An Earl to Save Her Reputation

by Laura Martin

  With her eyes closed she turned her face up to the sun, enjoying the warm rays as it peeked out from behind a cloud. It had been a strange morning, one of high tensions and dramatic revelations, and she felt physically tired from all the excitement. When she’d stepped in front of the target, meaning to shame her two stepsons into realising how their father had treated her was not acceptable, and most certainly not a topic to find merriment from, she could never have envisaged how the morning would turn out. She hadn’t planned on sharing a little of the abuse she’d been subjected to with Harry, certainly hadn’t ever imagined she would have dropped her dress quite shamelessly to let him see the scars on her back. It had been an impulsive action and at the time had seemed the best way to show him the physical damage her late husband had inflicted. And physical scars were a lot easier to explain than mental ones.

  ‘Sorry,’ Harry said, striding along the gravel path towards her, ‘that took longer than anticipated.’

  ‘Are the rest of your guests mollified?’

  ‘Thankfully we’re only a small group, otherwise someone would be bound to talk.’

  It was true, seeing as the local vicar and his wife were only joining them at dinner and the Fortescues had now all left, the remaining guests at this little house party included only Mrs Wright and her daughter, Rifield and, of course, Lydia.

  ‘Will they stay?’ Anna asked.

  ‘I think so. Unless you’d prefer me to cut our house party short.’

  There were pros and cons to staying and leaving. The main point of the party had been to find out which of the Fortescues had been sending Anna the packages. Now it looked as if they were going to have to look elsewhere for the culprit. However, Anna didn’t feel overly inclined to head back to London just yet. Harry’s estate was peaceful, even more so now the Fortescues had all left, and she secretly relished the idea of spending another couple of days here enjoying his company.

  ‘Did you believe them?’ Harry asked as he offered Anna his arm and they began to walk through the formal gardens. ‘You know them better than I do.’

  She considered for a few moments. It would have been easy for any of them to lie, easy for them to anticipate the question and feign confusion, but she hadn’t seen any deception in any of her stepchildren’s expressions. None of them had known about the packages or the threatening letters.

  ‘I believed them,’ Anna said. It was horrible to say it out loud for it meant admitting she had another enemy, one she knew nothing about.

  ‘I believed them, too,’ Harry said thoughtfully. ‘Complete waste of time, this house party. I’m sorry, Anna.’

  ‘There’s no need to be sorry.’

  ‘It was unnecessary. We could have just confronted the three of them in London without having to put you through the torment of staying under the same roof as them.’

  They fell silent as Harry led her around the freshly dug-over borders, which no doubt in summer would hold a dazzling array of brightly coloured flowers.

  ‘We will have to regroup,’ Harry said, sounding every inch the military officer. ‘Make a list of everyone who might hold a grudge against you. Any servants you have dismissed, business rivals, clients who feel your shipping company has done them wrong. We will go through the list systematically, questioning everyone until we find the culprit. Never fear, we will get to the bottom of this matter.’

  Anna had to suppress a smile. ‘I just want to forget about it for a couple of days,’ she said. ‘Forget about the packages and the letters and the unknown person who hates me so much they feel moved to be so cruel.’

  ‘There’s no time like the present. Why don’t you draw up a list and we can discuss it after dinner tonight?’

  ‘Harry, did you listen to a word I just said?’

  ‘I just think we should keep up the momentum on this.’

  ‘And I said no,’ she said firmly.

  ‘But we could use this time...’

  ‘I said no, Harry,’ Anna repeated. ‘I want to have a couple of days where I feel normal, where I’m not always thinking about what the next package might contain, what the next letter might threaten.’

  ‘If you’re sure.’

  ‘I’m sure. When we return to London we can go back to searching for whoever is tormenting me. For the next couple of days I wish to at least pretend I’m a carefree young woman.’

  They fell silent, continuing their stroll through the gardens, each lost in thought.

