A Bride for the Betrayed Earl

by Bridget Barton

  For by the end of it, by the time they had made their way back to their table, Emmeline had been left in no doubt whatsoever that Felicity Burton, the Duchess of Galcross, was still in love with Hunter Bentley. And perhaps, in the end, it was that look of pain which she could not dispel from her mind and had left her in such a peculiar mood. But how could she explain any of that to her mother? How could she tell her that she had, albeit briefly, pitied the woman who had caused Lord Addison as much pain in his heart as Christopher Lennox had caused her? She could not, for such a thing could not be explained.

  “What time is that dreadful man coming?” Emmeline said suddenly, keen to break away from her own thoughts for a while.

  “Oh, you mean Kent?”

  “Indeed, I do.”

  “I only know that it is this afternoon, my dear. Hopefully after luncheon, for I always find that his presence gives me indigestion.”

  “Oh, Mama!” Emmeline said and laughed loudly. “Dear me, that is awfully funny.”

  “As funny as you might find it, Emmeline, it is the truth. And I do not simply think it a case of resentment for his inheritance, although I do resent him wholeheartedly.” She nodded vigorously as if to stress that point. “But I find I cannot take to the man at all and, for reasons I cannot explain, I do not like him. Even if he were not the son of your father’s cousin and the nearest male heir to take his estate, still I think I would not like him. There is something about him which I cannot quite put my finger on, but I think if I could, it would quite unsettle me.”

  “Then you think him as dreadful as I do, Mama.” Emmeline laughed.

  “You do not like him either?”

  “I think he has motives or designs that we are not yet aware of. I find it hard to explain, but I do not like to be too close to him.”

  “In what way?” Constance seemed suddenly concerned.

  “You must not make yourself uneasy, Mama. In truth, I cannot accuse him of anything, and I should not like to do so. He has done nothing to me that could be considered improper, nor has he made any suggestion of that nature. Forgive me, I did not mean to upset you in that regard.”

  “But still he makes you uneasy. He makes you uncomfortable,” Constance went on.

  “I do not think it is because of something he has done, Mama, but because of something he has yet to do.” Emmeline shook her head as if to order her thoughts a little better. “I realize that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, and yet I cannot think of another way of explaining the thing.”

  “You think him capable of something distasteful?”

  “I am not sure what I think him incapable of, in all honesty.”

  “But you have an instinct about him?”

  “Yes, I think that probably describes it perfectly. I think I have an instinct about him, as you put it, which tells me that I must remain aware of him at all times. That I must not take my eye off him or assume for a moment that he is as pleasant and amiable as he tries to portray himself.”

  “Yes, and he is very pleasant,” Constance said as if she was pleased to hear that her daughter felt a little of what she did. “And although he says nothing that would tend to make that very pleasantness quite false, still I cannot help thinking it is. But for the life of me, I could not explain to somebody why.”

  “At first, I thought to do what I could to welcome him, Mama. After all, the workings of the inheritance of this estate are no more his doing than ours. But I think I quickly realized that it was a mistake to extend too much friendship in his direction. He seemed to become familiar a little faster than I am comfortable with, even if he is kin. He still feels like a stranger to me, and I am sure he does to you also. But he is a familiar stranger, and the whole thing is very unsettling.”

  “Yes, it is. And now that I have once asked him to stay when he was here on business, I fear I cannot escape making the same invitation again. After all, I can hardly insist that having once been a guest here with us, he now takes up lodgings or stays at the inn when he is in the county.”

  “Quite so, it would cause embarrassment.”

  “But I wish that we could at least, if nothing else, have these last few months here at Tarlton Manor in peace without him. I cannot relax when he is here.”

  “Neither can I, Mama. In truth, I think, in the end, that I do not trust him.”

  “No, neither do I.”

  Chapter 12

  “Do you play, cousin?” Kent Fitzgerald joined Emmeline as she stood at the side of the bridge table where Hunter Bentley was partnering Algernon Rochester.

  They were playing against Emmeline’s mother and Mr Giles Calloway in the drawing room at Croston Hall.

  Emmeline had been pleased to be invited back into Mr Calloway’s home, finding it a most warm and welcoming atmosphere. However, she had nursed a secret doubt and had worried to some degree that the Duke and Duchess of Galcross would be there. But, of course, they were unlikely to be spending the afternoon playing bridge in Mr Calloway’s home. They had welcomed him into the area by attending the summer ball and showing due manners, and Emmeline should have known better. But still, the idea that she would come face-to-face with Felicity Burton, the Duchess, was not one that she relished. Emmeline never wanted to see such raw emotion again as long as she lived.

  “I do play, but perhaps not today,” Emmeline said and turned to look at her cousin briefly.

  “What a shame,” he said with a bright smile.

  “I think I would struggle for concentration today, Kent. You would find me a truly dreadful partner.” She tried to return his smile, but she knew it was nowhere near as bright.

  “I am sure that I would find you nothing but a delightful partner, Emmeline,” he said in a low voice.

  When they had accepted the invitation to play bridge, Emmeline and her family had not realized that Kent Fitzgerald would be in the county. And even if they had, they would have been unlikely to have sought to have the invitation extended to him also.

