The Lady and the Earl (Seabrook Family Saga)

by Donovan, Christine

  “Not for a moment,” Amelia answered. “All anyone has to do is look at him and listen to how much he loved them to know he had nothing to do with their deaths. He’s still in mourning all these years later. My heart breaks for him when I see the anguish and pain in his beautiful blue eyes.”

  Bella leaned around Emma, who sat in the middle. “I did notice his eyes. His cousin’s, Mr. Spencer’s, are the exact same shade.”

  “Hmmm, you noticed Mr. Spencer’s eyes?” Amelia asked curiously. She had not believed her sister ever noticed any man except Myles.

  “Well, I did waltz with him. It’s hard not to notice someone’s eyes when you are that close,” Bella remarked with a slight blush creeping up her face.

  How interesting, Amelia thought.

  “Mr. Spencer seems like a nice gentleman,” Emma said as she looked inquisitively at both Bella and Amelia. “I do believe Myles was jealous of all the attention Spencer paid you.”

  Bella snorted in a most unladylike way. “Myles jealous? I don’t believe that for a moment. While Mr. Spencer and I danced he waltzed with the Widow Harrington, and they were flirting shamelessly with one another. I saw the widow caress Myles. She rubbed her hand up and down Myles’s arm and batted her lashes. It doesn’t help that I know widows can have affairs and not ruin their reputation if it is done quietly. And from what I saw, she wants Myles.”

  “Oh, Bella,” Amelia said, trying to make her sister feel better, “Myles flirts with everyone. It means nothing to him. It’s just the way he’s made.” She reached around Emma and squeezed her sister’s hand. “He would never waste his time on the widow––”

  “Oh, my,” Emma interrupted. “Here comes Lord Bridgeton and Mr. Spencer on horseback.”

  “Ohh, doesn’t Mr. Spencer sit a horse handsomely?” Bella sighed.

  Amelia could not believe her ears. Could not believe her sister noticed Mr. Spencer. Although, looking at the two cousins riding toward them, how could one not notice them? They did resemble each other and they rode effortlessly, as if man and horse were one. Then Amelia caught William’s eyes, and he tipped his hat and grinned at her.

  Did the temperature just rise? She wondered as her heart pounded.

  Butterflies formed in her stomach as both gentleman dismounted and approached them.

  “Your Grace. Ladies,” Mr. Spencer spoke first. “What a lovely day. And it just got lovelier.” He tipped his hat, gave them a wide smile, and bowed. “I do believe spring has arrived.”

  Amelia could not take her eyes off William. He was dressed in a dark brown riding jacket, buff trousers, and brown riding boots. One hand held the horse’s reins while the other gripped his hat. William’s shoulder-length, dark brown hair was combed back off his face, and his blue eyes twinkled in the sunlight. Why did heat pool low in her body making her crave…?

  No. No. No. I mustn’t think such things.

  “Duchess, Lady Amelia, Lady Isabella, how nice to see you again so soon,” William’s smooth voice sang out, curling around her body, hugging her. Why did his voice do that to her? Lord Bridgeton definitely posed a danger to her senses. She would have to mind herself in his company.

  Her brothers might be worried about Lord Bridgeton making advances, but Amelia worried she might throw herself into his arms without provocation. Unlike the innocent debutantes being introduced into Society––including her sister––Amelia knew what happened between a man and woman. How wonderful and fulfilling the joining of two bodies could be. When she was near William, she craved that fiercely.

  “Lady Amelia, do you not agree?” William’s voice drifted and curled around her.

  Oh, dear. She swallowed and forced her attention back to the conversation, knowing her face turned the shade of a strawberry. “I’m sorry, Lord Bridgeton, my mind decided to woolgather.”

  “Indeed.” His mouth tugged into a half smile. “I asked if you ladies would join us for a turn around the park. We can send our horses back with the groomsman.”

  “Why, Lord Bridgeton and Mr. Spencer,” Emma answered as neither Bella nor Amelia seemed able to speak. “We would be delighted to accompany you for a stroll around the park. The grounds are so lovely today, with the sun awakening all the flowers.”

  Mr. Spencer spoke up. “Lady Isabella, Duchess. May I escort you both?”

