Romancing the Earl

by Heather Boyd

  Besides, he was more than happy to keep the duke waiting on his answer since he’d stolen back his remarkable chef, Monsieur Laffitte.

  And if Lenore was still not back by the time he finished dressing, he had no reason to linger at home. Wharton had been complaining that he never visited him often enough at home. Perhaps he’d go there now and drag Wharton out of his bed for breakfast.

  But should he ask where Lenore had gone? Did husbands do that when they didn’t love their wives? Perhaps they didn’t. However, Price was becoming curious about his wife and what she did with her time when he wasn’t with her. “Did you hear where my wife was bound for?”

  “Bond Street. Gone shopping, I heard, my lord.”

  “Good.” He didn’t see anything wrong with his wife having her own busy life and interests outside their home. But it was starting to concern him that, after weeks of marriage, he really didn’t know what her favorite things might be. Lenore was a sensible, practical woman and had the right to buy herself anything she wanted, but one day he might just want to give her a small gift. He should know her favorite color and favorite flower, if he’d paid proper court to her.

  The rush to marry had been entirely his doing.

  Now she was out in the carriage he’d purchased for her, and that was all he’d hoped for when he’d decided she needed one of her own instead of sharing his. Still, he missed the comforting routine of starting each new day talking to her over breakfast foods.

  He gave his cravat one last-minute adjustment, and he was ready to face another day.

  So far, this marriage he’d arranged for himself was turning out to be quite uneventful. Sometimes it seemed he was still a bachelor, and that didn’t seem right. Lenore didn’t ask him where he went or when they might speak to each other again. She made no demands on his time. She seemed determined to be a silent spouse and let him find amusement elsewhere, while she did, too.

  He glanced at her door again. Shouldn’t a wife want to spend time with her husband and say so?

  “Mr. Humphries asked me to mention that there are a great many letters for you, my lord,” Norris remarked. “He put them with the rest downstairs in your study.”

  “I’ll look at them later.”

  Norris winced. “If I might be so bold, my lord, the butler also said I should mention that your desk is getting a bit full.”

  Price sighed. “Yes, I am aware of that.”

  “You could engage a secretary to tidy up for you, my lord,” Norris suggested.

  Price stared at the man, jaw clenching. Hiring a secretary was an idea the butler, a man who’d been with him since he’d come of age, had brought up before. Unfortunately, Price didn’t trust easily anymore. Certainly not when it came to his business affairs. He would muddle through on his own, though perhaps he should not leave the matter of answering his correspondence to languish entirely. He had been out a lot of late. There were likely things that needed his attention.

  He made himself shed his irritation with the new valet. Humphries had thrown Norris into the fire to do his bidding rather than risk dismissal himself. “Perhaps when you are finished tidying up here, you could tell Mr. Humphries to look to his duties instead of fussing like an old woman over mine.”

  A hot flush of color stole up the man’s cheeks. “Sorry, my lord. I was just trying to do what I was told.”

  “Humphries should know better than to send my valet to do his reminding. You can go, Norris,” he ordered.

  The valet hurried to finish and fled.

  Price headed downstairs a few moments later, filled a plate from the sideboard in the breakfast room and then detoured into this study to eat alone. The latest crop of letters should at least be seen, if not read through.

  The first dozen were unimportant. Invitations and announcements from acquaintances, but he dealt with each just to be rid of them. However, as he neared the bottom of the pile, one letter caught his attention. He noticed the address was the same as Lenore’s last employer. He grimaced and opened it.

  Lady Kelly begged his pardon, but she was in a panic and appealed to him for advice. Lenore had apparently abandoned her employment, and no one knew where she’d gone. Since Price had written one of Lenore’s letters of reference, she believed Price might want to know about her disappearance, should his letter of reference be used again.

  The lady suggested some ill or other had befallen Lenore to make her run away from a much-admired place of employment and position.

  Price read the letter a second time, and then caught a hint of suspicion and disapproval of Lenore in the wording. Lady Kelly did not accuse but she suggested, very subtly, that Lenore had changed since he’d written his letter of recommendation.

  What exactly had been going on there before Lenore had joined him in London?

  Price’s lips twisted, as did his gut. It seemed not to have occurred to Lady Kelly that her companion might have run off to get respectably married.

  It was wrong of Lenore not to have given her notice, though he knew why she’d fled in such a hurry. At the very least, they should have written to Lady Kelly to give her the good news of her marriage and improved situation. Price would not allow his wife’s character to be maligned out of ignorance. Lady Kelly should be set straight before she caused embarrassment for them all.

  He sat behind the desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. He wrote and politely informed Lady Kelly not to be concerned, and briefly explained that Lenore was now Lady Carmichael, his wife, and that the new countess would write her a letter when it was convenient to her.

  By the time he was ready to sign it, he heard the front door open and voices ring out in the entry hall. Recognizing his wife speaking to a servant, and Hero’s bark, Price hurried out to meet her.

  Lenore was just removing her bonnet from her dark hair when he saw her. His steps slowed as she smiled at Humphries and declared she’d had a wonderful morning.