  However, Kent Fitzgerald had very quickly fixed on to Giles Calloway as a man who was easy to fall in with in the county. Being a newcomer himself, Mr Calloway was open to all company, without real discernment of any kind. In truth, she did not blame him for it, for he was an extremely friendly man and just about one of the nicest she had ever met.

  She had been taken by surprise when, as she and her mother and sister had been heading for the carriage to set off for Croston Hall, Kent Fitzgerald had come after them.

  “If you are heading to Croston Hall, might I beg a seat in the carriage? I am heading that way myself you see, for Mr Calloway has invited me to play bridge.” He had smiled at them and, as he climbed into the carriage, Constance caught her daughter’s eye.

  “Of course, you must travel with us, my dear,” Constance said, and only Emmeline would have recognized that she did not speak with genuine warmth. “I must apologize; I had no idea that you were also bound for Croston Hall this afternoon. You must forgive me.”

  “Mrs Fitzgerald, really there is no need. I had not realized that you were to attend either until I saw you making your way to the carriage. Even then, I was simply guessing.”

  “You are finding Mr Calloway good company, cousin?” Emmeline could not help quizzing him a little.

  “Oh yes, he is extraordinarily good company. He is the most welcoming person I have met in the county.” He paused for a moment and winced. “Present company excepted, of course.” He bowed awkwardly in his seat.

  “Please, Mr Fitzgerald, there is no offence.” Emmeline smiled and hoped it was not quite as watery as she imagined it would be.

  “Kent, please,” he said and smiled back at her.

  They were due to meet Hunter Bentley and Algernon Rochester at Croston Hall, for the two were leaving there immediately afterward for dinner at Braithwaite House. Emmeline could not help wishing that the Earl had once again collected them in his carriage on the way, and she wondered if her cousin would have had the audacity to invite himself in
then.

  Emmeline did what she could to make cheerful conversation throughout the journey, all the while thinking that she was very much less likely to enjoy the afternoon now that she knew she would be forced to spend a good deal of it with Kent Fitzgerald.

  By the time they had arrived, it was to find the Earl and Mr Rochester already settled at a table in want of an opposing pair. Mr Calloway had been keen to play against them and had immediately asked Constance if she would care to partner him.

  Rose, who had seen one of her young acquaintances in attendance, had quickly disappeared into a corner for some tea and conversation. And so it was that Emmeline found herself at the mercy of her cousin for a while and heartily wished that he would move around the room and find some other company.

  “Shall we take some tea?” Kent asked and looked around to catch the eye of one of the maids.

  Emmeline, realizing she could hardly escape the invitation, nodded meekly and walked with a heavy heart towards a small couch but a few feet away.

  “Thank you,” she said when the maid set out a tea tray for them on a low table.

  “Well, how very nice to have this little bit of time together whilst everybody is at the card tables, Emmeline.”

  “Quite,” she said and knew her response lacked conviction. “Tell me, are you in the county long this time?” She smiled and tried to appear interested rather than irritated.

  “I have a good deal of business in the area over the coming weeks, so I daresay that I shall be falling upon the mercy of your dear mother. Such a wonderful hostess.”

  “Indeed.”

  “And, of course, business is always a pleasure when one also gets the chance of some very fine company, is it not?”

  “I daresay it is, Sir, but since I have never been involved in business of any kind, I could not say conclusively.”

  “Indeed.” He laughed and reached for his tea.

  As he took a few sips, she found herself studying him out of the corner of her eye. He was well turned out, and there was certainly nothing to criticize in his appearance at all. And yet he seemed to lack so much that she could not really explain it.

  She peered over towards the Earl of Addison and, quite without thinking, began to compare the two men. The Earl was just a little taller and just a little broader, very nicely built, although nothing near the size of Algernon Rochester, who must surely be the most healthily built man in the entire county. But in comparison to her cousin, the Earl seemed somehow very much more masculine.

  It was not that her cousin was particularly feminine in his appearance, but more that he was somewhat androgynous not only in appearance but mannerisms.

  She was not sure she had her description entirely right, but what she did know was that he paled into insignificance in the presence of the Earl, not just in appearance, but in presence. Not, of course, that it mattered at all; after all, she was not being asked to choose between the two men.

  For a moment, the thought gave her some amusement, and she almost laughed.

  “Are you well acquainted with the Earl of Addison?” her cousin asked so suddenly that she paused in reaching for her tea.

  “Yes, I am well acquainted with the Earl,” she said and felt a little uneasy; it seemed such a curious question.

  “I believe you attended the summer ball here at Croston Hall in his company, did you not?” There was something in his tone which suggested accusation, and Emmeline had to remember that she must keep her temper in check at all costs.

  And yet, his impertinence had angered her. He spoke almost as if he in some way had control of her as if he had inherited her along with her family home.

  “Yes, the Earl escorted my mother, Rose, and I to the ball, that is quite correct.” She could hear her clipped tone and knew that she would have to find a way to overcome her annoyance.

