A Wicked Way to Win an Earl

by Anna Bradley

  His eyes drifted slowly from her flushed face to where her hand rested on the table next to her plate. He didn’t touch her, but his dark gaze scorched her skin, as surely as if he’d run a finger across her palm. Her eyes darted to his face, and her breath caught in her throat at the heat smoldering there. She knew he was thinking of how he’d touched her last night. “Especially the gardens,” he murmured.

  Delia stared at him, helpless against the stark desire she saw in his eyes. His fingers flexed, and for one awful, wonderful moment, she thought he’d touch her.

  But the spell was broken by Eleanor, who approached the table and dropped into the chair next to Lily’s. “Another fine day.” She gazed up at the sky and sighed. “What a shame. One does feel compelled to do something active when the weather is fine, and I feel quite lazy today.”

  “We could sit on the terrace and laugh at the guests as they arrive,” Charlotte suggested. “That would require very little effort, and it could be quite entertaining.”

  “I’m for that.” Robyn slouched farther down in his chair. “I’m destroyed this morning.” He ran a careful hand through his hair. “Good God—I think even my hair hurts. Where did you run off to last night, Delia? I looked for you after dinner, but you’d disappeared.”

  Lord Carlisle grinned at her, one eyebrow raised as if he dared her to tell Robyn how she’d ended her evening. “I thought I saw Miss Somerset admiring the roses last night.”

  Delia scowled at him, then turned back to Robyn. “Well, I—that is, I decided to retire early.”

  “But not too early,” Lord Carlisle interrupted. “Isn’t that right, Miss Somerset?”

  “Not early enough,” Delia snapped, but she regretted her sharp tone when Lily turned to stare at her, shocked at her rudeness. Now it was Delia’s turn to sink down in her chair. She lowered her eyes to her cup of coffee, determined not to notice Lord Carlisle’s teasing.

  “Then it’s your fault I feel so awful this morning, Delia,” Robyn said, missing the exchange entirely. “I spent the evening with Shepherdson and he was on a tear last night. If you’d been there,” he said with a wink, “I’m sure I would have behaved myself.”

  Ellie snorted. “Doubtful.”

  “Yes, Robyn,” Alec said, shaking his head. “I think Miss Somerset’s presence could tempt a man to all kinds of mischief.”

  He grinned widely at her. Delia raised an eyebrow at him but refrained from blurting out the first thought that came to mind—her presence last night hadn’t tempted him to mischief.

  Which was just as it should be, of course. She wasn’t in the least disappointed.

  He did seem bent on mischief this morning. Delia frowned, suddenly thankful she hadn’t destroyed her sketch. He must have some fiendish reason to single her out for such torment. The sketch was a handy reminder that Lord Carlisle wasn’t to be trusted. No matter how ludicrously handsome he was.

  “You should have come with us last night, Delia.” Charlotte gestured to include Lily and Eleanor. “Mother has transformed the wilderness into a kind of pleasure garden for the house party. We found the loveliest little pavilion tucked away behind a thick clump of bushes. I’m sure Mother put it there in case the young ladies wished to hide from overly persistent gentlemen.” She looked pointedly at Robyn.

  “Why are you looking at me?” Robyn protested. “After Delia went to bed, I was off to the billiards room with Shepherdson.”

  “And likely in no condition to be persistent with anyone, on any subject,” Alec said.

  “Well, it was really Archie we were avoiding,” Charlotte admitted. “He appeared late in the evening and followed Lily about all night, pestering her with his ardent admiration.”

  “Indeed?” Delia darted a look at Lily.

  Lily stirred her tea. “Yes, but there is nothing to worry about, Delia. Ellie and Charlotte are very good at finding hiding places.”

  But Delia was worried. She’d been so busy dallying with the earl she’d failed to keep a watchful eye on Lily.

  Eleanor noticed Delia’s dismay. “It’s an excellent hiding place. Secluded, and only for the ladies. You should come with us tonight, Delia.”

  “I’ll come, of course.”

  Robyn perked up. “A secluded pavilion full of young ladies and gentlemen not permitted? Ellie, Charlotte . . .” he began in a wheedling tone.

  Eleanor shook her head. “No, Robyn. You’re as bad as Lord Shepherdson, and he goes everywhere with you. You’ll ruin everything if we let you come.”

