Intentions of the Earl

by Rose Gordon

  Brooke wasn’t going to dwell on this. If that’s the choice he made, that was fine with her. She’d just form a new connection and flaunt her happiness in his face, if there was any, that is. If there wasn’t, she’d pretend there was.

  She turned to survey her options. To her left Mr. Cook was drinking his wine as rapidly as the footman was refilling his glass, that wouldn’t do. She looked across the table to Mr. Grimes. He appeared decent enough, but a little rigid. Something about him struck her as cold and not very malleable, he wouldn’t do for her purposes, either.

  That only left Gateway, who probably hated her, and for good reason, too. But that couldn’t be helped, he was the only one left. She turned her head to look at him. He wasn’t looking at her, but he acted like he was clearly aware of her stare.

  She opened her mouth to say something, but he beat her to it. “Don’t even think about it, Miss Banks.”

  She flushed. “Think about what, Your Grace?”

  “I know what you’re up to. You haven’t tried very diligently to be discreet about your thoughts or future intentions.” His voice was low and hard.

  “What would those be?” she asked innocently, but her voice was unusually high pitched.

  “I have been told about a little connection that you and Townson have formed. However, now you’ve spotted him with that vulture they call Lady Olivia and you’ve decided that since he has so easily found another lady to woo, you shall find another beau to flaunt before his eyes.” He smiled at her silent admission he was right so far which came in the form of a slight half-nod. “What I cannot figure out is whether you mean to flaunt that beau, or should I say me, in front of him to make him see reason and come running back to you, or if you want to make him jealous for not making the correct decision to begin with.”

  “You have read my mind like a book, Your Grace.” Brooke said humbly. She bit her lip in aggravation and sighed. “Although, it's not like I ever really had him to begin with,” she finished dully.

  “If you want my advice, Miss Banks,” the duke said gently, “I believe you are more important to him than Lady Olivia ever could be. I do believe in no time he will return to stick in your side like a bur, just as before.”

  Brooke hoped he was right. She knew she shouldn’t feel jealous at seeing Lady Olivia with Andrew, but she did. It wasn’t as if he had declared himself to her, but she thought he might, and that would cause anyone to be jealous.

  Until now, she hadn’t realized just how much she had been counting on Andrew declaring himself to her and eventually asking for her hand in marriage. Flaunting another in his face wasn’t going to help the situation, nor was it going to make her feel any better. She’d just have to fight for what she wanted, Lady Olivia be damned.

  As was the custom, the ladies congregated in the drawing room following dinner while the gentlemen enjoyed their own company for a bit before rejoining the ladies.

  “Did either of you have a more pleasant dinner than I did?” Brooke asked her sisters when they were comfortably seated on a secluded settee.

  “No,” Liberty answered without a bit of hesitation. “As you know, I had to sit next to the dreadful Mr. Grimes. He has the personality of a brick.”

  “Then you two are well suited, indeed,” Brooke quipped.

  Liberty rolled her eyes. “I’m being serious. The man is as stiff as a fire poker. He doesn’t smile or laugh at anything, nor does he seem to speak unless absolutely necessary. Having a conversation with a person like that is painful.”

  “I agree with Brooke, you two are a match made in heaven,” Madison said with a little laugh.

  Liberty rolled her eyes again. “That man is not the one for me. Now, tell us what Mr. Thomas was like, Madison.”

  “He was very nice. More interesting than either of your companions it seems,” Madison said with a slight laugh.

  “That’s not saying much,” Liberty mumbled.

  “Who knew that the one of us that is not interested in making a match was matched up with the best gentleman,” Brooke said, imitating Lady Olivia’s pout.

  Brooke was surprised when Liberty didn’t reprove her comment, but laughed right along with her and Madison. Maybe there was hope for her after all.

  At Brooke’s urging, Madison told them about Mr. Thomas and his excellent company. “We talked about many interesting subjects, or should I say people. Mr. Thomas has an interest in gossip and he knows all the most interesting tidbits about all the members of the ton. He felt compelled to share all his knowledge with me, which I listened to only out of politeness of course.”

