The Earl Who Loved Me (Tales From Seldon Park: The Short Stories Book 1)

by Bethany Sefchick

  Now, Lydia was gone, though he wasn't certain she still wasn't lurking about hoping to trap him. He would not put it past her, sneaky wench that she was. All the more reason to lead Amelia down one corridor and then another and still yet another until they reached his intended destination - the warm and welcoming conservatory at the side of the house. There, he hoped he could speak with Amelia in private and hopefully learn whether or not she was amenable to his plans.

  As they approached the conservatory, however, his courage began to lag. This was Amelia, after all. What if he was wrong? What if she did not feel as he did? Worse, what if she would not speak to him after he confessed his feelings?

  There was no possible way he could simply declare himself. He would frighten her or confuse her, or worse, she would simply not believe him. No, men had lied to Amelia with words before. Despite their history, she would think him no different.

  But perhaps he could show her that this was different, this thing between them, and that he did indeed care.

  He had only a little more than a day remaining before the house party ended and Amelia and her family returned to Fallstaff Grange. Could he seduce her in that short a period of time? Well, he loved her and he suspected that she at least cared for him a little. They had a lifetime of friendship between them. Why not? It was possible. No, it was more than possible. He would do it. Starting now.

  "If you would indulge me, my lady, there is something I would very much like to show you in the conservatory. Something that might amuse you on such a cold winter's eve." David looked at Amelia hopefully, praying that his face wore a far more innocent expression than he felt.

  For a moment, he thought she might simply give in, but instead, she shook her head to decline the invitation. "I really ought not to, my lord. It is not proper, despite our long-standing friendship. I should wait for my mother or my maid to accompany us." Yet with each word she spoke, he could tell that she did wish to accompany him. That was a good sign.

  "Come now, Amelia." This time he did use her Christian name, earning him a startled look from her. "We are old friends as you say, and I do think you will find this amusing." He graced her with a mischievous smile. "Or do you not recall the time I attempted to grow oranges from seeds that I planted along the drive?"

  As he had hoped, that made her laugh, her eyes crinkling a bit at the edges as she remembered the incident from their youth. "Really, my lord..."

  He placed a finger to her lips, cutting her off, relishing the way they felt. God above how he wanted to kiss her. "David. My name is David and when we were younger, you used it freely. I would very much like it if you did so again. Amelia." He said her own name again, just to let her know that he was serious in his request.

  She seemed to consider that for a moment and then an emotion he could not interpret crept into her eyes. "Very well. But only when we are alone. David."

  "See? That was not so very hard, now was it?"

  "No, not so very." She blushed prettily and he was struck once more with the need to possess her in every way. Strange that, but he could not help himself. "Now about those oranges."

  With a grand sweep of his hand, he opened the door to the conservatory and ushered her inside. A blast of warm air hit them both in the face and he quickly moved them inside, lest the room loose any of its precious heat. The winter beyond the glass walls was beastly cold and it took three footmen the better part of the night and well into the wee morning hours to keep the room sufficiently heated to grow the precious citrus fruit. But he did love it so. As did Amelia.

  And if he began seducing the woman he loved with citrus fruit? Well he would do whatever it took to make her his, including the absurd. He also had the kernel of an idea that had begun to bloom in his mind and he needed a few more moments to be certain that it would work to his advantage and not harm his chances with her before he proposed his idiotic scheme and prayed she did not laugh in his face.

  Then, David didn't need to say another word as Amelia stepped inside the conservatory and her gaze fell upon the six perfect rows of citrus trees, a mix of both lemon and orange trees that were bursting with brightly colored fruit. He could tell from the look of wonder on her lovely face just how enchanting she found the scene. Just as he had hoped.

  "Oh, David!" she breathed in wonder, her eyes shining with happiness. "I had no idea. How utterly wonderful!" She scurried forward, no longer his little mouse and not precisely the lioness she had been earlier but somewhere in between. This was how he liked her the best, when she was simply being herself. She had acquired a taste for oranges in her youth, something she had never lost even as she grew older. However, even though her family possessed a fortune, they did not possess a conservatory full of orange trees. He, however, did.

  Grinning like a fool, he leaned back against one of the heavy wooden beams that supported the glass roof. Above them, muted starlight shone down, the first phases of a new moon bathing them in a silvery glow. "I knew you would like it. After all, you were the one who continually encouraged me that my planted seeds would grow into trees, even though I now suspect you knew all along that they would not."

  Shrugging, she smiled at him as she reached up to caress one of the perfectly round oranges. "You were so hopeful and proud of yourself. I did not want to disappoint you."

  "I was trying to impress you." He knew he had captured her attention when her eyes flew to his and did not look away.

  "You were not." She turned away from the tree and reached his side in a few quick steps. "I was a child."

  "You were a child who adored me," he countered with a wink, "and I liked to play the hero even back then. I liked to be your knight in shining armor." Then he reached up and plucked the fruit she had been gazing at with longing from the tree and handed it to her, unsurprised when she quickly peeled it and ate it without hesitation. "And I knew it and used it to my advantage." Just as he was using the oranges now. He would press every advantage he had, if only she would give him some small sign that she cared for him.

