Momentarily distracted by the way the fireplace outlined her curves through the thin fabric of her gown, he failed to respond.
She frowned. “My lord, my apologies for assuming the worst of you. It was just such a strange situation to witness.”
“Thank you. And my apologies for tossing you onto the settee, but it was important to me that you know the truth about what had happened. Or rather, what did not happen.”
She nodded and resumed chewing her lip. For an absurd moment, he contemplated soothing it with kisses. Good grief. He needed to go to bed and end the evening before he got himself into any more trouble.
“Did you have a reason for coming down here? I thought you had retired for the night after I walked you to your bedchamber.”
“Not really. I just wasn’t ready to retire yet. Have you had any luck with the journal?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t had time to work on it.” Lifting it from the table where he had left it, he flopped onto the settee and pulled out the grille. “I’ll try to get through a few pages while you choose a book, and we can walk back together. Heaven knows who might be skulking about the house at this time of night.”
After a quick glance at the page, he highly doubted there was a clue to be revealed in this entry. Nevertheless, he applied the grille just as he had on every other page. He glanced up when Miss Winthrop sat next to him. “Have you found a book?”
“Not yet.” She pointed to the books on the table. “I haven’t been able to narrow it down.”
Edward went back to reading the journal.
“What new surprises will my lover have for me tonight?”
He shifted and glanced at Miss Winthrop, but she appeared to be absorbed in her book.
“I long for the sweet torture of his touch, for the pleasure he brings me.”
Sitting next to her was becoming a form of torture, as he imagined giving her pleasure, wishing he could discover her most sensitive places. He shook his head and attempted to focus on finding the clue, but the grille revealed the words “throb,” “craving,” and “attention.”
It was just his luck that Miss Winthrop chose that moment to check on him.
She glanced at the page. “Have you found anything… Oh.” Obviously she remembered the passage, since she blushed immediately. “I shouldn’t think that section would hold a clue.”
He grinned. “I agree, but we must be thorough, which means checking each and every page of the journal, even the, er, saucy entries.”
“Yes, of course we must be meticulous.” Still refusing to meet his eyes, she cast her glance toward the floor.
“I’m sorry, Miss Winthrop. I did not intend to make you uncomfortable.” He closed the journal.
She placed her hand on his and sent a jolt through him, despite the fabric of her glove between them. “No, my lord. It is not your fault. If I hadn’t already read the journal, I would never have recognized the passage. It was quite…surprising the first time I read it.”
“Yes, I imagine so.” Edward shifted again and glanced at her, wondering if her skin was as smooth as it looked. He wanted to trace the delicate line of her jaw and press his lips against the pulse in her neck, and…and it was time to leave. He leaped off the settee.
“Have you chosen a book?”
She met his eyes. “I’ll just take them all.”
He picked up her stack of books and opened the door for her. They made their way to the family wing of the house in silence. When they reached the door to her bedchamber, he stopped. “Thank you for not automatically condemning me after the incident with Lady Phoebe, Miss Winthrop.” He bowed to her.
“You’re welcome, my lord.” She curtsied and shot him a grin. He handed her the books, and she disappeared into her chamber.
He thanked the stars she hadn’t been privy to his thoughts in the library. Though there was no logical explanation for it, he was pleased not to have lost her regard. Perhaps it meant more to him because she was one of the few people who had nothing to gain by offering him false compliments.
Chapter Eight
Despite having stayed up much later than was usual for her, Isa woke up at the same time as any other day. The incident with Lord Kenworth and Lady Phoebe last night flooded her mind, and for a moment, she thought it must have been a dream. Though she knew ladies could be compromised all too easily, she had never imagined that one would set out to deliberately compromise herself in order to make an advantageous match. No doubt there were few who would resort to such drastic measures, but it gave her a new appreciation for the pressures Lord Kenworth faced. Of course, his situation was so much more advantageous than hers that she could hardly feel sorry for him, but at least now she understood him better.
Thankfully George would never have to worry about that sort of thing. As the dinner progressed last night, she had become more certain that no one attending the house party would recognize her. She had spent very little time in London as a child and had been only fifteen when her father fled the country to avoid his investors. It had been four years since she accepted the position with Lady Concord, so if anything, she was more likely to be recognized as her companion than the daughter of Lord Stowe.
She broke her fast with Lady Concord in her bedchamber, then headed down to the library with Biscuit at her heels. Aside from the servants, the other occupants of the house seemed to all still be asleep.
After making herself comfortable on the settee, she studied the new portrait over the mantle. She couldn’t help but think that they were missing some sort of important hint within the picture. What if the grille was simply a ploy to keep them from moving forward? She didn’t see any way that both the grille and the second clue from the journal could be relevant to the solution.
Footsteps sounded in the corridor, and she knew who it was without looking. He entered and sat beside her. Biscuit stretched and sidled over to greet him.
“I hadn’t expected to see anyone else up so early.” He pulled the journal from his pocket and set it on the table in front of her.
