An Earl's Guide to Catch a Lady

by Wilde, Tanya

  “But what if we are attacked or robbed!”

  Matthew regarded Lady Josephine dispassionately, as if noticing her for the first time. “Madam, I have no interest in you or your concerns.”

  James stirred, every protective instinct coming to life. “I really don’t feel inclined to follow your orders,” he said narrowing his eyes on Matthew, sudden steel entering them.

  Matthew smiled bitterly. “I’m not giving you any choice.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  Matthew moved so quick that before anyone knew what he was about, he had James by the lapels and was throwing him out. A feat to be sure, considering James was built like a brick wall. He gave Jo and Belle one hard look and they scrambled out of the coach in a hurry.

  “Good luck Evelyn!” they chirped.

  “You’re staying with me,” Matthew growled in a voice that brooked no opposition when she moved to follow her friends.

  Evelyn would be a fool to stay with him in his condition, but he left her no choice. The words brooding and furious seem to have been created just for him. He settled himself across from her, his knee brushing hers deliberately, she thought. As soon as the door shut the coach sprang for-ward.

  “You can’t just leave them there!” Evelyn hissed outraged.

  “Settle down Evelyn, your brother and St. Aldwyn will find them shortly.”

  Matthew’s dark gaze again caught hers and Evelyn felt as if he tried to look into the depths of her soul. It was a chilling thought, but it gave her hope. Perhaps he cared for her after all.

  “You aren’t eloping.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Of course not. I have no idea where you got such a ridiculous notion.”

  “Your note.”

  “I never said anything about eloping; only that he was escorting me to Scotland. I planned to join my Aunt for a while. Why are you here?” she asked, growing weary of his hard, glittering eyes on her.

  His stare never wavered but turned incredulous. “Why?”

  Evelyn drew herself up an inch. “Yes, why?” she said testily. “I told you I will not marry you. I believe I have made that fact clear.”

  Matthew stiffened.

  “And furthermore,” Evelyn added, “I won’t be exiled to the country, I have said as much.”

  A long silence ensued, only the clatter of hooves and rattle of the carriage could be heard, the tension palpable. Matthew reached deep inside him, and visibly, with great effort, relaxed every muscle one by one.

  “You have never told me what I’ve done,” he finally whispered, “to earn your distrust?”

  Evelyn sighed. He was right.

  “You do not believe I matter enough to tell me things. Things I would want to know. Marriage is a partnership of trust.”

  “I have never lied to you, Evelyn, if you wanted to know something, all you had to do was ask,” he sounded annoyed with the accusation.

  “I shouldn’t have to ask! I have to trust that you will tell me.”

  “You can trust me.”

  “Truly?”

  “Yes,” he grumbled. “You don’t tell me things too.”

  The statement brought her up short. He was right. Again.

  “I’ve admitted as much and I’ve made it clear when I omitted any truth.”

  His jaw muscle tightened. “You astound me with your reasoning. But you omitted, very conveniently, your true identity when we first met at the Inn. You my dear did the exact same thing I did.”

  “That does not count!”

  When he quirked a brow she continued, “I never thought I would see you again!”

  “Why are you doing this?” he said with a frustrated breath, causing Evelyn to wince. “Why do you continue to look for excuses?”

  “Excuses? I’m not the one forcing you to marry me.”

  “No, you are not. But you are the one unable to accept that I am not a monster trying to lock you away in a dungeon.”

  He was right again.

  “Why can you not have faith in me?” he persisted.

  How was she to explain? A few days ago she had been so certain what she wanted from life. Now, she not only knew she wanted Matthew, she couldn’t bring herself to grab hold of him. Now that she had finally fallen in love, she was scared out of her wits. What if he did not love her the same way she loved him? She would love him forever, but that did not mean he would.

  Then there was Charlotte. Did he still love her? That woman had crippled his heart. As it stood, he would suffocate her with his jealousy.

  “It is not faith that I’m lacking.”

  “Liar,” he accused softly.

  His gaze held hers.

  She swallowed.

  “What I would like to know,” he said quietly, “is what it is that troubles you so much that you feel compelled to run away from me.”

  She averted her gaze, staring through the window at the passing trees.

  “Evelyn.” The chiding affection in his tone unsettled her. “Why are you running away?”

  Evelyn felt her chin quiver. She could not bring herself to say the words that would seal her fate even though she very much wanted to.

  His tone shifted. “Is it me? Do you find me lacking?” he asked, dropping his gaze to her lips.

  Oh, No. It wasn’t that. Why would he think that? He was perfect.

  “Perhaps I don’t love you.”

  Matthew grinned. “You do love me.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “You would suffocate me.”

  His grin widened. “I’d give you as much freedom as you want.”

  “I’d want a partner.”

  “I’d be one.”

  “Yesterday you said—”

  “Yesterday I was a jealous fool, today I realize that. Evelyn, I love you. I have loved you since the moment you stumbled into my bedroom, whether by accident or planned, I don’t care. I am asking you, begging you not to leave me. Stop running from me and run toward me, us, our future. I’ve been such an ass. I promise I will spend the rest of my life making you happy. Take a chance on me, Evelyn. I will never be an easy man to live with and I’m too set in my ways to change overnight, but I will try my best not to be too difficult.”