  Amelia found herself blushing. David was right, as he usually was. She had practically worshiped the ground he walked on and made no secret of it. She still did. Not that he could ever know that. "Well, whatever the reason, even at a young age, I was not so foolish as to believe that a seed from an exotic fruit that was simply stuck in the ground would grow into anything useful."

  "I didn't know that, though you were always far more clever than I." David pushed away from the beam and offered her his arm again. When she took it, he began leading her deeper into the conservatory, past potted plants and lush flowers that scented the air with their light fragrance. He had chosen these plants specifically because their smell was light, not so overpowering that it would harm Amelia. Even when choosing flowers, he was ever mindful of her and her needs, it seemed. "I was ten and I hated the idea of becoming an earl. I would have believed anything that anyone more intelligent than I had told me. Including a skinny girl with messy braids."

  He could tell by the soft light in her eyes that she was finally relaxed, remembering the way it used to be with him. Remembering that, before anything else, they were friends. Uncle James had often said that David's parents were friends first and lovers second. In David's mind, that was the key to getting Amelia to let down her guard long enough to admit that she had feelings for him. Strong ones, unless he was wrong, and he rarely was. These days, anyway.

  "You were merely young," she corrected softly, allowing him to lead her where he wished. She was under no illusion that this was a romantic stroll. It was merely two old friends chatting, remembering simpler times. He was trying to help her forget about the argument with Lady Lydia and nothing more. Still, she could not deny that she was enjoying herself.

  They walked in silence for a bit longer until he halted before a filigreed wrought iron bench. When he bade her to sit down, she did, feeling a little giddy with delight but doing her best to keep her emotions in check. There was something different about David t
onight, about the way he moved and the way he looked at her. If she didn't know better, she would think he was trying to seduce her. That, however, was stupid and merely a product of her overactive imagination. Yet it was nice to pretend for a time.

  When he silently reached over and plucked a blush-colored rose from a nearby bush and handed it to her, she wondered again what he was about. There was more to this stroll than a trip down memory lane. He was restless and yet attempting not to appear so.

  "David," she finally ventured when he began to pace in front of her, "is there something amiss?" She had been deliberate in her use of his Christian name, wanting him to remember that they were friends and that she was doing as he had requested. Even if he did not love her, he could trust her with his secrets. She would never betray his confidence.

  "No," he smiled at her as he sank down next to her. She did not move away, allowing his thigh to press against hers. "I am merely anxious. The house party ends tomorrow night and I am not certain that all of the guests have had an enjoyable time."

  As he expected, well hoped really, she scoffed at that notion. "How could they not? You are an admirable host."

  "Ah, and there is the rub." He prayed that he looked appropriately contrite. "I am a host. A man. Not a woman. And Aunt Harriet has not taken as active of a role in planning events as I had hoped, leaving much of the entertainment planning up to Lady Lydia and her mother."

  He knew why that was, of course, since Aunt Harriet had hinted that Lady Lydia would make a fine countess for him. It did not matter if he did not agree, at least not to his aunt, much as she loved him. All she saw was the future of the earldom in jeopardy if he did not wed and produce an heir soon.

  "They do plan some rather, shall we say, inventive games," Amelia confided quietly. "Then again, I am not one for games, as you well know." She held up the volume of Shakespeare she still held in her hands. "I am rather boring, I'm afraid. Not at all the kind of woman so popular at the moment. Not that this is any great surprise to you, of course."

  "The ton's loss then," he said with a dismissive sniff. "Intelligent women should be all the rage, at least if the men of Society had any sense about them."

  Amelia smiled at his attempt to ease her aching heart. "In my experience, the men of the ton are not necessarily interested in a woman's mind. They are more interested in discovering a lady's other attributes." She would not say such scandalous things to another man, but this was David and it felt nice to flirt for a bit. He understood her better than any other man ever would, and would take her actions in stride, she was certain. This night would be something to remember in her old age. The night she had attempted to seduce the great Earl of Weatherby in his conservatory.

  "Fools, the lot of them, I say." He stuck his tongue out then, hoping to make Amelia laugh, for everyone well knew his reputation for enjoying a woman's other attributes. He was a bachelor and not a saint, after all.

  When Amelia laughed as well, David smiled. "Seriously, though, I would like to make certain the other women have enjoyed themselves as well. Were the parlor games enough? Was there too much emphasis on the hunting party the other day? I simply do not know. What do the women here want? I very much would like to know. And not for the nefarious reasons you assume, my dear Amelia."

  Immediately, she felt bad for David. He had tried very hard to make certain this house party was a success. She also knew he would not ask her opinion, for she disliked most of the activities Lydia had planned and executed, usually to her benefit in order to get closer to David. She also knew that David was too polite and proper to ask the other women their opinion and even if he did, they would not tell him the truth anyway. After all, he was an earl, not to mention their host.