  “I’ll just bet you did,” Brooke said with an unfeminine laugh. Madison always had a little trouble with listening to and enjoying gossip. Papa had tried to discourage her from this, saying it was sinful, but Madison struggled with it just the same. It was a point in her favor that she didn’t further spread the gossip, and for that alone, their Papa had sung songs of rejoice.

  “Well, it would have been impolite not to listen, and I would not like to disappoint Miss Propriety over here,” she said with a pointed look at Liberty.

  “You did well,” Liberty assured her, her approval evident.

  Brooke was about to ask if Mr. Thomas had mentioned anything about Andrew when Lady Olivia strolled over.

  “How nice to see you tonight, ladies,” Lady Olivia said in a superior voice.

  “Yes, it’s nice to see you, too,” Madison replied first. “I suspect your presence here indicates that your complaint was successfully healed during your recent visit to Bath.”

  “Of course, the baths there are so wonderful. There's nothing they cannot heal.”

  Except a personality defect, Brooke thought.

  “I am glad you are doing better then,” Liberty said, shooting a quick glance over to where Brooke was being unusually quiet.

  “I am much better thank you, quite revived in fact. I do believe my energy has been restored and I can now set my sights on loftier things than just enjoying the countryside while I’m here.” Her words were a bit of a puzzle, but it didn’t take a genius to get her meaning. She was declaring loud and clear to Brooke and her sisters that her sights were set on Andrew and would be close in pocket until things were settled where he was concerned.

  Lady Olivia had said as much to Brooke at the bathhouse, but now seeing her here and declaring it again made it more permanent. If Lady Olivia were to be believed, Brooke’s time with Andrew would soon be ending. She would have to do something, but what? Hearing Lady Olivia’s public declaration was swiftly killing the bravado she had built up after her talk with Gateway.

  “I do hope you enjoy yourself,” Brooke said stiffly as she stood up, clutching her skirts. Deciding she had put up with Lady Olivia enough for one evening, she walked over to where Mama was holding court in the opposite corner.

  When she reached Mama’s side and sat down, she learned this conversation wasn’t much better. Lady Burbank was scolding Mama about the names she and Papa had selected for their daughters. Calling it a disgrace and saying it should be considered treasonous toward England. Brooke got the feeling that Lady Burbank thought that she should have been consulted when Papa and Mama had named their children.

  Even though this conversation was equally uncomfortable, it didn’t feel like her heart was breaking just by listening to it. Brooke wondered why that was. How could her chest hurt so badly? She couldn’t recognize the emotion attached to the pain. She was very familiar with jealousy, rage and anger, but this time it was different. It felt like she had lost something, but she couldn’t put her finger on what she’d lost. Nor could she name the emotion that was causing her to feel this loss.

  After ten more minutes of hearing Lady Burbank’s useless and screeching chatter, Brooke couldn’t take anymore and decided to retire for the evening. She made her farewells and was walking down the hall, looking at her feet as she went when two strong hands grabbed her shoulders.

  Her heart skipped a beat, whether ou
t of shock or excitement, she wasn’t sure.

  When she looked up, she was a bit disappointed to see that the stranger who had stopped her from running him over was none other than her own cousin. “Good evening, Alex,” she said.

  “What has you escaping so soon?” Alex asked kindly.

  “A headache,” she said. It was partially true. She didn’t have a real headache, not yet anyway, but if she were to listen to anymore from Lady Olivia or Lady Burbank she just might have one very soon.

  “There has to be a reason for your headache.” His eyes were full of concern. “Is one of the guests causing problems already?” he asked, his voice ringing with sincerity.

  Brooke knew she could trust him with her secrets. He was a quiet type. He wouldn’t go tell anyone about their conversation. “There are three reasons that contribute to my headache. They come in the form of Lady Burbank, Lady Olivia and the Earl of Townson.”