  ‘Anna, what you told me earlier,’ Harry said eventually as they made their way on to a tree-lined boulevard, ‘I can’t stop thinking about it.’

  At least he was honest. Most people would skirt around the subject, dropping hints that they wanted to know more, but never asking directly.

  ‘What would you like to know?’ she asked.

  ‘Did your other husbands...?’

  She shook her head. ‘My first husband was much older than me, benignly uninterested in our marriage, but never unkind. Captain Trevels I barely saw after our marriage vows until he returned home when he was so unwell he couldn’t sit up in bed without my help.’

  ‘Just the thought of Fortescue hurting you...’ Harry trailed off, shaking his head as if the image was too much.

  ‘I think violence and abuse in marriage is much more common than we all care to admit,’ Anna said quietly. ‘I survived, Harry, that’s all that matters now.’

  ‘But the awful things people say about you and after all you’ve endured.’

  Anna shrugged. ‘I told you once before a little gossip isn’t the worst thing in the world,’ she said. ‘I don’t care what people say about me. They cannot hurt me like my late husband hurt me. He is dead and I am free, and no amount of horrible gossip will ever change that.’

  ‘I can see why you never want to marry again,’ Harry said softly.

  She doubted he truly understood. Of course she never wanted to put herself in a position where a husband could physically hurt her again, where it became legal for a man to beat her, as long as the rod wasn’t too thick. What she doubted he realised, what she doubted anyone could realise unless they had been in a similar situation, was her complete reluctance to ever give anyone power over her life again. Now she lived by her terms, did as she wished, talked to whom she wished, ran her business and accepted or declined invitations as she desired. No, nothing was worth giving up that control.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Harry was glad to see Anna at breakfast the next morning. She’d understandably been reluctant to rejoin the other guests for the afternoon stroll into the village and for dinner yesterday, and had sent her apologies. This morning she looked bright and fresh, her head held high as she took her place at the breakfast table. No one mentioned the events of the day before and, if they had, no doubt Anna would shut down any enquiries politely but firmly.

  ‘What shall we do with the morning?’ Harry asked, smiling at his assembled guests as they finished breakfast. In truth, he wanted nothing more than to whisk Anna off to a remote corner of his estate and show her not all men were cruel, but he knew that was never going to happen. With great effort he focused on Miss Wright, who was looking at him with her encouraging dark eyes. Rifield was right, he should be thinking of finding himself a nice, amiable bride and here was one served up without any effort, but he just couldn’t find any enthusiasm at the idea of getting to know her.

  ‘How about a scavenger hunt?’ Rifield suggested. Harry could always rely on his friend to fill a long silence with a suggestion.

  ‘How would that work, Mr Rifield?’ Miss Wright asked.

  ‘We draw names out of a hat for our partners and then in pairs we set off around the estate and have to find three items of interest. The couple with what is judged to be the most interesting item by everyone else wins.’

  ‘What a lovely suggestion,’ Mrs Wright said, her eyes alrea
dy gleaming. No doubt she was hoping her daughter would be paired with either of the eligible young gentlemen.

  Harry went to fetch some paper from his study and wrote the six names down on pieces of paper, folding them in half before placing them in Miss Wright’s proffered bonnet.

  ‘Miss Wright, would you like to pick the first two names?’

  She dipped her slender hand into the bonnet and took out two pieces of paper.

  ‘Mother and Mr Rifield,’ she said, her tongue darting out over her lips as she spoke.

  Rifield moved soundlessly over to Mrs Wright, as always uncomplaining in doing his bit to help Harry out.

  ‘Lydia, would you like to pick the next two names?’ Harry asked.

  His sister had barely said a word all day, but he supposed it was something to be celebrated that she was still socialising rather than retreating off to her room.

  With her cheeks flushing Lydia stepped up, dipped her hand into the bonnet and took two names.

  ‘Miss Wright and myself,’ she said, glancing nervously at her chosen partner.

