He smiled. “To speak with the bishop. I would like us married as soon as possible now. If something were to happen to me—”
She placed her finger over his lips. “Do not think it, much less say it. Nothing is going to happen to either of us.” She removed her finger and replaced it with her lips. Kissing him softly, she felt him slowly relax and respond to her kiss. She pulled away and stared up at him. “I must go now.”
“Mia,” he started and then stopped. “Enjoy your company.”
“Thank you.” Selina’s visit meant her friend must have gone into the village and talked to the pawnbroker. Mia would be able to give Simon the money after dinner.
Mia entered the salon with a smile for her friend. Seeing Selina had suddenly brightened her day. “Selina, how are you?”
Selina hugged her friend. “It’s so good to see you in better spirits.”
Mia stared at her friend in awe. Only at Selina’s wedding had she seen her friend in such a beautiful dress. Her blue muslin was a far finer quality than anything Mia had seen made here. With her blond hair upswept, Selina looked like the duchess she was. The reality of Simon’s comment about her wardrobe sank in. He would expect her to dress in fine muslins and silks. How could he ever afford such beautiful things?
She sat down on the sofa and waited for Selina to do the same. “Please tell me you have something for me.”
“I do. But you must let me apologize for this taking a few days. Colin needed to go to London and I went with him. That is where I sold the emerald.”
Mia’s eyes widened. “Does the duke know what you were doing?”
“Of course. We do not keep secrets.”
Mia could only imagine Simon’s anger when he found out the duke knew of his financial position.
“Why do you look so concerned?” Selina asked as she grabbed her reticule.
“I’m quite certain Hart will be upset that the duke knows.”
Selina shook her head. “He already knew about Hart’s finances. He had told Colin himself.”
Simon had done his best to hide his monetary woes from everyone, but had told the duke? That seemed very odd indeed.
Selina pulled a bag of coins from her reticule. “Mr. Hertzog told me that this emerald is very old and rare. As such, he could not in good conscience give what you told me to ask.”
“What do you mean? If the emerald was old and rare it should be worth at least what I asked for it.”
“No,” Selina said, spilling out the coins on the sofa. “It should be worth much more than what you asked. And with Colin standing next to me, Mr. Hertzog knew better than to cheat me out of the value.”
Mia stared at the coins in disbelief. It was more than she had received for the other pieces of gold. “I can’t believe it.”
“Nor could I. Mr. Hertzog said the age had to be at least five hundred years. And that was not an emerald from a boy’s hilt.”
“Then from what?”
Selina smiled. “A very wealthy knight’s sword, most likely. It might have been lost during a battle or when it was being cleaned. Mr. Hertzog also said if you find any more pieces be it gold, silver, or gems, he would give you an excellent price.”
“I wonder what happened on that piece of land.” If there had been a battle there, then there should be more items on that land. Perhaps she needed to spread out the area she investigated.
“Colin suggested we go through the earl’s family history. Some men were granted land after an important battle for the king.”
Mia thought about all the old books in Simon’s library. “I shall ask Hart about it tonight at dinner.”
“Excellent. Maybe he shall want to dig up the land there to see if there is any more jewels or gold.”
Mia would insist they do just that. The amount Mr. Hertzog paid her would give him enough money to last a few more months.
“Have you heard anything from Tia?” Selina asked, changing the topic of conversation. “Colin paid a call on Middleton while we were in town but Middleton said he’d not found her yet.”
“No,” Mia replied with a sigh. “It’s been a month and there has been no news at all.” With everything that had happened over the past fortnight, she’d barely thought of her twin sister. That was highly unusual. They had been so close growing up but when she moved to Middleton’s estate, they only saw each other once a week. But Mia had thought of her every day until the incident with Davies. “Did Middleton say if his brother was still in town? Maybe she chased after him again.”
“Middleton told Colin that he hadn’t spoken to his brother yet. Colin doesn’t believe he knows where Mr. Tavers is staying.”
Mia closed her eyes. “Where can she be?”
“Middleton will find her.”
“I can only hope.” A long silence filled the room as Mia continued to think about her errant sister and prayed she was all right. Middleton had promised to find her.
Selina leaned forward slowly. “How are things between you and the earl?” she whispered as if Simon might discover them speaking of him.
“We are to marry by the end of next week. You will stand up with me, won’t you?”
“Of course.” Selina glanced away with a frown. “You are certain this is the right thing to do?”
“Yes,” she said far too quickly. Was it the right thing to do? Marrying a man for his protection was not the best way to start a marriage. Although, the more time she spent with him, the more she sensed her feelings changing for him. She definitely liked and respected him, but doubted what she felt for him was love. There was no denying the attraction between them. If only they could be honest with each other.
“If you are certain, then I shall set aside my worries.”
“Thank you, Selina.” If only Mia could do the same.
Simon entered the house hours later and shook off his wet coat. He wanted a hot bath and large snifter of brandy to take the chill off. At least his trip had been successful. He had the license so they could marry on Friday at the parish church. He had contacted a local seamstress about some clothing for Mia. Once they were married, he’d have Madame D’Aramitz put together a wardrobe fitting a countess.