  Wonderful—without him. What exactly had she been doing to smile so contentedly now? “Good morning, Lady Carmichael.”

  Her smile slipped as she heard him but then quickly returned before she curtsied deeply in his direction, as if she was in his employ. That would not do, and he moved to catch up her hand in his.

  Hero licked his free hand and jumped about as he usually did, full of excitement.

  Price studied Lenore in the light. She seemed quite flustered. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, my lord. It’s just a surprise to see you home at this hour,” Lenore said, her cheeks slowly becoming flushed with bright color as she pulled her hand out of his grip. She hadn’t expected him…or was it that she’d hoped not to see him?

  “I was attending to some correspondence,” he said, watching her closely, wanting to hold her tiny hand again. “Might I have a moment of your time, Lady Carmichael?”

  “Of course.” She nodded quickly but first handed a package to the footman. “Could you have my maid put that in my bedchamber, on my writing desk, sir. Tell Molly she must not unwrap that package under any circumstances.”

  “Of course, my lady.”

  She looked at Price expectantly when the footman was gone. “You wanted to speak to me?”

  “Yes. But it would be better if we had this talk in the privacy of my study.”

  “How intriguing,” she murmured. “I am at your complete disposal, of course.”

  He gestured her ahead of him, and she preceded him to the back of the townhouse. Price’s gaze drifted over her, down her back, and up again to the simply arranged bun at the back of her head. Lenore’s appeal had definitely increased since they’d married. Or perhaps he’d been blind and stupid about her attractiveness before.

  Once inside his study, Lenore looked around curiously. “Very cozy.”

  Had she not set foot in this room? When he thought about it, he wasn’t sure if Lenore spent very much time downstairs other than in the morning or dining room. He’d certainly not heard of her having callers, but then again, he’d
often been out for the latter half of the days since they’d married. He wasn’t at all sure of her schedule. “I’m glad you approve.”

  “So, what is this about, my lord? You seem very serious.”

  “I had a letter about you today. I have written an answer, but perhaps you should read it first in case I’ve said something wrong,” he suggested, and at her frown, he explained. “Your last employer is beside herself with worry over your whereabouts.”

  Her brows rose as she read Lady Kelly’s letter, and then she picked up his response.

  She quickly read his letter and handed it back. “You realize the moment we tell Lady Kelly anything is the end of our peaceful coexistence.”

  “I don’t follow,” he said.

  “Lady Kelly is the sort of woman who will come to London, appearing full of concern but really just wishing to poke her nose into your affairs. She will expect a full explanation and to stay the night, most likely.”

  “We cannot have her suggesting to others that you ran off to avoid some imaginary scandal.”

  “Well, that’s certainly true. There might well have been a scandal if I’d stayed.”

  The hair at the back of his neck stood up. “Explain that, madam.”

  “I was not happy in Lady Kelly’s employ.” She sighed. “I found Lady Kelly to be difficult right from the start, demanding as much of the nobility can be. She expects absolute obedience and propriety, and then allows scoundrels into her home. I never told her the exact reason for my going, which, at the time, I thought was to take up a position as a companion. In all honesty, I would rather not see her again until I know he is gone from her life.”

  “What exactly happened?”

  Lenore shrugged, and she did not meet his gaze. “Her suitor suggested that I would become his mistress when he married my employer.”

  Alarmed, Price moved to stand directly in front of her. “Did he impose upon you?”

  Lenore stepped back. “He did not touch me, but he’s not the first male friend of one of my employers who sought me out behind their backs. This particular fellow had lingered harmlessly long enough for me to let down my guard a little and think him honorable. He even offered me a gift of a gold necklace as inducement, which I refused. Your offer of employment couldn’t have been more perfectly timed, which is why I left Lady Kelly’s employ as quickly as I did. I suppose she has blackened my name to all who knew me there.”

  Price clenched his fist. “If either one dares to show their faces here, I will—”

  Lenore chuckled, glancing down at his hands. “You’ll be a good husband and drive the pair off with your fists? Violence solves nothing.”

  “I will draw his cork if necessary,” he promised sincerely. “Lady Kelly should have protected you.”

  “She should have been protected, too. I feel badly now that I may have left her and the other female servants at the mercy of such a scoundrel.” Lenore suddenly perched on the edge of his desk, one leg beginning to swing back and forth. She looked at him sheepishly. “I should be ashamed to admit that it might be fun to witness you planting the man a facer, however, I can be of no interest to scoundrels, now I am married.”

  How little she knew about the world still. There were men who thought married women fair game and a challenge. He was surprised she hadn’t encountered them already. “Scoundrels are everywhere and would definitely be interested in you.”

  “Doubtful, but I now possess a veritable army of footmen and my own grooms to beat back such men, should the need arise.”

  “You also have me. Your husband will defend you from all impertinences from now on.”

  She laughed and patted his arm. “The footmen and grooms will be more than enough of a deterrent, I think.”

  He did not like that she preferred the servants’ protection to his. She was his wife and responsibility. “Lenore, you will leave the matter of…what is his name?”

