Conrad, who held his handkerchief over his mouth, jerked his head around. “P-pardon me?”
“Not you, dear.” She stared pointedly at the maid and pressed her lips together.
With something that could have been a low growl, Annie went behind the bench and stood. Amelia didn’t have to turn her head to see if the maid was still glaring at her. She could nearly feel it on the back of her neck.
No matter. Amelia had become an expert at ignoring people who vexed her. Annie was no different.
Conrad finally ceased his hacking. Amelia patted his arm. “Feeling better?”
“Much.” He looked at her. “Thank you.”
“Ready to explore the Sanctuary?”
“You mean, walk about?”
“Of course.” She started to stand, thought better of it in light of his earlier comments, and waited.
“If we must.” Conrad stood and held out his hand to assist her.
“Oh, Conrad, you have quite the wit.”
“I didn’t realize I was being witty.”
Amelia’s laugh startled a pair of chiff-chaffs into sudden flight, their call to each other sounding very much like the sound of their name.
Conrad stiffened.
Why did he act so uncomfortable when they were near the birds?
Chapter Eight
Conrad shuddered. Those stupid chiff-chaffs. They weren’t even bright enough to say anything besides their own name. What if I went around yelling, Conrad-Conrad, as I flapped my arms? Considering my lack of friends, though, would it really make a difference?
He dabbed at his face one final time with his handkerchief and folded it neatly in a square to return to his pocket. Of all the places in London, why did the awful Bird Sanctuary have to be one of Amelia’s favorites?
A thought niggled at his mind. While it was true that he was marrying her because of blackmail, there was something about her that he couldn’t shake loose. Why did he feel as if he must do things to please her? Participate in an activity at a place at which he had no desire to ever set foot again?
Her red tresses and green eyes mesmerized him to his core. He’d never felt anything remotely like it when he’d courted Lucy. Nor had he had those stirrings for any other woman. Ever.
What did that say about him that the one woman who set his heart on fire was only marrying him for a reason other than love? He didn’t know the exact reason, yet, but surely she wouldn’t have resorted to something of such nefarious character as blackmail if there weren’t an underlying cause.
The irony didn’t escape him that he was making excuses for what she was putting him through. He certainly had never made excuses for anyone else before. About anything. Perhaps he’d lost his mind and was becoming someone no one would recognize.
I can hope. Becoming a better man is my goal. Could Amelia be a part of that change?
Still, being at the Bird Sanctuary was bringing back memories. Terrible ones. He hadn’t a way to hide his reactions to it, no matter how much he might want to impress Amelia.
Memories of wanting to venture outside as a child and see and hear the birds around the Lofton estate played out in his mind. Every time, his mother forbade it. Once in a while, he’d sneak out when she wasn’t looking but was always dragged back in and given a scolding for disobeying and bringing the dusty outdoors inside with him on his clothes and person.
A thorough scrubbing by one of the maids would follow. He especially hated when he got Hilda for the job. She was rough when she washed him, nearly to the point of rubbing him raw. The woman must have had talons for fingers.
Talons… He threw the thought aside. Hard to imagine that once, long ago, he’d actually longed to go outside. His mother had squelched any desire of that to the point that now when he was outside for any length of time and came in contact with wildlife, he was sometimes even afraid.
“Conrad?”
He startled out of his reverie at Amelia’s voice. “Yes?”
“You looked to be off in another time, somehow.”
I was. “Nonsense.”
“Ready to proceed?”
No. “Certainly.” Conrad allowed Amelia to lead him down the path even though he’d just questioned her about doing that very thing. His legs protested delving further into the shade of the groves of trees, the dirt along the path, the grasses swaying in the cool breeze.
The only way for him to do Amelia’s bidding and remain in the Sanctuary was if she propelled him there by her own power. Amelia’s maid harrumphed and followed along behind them. Those two didn’t seem to get along very well. Reminds me of my relationship with my servants. Perhaps he and Amelia had similar personalities in that regard. More’s the pity.