  As the three of them began their stroll, with Mr. Spencer walking between Bella and Emma, William cleared his throat and smiled at her. “Shall we?”

  “Yes,” Amelia said as she slid her arm through his, reveling in the feel of his hard muscles beneath her hand.

  “I was…,” they began simultaneously, making them both stop and laugh.

  ***

  “You first, Lady Amelia,” William said relieved to listen as he knew he needed a second to control his lust and his thoughts. Amelia would be shocked if she knew what he’d been thinking about doing to her. His dreams last evening had been tormented with visions of Amelia, naked and pliant in his arms. Those visions resumed when he saw her moments ago, sitting and laughing with her sister and sister-in-law.

  “I was going to say, did you enjoy yourself last evening?” Amelia said with a smile on her luscious lips.

  “Why, yes, surprisingly, I did. I believe if memory serves me, only two older gentlemen gave me the cut. Not bad, considering…”

  “How rude of them.” Amelia turned to look straight ahead. Immediately he missed the warmth from her eyes and the glow from her cheeks.

  “It did bother me at first, but no longer.” The cuts, strange looks, and whispers had disturbed him early on in the evening, but after he waltzed with Amelia, nothing else mattered but her. Having a reason to remain had made the difference. What angered him was hearing gossip about her. But such was Society in London. “I’m hoping you will give me permission to call on you this afternoon.”

  William fought not to show his disappointment when she hesitated before answering.

  “Yes, I’d enjoy that very much,” she finally said.

  This new awkwardness between them, which hadn’t been present in the country, troubled him. Had her brother, the duke, spoken to her about him? And if so, what had he said? And as much as William told himself and others there would never be anything but friendship between him and Amelia, his heart and body longed for more. For a different truth.

  William had been in love once with someone not his by law or church. If he fell in love again, he vowed the woman would be his alone. And something deep inside his chest warned him he was falling fast and hard for Amelia.

  “If you think Wentworth will object, I’ll not come. I do not want to put you in a precarious situation with your family.”

  Amelia’s hand squeezing his arm reassured him. “Please come. However, I have to warn you, the drawing room will be filled with callers. The flower arrangements that came this morning numbered well into the twenties.”

  “More than twenty…?” How utterly foolish of him not to have sent flowers to Amelia. William needed to remember the art of courting. Were there that many suitors hoping to pay homage to her? Of course there were. Young, beautiful, and wealthy, every young buck, and even old bucks for that matter, would be vying for her favors.

  “Do not panic. They’re not all for me.” Amelia laughed, and his tense muscles relaxed. “Bella received a fair amount. Truthfully, she received more than me. There are several poor besotted gentlemen hoping for her favors. Myles had better watch out.”

  William could not help himself. He burst out laughing. “My cousin is one of them. Spencer talked about no other at breakfast. It was Lady Isabella this and Lady Isabella that.”

  “Good luck to him. He shall need it. My sister has been in love with Myles for her entire life. I just don’t know what’s stopping Myles from proposing. He breaks her heart on a daily basis.”

  “Oh, we’re back to the bench.” William relinquished his hold on Amelia and bowed. “Your Grace. Ladies. Thank you for the delightful stroll. Cousin, shall we continue
on to our club?”

  Spencer stood beside him but did not respond. William nudged his side.

  “Oh, yes.” Spencer bowed. “Duchess, ladies, fare thee well.”

  When they were out of earshot William began, “You would be wise to get any ideas about you and Lady Isabella out of your mind. I have it on good authority that she’s in love with Norwich.”

  “Indeed. She told me.”

  William cocked a brow. “She told you?”

  “Do not sound so shocked. Yes, she told me.” Spencer paused and grinned at him. “But I never back down from a challenge, and I won’t start now.”

  “You’ll be wasting your time.”

  Spencer shrugged his shoulders. “Well, it’s my time to waste now, isn’t it?”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Amelia was shocked when they arrived back home from their walk in the park. Had her feet even moved? It felt as though she floated through the air as she thought about William the whole entire time. As she envisioned his handsome face, kind eyes, and soothing voice. Her head tingled with his awareness still.