“No luck yet?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I need more time to check all of the pages.”
“Though I know you are reluctant to accept it, my offer to help still stands.” She turned away from his questioning gaze and pointed toward the fireplace. “What do you see when you look at the portrait?”
“I assume you mean other than my great-great-grandmother and the tiara.”
She didn’t respond. They both studied the picture. There was still something about the painting that bothered her. Why would she have had her portrait made in a place other than her own home? It required many hours to sit for a painting. Surely she would not have wanted to spend that much time somewhere else. Unless the background of the picture was a clue.
Lord Kenworth shrugged. “What do you think is wrong with it?”
“I don’t know yet, but there’s something that’s not right.”
He stood and paced to the window, then paused there and studied the landscape while drumming his fingers against the sill. His behavior this morning was odd. He seemed restless, though perhaps he was just frustrated with their lack of progress with the search.
“I am giving a tour of the gardens this afternoon. Will you come?”
Isa frowned. “It’s not the sort of activity Lady Concord would attend. She is no longer able to cover large distances.”
He turned back toward her, and she met his eyes. Something had changed between them, but she wasn’t sure what. Her heart stuttered, and she turned away from his intense gaze.
“You needn’t worry about that. My mother does not plan to attend the garden tour and has invited Lady Concord to play cards with her this afternoon.”
“I ought to stay with my employer.” She had meant to sound firm, but instead her statement came out more like a question, like she was inviting him to persuade her to join the tour. Though she was grateful that the duchess attempted to include her in the activi
ties of the house party, her effort was wasted. Isa was no longer a part of the world of the aristocracy, and she likely never would be again. If she was lucky, she might someday marry a country squire and live a quiet life away from all of this, but that was the most she could hope for, and there was no point in pretending otherwise.
“I would like for you to be there.”
She turned and studied him. There was something in his eyes, something vulnerable that had not been there before. He ruined the effect when he clasped his hands under his chin and batted his eyelashes like the worst sort of coquette. Try as she might, she could not contain her laughter. “Why are you so set on my attending?”
“I need an ally. Without my parents chaperoning, I am vulnerable to the advances of the ladies.”
She pursed her lips and glared at him.
“Because I’m afraid you will commandeer the journal, solve the riddle, and locate the tiara without me.”
She bit back a smile. “That excuse is at least believable.”
“Because there ought to be one other sensible person present. I need someone to look after my interests and protect me from the meddling mamas and ambitious ladies.”
“Surely there cannot be other ladies in attendance willing to compromise themselves in order to make a good match. But just in case, perhaps you ought to follow your parents’ wishes and apply yourself to choosing your wife before you find yourself stuck with one not of your choosing.”
He drew his brows together and was quiet for several moments. “I have already determined that none of these ladies meet my expectations. Hence the need for my own chaperone. Please? Louisa will be there, and you can spend most of your time with her.”
“Since you are clearly determined to have me attend for some unknown reason, I will. But don’t view this as an indication that I will continue to humor your whims. If I thought I could get my hands on the journal, I wouldn’t hesitate to refuse you.”
“As I am well aware. Thank you.”
He definitely wanted her to participate in the garden tour, and she intended to figure out why.
Isa smoothed her simple cotton gown. It certainly couldn’t be compared to the expensive attire of the other ladies present, but she liked it, and that was all that mattered. It wasn’t as if she was competing with them for Lord Kenworth’s hand. Staying at the back of the group allowed her the chance to explore. The others remained as close as possible to Lord Kenworth while he explained the layout of the gardens.
“Because of the position of the house, it is possible to exit on different levels depending on which side of the house you leave from. We shall explore the lower gardens first, but had we exited from the north side, we would now be in the rose gardens at the top of the hill.”
While the rest of the party admired the formal gardens, Isa and Biscuit focused on the wildflowers that had been allowed to grow at the edge of the path. She lost track of time as they wandered farther away from the rest of the group. Footsteps sounded on the gravel path, and she noted Lord Kenworth walking toward her. She bit back a smile.
“I love that the gardener allows the wildflowers to flourish alongside the formal gardens.”
“It is my mother’s doing. Wildflowers are her favorite, despite the fact that the buttercups make my father sneeze.”
“If that isn’t a sign of his love, I don’t know what is.” She ran her hand along a honeysuckle vine and leaned in to catch the heady fragrance of the flower. “This is my favorite.”
He moved to stand directly behind her. “So that is the perfume you wear. The scent is so subtle on you I couldn’t place it.” Her stomach quivered. He drew in a deep breath, and she wasn’t sure if he was sniffing her or the flowers.
“I’m afraid I cannot afford to purchase perfume, so the scent comes from the soap we make at Concord House.”
“It is a lovely scent on you.”
She spun around and he was so close, he reached out to steady her. A frisson shot through her. She swallowed and looked up into the storm of his emerald eyes. Why was he attempting to charm her? What could he want from her?
“Miss Winthrop,” he said, but was interrupted by the arrival of Louisa.