  “But I promise to behave, Ellie,” Robyn coaxed. “You’ll never even know I’m there, and I promise to send Shepherdson away. Not just for tonight, but for the rest of the house party.”

  “Oh, very well. I suppose you can join us, but we’ll banish you at the first sign of improper behavior.”

  “Does that rule apply to everyone?” Alec asked. “Will the ladies also be banished if they behave improperly? For instance, what if Miss Somerset were to try and flirt with me? Would she be banished from the party?”

  Eleanor turned her attention to her other brother. “You are a dreadful tease, Alec. Anyway, I never saw you after dinner last night at all. Who knows what sort of deviltry you were engaged in? Will you be mysteriously disappearing again this evening?”

  “No. It seems I’ll be at the pavilion with your party, Eleanor, protecting Miss Lily from Archie and Miss Somerset from Robyn. Or Robyn from Miss Somerset, if necessary.” His teasing dark eyes lingered on Delia.

  “You’re hardly a saint, Alec,” Charlotte said tartly.

  Too right! Delia couldn’t resist shooting him a little smirk.

  He smirked right back at her, and even had the effrontery to look delighted. “Oh, I think I can behave at least as well as Robyn does.” He leaned back in his chair and stretched out his legs so his booted feet brushed against Delia’s skirts.

  She jerked her legs away from him, glaring.

  “Oh, we can be assured Alec will behave, Charlotte,” Robyn said. “He’ll be at his saintliest for the remainder of the house party if he intends to be engaged by the end of it. Though why you’d want to get leg-shackled, Alec, I couldn’t say—”

  Robyn was interrupted by the sound of voices in the breakfast room. It was the countess, speaking in low, soothing tones. Delia did not recognize the other voice, but it was high and fretful. “You cannot imagine the dust and dirt, my lady! Intolerable. Mother retired to her chambers in a nervous fit.”

  Lady Carlisle came out onto the terrace looking rather hunted. “Ah, here we are.” She stepped forward with a relieved expression when she spied her four children.

  A dark-haired young lady swept along after her hostess, prattling away and daintily carrying the hem of a green gown in figured silk trimmed with matching wide green ribbon at the waist and hem.

  Of course. The earl’s future betrothed was arriving today. Had arrived, in fact, in all her aristocratic perfection. Delia took one look at Lady Lisette’s mouthwatering gown and glanced down at her own plain pink gown with a sigh. She looked as if she’d just emerged from Hannah’s scrap pile.

  Lord Carlisle and Robyn rose at Lady Lisette’s entrance. Robyn bowed and then flopped back into his chair, but Lord Carlisle took her hand, smiled down at her, and murmured something Delia couldn’t hear.

  It was easy to see why she was the belle of the season. She had straight, inky black hair gathered into a thick knot at the back of her long neck, smooth creamy skin, and melting dark brown eyes, thickly lashed and sparkling. Her gown fit her slim, petite figure to perfection. She flashed a pretty smile up at Lord Carlisle, who hovered over her as if she were in danger of collapsing at any moment into an extraordinarily graceful swoon.

  Delia just resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Dainty, delicate ladies did seem to bring out a man’s protective instincts. Judging from Lord Carlisle’s ridiculous fawn
ing, he wasn’t an exception to that rule.

  Well, it appeared Lord Carlisle preferred the gaudy, extravagant, showy red rose after all.

  All of his formidable attention was now focused on Lady Lisette. He seemed to have forgotten Delia was even there. Which was just as it should be, of course. She wasn’t disappointed. Not in the least. She was simply shocked at how effortlessly he drifted between ladies, as if he were wandering from rose to rose in the garden. Today he was every inch the aristocratic gentleman of the ton. A few days ago he’d been the rake who debauched village women on public roads.

  And last night, for one brief moment with her, he’d been a gentleman. But who would he be tomorrow? The man who seduced an innocent young lady for sport and then sent her back to Surrey in disgrace?

  Lord Carlisle drew Lady Lisette forward as if she were a prize to be presented to the rest of the gathering. “Lady Lisette, you know my brother, Robyn, and my sisters, Eleanor and Charlotte. This is Miss Delia Somerset and her sister, Miss Lily Somerset. This is Lady Lisette Cecil.”

