Intentions of the Earl

by Rose Gordon

  Earlier in the evening he’d planned it all out. He was going to take her out to the woods promptly after dinner. He’d suggested to a few of the gentlemen tonight that they should go out and see Alex’s telescope tomorrow night. Andrew wasn’t into much astronomy, but he did know a little. He casually mentioned that some planets could be easily seen tomorrow night. Whether true or not, he didn’t know, nor did he care. All he needed was just for a few people to see that Brooke had been compromised.

  The extra benefit to doing it this way was is that only the truly scientifically interested would be coming out. Which would be enough for Brooke to be shamed, but this group was not a bunch of gossips, so the tale was unlikely to spread so quickly it would cause her any more undue stress. It would spread of course, but not so quickly that her whole family would be forced to steal away in the dead of night.

  The whole idea made his stomach turn sour. How could he have ever agreed to such a stupid scheme? What on earth had possessed him to do so? Until a day or two ago, he'd kept reminding himself of the money he would be able to earn after he got the estate back. Not a lot, but enough to get him out of debt and get on with his life. Then, the money problem seemed to fade when Willis mentioned the mines. Not that he wanted the mines, but if there was no other choice he would drill. The problem was he would still have to come up with the blunt to put the mines in, but that was minor compared to what he was about to do.

  Then he’d tried to use his guilt for his past relationship with his mother as a reason to go through with it. The dowager house at Rockhurst had burned down fifty years ago and the impoverished earl at that time could not afford rebuild it; and no one since then had bothered to, either. His guilt ate at him. He had wronged his mother so many years ago by sending her back into that isolation in Essex all because he couldn’t handle the taunts and rumors about them and their pasts.

  The problem of his mother’s residence could also be solved by the mines. If they made enough money, he would be able to build a house wherever she wanted.

  So why was he still going to go through with it?

  Then he remembered the written agreement he had with Gateway. There was nothing written about consequences Andrew or Brooke would face if he didn’t go through with it, but he knew there would be. There always were.

  More than ten years ago he’d learned that lesson for himself when he refused to cover for Gateway when he went out drinking one night and missed a mathematics final the next morning because he overslept. Not only had he not lied about Gateway’s whereabouts but he'd refused to tell him what was on the examination. Later, when Andrew was riding on his way to London, he was attacked by a band of highway men who had stolen anything valuable he had with him, including his horse. Then when he was walking down the road to find a new mount, Gateway came up behind him and jumped him. They each threw a few good punches, but because Gateway had the advantage of catching Andrew unawares, he came out the victor of the fight, if you could call it that. That’s when his nose got broken and decided to never deal with Gateway again. He’d held to that well enough for ten years. Now he wished he’d held to it longer.

  Shaking his head, Andrew rolled over, stuffed a pillow under his stomach and tried to sleep.

  But sleep wouldn’t come.

  The next day passed in waves of boredom and tension. Tonight was the night, he kept reminding himself. Both of their futures would drastically change after tonight—one for good, one for bad. Knowing this led to Andrew’s inability to keep concentration and pay attention to anything anyone was saying.

  Andrew was still trying to get past his guilt and unease when he met up with Brooke outside the servant’s entrance where they'd arranged to meet to sneak out to the telescope to look at some stars.

  They walked in silence to the gazebo where Alex kept his telescope. He occasionally looked over at her form. She was beautiful. She walked with such grace and she had good posture, even for being and American. Her body was so lean and straight and when she walked she looked like she was floating. Never did she stumble or misstep. She was perfect. Too bad this would be the last time he’d get to look at her thus.

  When she looked over and almost blinded him with her smile, he could feel a knot form in his gut. He tried to chase it away by thinking of the wrong he was going to be able to correct by pulling this off. He was going to make amends with his mother, and Brooke was going to be safe from Gateway back in America. However, as much convincing as his mind was doing, his heart felt heavy and started to hurt. Was there really any greater good by doing such a vile thing? Andrew gave a harsh laugh at the thought.

