Beguiling the Earl

by Suzanna Medeiros

  Catherine wanted nothing more than to tell her sister that her fears were groundless, but she couldn’t. Young men were dying every day in England’s war with France. Instead, she pulled her sister into a heartfelt embrace.

  She drew back when a soft knock sounded at the library door. Glad for the interruption, Catherine looked up to see a footman standing in the doorway. He held a small silver tray, upon which a note rested. He announced that a message had arrived for Catherine and her heart rate increased.

  The footman approached and Catherine reached for the sealed note on the tray.

  “Is it from Rose?” Louisa asked.

  Catherine waited for the footman to leave before glancing down at where her name was inscribed on the heavy paper. She didn’t recognize the handwriting.

  “No,” she said, her mind racing as she wondered if Kerrick had sent it.

  “Are you going to open it?”

  She hesitated for a moment but knew she couldn’t hide the note’s contents from her sister. Doing so would only arouse Louisa’s suspicion that Catherine was keeping secrets. Telling herself that Kerrick wouldn’t risk sending her a note that anyone could have intercepted, she turned over the note and broke the wax seal.

  She unfolded the paper and glanced first at the signature at the bottom. She couldn’t hold back the little stab of disappointment when she didn’t see Kerrick’s name. Calling herself a fool, she read the note.

  “Who is it from?” Louisa was leaning forward in her seat, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

  “It’s from Lord Thornton. He’s invited me to a drive in Hyde Park this afternoon.”

  “That sounds lovely. Lord Thornton seems like such a nice young man.” Louisa must have seen her hesitation because she added, “And if you go, I needn’t feel so guilty about staying in tonight.”

  Catherine knew Louisa was only pushing her toward Thornton because she worried about her attachment to Kerrick. Still, she found herself having to bite her lip so as not to give voice to her annoyance.

  “Will you accept?”

  Catherine was on the verge of saying no, but then she remembered Kerrick’s parting words to her the night before. He needed Lord Worthington to believe his interest in Rose was genuine, and he planned to take Rose out for a drive today. Would it not aid society’s belief that she and Kerrick were merely friends if she was seen with Lord Thornton? Surely Kerrick would approve of her plan.

  Convinced she was pursing the wisest course of action, the smile she gave her sister was genuine. “I think you’re right. A bit of fresh air this afternoon would be just the thing.”

  ooOoo

  It was almost ridiculous how many times she changed her clothing in a day. Before her sister married, the three Evans siblings—Catherine, Louisa, and their brother John—had lived in a modest cottage and on an even more modest income. They hadn’t even been able to afford to hire a servant. And the dress Catherine chose to wear each morning was the one she still wore when she retired at night.

  But all that had changed after a chance encounter with the new Marquess of Overlea, then considered to be an enemy of the family since it was Nicholas’s uncle who had been responsible for robbing their family of their home and land. Catherine had been stunned when, mere days later, Louisa had accepted Nicholas’s proposal of marriage.

  Now their entire life was different. Aside from their brother, who had chosen to join the fight against Napoleon rather than accept anything from Overlea’s family, they had gone from poverty to the complete opposite. And so quickly that Catherine still found it difficult to remember, at times, that she no longer had to worry about anything. Well, anything aside from the matter of finding a husband. She sincerely hoped that issue would soon be resolved and that she and Kerrick could make public their courtship.

  But until that time arrived, she would have to pay attention to the man seated beside her in the curricle. Lord Thornton seemed in especially high spirits that afternoon. Catherine liked him, she really did, but he reminded her so much of her brother. Yes, he was a few years older than John, who was now nineteen years of age, but like her brother, Thornton was fair. And he seemed so young. Especially when compared to Kerrick.

  She blushed when she realized that Lord Thornton had asked her a question while she’d been thinking about another man.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I was just thinking about last night.”

  His smile reminded her of an overeager puppy. “I’m so glad that I thought to attend the Hastings’ rout. I almost didn’t and I would have hated to miss seeing you.”

  “I do like the intimacy of the smaller house parties.”

  “I was disappointed you had to leave so early. I was wondering…” Thornton swallowed. “Perhaps at the next ball I could partner with you more than once.”

  For a moment she actually considered granting his request. Dancing several times with Viscount Thornton would signal that he was a serious contender for her hand in matrimony. It would definitely go a long way toward ensuring that her name wouldn’t be romantically linked to Kerrick’s. But in the end, she didn’t feel comfortable sending that message to Thornton or to society.

  “It is still a little early in the season for such declarations, is it not?”

  His expression earnest, he replied, “I don’t believe in waiting when I see something I want.”

  She was at a loss as to how to reply and it occurred to her that Rose would know exactly what to say. Catherine had next to no experience with romance beyond what she and Kerrick had shared. She lacked the ability to set a man down with the finesse Rose possessed. Her friend would have said something witty and had Lord Thornton believing he still had a chance even while she was putting him off.

  As if thinking about her friend had conjured her, another carriage pulled up next to theirs on the crowded Hyde Park bridle path. Relief at the timely interruption went through her when she saw it was occupied with Kerrick and Rose.