  But she could ask the women for him she decided quickly. The question was why did it matter to him? Then she remembered his talk throughout the season about wanting an heir. To have an heir, a man must first have a wife. And David was clearly in search of one. It was suddenly obvious to Amelia that he wanted to know what he could do better so that he might attract a woman - not one like Lydia, but rather one who would love him for the wonderful man he was. He wanted a lovematch like his parents had, a woman who placed him above all others. Who loved him above all others.

  That woman was standing right in front of him. But he did not know that. Yet.

  Amelia eyed David shrewdly, seeing an unexpected opportunity present itself, perhaps the first and only one she would ever have, to get closer to him. Close enough that he might finally see her as something more than the girl he had grown up with, the girl whose father owned the neighboring estate. Finally, he might see her as a woman and a desirable one at that. One that he could love, in time anyway, and take to wife. A woman who would give him his heir and as many spares as he desired.

  For her body had wanted his for almost as long as she had been aware that there were physical differences between a man and a woman. Laying with him would be no chore, of that she was certain.

  He was devastatingly handsome tonight in his all-black evening wear, the only hint of color the wink of his diamond and ruby stick pin in his cravat, its stark whiteness nearly blinding against the dark that was the rest of his attire. He appeared so worldly and masculine, a man in control of all that he surveyed. He was also blind to her affections. But perhaps, just perhaps, she could make him see that she was the woman he was looking for and that he did not need the opinions of other women.

  True, she had been avoiding him all throughout the house party, fearful that he might see her love for him written plainly on her face and laugh at her audacity. But that was the mouse Amelia, the one who hid, even from her oldest friend. The one who had spent most of her life hiding. But tonight? Tonight she had been a lioness, standing up to Lady Lydia and letting her sharp tongue fly, the way she rarely did but often longed to.

  The fire that had ignited inside of her when Lydia has slapped the book out of her hand flared to life again, this time not in anger but rather in determination. For once, Amelia was going to fight for what she wanted. If she lost, then yes, she would be crushed, but at least she would know that she had tried. She could not exist in this limbo forever.

  Tonight, with the air redolent with the heady scent of citrus, and the warm air caressing the bare skin of her shoulders, for the first time, she felt worthy of fighting for David's love. What had changed? She could not say. Perhaps it was the way he had come to her defense in the corridor or maybe it was the way he had been so solicitous, making certain that she was well after the incident. For she had no doubt that the trip to the conservatory had been all for her benefit in an effort to cheer her. Or perhaps it was simply because now that she had finally defended herself to another society lady, Amelia was unwilling to retreat back into the meek and mild shell she had hidden in for so long.

  Whatever the reason, with the starlight glittering down like so many diamonds from the heavens, Amelia decide that it was time to take a chance.

  "There is still one more day, is there not?" she asked as innocently as she could. "If you would like, I could inquire with the other ladies, see what their thoughts are. We could perhaps work together if you like. That way, for your next house party, you will have a better idea of what sort of activities to plan."

  The suggestion was ridiculous, of course. He was an earl and could hire as many party planners as he liked. However, given the eager look on his face, he seemed to be amenable to her idea.

  "Yes. Yes I do believe that is a splendid idea, Amelia. We can begin tonight with the drinks that will end the evening. You circulate about gathering opinions and then, after the other have departed, you can inform me of what you have learned. Tomorrow we can do much the same, with you checking back in with me from time to time throughout the day." David prayed that his voice did not betray too much excitement. He had hoped for a similar outcome so that he might spend time with Amelia and seduce her in what little time he had left.

  Simply sweeping her off her feet and car
rying her off to his bedroom where he might ravish her would have been easier but he knew she would not agree to such a thing. Or, given the way she was ogling his chest at the moment, perhaps she might. Still, this way was better. Tomorrow night, on the other hand, if he was no closer to his goal of winning her, then he might take more drastic measures. Such as absconding with her and thoroughly ruining her - in the most pleasurable of ways, of course. He was a bit of a scoundrel, after all, so no one would be overly surprised if he did just that.

  "Wonderful," she said with a sigh, her entire face animated now, and he could see the wheels inside of her mind turning with plans of her own, though of what type he could not guess. Still, as long as he was a part of them, he did not much care what they were.

  "Thank you, Amelia," he said as he stood and offered her his arm so that he might escort her back to the ballroom. "You have no idea how much I value your help in his matter."

  That, of course, was the understatement of the year, David thought as he led her from the conservatory, her soft, sweet scent tickling his nose as it mixed with the citrus in the air. Still, small steps. He could not afford to rush her lest he risk losing the only woman he would ever love.

  Chapter Three

  The group of assembled women's idle chatter was nearly enough to bore Amelia to tears, but she pasted a pretty smile on her face and nodded encouragingly. She was doing this for David. And herself. So she turned to listen to one of the few women in the group that she actually liked, Lady Diana Saintwood. This conversation, at least, would not be about dresses and what would be in the first stare of fashion come spring.

  "I am given to understand that Lachlan McKenna, the son of the Viscount Gladston will be in Town for the upcoming Season. I also understand that he is quite handsome and charming." Lady Diana confided this news to Amelia as if she was entrusting the other woman with a grave secret. Then Diana shook her head, as if realizing just how flighty she had sounded in that moment.