They veered from the path and walked through some shin-deep grass. Who knew what vermin lurked in there? Conrad averted his eyes from the ground and instead looked up. Very big mistake. Overhead, a flock of geese in a V formation descended to land near a pond a few yards away.
“Look.” Amelia pointed. “We’ll have a chance to see the geese up close.”
Oh the horror. “Splendid.”
The honking of the geese set Conrad’s teeth on edge. Thankfully his jaw no longer throbbed when he clenched them together. The huge grey birds flapped enormous wings and splashed about in the water.
Mother would have been appalled.
When Conrad would have stopped a relatively safe distance away, Amelia dragged him on. Closer… closer… The sound of the birds was deafening. And the smell…
Out came his handkerchief again. It was earning its keep today. He pressed it against his nose and mouth, hoping to avoid the worst of the stench.
“Conrad, watch your—” Amelia grabbed his arm tightly. “Oh no, too late.”
With trepidation, he glanced down. Greenish slime, which he could only attribute to something one of those ghastly geese left behind, covered the entire toe of his boot.
Perfect.
Resigned to his fate, he leaned down and wiped most of it away with his handkerchief. A grimace formed on his face as he folded it and tucked it back in his pocket. He certainly wouldn’t be using that one again until his valet gave it a good cleaning. Or it may even have to be disposed of. Such a waste.
Nevertheless, he now had no handkerchief with which to cover his nose. A deep sigh floated up from his chest and came out his lips.
Amelia glanced down. “How unfortunate.”
“Indeed.”
“It looks as if you were able to remove it from the top of your boot…” She leaned forward slightly. “But there’s still a large patch on the side.”
“What?” Panic took hold as he turned his leg to the side for a better view. “Oh no…”
“Can you clean it with your handkerchief again?”
“I’m afraid the poor piece of fabric has done all it can for today.”
“I’d be glad to lend you mine.” She waved a lacy, frilly piece of fluff in front of him.
Much as he’d like to take her up on the offer to remove the offending deposit, it didn’t seem right to ask that of her. While his handkerchief was white and plain, hers was pink with white lace around the edges and blue flowers embroidered in the center. “No, I wouldn’t want you to ruin yours. It looks as if someone took quite a bit of time to stitch those flowers.”
Pink tinged her cheeks. “That’s my work.”
“It’s lovely.”
“Thank you.” She shrugged. “My mother insisted I learn how to sew, even though I always preferred being outside to sitting on a settee in the parlor.”
That was something they certainly didn’t agree on. They were quite opposite in their preferences of how to spend their idle time.
“Are you close to your mother?”
Amelia glanced away. “In some ways, I suppose. Although she can be quite a handful.”
“Handful? As in, bossy and rude?”
“Not so much that. Just… She expects everything to be done for her. Even things she could
easily do herself. Why did you assume bossy and rude?”
“I’m afraid that would be my mother.”
“So you’re not close.”
“In a word, no.” Conrad had no desire to speak more of anyone’s mother. He pointed to her handkerchief. “Thank you again, but I can’t in good conscience ask that of you.”
She looked to her left. “Perhaps there is another way.”
“How?”
“Follow me.” He didn’t move but did indeed watch her lovely form as she sashayed in the opposite direction. She walked closer to the pond and turned. “Come with me. They won’t bite.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Well, I’ve never been bitten.”
You don’t have my rotten experience with birds. He sighed again. How many sighs did that make since they’d arrived? Many more and he might blow away from all the air rushing through his body.
He cautiously took a step. Then another. The closer he got to the geese, the more his whole person trembled. But then he looked up to see Amelia standing on the bank, holding out her hand to him.
Red wisps of her hair danced around her face and ears in the gentle breeze. Her eyes sparkled, rivaling the ray of sunlight that touched the pond’s surface. Creamy, pale skin sported a handful of freckles across her nose and cheeks.