  Alex’s expression didn’t change at her words. Brooke thought that maybe he had expected to hear those names.

  “Would you care to accompany me to the library so we can talk about what’s bothering you?” he offered with a warm smile.

  “I’m not sure I should,” she said hesitantly. He might be her cousin, but surely she shouldn’t be going off alone with him.

  “If you’re worried about propriety, then don’t. Nothing is going to happen. You’re my cousin; I have no interest in ravishing you.” He offered her his arm and waited for her to take it. “Nobody will think anything of it if they did find out, Brooke. It is perfectly acceptable,” he added with an encouraging smile.

  “All right,” she agreed. She followed him down the hall to the library. Once inside, she plopped down on a settee and said, “It goes like this…”

  ***

  Fifteen minutes later Brooke had spilled her secrets about everything, well almost everything.

  Alex hadn’t said much, he just nodded and occasionally murmured monosyllabic answers as if to say he understood, though she doubted he really did. He was a man, how could he understand her feelings? Nonetheless, she rambled on.

  Finally, Alex put his hand up, signaling Brooke to stop. “Let’s make sure we’re on the same page. Andrew had been paying you unmarked attention in London. Not a lot, but enough to make you believe his intentions toward you were honorable. Then, Lady Olivia tells you she intends to snag him herself. Finally, you arrive here and he's promising things to Lady Olivia while ignoring you; which makes you think that he has shifted his interest from you to her?”

  “Yes,” Brooke said sheepishly.

  Shaking his head in disbelief, Alex stated, “I’ve known Andrew for many years. Though some may not think so, he is an honorable man. I don’t believe he has any true interest in Lady Olivia. By her own admission she's out to ‘bag him’. She was probably just playing a part when she confronted him before dinner, and Andrew is too much of a gentleman, he wouldn’t embarrass her publicly by exposing her lie.”

  “Do you really think so?” Brooke asked hopefully.

  “Yes. If what you said before about him paying attention to you and making a cake of himself in front of your family is true, then I believe that he has an interest in you, not her.” He stopped talking and laughed a little. “I’ll admit I wish I could have been there to witness him saying those things. I’ve never seen him embarrass himself. If I remember correctly, he reacts very strongly to being embarrassed or seeing others embarrassed.”

  Brooke believed that. She remembered the night her sisters had intentionally embarrassed her. He sat next to her and tried to make her feel better about it, then when it was obvious her family intended to embarrass her more by telling more stories about her, he left. She was too mortified at the time to realize what he was doing, but now that she could think about it more clearly she realized he was doing his best to protect her feelings.

  “What can I do about it then?” Brooke asked.

  “About what?” Alex asked. His brows came together and his face looked like he had no idea what Brooke was talking about.

  “What can I do about Lady Olivia? How can I compete with her?” she asked anxiously, spelling out to an oblivious Alex that she did not think the problem had magically solved itself.

  Alex leaned back in his chair. “Hmm, I do believe we need to devise a plan of action. If you truly think he was going to ask you to marry him, you could try to get caught in a compromising situation with him.”

  “I don’t think that’s the answer,” Brooke said disapprovingly. Nor was she sure that Andrew was going to ask her to marry him in the first place.

  “Maybe not. But, if you don’t do something soon, Lady Olivia might think of the same plan and she won’t be too meek to pull it off.”

  “She would not!” Brooke said vehemently.

  “She would,” Alex countered with a simple nod. “You may not know this about Lady Olivia, but as a bachelor, I've become well acquainted with her kind. She isn't attractive or even liked in most social circles, however, she still desires a husband, and I'm willing to bet she'll go about acquiring one any way she can.”

  “Would he do it?” Brooke’s voice cracked on the last word.

  “Do what? Marry a lady he was caught in a compromising situation with? Absolutely. He’s an honorable man and would do the right thing.”