  “What a happy coincidence to run into you here,” Rose called across the two men who separated them. “Perhaps we can walk for a bit?”

  Kerrick’s expression was neutral, but the slight tightening of his jaw told her that he was not happy to see her there. A quick glance at Thornton, who appeared happy at Rose’s suggestion, indicated that he hadn’t noticed Kerrick’s displeasure. Catherine saw no reason to disagree. Being seen in public with different companions would help further the perception that he was nothing more than a family friend.

  The carriages were pulled to the side and Thornton handed her down. When he held on to her hand for several seconds longer than necessary, she couldn’t stop herself from glancing at Kerrick. He wasn’t looking at them, but the stiff set of his shoulders was proof that he’d noticed the intimate gesture and that he did not approve.

  “Try not to wander off and cause a panic,” Rose said with mock censure after reaching her side.

  Catherine could only shake her head in chagrin. “You heard about that?”

  Rose laughed, the sound light and musical. “With the number of men involved in the search party, I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t heard the story.”

  Her eyes met Kerrick’s. He hadn’t been in town yet for that embarrassing incident, but she’d told him about it that first night when he’d danced with her.

  Pulling her gaze from his, she turned back to Rose and said with a small wince, “I was afraid that would be the case.”

  Rose drew an arm through hers and proceeded to stroll away from the carriages at a moderate pace, the men walking alongside them. “After hearing the story, I realized that I must get to know you. I decided that anyone who could have half the eligible men of the ton chasing after her was someone I had to meet.”

  Catherine felt a twinge of alarm at the implication in her friend’s statement. “You make it sound like the incident was calculated. I assure you it wasn’t.”

  “At the time I thought it was,” Rose said with a shrug. “But fear not—now t
hat I have come to know you, I realize that you truly had wandered off to look at some plants.”

  “In my defense, I was newly arrived in London and as it was my first time in Hyde Park. I was curious.”

  Kerrick added, “When I stayed at Overlea Manor last autumn, she was almost always in the conservatory. Overlea’s grandmother is rather fond of unusual plants, and Catherine made it her mission to try to catalog them all.”

  “I’m not surprised to hear it,” Rose said. The twinkle in her eye gave Catherine only a second of warning that her friend was up to something before she turned to Lord Thornton. “And you, my lord? Do you share Miss Evans’s love of plants?”

  The look on Thornton’s face made it seem as though Rose had just asked him if the sky was purple. Catherine frowned and he rushed to reply. “I admit that I’ve never paid much attention to them. My mother says that when I was younger I was often to be found tearing up the garden with my brothers. After that, I spent most of my time away at school.”

  Catherine laughed. “My brother John was much the same way. I fear most boys are just too full of energy to sit back and enjoy the beauty of nature.”

  “I never asked,” Kerrick said. “Did you finish cataloging all the plants? I confess I couldn’t tell a plant commonly found in England from the more exotic ones.”

  “There are still a few I haven’t been able to discover in any of the plant texts in the library at Overlea Manor. I’ve already purchased a few books I plan to take back with me when the season is over.” She sighed, adding, “I wish I’d thought to bring sketches of the plants with me to London. Mr. Clifton might have been able to tell me what they were.”

  “Clifton? Who is that?” Thornton asked.

  “The head gardener at Kew Gardens.”

  “Lord Kerrick arranged to take Miss Evans on a tour of the gardens there.” With a sly glance in Catherine’s direction, she added, “It must have been very romantic.”

  Thornton frowned and Catherine could have throttled her friend. It was clear Rose was wasting no time in trying to play matchmaker between her and Kerrick. She squeezed her friend’s arm in silent entreaty that she desist and turned to Lord Thornton. “Of course it wasn’t. The Duke and Duchess of Clarington were also present during the tour.”

  Thornton seemed satisfied with her answer. “Perhaps the next time you are in London I will be in a position to take you to Kew Gardens myself so you can show the sketches of your mystery plants to this Mr. Clifton.”

  Thornton’s expression was so earnest that Catherine felt a pang of remorse for falsely raising his hopes. A quick glance at Kerrick showed him to be studiously avoiding eye contact with her. She was about to change the subject rather than reply when she saw the telltale tightening of his jaw. A thrill went through her at the small proof of his jealousy. A spark of mischief goaded her to test her theory.

  “Perhaps you will,” she said, meeting his gaze and then looking down in an attempt at coyness.

  She’d copied the action from Rose, who used it to great effect. It appeared to work, because when she looked at Thornton out of the corner of her eye, his grin had broadened. It took her a moment to realize that Kerrick had stopped walking. She’d been so wrapped up in her little deception that she hadn’t noticed. Rose, however, had and she pulled at Catherine’s arm, bringing her to a halt. The glare in her friend’s eyes spoke volumes. Rose was annoyed at her for flirting with the wrong man.

  Kerrick offered Rose his arm, and with one last look that signaled Catherine would be hearing about her attempt to thwart her matchmaking, Rose took it. Their promenade at an end, Catherine was left to take Thornton’s arm as they returned to the carriages. Rose and Kerrick walked a few steps ahead of them. Kerrick bent to murmur something for Rose’s ears only, and Catherine had to clench her teeth as her friend laughed gaily.