And her smile…
Full lips curved upward, showing just a glimpse of her ever so slightly overlapped lower front teeth.
Conrad’s heart beat as hard as pounding rain on the roof during a torrential storm. Everything about Amelia mesmerized him. Only a fool would worry about why she wanted to marry him. About the real purpose of her blackmail scheme.
But I am worried. Does that make me a fool?
He knew that in everyone else’s eyes, he was just that, as well as mean spirited, rude, and selfish. I want to be a better man. For her…
Amelia laughed. It was a gentle symphony of highs and lows, sweet and more than a little seductive. “Conrad, aren’t you going to join me?”
He glanced down. His goose-slime-covered boots hadn’t budged. As he raised his gaze to her, a modicum of courage found its way into his heart. The feeling was so quiet as to be nearly silent. But somehow, having her encourage him gave him the tiniest spark to take the next step.
With care, Conrad stepped toward her, glancing down every few seconds to be sure he avoided further mayhem to his boots. He’d assumed that the closer he got to the pond, the more overpowering the stench would become. Instead, Amelia’s lavender fragrance somehow found him as it floated between them on gossamer wings of the wind.
Finally, he reached her. He looked steadily into her eyes, jumping when something touched his hand. A glance down showed her hand in his, her gloved fingers wrapping around the edge of his hand.
“Ready to try my idea?” She tightened her grip.
“Idea?” For what? Holding hands some more… kissing again…
“Don’t you want to remove—” She glanced down and back up. “—that from your boot?”
How could he have forgotten the awful indiscretion attached to his boot, when only moments before, it had all but consumed his thoughts?
Amelia. It was because of her. And only her.
Have I fallen under a witch’s spell? Am I a captive of her powers? As much as his rigid temperament and strict upbringing pushed away the silly thought, the small, new strength he garnered from the red-haired vixen to his left shoved back.
What would Mother say?
At the moment, he cared not. Because his mother wasn’t there.
“Yes. I do.” He had no idea what she might have in mind, but at the moment, all he could think about was her lavender scent.
“Keep holding onto my hand.”
Gladly.
“And step just a little closer…”
Certainly.
“…to the water.”
Drat.
“And turn toward me just a little.”
Yes…
“And bend your left knee.”
“Pardon?”
“Conrad, we need to get the edge of your boot in the water.”
“We do?”
“To remove the uh…”
“Of course.” He turned his head and gasped. Most of the geese had moved away as he and Amelia had neared the pond. But one goose, a very large grey one, floated across the water toward them. And he was…
With a squint, Conrad eyed the bird. Was the goose frowning? At him?
Conrad stepped away.
Amelia tugged him back. In her other hand, she waved her handkerchief again. “Since you won’t use mine to clean your boot, I think dipping it in the pond is the best way.”
A stray beam of sunlight peeked from behind a large cloud and landed on the cloth. Some of the thread must have had a slight shine to it because the effect was dazzling. As she waved the fabric back and forth, back and forth, the threads glistened, almost as if they turned this way and that on the cloth.
“Oh my, look at that.” Amelia pointed with the handkerchief to something behind Conrad.
He turned slowly, suddenly afraid of what was lurking there. The grey goose approached stealthily, as if it were a pirate ship cutting through the ocean fog. When his gaze connected with that of the bird, Conrad sucked in so much air as to nearly make him feel faint. What was that crazy goose doing?
Closer and closer it swam. Conrad longed to turn and run the other direction, but his legs wouldn’t cooperate. Why won’t they move?
Amelia gasped. “Go away, goose. Shoo!” She waved her handkerchief frantically, trying to scare it off. The result was the opposite of her intent. The goose eyed the movement of the handkerchief, seeming as dazzled by the reflection of the sun on the shiny thread as Conrad had been.
The more Amelia waved it, the closer the goose came.
Conrad’s mouth went dry. “W-why is that goose coming in this direction?”