  Brooke liked the idea of marrying the earl, but not the idea of a potential scandal. She didn’t want to send her family back to the United States in disgrace. Even if she married him, it would still bring disgrace on her family because of the surrounding scandal. Her family was too valuable to her for her to carelessly trample over them just to get what she wanted. “Do you think we could try something a little less drastic first?”

  “Yes,” Alex said truthfully. “Lady Olivia is desperate, but I don’t think she will push things that far this soon. She’ll try to win him with her money, class, or connections before trying to throw her virtue at him. I’ll try to arrange a few activities for the two of you over the next few days. But you’ll have to do your part as well.”

  Brooke didn’t know what her part entailed, but she nodded her agreement. She would do her part and then some if it would help her win Andrew.

  “You may not like this, but when I arrange for you two to be alone you’ll have to tease him a little.”

  Brooke let out a nervous giggle. “Tease him? How so?”

  “Little things really,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “When you put your hand on his arm to be escorted, give him a little squeeze. When you’re alone with him act like you’re going to let him kiss you, then back away before he does. Do that a few times and he’ll follow you like a lovesick puppy in no time.”

  Brooke giggled again at the idea of the earl following her like a lovesick puppy. “I can do those things. I probably shouldn’t say this, but I’ve been doing those tricks for years.”

  “No, you shouldn’t say that to anyone else; but for our purposes it works to your advantage you’ve already had plenty of practice,” he said dryly.

  “I just hope I can back away when he tries to kiss me,” Brooke said without thinking.

  “It will be easy, especially if you remember why you are doing it.”

  “Very true. I shall just have to block the memory of how good our last kiss was and focus on the future good.”

  “Your last kiss?” Alex asked, his voice taking on a sharp tone. “How many kisses have the two of you shared?”

  “Jus—just two,” Brooke stammered. “At the museum. But one was just merely a brush on the lips, so it doesn’t count.”

  Alex’s eyes looked deadly. “He better not have been trifling with you.”

  Brooke decided it was time to leave. She had possibly said too much as it was and didn’t want Alex to change his mind about helping her. “I think I better retire now in case Mama checks in on me. Thank you for agreeing to help me. I shall follow all of your advice to the letter.” Then before he could say anything else, sh
e fled the library and ran up the stairs, not even noticing the body that was standing right outside the library door.

  Chapter 15

  Andrew’s fury was bubbling inside as he left Brooke with her parents and stalked back across the drawing room to where Lady Olivia was waiting for him. He’d like to shake the silly chit until her yellow teeth rattled. Who did she think she was? And what did she want with him?

  “The Prodigal Earl hath returned,” Lady Olivia said, looking at him with that miserable pouty face she always sported.

  “Yes, I have returned per your request,” he said with a clipped voice. What was she about? Why had she accused him publicly of trying to renege on a promise he never even made? What was her game? Then he remembered she had gotten upset when he responded to her bold proposal and told her he wasn’t interested in marrying her. Her face had changed at his refusal, and then she declared something about trying to win his hand. This was how she was going about it? Wonderful. Now during the whole party she was going to plague him and try to put the other girls off, just as she had done with Brooke.

  Andrew knew it was wrong, but he wished she’d come down with a complaint tomorrow and return to London or Bath for the remainder of the party. Otherwise, he’d have to spend every last shilling he possessed bribing servants to keep him updated on her whereabouts so he could avoid her like the plague.

  “Don’t be silly,” she giggled. “You said you enjoyed my company and would be delighted to accompany me to dinner. If I were amendable, of course.”

  Her words were spoken light and airily, but her eyes told a different story. Andrew could tell she truly expected that he would agree to her charges right here and make it sound like a public declaration of his feelings toward her.

  Andrew’s jaw worked. This was a mess of the worst sort. There was only one way out: go along with what she wanted just now in order to keep gossip down; then pawn her off on some other poor sot at the first opportunity. “You’re correct, Lady Olivia, I did want to accompany you to dinner tonight,” he said loud enough for the eavesdroppers close by to hear. “Perhaps we shall discuss the rules of chess again and talk more about strategy.”