I don’t want that.”

  Emily swallowed. “I won’t live like your mother lives or how your grandmother did… or how my own did for that matter.”

  Camilla didn’t know anything about Emily’s family but could only guess it was like many other homes. Ladies were to remain silent and turn the other cheek on these matters.

  “Don’t tell Luke I said anything,” Camilla said.

  “I won’t.” She smiled at Camilla, but then her gaze turned sad. “Though you understand that I can’t have that child in my home now. I can’t have him believing I’ll sit around while he becomes his father. Unless your father writes it in his will...”

  Camilla nodded. “I understand. I won’t ask Luke to take her.” She’d take Morgana. The girl already liked her, though Camilla didn’t know why. “And we might not have to worry about it. My mother said my father could live forever.”

  Emily groaned and then colored. “Sorry. It isn’t like I want him dead…”

  “I know.” Luke was partly the way he was because of their father. Though he made his own choices, influences still took their tolls on everyone.

  “He loves me,” Emily told her.

  “I believe he does,” Camilla said.

  Emily nodded and sighed again. “Well, we better get you and Morgana home.”

  ∫ ∫ ∫

  5 8

  * * *

  When Camilla arrived home, she found a visitor in her drawing room with her mother. Even before the woman was introduced, Camilla knew who she was.

  The visitor had been smiling at Lady Hornstein, but with the speed of a snuffed-out candle, that changed. There was a fire in her eyes when she looked at Camilla. The hatred burned so brightly it was blinding.

  “This is Mrs. Annie Cox,” her mother said with a smile. She was clearly unaware of the snake she’d let slither into her home. “Mrs. Cox is quite a fan of yours. She said she had a book idea and wished to speak to you—”

  “You can’t have him.” Annie moved toward Camilla in a rush. “He is mine. He’s always been mine.”

  Camilla stiffened and was sure Annie would hit her.

  But instead, the woman got closer and continued her rant. “I’ve wanted him far longer than you’ve known him.”

  “What is the meaning of this?” Lady Hornstein asked.

  Annie turned to the marchioness. “Forgive me, my lady, but your daughter is an immoral woman who is keeping Will from doing what is right.”

  “Immoral?” her mother asked with a frown. “You said none of this when you first came here. I must ask you to leave at once.”

  “No.” Annie turned back to Camilla. “Not until she gives up what is rightfully mine. I waited for him. For years, I hoped to be his wife. I was to be Lady William Husher. Not you! I bore and buried his son! You do not get to have him now. No one does but me.”

  Camilla didn’t know what to say. She’d never been in such a predicament in her life. This was not the sort of situation any woman wished to entangle herself in. In fact, it was just the thing Camilla would have hoped to avoid.

  It was a hideous and messy thing that reminded her of her parents. Her mother had confronted Julia once.

  She hadn’t won.

  Had Annie come shouting at her weeks ago, Annie might have won. Camilla might have let William go.

  But now, she loved him, and loving him meant accepting the thing one couldn’t change: the past.

  “I thought you were married,” Camilla said.

  Annie waved a hand. “Mr. Cox is ill. In a short amount of time, he’ll be dead. I will have William after that.”

  Camilla shook her head and looked down at Annie’s protruding belly. That this woman could speak so emotionlessly about her husband’s death was terrifying and sad. The baby she carried would never know the man who’d given him life.

  Did Annie not care about that?

  No, it seemed Annie only cared for herself.

  Camilla didn’t know how William felt about Annie. He could claim to not love Annie, but his feelings could be very different. Therefore, Camilla didn’t tell Annie what William had shared with her. Instead, she focused on the woman herself. “Chasing after a man can’t be making you happy, Mrs. Cox.”

  “I wouldn’t have to chase him if you’d step out of the way.” Annie looked hurt. Her eyes filled with tears. “My friends told me about your dance at his ball. A ball I wasn’t even invited to. You’re both trying to humiliate me. That’s what this is about. He’s trying to hurt me.”

  Camilla frowned. Her chest ached for Annie. The woman was blinded by her rage. Camilla didn’t know what it was like to have a child with a man who didn’t love her. She also didn’t know what it was like to lose that child.

  She didn’t know who’d she be if her life had turned out like Annie’s. Perhaps she’d be different than she presently was. Perhaps she’d be just like Annie.

  This was yet another reason chastity was so important. Protection of the body could greatly protect the heart and the mind.

  Lady Hornstein went to the dor. “I’ll get a footman to remove her.”

