The Reclusive Earl

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Realizing he probably looked foolish, still remaining in the drawing room when everyone else was gone, he started to head out when Warren returned. He stopped. Had he done or said something to upset her brother?

  “I just wanted you to know that you are welcome to this family,” Warren said.

  “Really?” he blurted out before he had time to think over his question.

  Warren smiled. “Really. Your reputation is stellar in London. You’re known for being good with money. You don’t associate with the wrong gentlemen. I see no reason to think you will be bad for my sister.”

  “I appreciate that.” Actually, he appreciated it much more than Warren would ever know, but he chose not to add that.

  “My biggest worry this Season was that she’d end up with a rake or a gentleman who couldn’t hold onto his money. She’s the only sister I have, and I want the best for her.”

  “I’ll be good to her,” Landon promised.

  Warren smiled. “I’m sure you will. I’ll see you at the wedding.”

  Landon wished Warren a good-bye and left, for once feeling optimistic about the future.

  Chapter Seven

  “I knew this gown would be perfect for you,” Iris’ mother gushed when Opal’s lady’s maid was finished helping her get dressed for her wedding. Iris’ mother gave her a signal to spin around. “Let’s see what you look like from the back.”

  Opal turned around and was rewarded with an excited cheer.

  “You look like royalty,” Iris’ mother said.

  “You do make a lovely bride,” Iris agreed. “I can’t remember seeing anyone look so beautiful.”

  “Oh, don’t be modest,” Iris’ mother told her. “You were just as beautiful.”

  Though Iris shook her head, she said, “That’s nice of you to say, Mother.”

  “You were,” her mother insisted. “I saw Warren when you came into the drawing room. He was very interested in you.”

  “I wish I had been there to see you and my brother get married,” Opal told Iris.

  “You would have liked it,” Iris’ mother said. “Iris, don’t you still have the gown that you wore?”

  “Of course, I do,” Iris replied. “I don’t throw anything out.”

  “You should wear it. Then Opal can see what you looked like in it,” her mother said.

  “This is Opal’s special day,” Iris replied, “not mine. I want her to be the center of attention.”

  “She’ll already be the center of attention because she’s the bride,” her mother said.

  Iris let out a weary sigh, so Opal decided to intervene. “I don’t think we have enough time. We should go downstairs.”

  Iris’ mother glanced at the clock on the wall and gasped. “You’re right.” She lifted the hem of her long gown and gestured for Opal and Iris to follow her. “Poor Landon was so nervous when he arrived. I don’t want him thinking you’re having second thoughts about marrying him.”

  “Is he really nervous?” Opal asked as they left her bedchamber.

  “The poor gentleman keeps wiping his forehead with a handkerchief,” Iris mother replied. “I offered him one of my own so he could use a clean one.”

  “Mother,” Iris began, “that might have made him more nervous. Now he knows someone has noticed how much he’s sweating.”

  “I wasn’t trying to make him more nervous,” her mother argued. “I just wanted to give him a dry handkerchief.”

  “I know you meant well, but he’s terribly shy,” Iris said. “I can’t blame him for being so uncertain, especially since he’s worried about the way he talks.” The three headed down the stairs, and Iris lowered her voice. “He is going to have to speak in front of everyone during the vows. He might worry someone in the group will make fun of him later on when he’s not around.”

  “Maybe I should assure him that no one will make fun of him because of the way he speaks.”

  Iris took her mother’s arm and stopped her.

  Opal, in turn, also paused.

  “You can’t tell him that,” Iris whispered. “It’ll make him feel even more nervous than he already is.”

  “How can that be?” her mother asked, eyes wide.

  “Because then he’ll know that you know why he’s nervous.”

  Her mother glanced at Opal as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “That makes no sense.”

  “You’ve never been shy, so you have no idea how difficult being the center of attention is for people like me and Landon.”

  Opal offered Iris’ mother a smile. “Everything will be fine. Let’s just enjoy the ceremony.”

  Her mother hesitated for a moment but nodded. “All right. I won’t say anything about his unease.”

  “Thank you,” Iris replied with a grateful sigh.

  The three went down the stairs in silence. Opal adored both Iris and her mother. The two didn’t agree on many things, but it was obvious they loved each other, and they had welcomed Opal into the family. Iris had treated her like a sister, and her mother had treated her like a second daughter.

  Opal’s own relationship with her mother had left a lot to be desired. It was a shame that it hadn’t been like the easy friendship Iris and her mother shared. But there was no going back and having the kind of relationship she wished she could have had. All she could do was move forward and be glad she was no longer a prisoner in that country estate.

  When Warren rescued her from all of that, her life had improved dramatically. Now she could look forward to each day, anticipating all of the wonderful things that were to come. And she had a feeling her marriage to Landon was going to be something she could enjoy. He might be terribly shy, as Iris put it, but he had a sweet disposition about him that let her know he’d never do anything to hurt her.

  They reached the drawing room, and she took a moment to peek into it before anyone could notice her. Landon was standing with the vicar and his brother. While the vicar and Landon’s brother talked, Landon dabbed his forehead with his handkerchief. Warren was talking with Iris’ father. A lady sat in one of the chairs, holding her baby.

