Earl of Charm: Wicked Earls’ club

by Maggie Dallen

  The truth was ripped out of her, and though she knew she ought to be embarrassed, she was past that now. He seemed frozen, his scowl so fierce he looked dangerous.

  “Clara, that is what I am here to tell you. She does not want me.”

  Clara blinked. Impossible. He was an earl. He was kind, and sweet, and responsible, and noble, and… And he was Alex. “How could she not want you?”

  He shook his head, ignoring the question. “More importantly, I do not want her. I wanted to do right but it did not feel right, Clara.” He shook his head again and she knew he was frustrated by the lack of words. She wished she could help him because she was equally frustrated.

  “I don’t understand.”

  He met her gaze, opened his mouth and then clamped it shut. Muttering a curse, he dropped down to one knee. “This, Clara. This is what I am trying to say.”

  She blinked down at him as he grasped her hand in his. “Clara Lovelace, will you be my wife?”

  It was too much, too soon. “P-pardon? I don’t…that is, I can’t….I don’t understand.”

  The corner of his lips twitched upward. “Clara, I believe I am the one who has difficulty speaking. You must not fall victim too or we shall have a most inconvenient communication problem in our marriage.”

  “Our…” She swallowed and tried again. “Our marriage?”

  He gripped her hand tighter and came to his feet. With his free hand he cupped her cheek. “If you’ll have me.”

  “But your duties,” she said. “Your responsibility to the earldom. You ought to choose someone more—”

  “There is no one else.” He said it so simply her heart stopped beating. For a moment she thought she might do something incredibly silly…like swoon.

  “But I’m not—”

  “You are,” he said, cutting her off before she could list all the ways she was not the proper choice for his bride. She brought no dowry, no titles, and a family scandal. Hardly the trappings of a countess.

  “You are,” he repeated, more firmly this time. The hand on hers released her only to snake around her waist and hold her tighter. “You are the perfect choice for me because I choose you. And I hope you choose me in return.”

  She blinked rapidly but it was too late, the tears were overflowing as the full magnitude of what he was saying caught up with her. Still, something in her forced her to fight it, just to be sure that he was sure. “But your duties—”

  “I will always do my best to live up to the obligations and responsibilities of my title.” His voice was so solemn he sounded like he was proclaiming a vow. “But,” he said, his grip tightening on her like he might never let go. “I will never do so again at the expense of your happiness or mine. I’ll never trade the wants and needs of my heart for the sake of my title.”

  She swallowed down a sob as she realized how earnest he was…and what he’d called her.

  He seemed to realize it too. He arched a brow and met her gaze with an intensity that made her lips twitch up in a grin. “Clara, will you be my heart?”

  Her smile widened as her heart threatened to burst out of her chest. “There is nothing I want more.”

  She thought he might say more. It looked like there was so much he wanted to say, his eyes were filled with such emotion. But in this, it seemed he did not need words.

  His kiss told her everything.

  Epilogue

  One year later…

  * * *

  With his arm wrapped so tightly around her waist, Alex could feel the baby in her belly kicking. “She must not like the cold,” he teased.

  Clara tilted her head back slightly to look up at him. “She might be a he,” she reminded him for the millionth time. Neither cared if it were a boy or a girl but the wager they had going kept them entertained. “And besides,” she nestled against him as he led them down the snow-covered street. “He is quite snug where he is, and I am too warm with all these layers you’ve bundled me in.”

  Her voice was filled with laughter and that filled him with all the warmth he’d ever need on this frigid winter’s eve. Excitement had him picking up his pace. He’d spent months agonizing over the perfect gift to give his wife on their first Christmas together as a married couple.

  Then it had occurred to him. For all the changes that had occurred to her and her sister, Clara never did stop dreaming about a day in which she could help other ladies such as herself. Ones who’d fallen on hard times and found themselves without options and without friends.

  She spoke of it often but her life had been so consumed with the responsibilities that came with a new household and the new role as his countess that she’d been unable to do much more than speak of it.

  He brought her to a halt in front of the townhouse he’d purchased in her name nearly a month before.

  She blinked up at him, a question in her eyes. “What is this?”

  “This,” he said, “is yours.”

  She started to laugh. “Is it? And what, pray tell, am I to do with it?”

  “Hiring some instructors would likely be a good start,” he said. Oh but how he loved to tease his wife. It seemed that teasing and jesting were similar to listening…wonderful skills he was quick to learn and which became second nature with a bit of practice.

  She drew her brows together in question but a smile still hovered over her lips at his teasing tone. “Instructors? For what?”

  “The school you wished to start is ready for you to take the reins, my love.”

  His gaze dropped to her rounded belly. “When you’re ready, of course.”

  Her eyes widened and her smile grew.

  “Your sister seemed keen to take part in it,” he started to explain. Her sister had moved in with them shortly after the wedding, and had become the best of friends with Tess. Aunt Gertie, too, had decided to join in the boisterous household which was now a place of laughter and music rather than grief and mourning. All the ladies of his household, and of course Alex, could hardly wait for the newest arrival. “So perhaps she could help oversee it while—”

  She cut him off with a kiss that stole his breath and his words.