  “Something funny?” Brooke asked innocently.

  Andrew started when Brooke’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “No,” he answered smoothly.

  Brooke nodded, but looked like she didn’t understand at all.

  They continued to walk in silence. “I must say that I didn't pin you as one who was interested in stargazing,” Brooke said lightly.

  Andrew flashed a smile. “No? I may not be very knowledgeable, but when I go to Rockhurst sometimes I look up at the sky.” That wasn’t entirely a lie, he did look at the stars at Rockhurst, just not from a telescope.

  “I’ve noticed it’s nearly impossible to see anything through the thick fog in London.”

  “Is it easy to see the stars in New York?” Andrew asked casually, fighting for calm from the storm that was brewing in his body.

  “Yes. Well, most times. To be truthful though, I have no earthly idea what anything up there is besides the sun, moon, and stars.”

  Andrew put his arm down and grabbed Brooke’s hand. With her hand in his, he intertwined their fingers. “You mean you have no idea about the constellations?” he asked in mock horror. At his words, he noticed her brow had puckered. “Is that not a term you are familiar with?”

  “No,” she admitted. “I assume it has something to do with the stars, beyond that I fear I am without knowledge.”

  “We’re even then. I haven’t a clue about them, either. Alex has a telescope out here that we can look through, but I have no idea what we'll be looking at,” he confessed with a small smile.

  Brooke smiled at his open acknowledgment of lack of knowledge. “Most men I know would never admit such a thing. Instead, they try to pretend they know everything about the subject until they’re proven wrong. Even then, they are still reluctant to admit they were clueless all along. That’s what I like best about you, Andrew; you’re so honest with me.”

  His heart felt every word of her statement. If only she knew just how dishonest he'd been with her since the day they’d met.

  They walked together in companionable silence a little further before Brooke stopped walking and turned to face him. “We’re not just here to look at stars, are we?” she asked, her voice had a hint of excitement.

  “Perhaps. Perhaps, we might do something else,” Andrew allowed. Was he really that transparent? He hoped the excitement he heard in her voice was not nervous excitement.

  They walked a few more steps before finding a little gazebo type structure that was tall and thin. Up at the top of the gazebo was a long tube hanging out one of the top windows.

  “This is it,” Andrew said, gesturing to the gazebo. “I believe we must climb up a few stairs in order to get to the eyepiece.” He walked over to the entrance and waited for her to step inside.

  Brooke stepped inside and looked around. “It’s rather dark,” she mused after a minute.

  “Good thing I brought these then,” Andrew said as he pulled two candles and small holders out of his pocket. “I wasn’t sure if there were candles already down here, so I took to liberty of swiping some on the way out.”

  Andrew lit the two candles and handed one to Brooke who took it and walked a whole three steps to the other side of the gazebo.

  “Not very roomy is it?”

  Andrew stifled a small laugh. “No, I’m afraid not. Alex probably doesn’t make a regular practice of bringing guests
here. We’re probably the only people besides Alex to ever sep foot in here.”

  Brooke walked back to his side and together they looked at the makeshift ladder. “I hope this can hold us both,” Andrew said, grabbing the ladder and giving it a shake to test its durability.

  Brooke let out an unfeminine laugh.

  Andrew’s gaze shot to her. “Something funny?” he asked, using her own words back to her.

  “Yes. No. Well, a little.” Andrew's arched brow prompted her to say, “It’s just that you are just like other men. Instead of inspecting the wood to make sure there are no major cracks or broken steps, you jiggle the ladder to see if it gives way.” She shrugged. “It’s just funny the way you're testing the ladder, that's all.”

  “But why?”

  “It just doesn’t seem like your personality. I thought you’d just walk right on up,” she said flippantly.

