The Earl's Mission: Defiant Brides Book 4

by Jennifer Monroe

  “Miss Cooper, may I have a few moments of your time?” he asked, his voice oddly affable. Her suspicions rose. What brought on this sudden change? Two days earlier and he would have made his request sound a command rather than a simple request. Despite her misgivings, she gave the man a simple nod. He walked over and she swallowed hard as he sat beside her, turning his body to face her. What a shame such a lovely man with his face and strong arms could be so cruel with his words.

  “I have brought you good news. Your father’s will was read last night, and among its instructions was what had been left to you.”

  “That is good news, thank you.” She still felt on edge although his voice had not changed. It still retained that soft tone it had since he had entered the room.

  The Earl let out a sigh and glanced over at the book beside her.

  “Poetry,” she said. “It is quite good.”

  “Perhaps I should read it sometime, though work keeps me busy.” His eyes met hers and that same heat returned, the heat she had felt that day when he had kissed her.

  She lowered her eyes and stared at her now clenched hands in her lap. However, rather than being free of his alluring masculinity, he placed his hand atop of hers as he squatted in front of her, and she thought she would melt.

  “My actions the other day were not those of a gentleman,” he said, his voice a sultry sound that made her heart race. She looked up at his face once more, and he wore an earnest expression. “I have no excuse to offer you other than the stress I was under, but that was no real excuse for my behavior. Before I leave, I must ask for your forgiveness.”

  She stared at him for several moments in shock. He, an Earl, was apologizing to her, a lowly tavern girl? It made no sense. However, she found his action satisfying and pleasant. “Very well,” she replied. “It is accepted.” She was reluctant to say the following words, but they needed to be said. “Your mother…she brings about a certain…change in you.”

  His eyes flickered for a moment with what she first thought might be anger but soon realized it was pain. She took his hand in hers. “I have met every type of man that exists in the world.” He shot her a surprised glance, but she quickly added, “Through the pub. Trust me when I say that you are a good person, though I believe you are held back by the expectations of others.”

  When he said nothing, Rachel decided to allow the subject to drop. There was no reason to anger him once again. “When will I receive what my father has left me?” she asked.

  He pulled his hand away as he stood. “Today,” he replied with that smile that made his face radiant. “Right now, as a matter of fact.”

  She stood and studied him for a moment and then followed him out the door and up the stairs. As they went along, she could not help but look for any signs of trickery on the man’s part. For all her words about him being a good person, she still remembered the man with whom she had traveled. That man could return at any moment, and she did not wish to be surprised when he did.

  They stopped before the door that once belonged to Richard Templeton—Rachel’s father, she still was not accustomed to thinking it—and Rachel stared at Lord Linfield. He opened the door and she stopped just inside the doorway. The room still held that feeling of strangeness to her, as it was her father’s when he was alive.

  “Why have you stopped?” he asked. “Come and receive your inheritance.”

  Rachel’s heart thudded as she looked at the bed and then at the man who stood beside it. So, there had been a bit of trickery behind his pleasant demeanor downstairs. The rogue believed he could get her into bed with sweet words? Although the line of thinking made no sense whatsoever, she could not help the thoughts from surfacing. “No, I am quite all right standing here, thank you,” she replied haughtily.

  He gave her a questioning look. “I am sorry. I do not understand.”

  Rachel had never been one to keep her thoughts to herself, as Lord Linfield had already learned the afternoon of his mother’s visit, and she would not do so now. “Do you believe me a fool?” she spat. “I will not allow myself to be ravaged by the likes of you!”

  His laugh only made her angrier. “My mannerisms as of late justify your suspicions,” he said, still chuckling, “but I assure you, I would never take advantage of you. Please, I promise that I will not place even a finger on you if you come to see what is yours.”

  She straightened her back and jutted her chin before walking over to where he stood beside the bed. She kept her hands locked in fists in case she had to defend herself.

  The Earl squatted down beside a small nightstand and, producing a key, inserted it into a lock on the small drawer and pulled the drawer open.

  “For you,” he said, handing her a large square box.

  Rachel removed the lid and gazed down at a necklace made of gold with a golden pendant that bore a large blue sapphire. She took the necklace in her trembling hands. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “It matches the ring, as well.”

  He nodded and then reached back into the drawer and produced a letter and a stack of notes, which he placed on the bed. “I will give you a moment to read the letter, if you wish, either here or in your room. Well, anywhere you wish, since this is now your place of residence.”

  Rachel picked up the letter and stared at her name that had been inscribed on the outside. “I will read it now,” she said in a soft voice as she fought back tears.

  She carefully slid her finger under the wax that held the letter closed. A great trepidation, mixed with exhilaration, swept over her as she opened the page and began to read.

  Rachel, my sweet daughter,

  If you are reading this, then Joseph has completed his task in finding you. He is a good man, a man hurt by the loss of his father and an overbearing mother he can never please. Despite his faults, it would bring me great pleasure if you would consider him for your husband. This might be asking more than is fair, since I was never a part of your life, but if there is one thing I have learned, it is that life is much too short to not allow happiness in your life.

