Lusting For The Broken Earl (Steamy Historical Regency)

by Olivia Bennet

  “Thank you so much for the invitation,” Esther said, “But I was just going to spend some time with my mother and sisters. After all, we won’t see Mary for a while after we leave tomorrow.”

  Lord Harry’s face fell. “I certainly understand. It’s important to spend time with your family. Perhaps next time.”

  “Of course,” Esther said, simply to be polite. “That sounds wonderful.”

  “Then hopefully I will see you later, and if not, surely for dinner,” Lord Harry replied.

  “Oh yes,” said Esther. “Surely for dinner.”

  “Great!” he said, as the smile returned to his face. “I’m sure it will be just as delectable,” he added as he walked away.

  As Esther watched him walking, she felt someone touch her arm, gently, and say “Lady Esther?”

  She turned quickly and came face to face with Lord Wiltshire.

  “Oh,” she said, surprised. “Pardon me, My Lord, I didn’t realize it was you.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Lord Wiltshire. “I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that.”

  “It’s perfectly fine,” said Esther, blushing. She could feel her heart fluttering as she looked at him.

  “The wedding was nice,” said Lord Wiltshire. “Your sister and my cousin make a perfect couple.”

  Esther smiled, “They certainly do. I was very impressed the first time I met him, and I continue to be impressed by him and his ways. He’s an excellent match for Mary.”

  “Though I have only just met your sister yesterday, I can tell that she is a good, compassionate person,” Lord Wiltshire said.

  “Indeed, she is,” Esther agreed. “She is certainly nicer than me,” she said with a laugh.

  “Oh, I have heard that you are very nice, too, My Lady,” he said with a smile. “At least, according to your youngest sister.”

  Esther smiled and took a sip of her sherry. “Ruth told me that she sat next to you during the wedding breakfast.”

  “So, does that mean you were talking about me?” Lord Wiltshire asked with a smile. Is he flirting with me?

  “Indirectly,” said Esther with a grin.

  Lord Wiltshire laughed. “If that’s the case, your sister and I were…indirectly…speaking of you, too.”

  “I hope that the conversation was positive,” Esther replied.

  “Very positive,” said Lord Wiltshire. “As mentioned, Ruth had nothing but good things to say about you. I told her that I was very interested in learning more about your charity work.”

  “Oh, of course,” said Esther. She thoroughly enjoyed talking about her vocation. “I would love to tell you more about it.”

  “How about now?” Lord Wiltshire asked as he took a sip of the whiskey he was holding. He really is very striking.

  “Well,” said Esther. “Most days of the week I spend time with orphans. I read to them, I talk with them, and most importantly, I try to show them that there are good people in the world.”

  “That sounds like noble work,” he said.

  “So many of these children have grown up in horrific conditions, and most of them don’t trust adults,” explained Esther. “They are often ill-treated and cast aside by their families, too.”

  “It sounds very sad,” Lord Wiltshire replied.

  “It is,” agreed Esther. “Which is why I work so hard to make them feel safer. In general, I work with the young girls, and most of them don’t have good relationships with men, either, so I try to read them stories about or talk about good men in the world.”

  “The men of the world thank you for that,” Lord Wiltshire said with a raise of his glass. He smiled at her, and Esther couldn’t help but smile back. He’s quite funny, too.

  “I work with families, of course,” Esther continued. “It is important that struggling families get help. Otherwise, the poor children will also end up as orphans. I have seen it time and time again.”

  “That is unfortunate,” said Lord Wiltshire. Esther could see real sincerity in his face. “You should be very proud of the work you do, My Lady. Does your family support you?”

  “In general, yes,” explained Esther, taking another sip of sherry. “My mother and father, of course, wonder how long I will keep doing it. They believe I should either stop and settle down with a husband or find a man who would support my ventures.”

  “Your parents sound like they just want what’s best for you,” Lord Wiltshire remarked.

  “They do,” agreed Esther, “And I understand that. I know that as the daughter of a Duke, that it is my responsibility to marry well. However, I love my work so much, and I am so passionate about it, finding a partner for marriage simply isn’t my priority.”

  “Most ladies listen to their parents,” said Lord Wiltshire. “I don’t have sisters, nor parents any longer, but that’s what I think, anyway.”

  “You are right,” said Esther with a laugh. “Most ladies do as their parents dictate.”

  “You are not like most ladies,” Lord Wiltshire said.

  Esther laughed again. “You are correct on that, My Lord,” she agreed. “Luckily, out of the three of us, they have two other daughters who generally do heed their advice.”

  This caused the young Earl to laugh. “Just from the time I spent with Lady Ruth, I would have pinned her as the rebel of the family.”

  “Oh, she is,” Esther agreed. “However, she usually comes around to the desire of our parents. She has always been the mischievous one. Perhaps they only have one ideal daughter?”