  Thinking the lady must be Landon’s sister-in-law, Opal entered the room and approached her. “Good morning,” she greeted.

  The lady rose to her feet. “Are you Opal?”

  “Yes.”

  “Guy is my husband. I’m Virginia.” She rubbed her baby’s back. “This is Thalia.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.” In a lower voice, she added, “Now I know why Landon’s been so distracted lately. You are as attractive as he said.”

  Landon said that? About her? Opal’s face flushed with pleasure. It was nice to know he thought she was pretty.

  Warren came over to them. “Are you ready, Opal?”

  Opal nodded then told Virginia, “I look forward to getting to know you and your darling baby during the breakfast.”

  Opal followed Warren over to Landon, who was taking his handkerchief back out of his pocket. She inwardly winced. The thing was already damp. She doubted it would do much good at this point. But he proceeded to wipe it across his forehead.

  How was it possible that someone could be so nervous? She had thought after the dinner party, he would have relaxed. But he appeared even more anxious than before. She glanced over at Iris’ mother, recalling her comment on how poorly the gentleman seemed to be doing. Iris’ mother made eye contact with her, and she shrugged as if to say she wished he had taken her handkerchief when she’d offered it to him. Opal would hand one to him now if she thought he’d take it.

  Iris was probably right, though. It might be best to ignore his constant sweating. The last thing she wanted to do was make him more self-conscious than he already was.

  The vicar began his speech, and she directed her attention to him. Since she’d never had the opportunity to watch a wedding, she had no idea how long the ceremony was supposed to be, and it turned out to be a lot longer than
she’d expected. She kept thinking that at any moment it would be over, but the vicar went on and on about the beauty and virtues of marriage.

  That was fine, she supposed, except that as time progressed, she became more and more aware of how much Landon kept shifting from side to side. This made it harder to concentrate on the vicar. In fact, it made her so aware of Landon that she kept glancing his way. He continued to wipe his face, but it did little good. She could see the beads of sweat lining his brow. From time to time, the sweat even trickled down his face.

  She wanted to hold his hand to reassure him that everything was all right, but she didn’t dare. She didn’t think she could touch him. Not when everyone else was standing around them and watching.

  When it came time to repeat his vows, he kept his voice so low that it was hard for even her to hear him. Several times, the vicar asked him to speak up, and he would for a few seconds before his voice faded back to an almost inaudible level.

  At one point he swayed and lost his balance. Fearing he was going to fall into her, she grabbed his arm to help him stay upright. Guy ran over to them and steadied him.

  “I’m thorry,” Landon mumbled, his face turning bright red.

  “It’s all right,” Guy whispered. “We’re almost done.” He glanced at the vicar. “We are almost done, aren’t we?”

  “Yes, we’re almost done.” The vicar pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to Landon. “Here you go. Use this.”

  Face growing even redder, Landon accepted it and tried to wipe his forehead. The handkerchief fell out of his hand, and as Guy hurried to retrieve it, Landon also bent down. This resulted in the two butting heads. The two immediately backed up from each other. Guy went one way, and Landon went the other. Opal happened to be in Landon’s way. She tried to take a step away from him, but her foot caught on the hem of her gown. As a result, she fell right on her behind, and her gown came up to her knees, exposing her stockings and slippers to everyone in the room.

  Warren and Iris hurried to pick her up, and Warren quickly adjusted the bottom half of her gown so she was presentable. Guy was saying something to Landon, but Landon shook his head and ran out of the room. Guy and Virginia, in turn, ran after him.

  Iris’ father let out a hearty chuckle.

  Opal, Warren, Iris, Iris’ mother, and the vicar turned to him. When Iris’ father realized all eyes were on him, he said, “I have to admit that was the most entertaining wedding I’ve ever been to. Usually, these things put me to sleep.”

  “Well, you did keep trying to doze off,” Iris’ mother replied. “I got tired of trying to nudge you so you’d stay awake.”

  Warren directed his attention the vicar. “Were we done, or do we have to bring Landon back in?”

  The vicar, who’d been chuckling under his breath, cleared his throat and shut his book. “That’s all we need.” He took a step to Opal. “I hope you go easy on the groom. I’ve never seen anyone so nervous before.” He retrieved the handkerchief from the floor and slipped it back into his pocket. “I have no doubt he’ll be a kind and gentle husband.”

  Iris waited until the vicar left before telling Warren, “I thought Viscount Bridgeton was shy, but I’m starting to wonder if Landon is more so.”

  “Landon’s not as shy as Viscount Bridgeton,” Warren replied. “Viscount Bridgeton would never have shown up here today.”

  “Where do you think Landon went?” Opal asked them.

  Warren shrugged. “There are so many small rooms and closets in these townhouses, he could be anywhere.”

  “Should we send some of the staff to look for him?” Iris asked.

  “Don’t do that,” Iris’ father said as he came over to them. “It would only embarrass him more. I think the best thing to do is have the wedding breakfast and hope he shows up.”

  “I don’t know if he’ll do that,” Iris replied.