  Delia and Lily nodded politely. Lady Lisette’s wide brown eyes narrowed. She measured Delia and Lily, noting every detail. “These must be the two young ladies your mother spoke of,” she finally said dismissively. “She said you have guests from the country.”

  There was a patronizing emphasis on the last words, as though “the country” were equivalent in Lady Lisette’s opinion to Dante’s seventh circle of hell. Delia glanced at Lily, who continued to sip her tea calmly. She gave Delia a tiny shrug and a bland smile as if to say, Who cares what she thinks?

  Eleanor must have caught the subtle glance between them. She sat up in her chair. “Yes, Delia and Lily were kind enough to come from Surrey to be our guests for the house party. They’re our particular friends, you see.”

  It sounded like a warning, and Lady Lisette seemed to consider it one, for her eyes went as cold and hard as stones. “How lovely they were able to accommodate you, Eleanor. It’s kind of you to invite them. I imagine you don’t have the opportunity to spend much time in society, Miss Somerset.”

  This last comment was directed at Delia. Before she had a chance to answer, however, Charlotte spoke up. “Eleanor and I just returned from a visit to Surrey ourselves, Lady Lisette. I think you’d be pleasantly surprised at the society there. We found the company quite entertaining.”

  Lily held her napkin delicately to her lips at this blatant lie, but Lady Lisette didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes were still fixed on Delia. “I would be surprised indeed,” she said in a bored tone; then she turned to Lord Carlisle with a little toss of her head. “Alec,” she cooed, laying her hand flirtatiously on his arm. “I find myself in need of some exercise after such a long ride in the carriage. Isn’t there an archery course set up on the west lawn? I thought I saw it as we passed.”

  Alec gave her an indulgent smile. “There’s an archery course, and cricket and bowls and a variety of other games. I think you’ll find my mother has gone to great lengths to ensure our guests are well entertained over the next few weeks.”

  Lady Lisette inclined her head, as if the entertainments had been set up for her own exclusive enjoyment. “Splendid! You will escort me?” She turned away, clearly intending to exit the terrace on Alec’s arm and leave the rest of the party behind.

  Alec turned back to the group at the table. “Does anyone else fancy a game before luncheon?”

  The last thing Delia wished to see at the moment was Lady Lisette deploying her arrows, but Ellie, who seemed to have shaken off her laziness, shot at once to her feet. “Archery sounds like just the thing. Come along, everyone! We don’t wish to keep Lady Lisette waiting.”

  Robyn uttered a defeated groan, but he dragged himself to his feet and offered his arm to Delia. “Shall we go shoot some arrows at some targets?”

  Delia glanced at Lord Carlisle as he walked away with Lady Lisette on his arm.

  Don’t tempt me.

  Chapter Twelve

  The sun continued to shine with cheerful insolence, despite Eleanor’s wishes to the contrary. Guests began to arrive in earnest, and they crowded onto the lawn, drawn outdoors by the warm rays. The ladies, dressed in light muslin gowns of every color, strolled across the green expanse, peeking at the gentlemen from underneath the cover of their parasols. The gentlemen flapped and paraded around the lawn bowl court or the cricket pitch like a disorganized flock of birds, flaunting their skills for the ladies. It was all very romantic and picturesque. Delia would have enjoyed it immensely were it not for the blot on the landscape that ruined the effect.

  The blot—Lady Lisette, hanging on the earl’s arm, his dark head inclined toward hers. He seemed to be fascinated with whatever it was she was saying. Perhaps she was regaling him with tales of the dirt and dust on the roads? Describing her mother’s recent nervous fit? Asking if he could help her locate Surrey on a map of England? Whatever it was, Delia hoped with all her heart he found it tedious.

  “May I ask, Eleanor,” Charlotte began peevishly, “why you were suddenly taken with a fit in favor of archery? I thought we were going to sit on the terrace and mock our guests as they arrived?”

  “Too right,” Robyn echoed. “Laze on the terrace all day and mock the guests. I’m destroyed this morning, you know, Eleanor.”

  Delia believed him. She thought he’d offered her his arm to be gallant, but gallantry seemed to be too taxing for Robyn this morning. The farther they walked, the more she began to suspect she was the only thing holding him upright.