  “Emma, Bella, please excuse me, I’m going to my room,” Amelia said as she hurried inside the house, up the stairs and into her private bedchamber. Once there, behind closed doors, she could daydream about William to her heart’s content.

  ***

  When William and Spencer were announced by the Wentworth’s doorman later that afternoon, William wrinkled his nose at the overpowering stench of scented toilette water worn by some of the occupants of the room. Damn, he never used the stuff. If one bathed daily, one would have no need to hide the smell of an unwashed body. Really, did these men believe that disguise worked? If he had to guess the culprits, he would have to point out several of the men in attendance. Amelia’s family, if his nose was not mistaken, appeared well bathed.

  As he surveyed the room he found the most obvious candidates. Lord Eastham, the old goat, and an even more ancient gentleman who sat beside him. Oh, surely Lord Rockport died a few years back, did he not? They could not seriously hope to court Amelia or Isabella. William’s hands clenched into fists. He would have to speak with Wentworth. Luckily, the duke did not appear to be the sort who would force his sisters into a marriage they did not want. Good. He flexed his hands, loosening some of his tension.

  “Lord Bridgeton, Mr. Spencer,” the dowager duchess said in greeting. “How nice of you to pay us a visit this afternoon.” She motioned to two vacant chairs, one on either side of the settee that Amelia and Isabella sat on with their mother. “Please sit and have some tea and biscuits.”

  ***

  Amelia’s heart paused right in the middle of a beat when she glimpsed William saunter into the drawing room. He still wore his riding clothes. He looked handsome––stunning, in fact––next to some of the dandies who had come to call. She could not believe the nerve of the two elderly lords who came. Why, Lords Eastham and Rockport were older than her mother. Really, what could they be thinking? Not to mention her eyes burned from the perfume they wore to disguise their body odor. It did not work.

  Amelia pitied the girls who ended up married to them. Surely they would cast up their accounts kissing and submitting their bodies to them. Men their age should not be looking to procreate with young ladies even if they needed an heir. Could men that age even…?

  “Lady Amelia?” Her name, spoken by William, brought her out of her indecent thoughts.

  “Pardon me, Lord Bridgeton, where you speaking to me?”

  When William’s full lips turned up into a wide smile, causing little crinkle lines at the sides of his heavenly blue eyes, all air vacated her lungs. Had he always been that handsome? Yes. She’d found him so, ever since their first chance encounter at the stream, the day he had first stolen her breath away. And now that he let his guard down, relaxed more and smiled, he was even more breathtakingly handsome. And today, at ease and happy, William looked ten years younger than when they first met.

  His eyes less haunted.

  His body more visibly relaxed.

  Had she done all that? One could dream, couldn’t one?

  When William leaned close to her and lowered his voice for her ears alone, Amelia’s body tingled. “I cannot fathom why those two old lords came here today. Do they think Wentworth would allow them to court you or Isabella?”

  “I’d been thinking about the poor girl either of them marries and how awful to have to submit to their …” She cleared her throat and frowned. “Kisses.”

  “Blushing becomes you.”

  “Oh.” Amelia knew color infused her cheeks, probably all the way to the tips of her ears.

  “Do not be embarrassed. I’d been thinking the same when I first walked in.” William reached out and placed his hand on hers, then gave it a little squeeze. The spark sizzled up her arm and curled around her heart. From the seat beside her, Amelia’s mother cleared her throat.

  In response, William pulled his hand away, taking all the warmth from the room along with it. Oh, how she wanted that contact, that heat, that thrill.

  “Lord Bridgeton, are you enjoying your stay in London?” Amelia mother’s asked.

  “Yes, Your Grace, I am.” William looked directly at her mother. “I must say, I cannot get over how much has changed in the twelve years since I last came to town. There are so many new buildings, businesses, and residences. I hardly know my way around anymore.”

  “Yes, I expect you notice the changes much more than those of us who have seen it happen gradually,” the dowager said.

  “Lord Norwich,” the doorman announced.

  Amelia noticed Mr. Spencer throwing his shoulders back and sitting up straighter in his seat. Did he really believe he had a chance with Bella? Poor Mr. Spencer, had he not listened at all when she told him Bella loved Myles?