  Evelyn blinked. He loved her?

  He leaned forward and took her small hands in his.

  “I do not desire an ordinary life. I crave dragons and witches. I wish to save the hero and defeat the villain. Give me that, and I will be yours for-ever,” he quoted.

  Tears gathered her eyes. “You read Lady Sugar Finds Love?”

  “Every damn word.”

  Evelyn blinked away her tears. He truly did love her.

  “Please don’t cry,” he muttered, panic starting to edge into his voice at the sight of her watered eyes.

  “You love me?” she asked uncertainly.

  “With my heart. All my life,” Matthew confessed in earnest.

  Evelyn shook her head in denial. “You are insanely jealous,” she whispered hoarsely.

  “Another excuse, Evelyn?” he asked gently. “I am a jealous fool yes, but only because I’m afraid of losing you.”

  He gathered her into his arms, placing a chaste kiss on her nose.

  “I will never give up on us. As long as my heart beats, as long as there is breath in me, I will fight. Without you there is only darkness. I am so tired of the darkness. So what is it to be? Do I continue to fight, or will you admit you love me?”

  When she only stared at him with those vivid, huge eyes, he didn’t think, he just acted. His lips crushed hers, smothering her gasp. He took advantage of her surprise, pulling her closer to him. There was something deep and primal lurking inside him. That same primal urge made him press her to surrender to him. This wasn’t lust. It was terror and fear that caused the beast to rise to the surface. He was terrified she would continue to reject him and that he would have to resort to kidnapping. He certainly wasn’t above kidnapping.

  To hi
s relief she relented when he deepened the kiss. She responded, tentative at first and then with growing passion. His tongue touched hers and his hand followed the curve of her spine, keeping her close to him. He pressed himself against her, wanting her to feel his desire for her, wanting to remind her that a simple kiss could ignite this explosive spark between them.

  Evelyn caught her breath, enjoying the feel of him against her as she looped her arm over his shoulder, while his arms held her captive. Slowly, deliberately, he began making love to her with his tongue. She felt his mouth smile against her hers when a little groan escaped the back of her throat. Her body fit so well with his.

  Slowly, reluctantly he broke the kiss.

  “I love you. I do not want to spend one more moment apart from you. I can’t breathe when you are not near me.”

  His voice was rough as his gaze riveted on her swollen lips. They covered hers again, in a hard kiss that tasted of passion and hunger.

  But just as quickly as he’d started the kiss he ended it, lifting his head and staring down at her with glittering eyes that seem to see every thought floating in her mind.

  “Say it,” he whispered as his eyes held hers spellbound.

  “Say that you love me.”

  In that moment Evelyn knew she was done resisting him. She loved him. She wanted to be with him. And this would be the perfect moment to admit it, in his arms, eyes locked together, swollen lips, love sparkling in his gaze. But she had taken too long to answer, and he mistook her silence for denial.

  Matthew sighed in defeat. “Evelyn,” he whispered raggedly. “You have such a wild imagination, yet for some reason you cannot imagine that I love you, you cannot imagine yourself loving me.”

  Evelyn choked on a sob, “I do love you, from the first moment. I was so blind, and then you arrived with Charlotte on your arm and I thought I was too late.”

  Evelyn was sobbing uncontrollably now and Matthew tightened his arms around her as relief washed over him. He pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

  “This is our fairy tale,” he whispered against her ear and for the first time in six years, he believed it.

  “Matthew—”

  He pressed a finger against her lips to cut her off. “I will try not to be too much of an overbearing love sick fool, but I will never leave you, never betray you. I may as well never let you out of my sight again. You are too much trouble.”

  Evelyn laughed through a sob. “I know.”

  “I am not saying it will always be easy,” he murmured, his fingers brushing over her tearstained cheek in a feather light touch. “But we are both worth giving each other a chance. I am entrusting you with my heart, it’s yours to do with as you please, and I am asking you not to break it. Will you trust me with yours?”

  Evelyn wiped the tears from her face. She could not believe it had taken so long for her to see what was right in front of her all along. He was right. They both owed themselves this chance at a fairytale love.

  “Yes,” she whispered and snuggled deeper into his embrace. She smiled when he inhaled the scent of her hair.

  A mischievous glint entered his eyes, “Imagine that.”

  Thanks for reading!

  I hope you enjoyed An Earl’s Guide to Catch a Lady!

  If you’d like to learn more about me and my books, please visit www.authortanyawilde.com and sign up for my newsletter to be notified whenever I have a new release. You can also follow me on Twitter @wilde_tanya or like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Tanya-Wilde

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Tanya Wilde developed a passion for reading when she had nothing better to do than lurk in the library during her lunch breaks. Her love affair with pen and paper soon followed after she devoured all of their historical romance books!

  When she’s not meddling in the lives of her characters or drinking copious amounts of coffee, she’s off on adventures with her partner in crime.

  Wilde lives in a town at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains, South Africa.