“I don’t know.” Her eyes rounded, and she, too, seemed attached to the muddy patch of earth beside the pond. She waved her handkerchief faster. She must not have realized that it only enticed the bird more.
“Amelia, don’t—”
She screamed. Conrad turned just in time to see the goose’s long bill snap closed around the edge of the handkerchief. “Help, Conrad! Do something!”
Do something? Me?
A single tear formed and coursed down Amelia’s cheek. Conrad’s heart ached for her. Surely the handkerchief was of importance. Reaching out his free hand, he grabbed for the fabric before he had time to talk himself out of it.
Only for Amelia…
Conrad tugged. The goose tugged back. Anger replaced fear as Conrad pulled with all of his might. “No, you will not make Amelia shed another tear, you filthy fowl!” He released Amelia’s hand and put all of his weight into it, to the point of leaning back. With his heels dug into the mud, he strained against the goose’s surprising hold.
Suddenly, the tension eased. The goose let go of the handkerchief. Conrad wind milled his arms trying to keep his balance, to no avail.
With a curse, Conrad slipped forward, his boot giving way from the suction of the mud.
No. Oh no!
When he realized he had no choice, he gulped in air and closed his eyes. The splash was loud, but quick. Frigid water seeped first into his clothing, and then shocked his skin beneath.
With relief, Conrad’s boot touched the bottom of the pond. Saints be praised, because he couldn’t swim! He stood on the toes of his boots, which lifted his eyes and nose above the swirling green wetness. A distant thought floated through his mind. At least the slime will now be gone from my boot.
Amelia was bent over the edge of the water, holding out her hand. “Here, let me help you.”
He trudged through the murky mud until he could reach his arm out just far enough that she grabbed his hand.
Amelia bit her lip. “Are you ready?”
To get out of this evil pool of darkness? “Y
es!”
She pulled so hard that when he popped out of the water, she fell backward. Conrad had no recourse, as the momentum pulled him down… down, until he fell on top of her.
Amelia blinked. And smiled.
Even in the hideousness of the moment, with soaking wet skin and having come closer to a bird than he’d ever imagined in one of his darkest nightmares, one side of his mouth lifted as well.
Quick steps approached. “Lord Lofton! I’ll thank you to remove yourself from Miss Talbot’s person.”
Conrad sighed. He’d forgotten about the pesky maid.
Chapter Nine
Miriam Croome paced the parlor, her boots squeaking every time she turned. Conrad was bringing his betrothed to meet her. He’d only just the day before spoken to her father about asking for her hand. And apparently today, he couldn’t wait to bring her here, to the house. Miriam wasn’t looking forward to it, either. The girl was blackmailing them, for heaven’s sake. Miriam’s fingers itched to wrap around the spoiled little rich girl’s throat, tightening until the imprints of her fingernails left permanent marks on Miss Talbot’s perfect young neck.
How dare she try to take advantage of Conrad?
Of me?
Miss Talbot was in for a surprise. A big one. Conrad had said he’d tried to tell his intended that he wasn’t rich but she hadn’t believed him. She’d find out what was what in a few weeks when they married. Miriam gritted her teeth together. Once the new Lady Lofton lived in the house where did that leave her?
In the barn?
Perhaps she should have been nicer to her son. Shouldn’t have said some of the less-than-kind things to him. She’d never worried about it in the past. But now… He wouldn’t take revenge by kicking her out, would he? Make her fend for herself? No. Of course not. At least… she hoped not.
Hadn’t she always taken care of him? Looked out for his best interest? And she’d always insisted that he stay indoors, away from anything repulsive and harmful that lurked outside. When he’d been little, he’d often tried to sneak out of the house when she wasn’t looking. But she’d broken him of those desires. As an adult, he’d finally given in to her views on remaining indoors. He’d been a strong-willed child, but after years of nagging and haranguing, he’d come to see things her way.
The Unwanted Earl (The Love Bird Series) Page 7