  “Don’t,” Camilla told her. Then she turned back to Annie. She felt so terrible for this woman. “I’m so sorry.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through.”

  Annie’s eyes widened. Her lips trembled, but she stood firm. She remained silent, however.

  Camilla grabbed Annie’s hand, which shocked them both. “I want you to be happy, Annie.”

  Annie’s eyes widened with hope.

  “But I love William.”

  ∫ ∫ ∫

  5 9

  * * *

  Annie’s eyes dimmed. “He is mine.”

  Camilla shook her head. “I will not fight you on this. I simply want you to know how I feel about him and how I feel about you. I want you both to be happy, but I will not give William up. I cannot.
He has chosen me, and I have chosen him in return.” And once that decision was made, Camilla would not go back.

  Annie snatched her hand back. “You’re a selfish woman. You’re ruining everything. You’re ruining my plans!”

  “Your plans?” Was the woman’s heart not breaking at the thought of never having William hold her? Did she not fall asleep dreaming of his eyes and smile at the memory of his dimples? Did she not wish to ensure that William always had a reason to be happy? “Do you love him, Annie?”

  “Of course, I do! That’s a silly question.”

  “Is it? You haven’t said as much. Not once in all your heat have you told me that you loved William. That your heart could not go on without him. That he was as vital to you as bread and water and that you wanted nothing more than to see him happy.

  Because that is what I want. I would want him to be happy if even it meant never seeing him again.”

  “He’ll be happy with me!” Annie cried. “Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”

  Camilla could see Annie wasn’t listening. She was blinded by her own ambitions. Who else didn’t believe Annie? “Perhaps that is hard to believe when you are so unhappy yourself. How could you give him the happiness you lack?”

  Annie’s mouth fell open. “How dare you?” She had nothing else she could offer in words. She had no defense and they both knew it.

  So, she lifted her hand to strike her.

  “Touch that woman and I’ll be forced to take you to jail,” a man said from behind them.

  They both turned to see a tall gentleman at the threshold. He was a handsome blond man with deep gold golden eyes. Camilla remembered meeting him on the night of Will’s ball.

  The Earl of Landcastle.

  The queen’s bodyguard.

  Annie’s hand was still raised and her eyes seem to debate on whether going to jail would be worth it.

  The earl lowered his chin and met Annie’s eyes directly. “Hit that woman and I’ll not hesitate to use force.”

  Annie lowered her hand and rested it on her belly.

  Camilla was glad to see the woman protect her child and to see that Annie cared for someone besides herself… But then Annie began to speak again. “She… She’s ruining my life.” She lacked the sense to stop.

  “You’re ruining your life and that of the child you carry,” Lord Landcastle said. “And you’re wasting my time. I was asked to come here on the occasion that you dared step a foot into this house.” Finally, he stepped into the room and his voice lowered. “Mrs. Cox, there never should have been an occasion.”

  Annie’s eyes widened. “Who are you?”

  “I am the Earl of Landcastle, and I am here to set things right.”

  The words were so ominous. Camilla felt a brush of fear as her mind began to understand this man. His words were as much an oath as they were a benediction. She had a feeling that Landcastle lived by the words he’d just declared.

  Annie was the first and she’d not be the last person Landcastle dealt with on a mission to ‘set things right.’ Camilla was very glad she was not the recipient of his attention.

  Her pity for Annie returned.

  The woman’s voice was small. “But I’ve done no wrong.”

  “You lack control of your emotions, Mrs. Cox,” Landcastle went on. “And so, you lack control of your tongue and your actions. This, I will not allow to go unaddressed. I will be speaking to your husband.”

  Annie stiffened.

  Landcastle wasn’t done. “And if your husband is ill-equipped to deal with you, then I will deal with you myself.”

  Annie’s gasped and paled.

  Landcastle pointed to the door. “Get out of this house.” And before Annie could speak, he said, “Not another word. I would advise you against looking at Lady Camilla again.”

  Annie closed her mouth and kept her face pointed away from Camilla as she marched from the room.

  Landcastle turned to Camilla. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here sooner. I was in a meeting and—“

  “No.” She gave him a smile. “Thank you for coming when you did. This was… very unexpected.” She laughed. “I’m not even the queen.”

  “You’re William’s queen. Those were his words. He wrote the claim in the request he sent me a few days ago.”

  Camilla’s body blazed with great love for the man she’d fallen for. When he returned, she’d thank him for his thoughtfulness.