  Knowing that you will be cared for will make me very content, and I only wish the best for you from this day forth.

  With my love,

  your father, Richard Templeton

  Rachel reread the letter before finally setting it aside. She was glad she had not read it aloud. There would be time later to contemplate all her father had said concerning marriage, but at the moment it was all too much to take in.

  Her heart raced as she looked over the stacks of notes. It was more money than she had ever seen.

  Lord Linfield, who had moved off a discrete distance, said, “There is one more thing he left you.” He walked over to the dresser and picked up the smooth white stone she had seen the last time the two of them had been in the room together.

  “His symbol of luck,” she whispered and felt a tear sting her eye.

  “Why do you cry over a stone?”

  How did she explain that, although the man who died had been a stranger, he had been also her father, and his gift spoke to her heart, even more than the money or the necklace? “Because it is the most precious thing he left me,” she said as she walked back to the bed. “It has no great monetary value obviously, but it had great value to him on a personal level.” She smiled as she wiped the now flowing tears from her cheek. “That makes it priceless.”

  The Earl looked perplexed, and perhaps he never would, but Rachel cared not. He cleared his throat. “I realize you will be leaving soon, per our agreement, yet I have one favor to ask.”

  Rachel looked up at him and nodded. “Of course.”

  “Allow me to escort you around his gardens?”

  She looked down at the rock and then over at the letter. She had not shared the contents with Lord Linfield, nor would she. Her father had made a request, but it was not one that she had to follow. Nor was it one she wished to follow. However, she could give the man at least one part of the promise, even if it was not marriage.
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br />   “I would like that,” she replied with a smile.

  ***

  The tall hedges held tiny bright green leaves as Rachel and Lord Linfield strolled along the stone path, their pace slow. Rachel wondered at a man who could be so angry at times and yet then be so charming at others. Perhaps her outburst during his previous visit had been an unfortunate mistake on her part; however, she refused to put the full blame on herself.

  They had been walking the gardens for some time now, sharing with each other different aspects of their lives. Rachel was surprised to learn that the Earl had forsaken university to take over his father’s businesses.

  “After my father died, there was no one I would trust to do the work necessary to grow the businesses in which we had invested,” he explained. “If it had not been for Richard, I might have drowned in the flood of information I was receiving. Between him and my mother, who, as you have seen, is a dauntless woman in her own right, I learned to stand on my own two feet and was able to keep our finances afloat.” Then he stopped and turned to her. “But what of you? What can you tell me about the life of one who works in a pub?”

  He listened aptly to her stories of throwing drunkards out the doors when they had become belligerent, fights between patrons—typically over a woman, sometimes herself—and a variety of other tales that made him laugh, a sound she found she appreciated more than she had expected.

  When the conversation went silent, she glanced down at the small stone in her hand and smiled. “I plan to take this with me wherever I go,” she said. “I believe it’ll bring me good luck, just as my father believed.”

  “And where do you plan to go, if I may ask?” Lord Linfield asked with clear amusement.

  They came to the end of the path, turned right and continued down the path. Rachel stared pensively at the stone. “I’m not sure,” she said. “I don’t believe I’ll be needed at the pub anymore, though I do plan to stop by and say hello. From there, I might find a small room to rent in the village. Maybe I’ll find work at another pub.”

  Lord Linfield came to a stop and turned toward her. “You are a beautiful woman, Miss Cooper, and I am certain any establishment for which you became employed would be lucky to have you.” He laughed. “Just think of the number of patrons you would attract from afar just so they could look upon your beauty.”

  Rachel felt her cheeks burn from the compliment, but at the same time, her suspicions were aroused. Why was the man being so complimentary to her?

  “I see in your eyes that you doubt my words?”

  “I believe you mean what you say,” she said slowly, carefully, “but I don’t know why you say it. The last words you said to me was that I was an embarrassment and would never be a lady.” She looked down at the stone sadly. “And I believe you were right; I’ll never become a lady.” Her words were meant to be soft enough for her ears only, but he had heard them nonetheless.

  He took her hand in his, and although she knew she should be concentrating on his motives, guarding her heart against any trickery he might use, she found she could not, for her heart soared from his touch. “Again, I was a fool to lash out at you. I reacted only due to anger with myself, which was no fault of yours.” He gazed at her, his eyes clear and focused. “By standards society has set, you are not a lady. However, that can be easily remedied if you would like.”

  She sniffed. “Why would I?” she asked. “I leave tomorrow, and the skills of a lady won’t be of much use to me where I find work. There’s no benefit to wasting my time when I could just be on my way.”

  “Then do not leave.”

  She pulled her hand from his. “Stay here?” she asked. So, this was the reason for his kindness, to have her stay, though for what reason, she was uncertain.

  “Yes. We do not know each other, but your father, the man who gave you that ring, wished you to remain here.” He lowered his voice and added, “And I do, as well.”