  Which was fine. Words, they’d both decided, were highly overrated.

  Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, reviews are greatly appreciated. If you missed Anne and Davenport’s tale, you can find it in Earl of Davenport.

  Curious to learn more about Clara’s school of charm? Get ready to meet three unfortunate ladies who find love in the most unlikely places in the new sweet regency romance series by Maggie Dallen. The School of Charm series begins with The Misadventures of Miss Adelaide in May 2020.

  Don’t want to wait for more sweet regency fun? Sign up for Maggie Dallen’s Historical Romance Newsletter and receive a free standalone sweet regency romance novella.

  Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/dgUNif

  Turn the page for a sneak peek of the free novella, The Reluctant Bride, and be sure to check out the next Wicked Earl in the series, Earl of Woodcliffe, by Aileen Fish.

  The Reluctant Bride

  Chapter 1

  * * *

  Lydia’s hand remained steady as she poured another cup of tea. Propositioning a man was a first for her, but she’d handled it with remarkable grace, if she did say so herself. Now that it was done, perhaps the nervous churning in her stomach would calm down enough for her to enjoy the spread her housekeeper had provided for the occasion. Not that Mrs. Hubbard knew she was preparing to propose marriage this afternoon, of course, but she seemed to have gathered that Captain Wainwright’s visit was not just another social call.

  She could feel the weight of Gabriel’s stare as she set down her cup. Forcing her eyes back up, she met his gaze. Drat. His dark brown eyes still had the power to frazzle her nerves. He’d always been too handsome for his own good, as far as she was concerned, despite the ever-present frown that seemed to deepen whenever she was around.

  But that was exactly why he would be the perfect husband. She
neither wanted, nor needed, a man who doted on her. Or, heaven forbid, one who loved her. She shuddered at the thought and the small movement seemed to pull him out of his trance.

  His voice was low and gravelly, as always. “You want me to do what?” As if he hadn’t heard or did not understand, when she had laid out her request and reasonings so clearly.

  Beastly man. Of course he would make her repeat it, as if once was not enough.

  “I thought I made myself quite clear.” She clasped her hands in her lap and took a deep breath. “I require a husband and I think you would do nicely.”

  He shook his head before running a hand through his permanently mussed hair. Large and burly, Gabriel would have looked out of place sitting on her pale pink settee no matter what the occasion. But given the circumstances, he bore a striking resemblance to a bear she had seen at a fair. The owner had dressed it in a frilly dress and the poor thing had glared at her through its cage bars exactly as Gabriel was doing just now.

  “You are joking.” He said it as a definitive statement, yet she answered it as a question.

  “Of course I’m not. I would never joke about the sacred institution of marriage.”

  His eyes narrowed on her with suspicion. She couldn’t blame him for his lack of enthusiasm, she supposed. He’d made it quite clear over the years that he never intended to marry. But then, neither had she. It was only necessity that drove her to it now, as she found herself explaining for the second time. “I have no desire for a traditional marriage,” she said slowly, deliberating speaking to him as though he were a child.

  She couldn’t help it. He irritated her, so it was only fair that she return the favor. Sure enough, his eyes narrowed even further at her patronizing tone as she continued. “Since you also do not wish for a traditional marriage—”

  “I do not want any marriage.” His low growl might have intimidated another woman but she’d known Gabriel since she was a little girl and well enough to know that his bark was infinitely worse than his bite.

  She continued as if he hadn’t interrupted. “I think you would agree that it would do well for your position in the army if you had a wife. I know for a fact the general has been attempting to set you up with one of his daughters—”

  “How do you know about that?” Some of his anger had ebbed in the face of shock.

  She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Really, her brother’s best friend never ceased underestimating her. Of course she knew the gossip. General Watters’ was the adopted father of her beloved sister-in-law, which made him something of a grandfather figure in her life. Besides, the general’s youngest daughter, Vivian, was one of her dearest friends. What she couldn’t learn from the general during his visits, she almost certainly found out from Vivian.

  “Did the general tell you that?” Gabriel demanded.

  Lydia sipped her tea, watching him steadily over its rim. A good spy never revealed her sources. When she set her teacup down, she cleared her throat. “As I was saying, your situation would only improve with a wife—” She held up a hand to stop him from interrupting. “With a certain type of wife.”

  He let out a derisive snort, which she ignored.

  “Even if it didn’t make the general happy, it would put an end to the matchmaking attempts from him and all the desperate mothers who keep hoping to pin you down.”

  His scowl deepened but he didn’t try to argue that point. He couldn’t. She’d heard him complain to her brother, Daniel, often enough. There was not point denying it. “What would you get out of it?”

  She blinked rapidly, temporarily distracted by the light, fluttery feeling of hope that blossomed in her chest. Could it be possible that he was considering her offer? Taking a deep breath, she folded her hands in her lap. She was getting ahead of herself. He had hardly agreed to it yet. “I would get my freedom.”

  Even the word brought a rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins. Freedom was what she’d always wanted. But now freedom was what she needed if she stood a chance of saving her brother and sister-in-law.