  Then she noticed the old lords nodding off in their chairs. Really, why didn’t Wentworth or Sebastian come in and escort them out?

  “Timothy Crawford, the Duke of Yarmouth,” the doorman announced.

  Would suitors ever stop coming? Amelia tried not to fidget. She hated the feeling of being on the auction block. So here was the young duke her brothers mentioned. At closer inspection she did remember him being present during her first Season, although she did not recall seeing him last night at the ball. Not terribly handsome, but not unattractive. Why, he could not be older than five-and-twenty. Amelia wondered why he sought a bride so soon in his young life.

  Folding her hands primly on her lap, Amelia watched and listened to the conversations flowing around her. She found it hard to make out the words, as there were several people speaking at once. She focused her attentions across the room at the old lords. Several times their bodies twitched, and once she thought Eastham might twitch himself right out of his chair onto the rug. Thankfully, he did not. He probably would have broken a hip and missed his opportunity to snag himself a young bride. Mayhap that would not have been so bad.

  When did I become so callous? she wondered.

  When, finally her brothers entered the room, they stood off in the corner surveying the callers. The look that crossed Wentworth’s face when he noticed the two old lords was comical. He also scowled at William––no surprise there. He had told Amelia his feelings regarding Bridgeton. Wentworth’s brows rose when he observed the Duke of Yarmouth, and his eyes sparkled with amusement at Myles trying to keep Bella’s attentions on him and off Mr. Spencer. As he caught Amelia’s eyes watching him, his brows narrowed.

  Hello, Amelia mouthed.

  Hello, sister, Wentworth mouthed back. He found his wife and stood before her, holding out his hand. “My dear, might I possibly steal you away?”

  Emma jumped up so fast she almost knocked Wentworth over. “Why, yes, Your Grace, you may.”

  Finally the old lords begged their leave. Hopefully they got the hint that neither she nor Bella had any interest in them. With luck, they would not grace her family’s drawing room with their smelly presence again this Season, or ever
, for that matter. Once again she pitied whoever they married.

  The Duke of Yarmouth brazenly moved a chair closer to the settee and smiled at her. “Lady Amelia…” He paused. “I’m delighted to see you again.” His over-bright green eyes darted from her to William and then back to her. “I was hoping…that maybe tomorrow…if the weather permits…you would care to take a carriage ride through Hyde Park?”

  “Why, Your Grace, I would be delighted.”

  He jumped up so quickly from his chair, causing it to fall back against the rug with a soft thud. “Oh, forgive me.” Yarmouth righted the chair and bowed before her, looking quite pained. “Until tomorrow, Lady Amelia.”

  “How kind of you to accept his offer,” William said close to her ear, causing gooseflesh to break out on her skin.

  “I felt sorry for him.” For some reason Amelia thought William might be upset with her, but he wasn’t. His expression was wistful. She felt a level of disappointment.

  “I envy him, being young, wealthy, and having his whole life ahead of him. I wish him well, although I do not want to wish him too well. It would pain me to see him and you—”

  Reaching out, Amelia patted his arm briefly. “I’m going out for a ride with him, not marrying him.”

  “Hmm, I think the young duke might have other plans for you. Plans which involve a church, marriage vows, and the titles of duke and duchess,” William said thoughtfully.

  Amelia’s stomach twisted painfully. “Oh, that’s impossible. I don’t ever plan to marry.”

  “Why?” William asked, now clearly puzzled.

  His inquisitive stare had her shifting around on the settee. Amelia could never tell him why. Oh, how terrible to have to keep secrets. “I loved once. I could never marry someone I did not love.” Sighing, she looked down at her lap, her hands twisting around each other, causing her fingers to cramp.

  “You never plan to marry?” William asked quite casually. His eyes, however, told a different story.

  Amelia lowered her eyes and whispered, “No.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way,” William said quietly. “I believe any gentleman here today, would be thrilled to marry you. I also think you would be a loyal wife and a loving mother.” William stood and bowed causing her heart to sink with his next words. “I bid you good day Lady Amelia.” Then he added, “Spencer, I believe it’s time we said our good-byes.”