  Landcastle smiled. “I heard what you said about William’s happiness. I’m glad he’s found someone who cares for him. I feared he’d end up with Annie. The woman is dangerous. I’m going to speak to her husband, though I doubt he’s the strength to control her. Have no fear, she won’t be troubling you again.”

  “Thank you,” she said again. He had her full confidence.

  Lord Landcastle was at the door when Camilla’s father arrived.

  “Lord Landcastle?” Her father straightened and looked ready to insert himself into the conversation, but Camilla’s mother cut him off.

  “Have you come for your other daughter? Morgana is with Emily. I’ll take you to her. This way.” Lady Hornstein walked away, having full confidence that her estranged husband would follow.

  Camilla’s father blushed before scurrying away.

  Landcastle turned to Camilla. “Would you like me to speak to your father as well?”

  Speak to her father? How did the earl know about her situation?

  Then she laughed and her cheek’s burned. Everyone knew about her father.

  Camilla tried to think of how a ‘talk’ could benefit her father and readily decided against it. No one could convince her father to love her. And even if Landcastle could, she wouldn’t want that.

  Love should be free, much like the love Will gave her.

  “Thank you but no.” She saw Landcastle away.

  Her parents returned with Morgana.

  Her father looked around, “Where is Landcastle?”

  “Gone.”

  “When will he return?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Her father frowned. Then he gave her one of his charming smiles. “Well, take care of yourself.”

  Hadn’t she always? But instead of responding with bitterness or reminding him of his obligations, she turned to Morgana. “I’ll see you later.” She smiled at her.

  Morgana rushed over and hugged Camilla before she left with the earl.

  That final moment with Morgana made Camilla think of the advice Lady Milly had given Camilla’s mother.

  When one was loving, one would find it. Morgana loved her, she suspected. Her little sister’s parting hug managed to soothe the pain that Lord Hornstein’s carelessness left behind. The innocence in Morgana proved what Camilla had already learned.

  Love did exist and was something Camilla could have. All she had to do was live with it in her heart.

  ∫ ∫ ∫

  6 0

  * * *

  William lowered his brass spyglass as the riders headed toward him.

  He’d found Azalea’s home. It was like a camp. It sat in the middle of a valley surrounded by trees.

  He hadn’t bothered to go down there, however. Once his horse had started on the trail, there had been no point. From his vantage point, he could see everything in the valley.

  There were a house and a few small withered wooden buildings dotted on the sides. Through his brass spyglass, he’d been able to see everything that happened down below.

  The land wasn’t far from London. Only a day’s ride away. He’d spent the first day of his arrival watching the small community and had discovered there was nothing but women. There were gardens spread through most of the land and the women tended them.

  He’d seen Ruth a few times that first day. She’d walk the land with Azalea at her side. William wasn’t very good at reading lips, but as he watched the women gesture and smile at one another, he sensed nothing nefarious in either of them.

  He was glad to include Ruth’s heal
th in the report he’d sent to the duke as he’d waited for further instruction. Van Dero had only asked Will to follow Azalea. Nothing more.

  The riders who came to William turned out to be the last men he wanted to see.

  The Earl of Bowland and his nephew Noel lined their steeds up with William.

  Noel smirked. His gold earring flashed in the light that managed to spill through the trees.

  Will couldn’t help but track Midnight’s steps. The horse was beautiful.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Bowland said.

  Will turned to the man he’d always known as The General. While in the military, Will had respected the man as if he were his own father. It had been Lord Bowland who’d recommended him and Raven for knighthood.

  It had been Bowland who’d given Will and Raven places in Van Dero’s army. T

  hen Will had gone and stabbed the man’s nephew and stolen his horse. It didn’t matter that Will hadn’t known who the boy was at the time. Some things were simply unforgivable.

  While Will had been forgiven many, many things in his life, there were always limits.

  So, Will hadn’t bothered to apologize to the man’s face. There’d been no point in it before.

  But this was the first time the three of them had ever been alone.

  It played havoc on Will’s nerves. He decided to focus on why the man had come. What was in the valley had been in his first report, so there was little reason to go over it again. “What has the duke decided?”

  Bowland’s black eyes lacked emotion. It was his usual expression when speaking about work, but Will still felt chilled by it. “He wants you to return to London.”

  “Why?” Will still wasn’t ready to give up the assignment. He would miss the constant action. Even as his heart longed to see Camilla, he felt like he was losing his purpose.

  He had a feeling that his adventurous life was one of the reasons that Camilla loved him. He was different. That had drawn her to him. Now, he’d be like everyone else. How would he manage to inspire his writer now?