  Warren frowned. “You don’t think Landon’s going to hide somewhere in this townhouse all day, do you?”

  She shrugged. “I might if it was me.”

  “So what do you suggest?” he asked.

  “Well, his brother went after him.” Iris glanced at the doorway, and the others did, too, as if doing so would magically make Landon appear there. When he didn’t, she continued, “I say we have the wedding breakfast. Maybe his brother or sister-in-law will come and tell us what happened to him.”

  The others nodded, and given the situation, Opal thought that option was best.

  The five left the drawing room, and Iris’ mother came over to Opal and whispered, “Looking back, I think we should have offered him a chair. It might have set him at ease, the poor thing.”

  Maybe. Opal wasn’t sure if that would have worked or not. Even if he’d been sitting, he might have dropped the handkerchief and bumped heads with his brother as he went to retrieve it. Who knew if he would have fallen off the chair? He was so nervous that something bad might have happened regardless of what anyone else had done.

  Opal couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Really, the accident hadn’t been that bad. It wasn’t like they were out in public or in front of a group of strangers. They’d been at a small ceremony with close family. But how could she explain that to him when he was nowhere to be found?

  Chapter Eight

  Landon ended up hiding in the attic, which also served as the maid’s bedroom. While he berated himself for running off like a scared fox, he couldn’t talk himself into leaving the safety of the small space. At first, he had tried to leave the townhouse, but Warren had so many servants doing their chores through the entire place that he hadn’t been able to find a way out unless he wanted to run into one of them. And who knew if the servants would tell Warren that his new brother-in-law was trying to leave without the bride?

  He should have stayed in the drawing room. Yes, it’d been horrible that he had knocked Opal over, and it had been even worse that her stockings had been exposed to everyone. But it was much worse now because he’d run off. Not only had he proven himself to be clumsy, but now they’d know he was a coward.

  He should have stayed right there and helped her up. Then he should have apologized and accepted whatever consequences came from it.

  This was why he was the laughingstock of the Ton. He consistently made the wrong decisions. He acted without thinking, often running off at the first sight of trouble, and because of that, no one had any respect for him. The lisp was only a small concern. Deep down, he really was a coward. He was so afraid of people that he needed his brother to do as much with him in social situations as possible. He didn’t know how he was going to break out of his fear of people. He kept thinking the more he forced himself to get out, the easier it’d be, but it didn’t seem to work.

  He put his head in his hands and sighed. Of all the gentlemen someone like Opal could have married, he was the worst pick. The poor lady was going to know she married a coward, and she was going to hate it. No lady wanted to be chained to someone who couldn’t get through a simple wedding ceremony without embarrassing her.

  He heard someone climbing the steps of the attic and hurried over to the corner of the room, huddling behind an armoire.

  “There’s nowhere else he could be,” he heard Guy say. “We’ve searched every other inch of this place, and we know he hasn’t left because his carriage is still here.”

  “Maybe he walked to your home,” Opal said.

  Landon stiffened. Guy was bringing Opal with him? He wished Guy was with Virginia. Even if he was with Warren, it would have been better. Just how was he supposed to face Opal after what he did to her?

  “No, he didn’t walk to my townhouse,” Guy said. “After how embarrassed he was, he wasn’t going to risk being seen by anyone. There are so many servants through here, he hid somewhere in this place.”

  Drats. Guy knew him far too well.

  The footsteps came closer, and Landon had two options at this point. He could keep hiding and hope they didn’t find him…though he
was sure they would. It wasn’t like he could become invisible. Or he could step forward—something he should have done a lot sooner—and confront them.

  Bracing himself for what was to come, he forced his steps forward. In the sliver of sunlight coming in through the curtain covering the small window, he saw his brother checking under a blanket that was covering a piece of furniture while Opal was looking inside a large trunk.

  He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. When they looked his way, he said, “I acted inappropriately. Forgive me.”

  Opal shut the trunk and went over to him. He studied her face. She didn’t look mad. If anything, she looked relieved to have found him.

  “No one is mad at you, Landon,” she said. “We know it was an accident.”

  “I’ll leave you two to discuss this,” Guy told him. “But she’s right. You made much more out of the incident than it really was.”

  Landon waited until his brother headed back down the steps before he turned his attention back to her. “I feel like a fool,” he admitted, trying not to cringe as he said the words because it only emphasized how inept he was.

  “I know you’re embarrassed by what happened.” She took his hand into hers. “I also know it’s easy for me to tell you that you have no reason to feel that way. But in all honesty, while we were eating, we thought the whole thing was funny.”

  “Funny?” How could she say that?

  With a chuckle, she squeezed his hand. “Well, it was. Take a moment to think it through.”

  Since she watched him expectantly, he figured she was waiting for him to do just that. As much as it pained him to recall the whole sordid thing, he did, and he didn’t see where any of the humor was. In fact, it only seemed worse now that he had time to carefully think through the whole incident.

  “Maybe it isn’t funny to everyone,” she amended. “But you have nothing to worry about. We all understand you didn’t mean to bump into me. No one is going to be critical of you, and we aren’t going to tell anyone else.”