  Rachel bit at her lip. His invitation tugged at her heart. Perhaps she should remain here; she enjoyed the house and the company of Leah. However, as her eyes peered up at Lord Linfield, she thought of the anger that had been focused at her by him and his mother.

  “I can’t,” she replied, but it was not as firm as she had hoped it to be. “I should leave. It would be best for all of us.”

  “All of us?”

  “Yes. Your mother despises me, and I won’t be able to hold my tongue whenever she insults me…or you.”

  The Earl nodded. “Although I should be offended, I am not, for what you say is true. If you stay, I will make you a promise. I will not allow my mother to speak to you so harshly ever again. Please, allow me to show you the person I truly am. You will find that I am a kind and good person. Let me honor the promise I made to your father.”

  Rachel found her heart and her mind warring, unsure as to what to do. Then, glancing down at her hand, she ran her fingers over the smooth rock. Her father did wish her to remain here, to enjoy a life she had never known, and to wed the man who stood before her. Her heart told her to remain, yet her mind told her to run far away and never return.

  “If I were to stay,” she replied finally, “and remain engaged to you,” she was unsure how she felt about that, “how long before we are wed?”

  “We can hold our engagement party in two months, if that is acceptable to you. That will give you more than enough time to prepare for the life I wish to provide for you, giving you time to adjust to it. Another error I made was expecting you to understand the way of the ton without so much as a single lesson. I will not make that mistake again. You are an intelligent woman. I have the greatest confidence that you will be ready to enter society by that time.”

  Rachel smiled. She found her heart warming to his words, for he had apologized twice now, and what he said seemed sincere. Although she was not certain she was making the right decision, she found herself nodding in agreement. “Then I will remain here at Elford Estates, as your fiancée.”

  He returned her smile and offered her his arm. She accepted it and they resumed their stroll. She would keep guard on her mind but, more importantly, on her heart. Words were one thing, but actions were quite another. If the man could not prove his words true through his actions, she would leave and never return, even if she had to leave all of her inheritance behind to do so.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Rachel groaned under the strict instruction of Madam Louvette, a stern, unyielding woman who drove Rachel through her lessons as harshly as a sheep dog trainer. They had been working for nearly four hours with few opportunities to rest, only allowing time for Rachel to stuff a bit of bread and cheese into her mouth and wash it down with a cup of tea. Then they were back at the work that was proving to be much more difficult that Rachel could have ever imagined.

  “Tut-tut,” Madam Louvette said, though she kept her irritation covered with a forced smile. “You are slouching again, mon cher. You must always remain standing straight with your shoulders back,” she pushed at Rachel’s shoulders, “and your chin forward. Otherwise, you appear as if you carry a bundle of twigs on your back.” Her French accent made it even more difficult for Rachel to concentrate on practicing her walk, two books about using correct etiquette balanced on the top of her head. She had thought reading them was difficult...

  “I’m trying, Madam, but I haven’t done this before,” Rachel said with a scowl.

  “Ah, there it is again,” the woman said. “The correct usage is ‘I am’ not ‘I’m’, as is ‘haven’t’ is ‘have not’. Even I, as a speaker of French, use the correct formation of words when I speak English. It is your language, Miss Cooper, so please use it properly.”

  Rachel sighed. “I am trying, Madam,” she said through clenched teeth just before the books fell to the floor for what had to have been the hundredth time. According to Madam Louvette, Rachel could not walk, talk, or even sneeze properly, and Rachel was becoming more and more annoyed at the woman. However, she had promised Lord Linfield she woul
d do her best, and she had always been a woman of her word.

  “We have spent enough time on your posture for now,” the tutor said tightly. “We will move on to something else.” She pulled the cord to call for the servants and waited with her fingertips together. Rachel studied the woman’s stance. She did stand straight and had a regal posture that made her appear more than a tutor. If this woman could do it, then so could Rachel.

  Rachel reached down and picked the books up from the floor once again. She pulled her shoulders back, just as Madam Louvette had taught her, and then placed the books back atop her head. She took two slow, deep breaths and took a step forward. The books wobbled a bit, but they remained on her head. She took a second step and this time the books did not move. Concentrating on her breathing rather than on the books, she took yet another step. Soon she had made her way across the floor, the books still in place.

  “Bravo!” Madam Louvette called out as she clapped her hands together. “You are capable of learning. I never doubted you once.”

  Rachel had to stop herself from snorting at the woman, which was yet another feat of its own that pleased her. Perhaps she could carry this off. She turned, moving carefully so the books would not fall, but then the door opened, which caught her off-guard, and she caught the books just as they slid off her head. Well, she would need to work on her turns a bit more, and her reaction to surprise.

  Leah stood in the door and dipped a quick curtsy. “You rang?”

  Madam Louvette gave Rachel a meaningful look and Rachel said, “Yes, Leah. Would you please have tea brought to us?”

  Leah gave her a wide smile, for which Rachel was grateful, bobbed her curtsy once again. “Yes, Miss.” Then she was gone.