  After all, things were not yet settled between her and Hunter Bentley, and with a little over four months left of their period of grace, Emmeline was not keen to spend it uncomfortably. There was something about her cousin which she would prefer not to provoke, even if she could not quite name it. Whatever it was, Emmeline was very aware of the fact that he could make life very difficult at Tarlton Manor for the next few months, especially if he decided to continually turn up in the county.

  “Yes, I thought that was the case,” he went on.

  “You are very well informed, cousin,” she said, wondering just who he had been speaking to.

  “Yes, Mr Calloway mentioned it in passing when I called in last week.”

  “You called in on Mr Calloway? Oh, how very pleasant.” Emmeline began to feel suspicious.

  He had claimed earlier not to know that she, her mother, and sister had been due to attend the afternoon of bridge. But the invitation had been made very early the previous week, and so it was likely that her cousin had known very well that they would be attending.

  If he had called in upon Mr Calloway, and presumably that was how he came by his own invite, then it would seem most unrealistic for the two men to have discussed the attendees of the summer ball and not those of the upcoming afternoon of bridge. Something about the lie concerned her, even more than it angered her. Why on earth would he not have said? And worse still, had he made his way back to the county and Tarlton Manor purely and simply so that he might attend the same bridge afternoon as her?

  “Yes, he mentioned that there had been a ball and was most insistent that, had I been in the area at the time, I should have been extended an invitation. Still, I am pleased that at least you had an escort for the three of you.”

  “In truth, Kent, we would have attended perfectly safely without an escort of any kind. As much as we miss my father, we are still determined to be out in the world and not hide away.”

  “By which you mean that you do not need an escort?” There was an edge to his tone which she thought a little dangerous.

  “I daresay if we always wait for an escort, Sir, we should never leave the house.” She smiled in what she hoped was an amusing and friendly manner, for she did not wish to be at odds with him, however much she did not like him.

  “Quite so.” He laughed and seemed relieved himself that the moment of awkwardness had passed. “But I should like to offer my services anyway. For any occasion on which you, or any of your family, need assistance or should like to have the support of a man, you may rely on me entirely.”

  “How very kind,” Emmeline said in a noncommittal way.

  “For anything at all, any event or any matter of business that you would need to attend to and prefer to have a man present. You must always feel that you can rely on me, Emmeline. I should not like us to become strangers when your period of grace comes to an end. And if you are to look for new accommodation in the county, I would be very pleased to assist you.”

  Emmeline was so angry that she could have struck him. How could the appalling man speak of friendship and then of turning them out of their home in one sentence as if the two things went hand-in-hand? Was he really so stupid, or was he blindingly insensitive? Either way, she did not trust herself to speak for some moments and, in the end, could do no more than give him a frozen smile and reach for her tea again.

  As she sipped her tea, she looked up and could see that the Earl was looking over at them a little quizzically. When he saw her expression, he raised his eyebrows just a little, almost as if in silent inquiry. Had he really perceived her offence and annoyance from across the room?

  “I had wondered if the Earl was going to escort you here today, cousin. But I see that he did not.” Kent Fitzgerald seemed intent on continuing to blunder down the wrong conversational road.

  What was this obsession with the Earl?

  “Had you really, cousin? After all, I thought you said that you had no idea that I would be attending today. Unless, of course, I misheard you when you climbed up into the carriage.” The fact that she had caught him out clearly made her feel more uncomfortable than it did him.

 
He did not seem at all embarrassed by it and simply laughed and shrugged in what might have passed, in a very different man, for a mischievous manner. In her cousin, it was simply disturbing.

  “Ah, you have found me out.” He gave a very slow smile and narrowed his eyes as he held her gaze in a way which made her feel truly uncomfortable. “And so perhaps I ought to confess all to you. I had discovered from my dear friend Mr Calloway that you were going to attend today, and I was very pleased when he extended the invitation to me also. If I am honest, I have considered you a good deal in these last weeks and have been looking for opportunities to spend more time with you. You cannot blame a man for being a little underhand, can you?” He continued to smile at her and even leaned in towards her just a little.

  “Well, how very kind of Mr Calloway to invite you,” she said almost mechanically as she straightened up and hoped that her tone would put Kent Fitzgerald off entirely.

  And the idea that he had described Giles Calloway as his very good friend was laughable. He was even newer to the county than Mr Calloway and nowhere near as amiable. And what was more, he did not yet have a home to speak of, even if the entire county knew he very soon would.

  “Yes, although I think we have already established that Mr Calloway is very kind with his invitations, have we not?” He continued to regard her in a most forward manner, so much so that she wanted to rise from her seat and walk away from him.

  “Have we? Well, yes, I daresay we have.” She turned her head to look towards the bridge table in hopes of meeting the Earl’s gaze again.

  “Emmeline, I think you are trying to divert me, are you not?” As Kent Fitzgerald whispered in her ear, she could feel his breath hot and invasive.

  Chapter 13

  Hunter leaned back in his chair and watched quietly as Algernon’s housekeeper and butler hurried in and out with covered platters of food. They worked quickly and in silence, and Hunter could smell all manner of wonderful aromas, each of which conspired to make his hungry stomach grumble all the louder.