  “And find out the ladder is unstable that way?” Andrew asked, stepping away from the ladder. If she thought he looked ridiculous by jiggling the ladder, he’d just let her test it herself. “All right, the ladder is all yours. You may check it however you see fit.”

  Brooke put her candle down on a nearby ledge, marched right up to the ladder and began to climb.

  Immediately Andrew’s hands went to her waist and tried to pull her off. “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.

  “What does it look like?” she responded defiantly.

  “It looks like you are about to break your silly little neck.”

  “Do try not to be so dramatic. If Alex climbs up this ladder, there is no reason that it would not be able to hold me.” She looked over her shoulder, and cast him a skeptical look. “Do you see a reason it would not?”

  “No,” Andrew said hastily.

  “Good, because if you were going to say anything to imply otherwise, I was going to have to brain you with the telescope,” she said with a smile.

  Brooke climbed up a few steps up to the telescope and looked out. “Oh, it’s wonderful! It is like the stars are so close I could touch them.”

  Andrew put his candle down next to hers and came up behind her. “Are they?” he murmured in her ear as his hands moved to clasp her waist.

  Brooke slightly jumped at his touch.

  Andrew steadied her. “It’s all right. Just relax. What do you see?”

  Brooke put her eye back up to the telescope and looked out again. “Stars. Lots of stars.”

  “Anything else?”

  She gave a little shrug. “The moon.”

  “Tell me about the stars you see,” Andrew whispered in her ear. His fingers started to rub slow circles on her waist and hips.

  Breathlessly, Brooke started to go into detail about every star she saw until she was rambling about absolutely nothing.

  Andrew took Brooke’s inability to form a proper sentence as a good sign. His hands moved from her hips and he was massaging her lower back with his thumbs while his fingers were splayed over her ribs.

  “No corset tonight?” he murmured against her ear.

  “No,” she breathed.

  He lowered his head and feathered kisses along the back of her neck and in between her shoulder blades. Slowly he took his hands from her sides and brought them up to where the buttons started at the back of her gown.

  Resisting his primal urge to rip that row of buttons apart with no regard to her gown, he traced slow patterns on her neck and upper back where it was exposed. He took delight in the shiver he felt run through her body.

  He bent his head close and softly kissed her soft, warm skin again. Her skin was so soft on his lips, and her sighs so sweet to his ears, he had to resist his own urge to sigh.

  He kissed her with open mouth kisses on her back while undoing the first button of her gown. He undid two more and pressed his lips to each of the points of her spine he’d just exposed, giving each a warm, wet kiss.

  He felt her whole body relax and sag against his. “We should probably get off this ladder,” he whispered in her ear.

  Brooke let out a little gasp as he undid a few more of her buttons, but did not resist when he stepped down from the ladder, taking her with him.

  Once she was off the ladder, he snuffed their two candles and tucked them back into his pocket. Taking Brooke by the hand, he led her outside.

  They walked about twenty feet in the direction of the house when he tugged on her hand and walked over to a little area of trees he had seen earlier. This area afforded them some privacy, but was still close enough that anyone who came walking by would notice something going on and would be likely to stop and inquire; which would in effect lead to the demise of Brooke’s reputation.

  Shaking off his guilt as best he could, Andrew dropped to his knees and pulled Brooke down with him.

  Brooke’s hands went to his face and she ran her fingers along his hard cheekbones and jaw bones while his hands found her hair and began to remove the pins. “I’ve wondered what it looks like when it’s all down,” he murmured before taking her mouth in a consuming kiss.

  Brooke’s lips relaxed and relinquished control. Andrew’s lips took the control that was offered and he began to kiss her with the stark hunger of a starving man who could only survive if he ate and drank what Brooke’s lips alone could offer.

  Her hands left his face and she wound her arms around his neck. Andrew gently pushed her backward until she was lying on the ground. She ran her fingers through the curls that rested on his neck before she moved them to explore his hard shoulders.