“Good evening, my lord,” Harris said as he took Simon’s coat and hat from him.
“Harris,” he replied with a nod. “I would like a hot bath in my room.”
“Of course, sir. Miss Featherstone is in the library reading. Will you dine with her or in your room?”
As much as he wanted to see her tonight, exhaustion had taken its toll on him. “In my room.”
“As you wish. I will notify Miss Featherstone that she will dine alone.”
Dammit, he couldn’t do that to her after being gone all day. “Never mind, Harris. I shall dine with her but I must bathe first.”
Simon could have sworn he saw Harris’s lips twitch.
“As you wish, my lord. I will speak to the footmen about the bath.” Harris walked down the corridor with Simon’s damp coat over his arm.
Simon walked up to his bedchamber and removed his wet clothes. After wrapping a dressing gown around him, he strolled to the brandy he kept in the salon of his bedchamber. The footmen brought in the tub and steaming water as he sipped his brandy. He’d thought about what Mia said all day. The house was feeling like a prison to both of them. Even just the few hours out of the house had felt wonderful. Tomorrow, weather permitting, they would get out of the house together.
Once the footmen left, he sank into the steaming tub and let the heated water warm his tired body. Not wanting to let Mia wait for too long for him, he quickly washed and dressed. He sipped the last of his brandy and headed for the library.
He could hear the infectious sound of Mia’s laughter as he walked down the hall. He’d not been informed of any visitors. What the devil was making her giggle like a schoolgirl? He stood at the threshold and took in the room.
Mia sat on the sofa, an open book on her lap, across from her Charlie lounged in the chair loo
king as if he’d been there for hours. Why was his rake of a brother in his library, flirting with his betrothed?
“Simon!” Charlie exclaimed. “About damn time you greeted me.”
“Charlie, what the—Why are you here?”
Charlie rose and greeted his brother with a hug. Simon felt his frustration growing. Charlie rarely visited Hartsfield Park, unless something was wrong. Usually, a great loss at the gaming hells.
“What is wrong?”
Charlie pulled away with a slight frown. “Why does something have to be wrong for me to visit my eldest brother?”
“Because you never come out here unless you need money or Mother insists.
Charlie turned away and grabbed his glass of sherry from the rosewood table. “Well, this time it’s not either of those that brought me here.”
“Miss Featherstone, would you give me and my brother a few moments alone?”
“She doesn’t need to leave,” Charlie said with a laugh. “Although, I would love to know why our wise woman is dining with you? And why there is no proper chaperone for her.”
Not that she needed a chaperone. Her position as a wise woman left her in a strange social status. She was well educated even if that schooling came from her father. Many people would consider her on par with a governess, while others would consider her nothing but a country peasant.
The word of their engagement would spread like a wildfire once Simon told Charlie, but there was nothing Simon could do about that. “Miss Featherstone and I are to marry on Wednesday.”
“Wednesday?” Both Charlie and Mia said together.
Charlie stared at him and then moved his gaze to Mia. “It’s about bloody well time.”
“What are you talking about, Charlie?” Mia asked.
“It’s common knowledge that Simon is—”
“That I need to marry and have an heir,” Simon interrupted. Was it possible that Charlie knew how he felt about Mia?
“Oh,” Mia said softly.
Charlie cleared his throat. “Well, congratulations to both of you. As long as I’m here, I shall stay for the wedding.”
Mia gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Slowly, she removed her hand and said, “I hadn’t thought about it until now but we can’t marry without your family being here.”
“Yes, we can,” Simon said harshly, knowing what his mother would say about the union. According to her, the only way out of his financial spot was to marry a wealthy bride. He doubted either Caroline or James would mind if he married Mia. In fact, Caroline always spoke well of her.
“Dinner is ready,” Harris announced from the threshold.
Simon held out his arm to escort Mia into the dining room. A shock of awareness skipped up his arm with the light contact. Dear God, waiting a few more days to have her again was going to kill him. And now his brother would be in the house disrupting Simon’s plan to become even more acquainted with the woman who would be his wife.
“You appear quite happy to have Charlie here,” he commented as they walked down the hall.
“I am. I haven’t seen him in over a year. When he was a child, he used to escape the house and come over to spend time with Tia and me. We were all the same age so it was quite fun to have someone else to play with.”
“Of course,” he said stiffly. Why did this bother him? He should be happy that at least one member of his family liked the idea of his marrying Mia. Perhaps it was the lecherous manner in which Charlie looked at her.
Throughout dinner, Charlie spoke of London and the ton. Simon had to admit a part of him missed the social events. Not that anyone wanted him there. But marriage to Mia would help that situation. Marriage to anyone would help at this point.
“So, Mia,” Charlie drawled, “What made you decide to accept my brother’s suit?”
Please don’t tell him the truth.
“Charlie, isn’t it quite obvious?” she replied before moving her gaze to Simon. She smiled sweetly at him.
Simon sucked in a breath.