  The two of them are only acting a part, she told herself. But that didn’t stop her from feeling a pang of jealousy herself when Kerrick helped Rose into his carriage. She wanted so much to be the woman who got to sit beside him in public. They’d had a wonderful encounter the previous evening in his closed carriage, but in the clear light of day that was no longer enough.

  Chapter Thirteen

  It had been almost a week since she’d last seen Kerrick, and Catherine felt his absence keenly. If he thought to punish her for flirting with Viscount Thornton, he’d succeeded. Each night after returning home from one of the many evening entertainments, she had to battle back the temptation to sneak out and return to Kerrick’s town house. She’d promised him that she wouldn’t make a repeat visit, but as she lay in bed imagining all the delightfully wicked things they had done together, longing for his touch, her resolve weakened.

  It didn’t help that their brief interlude in the Duke of Clarington’s carriage had shown her that pleasure between a man and a woman was not limited to the bedroom. She found herself looking for Kerrick each evening. Imagined him whisking her away to a private room—she wasn’t picky, even a closet would do—and making love to her again. And each night, when he failed to show, she returned home more frustrated than ever with the current state of their relationship.

  But more important than her desire for Kerrick was her resolve that he not see her as a foolish girl who would allow her selfish wants to place his current mission in jeopardy. Logically she knew that he trusted her—he wouldn’t have confided in her if he didn’t. But when she was alone at night she remembered how close he and Louisa had been when he’d stayed at Overlea Manor after her sister’s wedding to Nicholas. A small part of her still wondered if he saw her as a substitute for Louisa. She was able to push those thoughts away in the clear light of day, but as the days passed and she failed to see him, her doubt began to grow.

  She needed to see him again, so it was an immense relief to learn that he would be present at the small dinner party Louisa and Nicholas were holding that evening. She’d known he was invited but had feared he would send his regrets yet again.

  Remembering Kerrick’s reaction the last time she’d worn her yellow evening gown to the theater, she suffered a moment of uncertainty when she told her maid she wanted to wear the more modest light green gown—the one she’d worn the night she’d visited his town house. The night they’d made love. Most men wouldn’t remember that, but she knew Kerrick would. He always noticed the smallest of details, a trait which she suspected was invaluable to him in his work for the government.

  Her sister’s and brother-in-law’s muted voices in the hallway as they passed her bedroom told her it was time for dinner. Taking a deep breath, she smoothed her hands over her gown and glanced into the mirror above her dressing table to ensure she looked her best. Six days had passed since that outing to Hyde Park… seven since she and Kerrick had been alone in his carriage. She shouldn’t be nervous at the thought of seeing him again, but she was.

  She hesitated at the top of the stairs when a knock sounded at the front door. A moment later, she heard the Duke of Clarington’s voice and she had to shake her head at her own nonsense. She was making too much of Kerrick’s absence.

  She’d just reached the bottom of the stairs when there was another knock at the front door. She waited, butterflies taking flight in her belly, while the butler opened the door. When she saw Kerrick standing on the landing, she couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. As he stepped over the threshold, his gazed locked on hers for a moment before moving down. When his eyes met hers again, there was a heat there that told her he was remembering the last time he’d seen her in that dress—and what had followed. The weight of that gaze was almost a physical caress.

  She waited while Kerrick handed his hat and gloves to the butler and approached her. He offered her his arm with a slightly raised brow, and to her mortification she blushed. Aware of the other man still standing behind them, she took his arm without a word. They were only steps away from the drawing room and could hear the voices of the others, but neither moved to join them. Clear
ly sensing that he was de trop, the butler removed himself after offering a slight bow in their direction.

  “You look worried,” Kerrick said when they were alone. “Is anything the matter?”

  Catherine shook her head. “Not anymore.”

  He squeezed her hand where it rested on his arm and was about to say something more when Louisa stepped into the hallway. Her expression made it clear that she wasn’t happy to find them alone together. Louisa already knew about Catherine’s feelings for Kerrick, but it was important that she not suspect there was now something more between them.

  “I thought perhaps something was amiss since you hadn’t joined us.”

  It was with reluctance that Catherine stepped away from him. “I was checking to make sure this man was, indeed, Lord Kerrick,” she said, aiming for levity. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen him, I couldn’t be certain.”

  “I apologize for my absence,” Kerrick said. “I am not used to attending quite so many balls, and I’m afraid I needed a bit of a respite from all the various entertainments.”

  “I’m sure we must all be such a trial to you,” Louisa said. “Nicholas told me he’s already been to more plays and balls this season than he’s attended in all his previous years put together.”

  “I’ll admit it’s a little lonely now that my closest friends have traded their usual ways for marital bliss. If I want to see them, I’m forced to attend those balls myself and give up my bachelor haunts.”

  “Poor Kerrick,” Louisa said with a fond smile.

  Catherine had to grit her teeth and force back her misgivings when she saw the evidence in Kerrick’s face of the affection he bore her sister. More than that, she hated that she still wondered just how far that affection went. But at least the tension that had arisen from being found whispering together in the hallway had dissipated, and together they joined Nicholas and the Claringtons in the drawing room.