  He sought to deepen their kiss, and she willingly responded by opening her mouth to his. His fogged brain remembered this. He remembered how sweetly she tasted the other day in the orangery and when they kissed on their picnic. His hands hand finally freed all of her hair and he broke away to look at it.

  “You’re hair is so beautiful,” he panted, running his fingers through her long silky brown locks.

  “So is yours,” she said without thinking.

  Andrew smiled. “As much as I admire my hair, it pales in comparison to yours.” Then before she could argue or say another inane comment, he took her mouth again.

  Gently, he came to settle with his upper body directly on top of hers, his legs on the ground next to hers. His hands left her hair and went to her sides where they skated up and down her ribs.

  Brooke’s hands squeezed and kneaded his shoulders before they moved down to explore his muscled chest. After a minute she moved them inside his coat, and ran her fingers along the top of his shirt and waistcoat. He could feel the warmth of her fingertips radiating through the layers of his clothes.

  He pulled away from their kiss and looked down at Brooke. She was staring at his lust consumed face as it hovered right above hers. Her eyes were wide with wonder; it was a sight he could look at forever.

  It took only a matter of seconds for him to remove his coat and waistcoat then toss them in a pile beside them.

  Taking hold of Brooke’s hands he brought them up to his chest and leaned back in to kiss her again. “Touch me again,” he said, breaking their kiss for a second.

  Instantly, she resumed touching his muscled chest through his shirt. When she reached a finger in between his buttons and touched his bare chest, Andrew groaned. When she started to undo his shirt, he groaned again. “You’re too much for me, sweetheart,” he panted, rethinking his decision to leave his shirt on. He only left it on so she wouldn't think he was pushing her.

  Brooke’s fingers worked the best they could at getting his buttons undone. When she had three undone, she ran both hands up and down his chest. Her fingers set out to explore his chest, searing his skin with each and every touch.

  Taking advantage of Brooke’s interest in his chest, he moved his lips from hers and kissed her jaw, then moved onto her neck. When his kisses lingered to the top of her chest, her fingers stopped moving and her head lulled to the side. His hands slid down the front of her body, caressing every part of her they could. She was so so
ft and curvy in all the right places.

  His hands traveled down to her skirt and grabbing handfuls of the thick masses, he pulled it up, baring her delicate stocking-clad legs delicious inch by inch. Moving his body lower, he kissed the plane of her chest while reaching for the leg he'd just uncovered.

  He put his hand on her slim ankle and with his thumbs gently massaged a steady rhythm right above it before sliding his hand up the delicate curve of her calf. Her flesh was smooth and pliable, just like a woman ought to be. His hand found her knee and he ran a gentle finger along the back.

  Brooke released a gasp when Andrew’s fingers touched her thigh and massaged the soft flesh around her garter.

  Andrew took her gasp as encouragement and he hooked his fingers around her garter and undid the tapes. When he felt her body tense, he moved his hands lower and caressed her knee and calf.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  Brooke bit her lower lip, but didn’t answer.

  Seeing her hesitation, Andrew removed his hand from her leg. He resettled his body with one of his legs settling in between hers then came up on his elbows, to look into her beautiful brown eyes. “Brooke, I’ll stop if you ask it of me.” His lust riddled mind hoped she would not ask it, but he needed her to know he would never force her.

  Her body relaxed once again and she moved her hands to his neck and pulled him down to her. Their mouths met and they were kissing again. Brooke’s hold of his neck loosened and she ran her hands back down to his chest and slipped them inside his shirt, but this time she moved her hands to feel the broad expanse of shoulders.

  Slowly breaking their kiss again, Andrew’s lips kissed her chin and jaw while his hands went to her chest. Slowly and gently, he traced the curves of her breasts, going under and to the sides of them without actually touching them, the same way he’d done yesterday. He remembered how much she had liked it before and how relaxed she had been when he’d done it then. When he felt her fingers relax on his shoulders and saw her eyes shut, he moved lower.