  Gabriel was studying her closely and she clamped her lips together to keep from saying more than she ought. The trick with Gabriel was to keep her distance. Stay detached. If she tried too hard to win him, he would surely say no. And if he thought for one second that she still harbored a silly, childish crush on him, he would run away so quickly her head would spin.

  No, she had to handle this with maturity and grace. Show him she was no longer the lovesick little girl who used to chase after him when he came home to visit with her brother. She was a grown woman, and one with an agenda of her own.

  Sure enough, Gabriel tugged at his cravat as he cleared his throat. “Lydia, you and I discussed this a long time ago—”

  “Oh for heaven’s sake, Gabriel. I’m not still pining away for you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  He had the good grace to shift uneasily in his chair at that accusation. Because that was what he was going to bring up, she had no doubt. It seemed her silly crush would never be forgotten. Between her brother, Gabriel, and their other close friend, Wren, she was constantly being reminded of what a fool she’d made of herself.

  In her defense, she had been ten years old. A mere child. Of course she had outgrown those silly feelings.

  Liar. The butterflies in her stomach begged to differ. As did her racing pulse whenever he walked into a room. Perhaps she hadn’t quite conquered her ridiculous reaction around this man, but that did not mean that she had to act on it. Wasn’t that what it meant to be an adult? One chose which emotions one acted upon.

  Lydia resolutely ignored the fluttering in her belly, just as she took deep breaths to calm her heartbeat. There. All better. But Gabriel still did not look convinced so she told him the truth. “If you don’t marry me, I’ll find someone else who will.”

  That did it.

  His gaze darkened dangerously. “Who?”

  She reached her cup and gave a small shrug. “I don’t know yet. Someone else who I can count on to grant me my freedom.” That was a lie. She knew exactly who her backup husband would be and the thought disgusted her to the point that she set her tea back on the table, unable to swallow. If she had the luxury of time, she might have been able to come up with a better alternate plan, but time was of the essence and she could not afford to wait for the perfect man to come along.

  Gabriel already knew her. He was well aware of the trainings she’d undergone and her particular skillset. While he might have been overprotective, he would agree to let her live her own life. He would never expect her to keep house and play hostess. She would be free to come and go at all hours, unchaperoned and unrestrained.

  She watched him rub a hand across his face and heard his weary groan. “Lydia, I don’t know where you’ve gotten this idea that you are imprisoned.”

  She didn’t bother to argue. Gabriel was many things, but he was not a woman. She couldn’t expect him to fully understand the kind of restrictions and limitations society had placed upon her sex. Besides, she’d already laid out her reasons for choosing him as her husband. First and foremost, he knew her. Really knew her, unlike most of the men of her acquaintance. He also knew her brother and sister-in-law and, more importantly, their secret. Daniel and Madeline had been spying as a couple since they’d met and married ten years before and they had trained her to follow in their footsteps. Granted, Daniel’s participation in her training had been reluctant. He did not actually want her to follow in his footsteps but after much pleading and some effective convincing from Madeline, he agreed that as a member of a household where two out of three were spies for the crown, it would behoove them all if she were able to protect herself.

  Once he had given in on that front, it had been easy to persuade him to teach her all angles of espionage, not just self-protection.

  Few knew of her training, of course. To the rest of the world, she was a proper young lady. The kind, devout sister to a reputable land own
er. But now, much to her regret, she was also a proper young lady of a marriageable age. Which meant she had lost the freedom that came with being a child, without the benefits of adulthood. Her every move was watched and criticized as an unmarried woman and she couldn’t go anywhere without a chaperone.

  She’d made do these past few years, slipping out under the cover of darkness or using Madeline as a chaperone, but now… Well, now circumstances had changed. There was no way she could help her family while staying home darning socks and embroidering pillows. Or whatever other menial chores she was supposed to attend to as the single, soon-to-be spinster of the house.

  For all these reasons, Gabriel was her ideal candidate as a husband. He knew her proclivities and had never shown judgement. Unlike Wren, who also knew her secret, Gabriel had never expressed interest in courting or marriage.

  And those are the only reasons you want Gabriel for a husband?

  She hushed the irritating little voice that taunted her. This proposal had nothing to do with her former, ridiculous crush and everything to do with practicality.

  His posture changed slightly as he studied her. It took all of her concentration to keep her expression blank and her body language neutral. He was trying to read her.

  Only then did it occur to her that the best reason to enlist him as her husband was also the biggest detriment.

  He knew her.

  Sure enough, after a moment he leaned forward on the settee until his knees brushed against hers. “What is this really about, Lydia?”

  Forcing her eyes to grow wide with feigned innocence, she started to answer, “I already told you, I need—”

  “Yes, but why me? Why now?” Even as he asked, she saw understanding dawn in his eyes. Drat. “This is about Daniel and Madeline, isn’t it?”

  Hearing their names spoken aloud managed to steal some of her bravado. Pressing her lips together to keep her composure, she drew in a deep breath to steady her nerves. Now was not the time to turn into a silly, simpering little girl.