  Both of them laughed, and Esther couldn’t believe how comfortable she was with the Earl of Wiltshire. In fact, it felt as if they were the only two people in the room. This has been such a pleasant surprise.

  “Now, I have told you a bit about my work,” Esther said to Lord Wiltshire. “What about you? What are you focused on in life?”

  “Honestly,” said Lord Wiltshire, “I don’t have much of a focus on anything.” He took a sip of whiskey and looked a bit uncomfortable.

  “There is nothing?” asked Esther, surprised at his answer.

  He took another sip of whiskey. Esther could tell that he didn’t know what to say.

  “You don’t have to say anything, My Lord,” she said. “I’m sorry I asked.” Esther felt very uncomfortable.

  “No,” said Allan quickly. “I’m sorry, My Lady. I’m not used to people asking me that.”

  “People don’t ask you about your interests?” asked Esther with surprise.

  “No,” said Lord Wiltshire. “People generally know. My reputation precedes me.”

  “I don’t understand,” said Esther with confusion.

  “I was in the British Army,” Lord Wiltshire said. “Most people know that.”

  Esther’s heart sank. The irony—that she finally found a man whom she could be interested in and his history was the one thing she didn’t want in a spouse—came over her quickly. In fact, she even shook her head slightly.

  “You don’t like the British Army?” Lord Wiltshire asked, with an uncomfortable laugh.

  Esther said, “I fully support the British Army.” She forced a smile. Obviously, they would not have a future, but she wanted to be polite and let him finish his story.

  Lord Wiltshire cleared his throat and drank the last bit of whiskey that remained in his glass. “All right,” he said. “That’s the closest thing to an interest that I ever had. I wanted to fight for my country.”

  “You don’t any longer?” Esther asked, still keeping up the appearance that she was interested in learning more.

  “I was injured,” said Lord Wiltshire. “At the Battle of Waterloo. After that, I haven’t been focused about much.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” said Esther, finishing her last bit of sherry. “I assume the injury was serious?”

  “Very,” said Lord Wiltshire, as he held out his glass to a footman who filled it with more whiskey. “I would have died on the battlefield if my friend, General Oliver Blackmore, hadn’t pulled me out of
harm’s way. He got me to a safe place.”

  “That’s terrible,” said Esther, now holding her glass out for more sherry.

  “Fortunately, it all turned out well in the end,” said Lord Wiltshire. “It took a while for my injuries to heal, and I was in a makeshift Army hospital.”

  “How long did it take to recover?” Esther asked. Though she would never be with an Army man because she knew how war could terribly change a person, she was interested in his story.

  “Several months,” said Lord Wiltshire. “I don’t remember much of it, though. I was sedated during most of the recovery period.”

  “That really is terrible,” said Esther. She felt badly for him, and though the conversation had become uncomfortable, it seemed to be on better ground, now. Perhaps I should change the subject.

  “Do you ride horses?” Esther asked. At least this would be a topic they could both talk about, perhaps.

  “I do,” said Lord Wiltshire. “Though I am not as skilled as my cousins. Of course, my family had and still has riding horses, but again, speaking of interests, I am not as focused on horses as Edward and Harry.”

  At that exact moment, Esther happened to look across the room. Lord Harry was standing there and watching her and Lord Wiltshire, and he did not look happy. He had a frown on his face, and his eyes looked very angry. It almost scared Esther to look at him.

  “I’m going to have to excuse myself,” she said as politely as she could. “It has been such a pleasure speaking with you, My Lord.”

  “Oh, yes,” Lord Wiltshire stammered. “Of course, My Lady. I, too, have thoroughly enjoyed speaking with you. I hope that it’s not the last time.” He smiled at her.

  “I’m sure we will meet again, soon,” Esther said. “After all, we are family now, thanks to your cousin and my sister.”

  “Indeed,” Lord Wiltshire said. “I look forward to seeing you again, Lady Esther.”

  She nodded at him, and then turned away. It was more difficult than she thought as she did it. She began to walk and quickly scanned the crowd looking for a familiar face. She met Mary’s eyes from across the room, and immediately began moving towards her sister.

  Esther had to maneuver through a group of people and exchanged pleasantries as she passed through. Miraculously, Mary was alone, and Esther was able to embrace her.

  “I haven’t had a chance to congratulate you after the wedding,” she said to Mary. “It was a beautiful ceremony, and the wedding breakfast was heavenly.”

  Mary was all smiles. “Thank you so much, Esther. I know Edward and I must leave soon to head to London to begin our wedding tour. We hope to be there by nightfall. But, I want you to know how much I will miss you.”

  Esther could feel a lump forming in her throat. “I will miss you, too, Mary. When you get home, we will certainly have to get together.”

  “We will, Esther,” said Mary with tears forming in her eyes. “This is all so overwhelming. I am so happy, yet sad, that I have to leave my family for a few weeks.”