“Edward, you are needed to solve a dispute about the growth cycle or some such nonsense.” Louisa gestured toward the topiary garden.
“Couldn’t you have handled it?”
“Perhaps, but I didn’t want to. Besides, the squabbling of the ladies is intended to attract your attention, not mine.”
“Is that what women think? That men enjoy watching them fight among themselves?”
“I’m sure I don’t know.” She turned to Isa, who stood quietly, watching their exchange. “Would you like to walk down to the footbridge? I can show you the place where Edward nearly drowned while attempting to catch a fish.”
“Good lord,” Lord Kenworth mumbled while he walked slowly toward the ladies involved in the disagreement. Isa did not envy him his task.
She slid her arm through Louisa’s. “I would greatly enjoy exploring the footbridge.”
They negotiated a set of narrow stairs built into the hill, then strode onto the bridge. Biscuit stopped at the end of the path and barked at them.
Louisa smiled. “I think he objects to the way the moving water is visible though the spaces between the slats of wood.”
“Poor darling. You’ll just have to wait there for me.” She glanced around. “What a charming location. I imagine you spent much time here as children.”
Louisa nodded. “Especially Edward and the other boys. I never quite had the stomach for catching fish. It seemed so cruel to remove them from such an idyllic place and eat them. Instead, I would sneak crumbs from the kitchen to feed them, and they became so tame everyone agreed it wasn’t fair to catch them. Now the boys fish in the ponds farther afield and, when they’re feeling adventurous, in the River Wye.”
Isa grinned. “That sounds like something I would have done to my brother.”
“Miss Winthrop—”
“Please, call me Isabella.”
“I would be delighted. Isabella, aside from acting as Lady Concord’s companion, you seem no different from the other ladies attending the party.”
Isa supposed that was true, but she tensed as she waited for Louisa to continue her question. “I thank you for the compliment, and I’m pleased that I have not embarrassed Lady Concord with my conduct.”
Louisa clasped her arm. “That is not at all what I meant. It’s just that…if I’m not being too impertinent, why are you working as a companion?”
“It is very simple. My father made some unwise investment decisions and left my brother in debt. Both of my parents are now gone, and I don’t wish to be a burden to my brother, so I chose to accept a position with Lady Concord. Unfortunately, it is not an usual situation for untitled gentlemen to find themselves in.” Though she felt it necessary to mislead Louisa to protect herself and her brother, she had not told a lie. What she had said about untitled gentlemen was true; it just happened that her brother was not one of them.
“You are very brave to go out on your own and also very kind to help your brother.”
“Yes, well, one does what she can to help her family.” Except she didn’t feel much like she was helping anyone. Instead, she thought only of all of the half-truths she had told Louisa and the duchess…and Lord Kenworth. She had placed herself in an impossible situation, and there didn’t seem to be a way out of it without revealing her identity. Which would also reveal her duplicity. She paced to the middle of the bridge and gazed into the water. “Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to hear the story of your brother’s near drowning.”
“It’s not nearly as exciting as it sounds, but we all enjoy ribbing him about it.” She turned to face the other side of the bridge. “He hooked one of the larger fish, but the line got caught under a rock and broke, and he didn’t want to leave the fish with the hook in its mouth, so he jumped in and swam after it.”
; Isa tried to picture Lord Kenworth doing that, and to her surprise, it wasn’t a stretch for her to imagine him trying to save a fish.
“The trouble came when his boot caught between two rocks. The current in the creek can be very strong, especially after it rains. As I’m sure you know, it is nearly impossible to remove riding boots when they are wet. Luckily, Papa was nearby and was able to haul him out.”
Isa’s heart pounded as if the event was unfolding before her. “How old was he when this happened?”
“He was home on break from Eton, so maybe twelve or thirteen? In truth, I’m not old enough to remember when it happened, but we all enjoy teasing him about risking his life to save a fish.”
Instead of coming across as an irresponsible mistake, it made Isa respect him more.
Footsteps crunched on the gravel path behind them. The rest of the guests followed along behind Lord Kenworth like ducklings behind their parents.
He sped up, increasing the distance between himself and his flock. “I have no doubt you’ve already given Miss Winthrop an exaggerated account of my fish story. Will I be allowed to provide a rebuttal?”
Isa spoke before Louisa could respond. “That won’t be necessary, my lord. Your sister’s story did much to raise my esteem of you. I’m afraid your version of the story might erase that small gain.”
He glanced around and lowered his voice. “In that case, please, I beg you, join us for the picnic Mother has arranged for us. I must hear sensible conversation from someone, or I fear for my sanity.”
Isa and Louisa exchanged glances and followed him across the bridge before the rest of the party caught up with them. Servants were setting out the picnic in the shade of the trees at the edge of the family cemetery. Biscuit barked and whined pitifully from the other side of the creek. Isa took pity and went back to fetch him and carry him across the bridge.
How to Bewitch an Earl Page 7