  Harry felt like shooting his fist up into the air. That left him and Anna, just the person he wanted to spend the morning with, and now good fortune or fate had thrown them together.

  ‘I am quite happy to swap with one of you young ladies,’ Mrs Wright said. ‘It wouldn’t feel right me enjoying the company of such a lovely young gentleman when he could be with someone closer to his own age.’

  It was an obvious attempt to pair her daughter off with Rifield, but Miss Wright shook her head and took Lydia’s arm.

  ‘Not at all, Mother, I’m very much looking forward to spending the morning with Lydia.’

  ‘What are the rules?’ Harry asked, eager to be off.

  ‘Two hours to find three interesting items from around the estate. Nothing from inside the house.’

  ‘Shall we start?’ Harry asked, offering Anna his arm.

  She looked up at him with warmth in her eyes and Harry knew immediately where he wanted to take her for the morning. They might not find many interesting items, but right now winning the game was the last thing on his mind.

  ‘This way,’ Harry murmured quietly in Anna’s ear, guiding her away from the other couples.

  ‘Where are we going?’ Anna asked.

  ‘Somewhere private. Somewhere I guarantee you will love.’

  ‘That is a bold statement, Lord Edgerton,’ Anna said, a small smile lighting up her face.

  After finding out what she had endured through the year of her marriage Harry wanted nothing more than to put a smile on her face. That was what this morning was about. Tomorrow he would think about his future, tomorrow he would work on getting to know the respectable and slightly bland Miss Wright, but today he would dedicate to making Anna smile.

  They walked briskly, fast enough to stop the chill in the air from bothering them, Anna peeking out from underneath her bonnet every few seconds to glance up at his face. Out here in the countryside, without anyone else watching them, it was hard to believe she was the same Lady Fortescue the gossips whispered about, the same Lady Fortescue who had a reputation for being icy and unapproachable. Here she was just a vulnerable young woman, a young woman who made his pulse race every time he looked at her.

  ‘Where did you grow up?’ Harry asked, as they came to the top of the hill and began their descent into a shallow valley.

  ‘My family home was in Hampshire,’ Anna said, ‘but we spent most of our time in London. My father didn’t much care for country life.’

  ‘And you?’

  She looked up at him, tilting her head back so he could see the soft line of her jaw and the delicate skin of her neck.

  ‘I love the countryside,’ she said. ‘I think I’d be happy if I never had to set foot into London again.’

  ‘Then I think you’ll like where I’m taking you.’

  Harry had been treading this very path for nearly thirty years, often escaping on his own during his childhood to come and explore the dense forest in the valley. It only covered a small area, but the trees were close together, their leaves tangled and dense overhead, and the paths covered in moss. It felt like a little enchanted forest in the middle of Kent.

  They left the long grass on the hillside and stepped into the wooded area, and immediately next to him Anna gasped. Harry suppressed a smile.

  ‘It’s beautiful,’ she said.

  Along the edges of the overgrown path were hundreds upon hundreds of bluebells, their violet flowers hanging low, a carpet of colour against the green. The flowers stretched out into the distance, crowded between trees, huddled into clearings and growing even where the light barely penetrated.

  Anna rested her hand lightly on his arm, allowing him to guide her through the dense forest along the barely visible path. Once, when he was young, Harry’s father had ordered the forest to be tidied, the trees chopped back, the paths cleared, but Harry and his sister had begged him not to spoil the magical place. Their father had relented and now Harry loved to stroll in the dappled sunshine whenever he came home.

  ‘How is your mother?’ Anna asked as they walked.

  ‘Let’s not talk of our families for once.’

  ‘What do you wish to talk about?’

  He knew this was the wrong time to start a flirtation. Anna had made it very clear she wasn’t looking for a romantic relationship and who could blame her after all she had suffered in her last marriage, yet sometimes he thought he saw a flicker of attraction in her eyes.