  “You’re destroyed every morning, Robyn,” Eleanor snapped.

  Delia glanced at her curiously and noticed her mouth was a thin, tight line.

  “Whatever is the matter, Eleanor?” Charlotte quickened her steps to catch up to her elder sister, and laid her hand lightly on Ellie’s arm.

  Eleanor thawed a little at the affectionate gesture. “I’m anticipating a game of archery with about as much enthusiasm as the rest of you. It’s the dullest sport imaginable. But I refuse to leave Alec alone with that, that . . .”

  She stopped, as if words failed her.

  “That scheming snob?” Charlotte asked.

  “Precisely,” Eleanor said in grim tones. “I’m willing to spend a tedious afternoon at archery if it means delaying Lady Lisette’s transformation from scheming snob into the Countess of Carlisle.”

  Lily looked surprised. “Oh, dear. You don’t care for Lady Lisette?”

  Delia said nothing. She trudged along, propping Robyn up and trying to hide the fact she was hanging on Eleanor’s every word.

  “No,” Eleanor said shortly. “I don’t relish the idea of having her for a sister-in-law. Of course, my opinion would be nothing if I believed she’d make Alec happy.”

  Delia took a deep, quiet breath. Her heart jumped and thrashed in her chest until she was sure everyone could hear it. Alec and his lovely companion had disappeared around a corner, but Delia could still picture his dark head bent toward Lady Lisette, and the annoyingly enthralled expression on his face. Either he didn’t find gallantry as taxing as Robyn did, or Eleanor was mistaken.

  Robyn looked at his sister with a puzzled expression. “But Alec asked Mother to invite her. She’s the toast of the ton, after all. If he wants to marry a scheming snob, I suppose that’s his choice. Have you ever known Alec to do anything he didn’t want to do, Eleanor?”

  “Don’t you see, Robyn?” Eleanor asked. “He thinks he wants to marry her, but the point is, Alec is most assuredly not in his right mind!”

  “Not in his right mind!” Robyn repeated. “He seems remarkably sane for a man not in his right mind. I’ve known very few madmen with Alec’s arrogance.”

  “At the risk of offending you, Robyn,” Eleanor said, “I feel compelled to point out your brain is addled from an excess of whiskey, and has been for the better part of the past year. Otherwise you would have n
oticed a change in Alec’s behavior since Father died.”

  There was a brief, charged moment of silence. Then Charlotte said, “He is the Earl of Carlisle. He has responsibilities now.”

  “Yes,” Eleanor agreed. “And while it may be important for the Earl of Carlisle to marry the toast of the ton, I’m not sure Lady Lisette’s much-vaunted charms would tempt Alec.”

  Was there a difference? Which of the two of them was toying with her? Whichever one it was, Delia felt sure it wasn’t the same man who was courting Lady Lisette.

  “Come, Eleanor,” Charlotte said. She took Ellie’s arm. “Do let’s hurry and catch up with them.”

  The two of them hurried off, tugging Lily along with them. Robyn seemed disinclined to hurry, and Delia wasn’t sure he could make it to the archery field without her, so they quickly fell behind. Robyn was silent, apparently lost in thought, but after a while he turned to Delia. “Do you think Alec is mad?”

  “Must one be mad to consider marriage to Lady Lisette?” she asked, a bit ashamed of using such an obvious ploy.

  Say yes say yes say yes.

  He shrugged. “Not at all. She has her choice of suitors. Her father is a wealthy earl and she’s a noted beauty.”

  Well. What a very long list of very fine qualities.

  “I don’t think Lord Carlisle is mad, no.” A rake, yes. A tease, certainly. A base, conscienceless seducer? Possibly, though it was doubtful she’d ever find out now Lady Lisette had arrived.

  Which was just as it should be. She wasn’t in the least disappointed.

  Delia doubted that young lady would allow her prey out of her sight for the remainder of the house party. She’d clutched at his arm as if she were starved, and he were a tender, delectable morsel of beef.

  A frown settled between Robyn’s brows and he was silent for some minutes. “If my father were alive, he’d insist his heir marry the toast of the ton. Perhaps that’s what Ellie means—Alec is determined to make a spectacular marriage, as any proper earl would. I’m damned grateful I’m not the Earl of Carlisle.”