“Perhaps it is,” Charlie said with a smile. “I would just love to hear about how you fell in love with Simon. And why it took you so long to do so? I have a feeling it has something to do with the slight bruise near your beautiful eye.”
“Your brother saved my life,” she said. “How could a woman not fall in love with a man who would do that?”
“Oh, I definitely need to hear this story.”
Simon watched the interaction between them and wondered if there was more to their relationship than just friendship. He shook his head. She had been honest about her past lovers and Charlie was not one of them.
Mia told his brother about the beating she’d received from Davies and how Simon had found her and brought her back here. “As I recuperated, I realized just what a wonderful man your brother is, Charlie.”
Charlie’s face went pallid. He frowned and turned to Simon. “Have you found this Davies man yet?”
Simon explained everything to him regarding Davies possibly being Lambert in disguise. “Now that you are here too, you should not leave without being armed.”
Mia’s mouth dropped. “You think he might be at risk too?”
“We have no way of telling, Mia. Mr. Tanner believes Lambert is out for revenge. The situation doesn’t warrant the reaction Lambert is having, which means he might not be mentally competent.”
“We must find him then,” Charlie stated vehemently.
“I have several runners working on that very thing.” Not to mention he had footmen watching Mrs. Perkins’s cottage every day until Davies or Lambert was caught.
“I will assist you.”
“Thank you,” Simon said, scraping back his chair.
“I believe I will bid you both a good night,” Mia said as she rose. “It has been a long day.”
“Of course.” Simon walked her to the bottom step. “Good night, darling.” He kissed the top of her hand when all he really wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and kiss her properly.
Mia walked up the stairs and smiled down at him one last time. Simon then moved to his study where Charlie waited for him with a brandy.
“Thank you,” Simon said as he took the glass from his brother’s outstretched hand.
“So what is really going on here?” Charlie slumped into a chair and stared at Simon.
“I wish I knew.” Simon released a long breath. “There is far more that Mia didn’t tell you.” Simon explained the financial situation to his brother but not before getting a promise not to speak of it to anyone else in the family. “I’m not worried about James. He has a steady income from the parish. Caroline has Richard who is in a good position. Mother is aware of the situation. She believes my best bet is finding a wealthy bride.”
Charlie nodded in understanding. “So if you are in a position that you need money, why are you marrying Mia?”
“You know why.”
Charlie sipped his brandy and then let his head rest back against his chair. “Love is a wonderful thing, Simon. But you could have all that with Mia as your mistress and a woman from Society as your wife.”
“I can’t do that to her,” Simon whispered.
“I know,” Charlie said with a chuckle. “I just wanted to hear you say it.”
His brother always knew how to get under his skin. “Why exactly are you here?”
“I was sent on a mission to retrieve you and bring you to Suffolk for the month of September.”
Caroline. He should have known better. “And what form of persuasion did she use on you?”
Charlie laughed. “Apparently, our little sister discovered I have an interest in a certain Miss Anna Stone. The only way her family would be invited to the country party was if I brought you to Suffolk.”
Devious. Just like Caroline. “You know I can’t go there.”
“It’s only fifty people.”
“At the house. And how many at the ball?” Simon demanded as his hand tightened around his glass.
/> “Knowing Caroline, most likely another hundred.”
“Exactly.”
Charlie slammed down his glass. “Simon, you are twenty-nine years old. It is far past time to let this go. Mia will be by your side.”
Anger grew to a boiling point. “You know nothing of this. I cannot be there with all those people.”
“Mia needs you to do this for her,” Charlie said in a calm tone.
“She is going to be the Countess of Hartsfield. It is expected that you will reenter Society once you are married. This is an excellent opportunity to bring her out in a smaller setting.”
Simon’s grip tightened so hard on his glass he finally released before it broke. “If they spoke of...” His voice trailed off as the painful memories returned.
“Perhaps you should tell her before you leave.”
“After what happened, I cannot.”
“You’re being foolish, Simon,” Charlie said. “I can see that she loves you as much as you love her. You can’t keep her here like a prisoner.”
A prisoner. That was exactly how she already felt and they weren’t even married. If he refused to go to town or any of the country balls, he was no better than Davies. Mia was a beautiful woman who deserved to be showered with silk dresses and jewels. What was the point of having those gowns made if not to show her to the world? Not that he had an idea of how he would pay for it all.
“I shall think about it,” Simon finally said.
“No, you will go. Because if you don’t, Miss Stone will not be invited and I will not go a month without courting her.”
Simon smiled at his brother’s reaction. It was nice to see Simon wasn’t the only man in the family desperately in love with a woman. He had to do this for Mia and for Charlie. He certainly wasn’t the only impoverished earl in England. Most just collected the debts and passed them on to their children. He hated that idea but had no choice until he could think of a good way to bring in some extra income. “Very well, we shall all attend.”
Chapter 16
Mia blinked again, attempting to stay awake until she heard Simon walking down the hall. She had to speak to him tonight about the emerald and the money she’d received. They must start digging out at Mrs. Perkins’s cottage tomorrow. As the small clock on the mantel chimed twelve, she rose from her seat and paced the room.
Enticing the Earl Page 13