  ‘How about us?’ he said, gripping her firmly as she stumbled on the uneven path and taking the opportunity to pull her a little closer to him.

  ‘Us?’ She turned to him with amusement in her eyes. ‘Which us would you like to talk about? The us who are pretending to be engaged? Or the us who are foolishly trying to play at tracking down this mysterious person who’s sending me horrible packages?’

  ‘How about the us who’s walking arm in arm through a beautiful wood on a sunny spring afternoon.’ She was exactly the sort of woman he couldn’t marry, someone he knew he might very well fall in love with if he spent too much time with her, but still he couldn’t stop himself from imagining a future they couldn’t have.

  ‘That us is nothing more than a fantasy,’ Anna murmured.

  So he had been right, she did feel the spark between them.

  ‘Sometimes it is fun to indulge in fantasy,’ Harry said, bending down to whisper in Anna’s ear.

  ‘As long as everyone is clear that is all this is,’ Anna said, turning her grey eyes to look at him, searching his face for reassurance.

  ‘I know nothing can happen between us, Anna,’ Harry said, his lips almost tickling her ears. ‘You’re hardly the mild wife I’m looking for and you have plenty of reasons never to want to marry again, but don’t you want to forget that for one afternoon?’

  When she didn’t say anything, Harry felt his heart soar. For just one afternoon they could be irresponsible, they could pretend they were unencumbered young lovers.

  ‘If we were courting,’ Anna said, ‘what would you say to me?’ Her voice was light, her manner so different to how she’d been just hours earlier. He wondered how many people got to see this side of Anna and doubted it numbered more than one or two in the past few years.

  ‘Most men would tell you how the sunlight glints off your coppery hair and your lips curve into the most wonderful smile. They would sing odes to your grace and compare you to a rose on the most magnificent summer’s day. They would profess to be blinded by your beauty and overcome by your sweet nature.’

  ‘But not you?’

  ‘Not me. The things I admire about you are a little less superficial, although I do have to admit every time I look in your eyes I forget every thought in my head...’ He paused, seeing Anna unsuccessfully try to suppress a smile under her bonne
t. He loved how her lips quivered ever so slightly as she fought her urge to grin. ‘I love the determined look you get on your face whenever you talk about your company. I love how to the world you can seem dignified and aloof, but then I see a tiny smile, a tiny flicker of amusement in your eyes and I know what you’re really thinking. I love your courage and determination to hold your head up high no matter what and I even love how you think you have to deal with everything alone.’

  ‘That’s quite a list of things you love,’ Anna said quietly, her face completely unreadable.

  For a moment Harry felt a panic seize him as if someone had him by the throat and was slowly squeezing. Of course he didn’t love Anna. He loved lots of things about her, but that wasn’t the same as love. He admired her, it was hard not to. And he liked her, there wasn’t a single other person in the entire world he enjoyed being with as much as Anna, no one else even came close. But love was another matter. Love was... Well, love was...

  He took a deep breath. This was why he could never let this relationship go any further. It would be so easy to fall in love with Anna, so easy to share an intense and passionate relationship, and that was exactly what Harry didn’t want for himself. A nice, bland wife, someone he could share a calm and placid marriage with.

  ‘If I was courting you, I’d need to declare myself early,’ Harry said glibly. ‘You would have a number of suitors, of course.’

  Anna smiled at this. ‘All lining up to become the fourth victim of the Black Widow?’

  Harry bent down, plucking a handful of wild bluebells and arranging them into a messy bouquet.

  ‘For my lady,’ he said with a theatrical bow, pulling back the flowers as Anna reached out to take them. ‘In exchange for a kiss.’

  ‘That is quite a steep price for a bouquet of flowers.’

  ‘That depends...’ Harry said.

  ‘On what?’

  ‘On how much you want to kiss me.’

  For a long few seconds Anna just looked at him, that inscrutable expression on her face.

  ‘No consequences?’ she asked. ‘After we return to the house we go back to how we were?’