  “Lord Thorne,” she supplied helpfully, smiling.

  “Lord Thorne to me. I’ll teach him to mind his manners around my countess and deal honestly with your former employer, too. No one deserves to be so ill-used.”

  She stared at him a moment then shook her head. “You were always a kind boy. I’m glad to learn that hasn’t changed.”

  “I was a brat,” he declared. “You were always the better behaved out of both of us. Your grandmother was stern but was a better influence than my father. She always made you stay by her side when you were impertinent, whereas I…”

  “Was shut up alone in the nursery for weeks at a time. You only misbehaved to get your father’s attention,” she said very quietly. “You felt the sting of the strap and isolation rather than his love.”

  He nodded slowly. “I suppose we get the life we deserve in one way or another. I discovered too slowly that I’d never win his approval and learned to please only myself by striking out alone,” he said, looking again at Lenore. “Not many people would realize our struggles for independence were similar.”

  Lenore laughed softly. “We have been poles apart all our lives, my lord. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth and my first memory was polishing that silver until my fingers hurt.” She shrugged and looked down at the letter he’d written again. “Your letter is succinct and to the point. I have nothing to add. Lady Kelly will be excited enough by hearing from an earl to have the horses flogged to reach London as soon as possible. She’s sure to want to interrogate us both so she can tell her friends all the juicy details. I hope she doesn’t make you wish you’d never written to me.”

  “I could not do that,” he promised. He smiled softly. “I have always wanted you to be happy wherever you found yourself. Now I get to make sure you always are. And Hero, too.”

  She laughed. “Was there anything else?”

  “No, not really.”

  Lenore quickly jumped off the desk. “I’ll make sure the house is ready for Lady Kelly’s imminent arrival, then. Do you mind that I will offer Lady Kelly a room for a few days if she presses me to do so?”

  “Not at all. This is your home as much as mine now, and you may entertain anyone you please here.” He caught up her hand to prevent her going, though. “What will you tell her about us?”

  “That you asked me to marry you,” Lenore said with a heavy sigh. “She might want to know how the proposal came about. The where and when, but I can twist a simple story before she arrives and embellish only if pressed for more particulars. I’ll not reveal the truth, even though she probably wouldn’t be surprised. I’m not the sort of woman an earl should have married.”

  He frowned, disliking how she talked about herself. “That is simply not true.”

  “It’s nothing less than the truth. A companion isn’t that far removed from a housemaid. My prospects were never great.” She smiled quickly, almost painfully. “But I am the Countess Carmichael, and I won’t allow her to ride roughshod over me just because she made me help tie her into her corset each morning for the last year.”

  “Do companions help their employers dress? I thought a lady’s maid would have that responsibility.”

  “Usually, yes, if Lady Kelly had kept one.” She scowled. “But now, while I still have your attention, there is one other matter I’d like to discuss with you.”

  “Oh?” he said, brightening a little at her sudden interest in talking to him.

  She clenched her hands at her waist. “I should like to consummate our marriage tonight. Is that enough notice for you?”

  Price gulped, taken so entirely by surprise by the turn of conversation that he took a step back. “Tonight?”

  She shrugged and looked down. “Yes. Unless you were engaged elsewhere tonight, then perhaps tomorrow night instead.” She looked up at him expectantly, as if she were afraid of the subject and his response. “Do you have plans that cannot be put off?”

  His mind went blank for a whole moment as the possibilities for the evening improved. If she was ready now, he’d have to… His mind reel
ed. “Ah, no. No, I don’t have anything particular on my schedule for this evening,” he managed to choke out.

  She smiled quickly. Nervously. “Very good then. Tonight after nine would suit me, but before eleven if you please. It only takes a few moments, doesn’t it?”

  Price dug his finger into his cravat and tugged hard, fighting a blush. “Yes, it does.”

  “Good, until tonight then.” Lenore smiled again and then fled, calling out for the housekeeper as she went.

  Price waited a moment for the ground beneath his feet to become steady again, and then he shut his study door so no one could see his blushes.

  Chapter 13

  Lenore peeked out her bedchamber window, observing her husband’s carriage pull up before the house with a calmness she hadn’t expected to feel tonight. She was ready to make this a real marriage. Sylvia had given her enough information that Lenore felt well prepared to be bedded by her husband. And afterward, when he’d returned to his own bed, she knew how to take care of her body.

  The grand clock downstairs rang out the late hour, and she took a deep breath and turned from the window. It was ten in the evening, and there was plenty of time for their rendezvous to happen. But she was aware that he had disappeared straight after their talk, and Lenore had had to pass the afternoon and most of the evening with Hero as her only company.

  She was nervous. Was he nervous? She hoped he wasn’t too nervous. She hoped her husband was experienced enough to teach her how to love him well.

  Lenore had become accustomed to the quiet most nights, but it had weighed on her a little more than usual as she’d prepared herself for bed. Lenore had asked the maid to wash her hair earlier but had dismissed the girl as soon as it was dry, asking for her solitary meal to be served in her bedchamber. Once the tray had been removed, she asked for Hero to be kept downstairs for the night.