  Esther took her sister’s hand. “It will pass quickly, Mary. Plus, you will have Edward with you. I can’t imagine anything more wonderful than that.”

  Mary looked at Esther, a single tear running down her cheek. She smiled and nodded, and then said. “Perhaps when we get back, we will invite our families for a dinner party, or hold a ball.”

  “That would be lovely,” Esther replied. “I look forward to it already.”

  Mary wiped the tear from her face. “Not only would you get to see me again,” she said with a smile, “But you would also get to see Lord Wiltshire.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Esther asked.

  “Nothing,” Mary grinned. “It just seemed from over here that the two of you were having a delightful conversation.”

  “Oh, yes,” said Esther. “The conversation was a good one. He is a very nice, personable man.”

  “A man you might have interest in?” asked Mary.

  “No,” admitted Esther. She watched Mary’s face fall.

  “Why ever not?” Mary asked in a tone that sounded as if she was greatly disappointed.

  “I’m simply not interested in him like that,” Esther said.

  “I don’t see why not,” Mary replied. “He is handsome, successful, compassionate, and caring. He is an ideal marriage partner.”

  “He is all of those things, I agree,” said Esther, again feeling uncomfortable by a conversation.

  “Then what is it?” Mary asked. “Are you interested in another man? Not Harry, right?”

  Esther laughed. “Certainly not Lord Harry,” she replied quietly, just in case he was within hearing distance of them. “He worries me a bit, actually. When I was talking with Lord Wiltshire, he did not look happy.”

  Now it was Mary’s turn to chuckle. “Of course he wasn’t happy. He is enamored with you,” she said. “He likely interpreted your actions as I did, that you were interested in Lord Wiltshire.”

  “Perhaps,” Esther said. “I have no plans to get into any type of relationship with Harry other than the family relations we have now.”

  “He will be disappointed,” Mary said with a chuckle.

  At that point, Edward approached them. “Darling, are you almost ready to go? We need to leave soon in order to make it to London this evening.”

  Mary nodded, and then turned to Esther. She pulled her into her arms with a hug, and then whispered, “I will miss you, but I will see you soon.” Esther held her tightly.

  Mary pulled away, and said “I must go say good-bye to Ruth, Mother, and Father. Safe travels home tomorrow, Esther.”

  “You be safe, too,” Esther said, and then she turned to Edward with a smile, “I’m sure you will keep my sister safe.”

  “I will think of nothing else,” he said with a grin on his face.

  With that, both of them walked, hand in hand, away from Esther. She stood alone with an empty sherry glass in her hand, and silently wished for all the blessings in the world to bestow themselves upon the couple.

  Chapter 8

  Allan, Harry, and the Duke of Aishling once again found themselves sitting in the drawing room smoking cigars and drinking Scotch. The events of the day were over, Edward and Lady Mary were off to London to begin their wedding tour, and all of the guests had left.

  Harry had been a bit quiet most of the day, though Allan simply believed that it was due to the fact that his brother would be leaving, and he would be in charge of the household until Edward returned. Harry was never one to take charge, so Allan could imagine that his role was weighing on him.

  “How many Arabs did you say you have?” the Duke asked Harry. They had been deep in the discussion of horses for close to an hour’s time. Allan was contributing to the conversation when he could, but the truth was, he was a bit distracted.

  He was so pleased to have the time today with Lady Esther, and for much of the conversation, he couldn’t help but think it was going brilliantly. Then, she suddenly seemed to cool on him, and didn’t seem interested at all. He wondered if it was something he said, but he couldn’t recall saying anything that could offend her.

  “Our thoroughbreds have been exported as far as the Middle East,” Allan heard Harry boast.

  He took a long draw off of his cigar. Women were so confusing. Throughout the two days he had been here, he had thought that he had feelings for Bridget, and then he thought that he had feelings for Lady Esther. Now, at the end of his visit, he didn’t know what was going on in his mind. He currently didn’t want Bridget anymore, and though he wanted Lady Esther, she certainly didn’t seem to want him.

  “What do you think, Lord Wiltshire?” The Duke asked.

  “Your Grace?” Allan said, unsure what he was being asked.

  The Duke laughed. “Do you think Harry can convince the Duke of Wallings to buy fifteen of his prized thoroughbreds?”

  “The Duke of Wallings?” Allan asked.

  Harry and the Duke both laughed, now. “My goal, w
hile Edward is away, is to make a big sale to the Duke of Wallings,” said Harry. “You obviously were not paying attention to our conversation.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Allan with a smile. “I was lost in thought, and I lost track of what we were discussing.”

  “It’s fine,” said Harry sharply. “It was simply horse talk. Nothing you would have been particularly interested in.”

  “Oh, wonderful,” said Allan. “Actually, I think I am going to retire for the evening.” He stood up, placed his empty glass on the table next to him, and snuffed out his cigar, leaving it in the ashtray. “I have an early start in the morning, as I have to be home for a meeting in the afternoon.”