The Lady and the Earl (Seabrook Family Saga)

by Donovan, Christine

  “Yes, I know,” Bella winced as she extracted her hands from Amelia’s grip. “How romantic. Your knight in shining armor. Oh, how I wish Myles would steal me away to Gretna Green.”

  Bella went from smiling to frowning. “I know you wish he would steal you away to Gretna Green as well. But honestly, Bella, you should forget about Myles. You have waited long enough. Mr. Spencer seems taken with you. Perhaps you—”

  “Yes…Well, I should perhaps let Mr. Spencer call upon me. It would serve Myles right if I fell in love with another. But enough about me,” Bella reached across the coach and held Amelia’s hands. “You are getting married. And to Bridgeton, who I must say is handsome in a reckless sort of way. Not that he is reckless; it is just that he cares less about adhering to ton standards than most when it comes to his appearance. I admire that.”

  “I believe,” Amelia began as she rested against the squabs, “that he cares a great deal about the gossip surrounding him. It bothers him terribly that people think he killed his brother and his brother’s wife. William loved them both. The three of them were inseparable. Oh, how I wish I knew the William of old, the young gentleman, the second-born son without obligations, without the weight of death on his shoulders.” Tears blurred her vision briefly as she thought of how his life might have been. “Still, I love the William I know now. The one tainted by tragedy. Shunned and hurt by his peers, but ultimately loved by his family.”

  “What do you think Wentworth will do tomorrow morning when he finds out you are gone?” Bella asked with concern in her eyes.

  “I hope he will see reason and not play chase. If Captain Rycroft and I had run away and married in secret like we wanted, Olivia would not be a bastard in the eyes of Society. I would still be a widow, but a respected widow with a young child. And no, before you ask me, I have not slept with William.”

  “I was not—”

  “Yes, you were wondering,” Amelia insisted.

  “Perhaps I was. It is only because I am curious about it. I may become a spinster and never know,” Bella stated.

  Amelia burst out laughing. “You, an old spinster. I hardly think so. You have been so blinded by Myles these past years you have not noticed all the gentlemen vying for your favors.”

  Now Bella laughed. “Oh, I have noticed. How could I not? I especially remember a certain baron who stuttered every time he asked for a spot on my dance card. Of course, he has since married, inherited an Earldom, and speaks clearly. If only I had known.”

  “You would never—”

  “No. I would never have married him,” Bella said. “But no one has asked to marry me.”

  “Don’t be upset,” Amelia said as Bella’s eyes began to water.

  “I know it’s silly. But you’re younger than me, and you have had three proposals,” Bella said, quickly wiping away the tears that ran down her cheeks with the back of her gloved hand. “Please, never mind me. I do not know what is wrong with me this evening. Perhaps it is good that I left the ball early. Can you imagine if I started to cry for no reason while dancing a waltz? This is a happy night for you. And in three days’ time you will be the Countess of Bridgeton.”

  “The Countess of Bridgeton,” Amelia said out loud. “It does sound nice. Thank God I will never be the Duchess of Yarmouth.”

  “Yes, thank God for that. So tell me, are you excited, nervous, or both?” Bella asked.

  “Both.” Truthfully, Amelia was more than a little bit of both. Excitement hummed inside her at the thought of running off and marrying the man she loved. And she was also nervous she would not live up to his expectations. William would expect her to be chaste. And she would never deceive him by pretending to be. But how would he react when he found out she had been with another and that she had a child?

  There was also a yearning inside her body. A yearning for the intimacy shared by two people who loved each other. She promised herself she would not compare her marriage night to the time spent with Captain Rycroft. William was nothing like Rycroft so comparing the two would be unfair. She had never met a gentleman like William. And no one, not even Rycroft, made her as lightheaded, made her heart pound or her blood yearn as William did. Amelia could hardly believe they were running off and getting married.

  “You don’t suppose he will change his mind?” Amelia’s body began to tremble in panic.

  “Oh, dear sister, no, I do not. It’s clear he loves you,” Bella reassured her.

  “What if something happens to him?”

  “Try not to think about the tragedy you endured with Rycroft. Bridgeton will be here for you. Do not fret.”

  Panic rather than fretting had seized her. But Amelia knew she was overreacting because of her past. William would show up. He would be there for her.

  ***

  Taking one last glance around her bedroom, Amelia sighed deeply. She would never sleep here again as a single woman. When she came back to visit she would be married and a Countess. If she was allowed to return. If she wasn’t cut off from her family for disobeying her brother, the duke.

  Not that being a titled lady meant anything to her. But she would be proud to be the wife of the Earl of Bridgeton. And a good and loving wife she intended to be. She hugged Bella, thanked her for helping her pack and bid her farewell.

  As she crept down the servants’ staircase with a small reticule and overnight bag her heart fluttered with excitement.

  And when she spied William’s silhouette beside a tall tree, a calm anticipation spread throughout her body. It took all her strength to keep a grip on her bag. As if he understood, William quietly hurried forward and relieved her of both her reticule and overnight bag.

  “I wasn’t sure you’d…come.” William placed her hand near his elbow. “My carriage is down the street. I didn’t want anyone to see it and wonder why it was there. In fact, Wentworth only came home a few minutes ago. I thought for certain he saw me lurking in the shrubbery, but perhaps I am mistaken.”

  William’s coachman opened the door to the carriage without making a sound. William helped her inside. After taking a seat facing forward she noticed several blankets and a basket of food on the seat opposite her. Someone had taken care to anticipate their needs. The carriage tilted with William’s weight as he joined her on the seat.

  “Are you comfortable?” William asked, seeming suddenly unsure of himself or the situation.

  “Yes,” Amelia answered as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him so her head rested against his shoulder.

  “I have not asked you properly to marry me. And I must thank you for letting Spencer convey my plans for our elopement.” William let her go and turned on the seat so he faced her. He wrapped both his hands around hers. “Amelia, will you make me the happiest man alive and become my wife? I love you. I come with a tainted reputation. I have tried to clear my name, but after twelve years it’s difficult to do. There may always be a question. I did not murder those I loved. But know that I will love you and protect you and stay true to you for as long as I live.”

  “William.” Amelia breathed in and out deeply for courage and fought down the sick feeling inside her stomach. “I must tell you something.”

  “I know, my dear. You loved Rycroft and you had his daughter.”

  “But how did you find out?” Amelia’s heart pounded so hard, the sound was deafening to her ears. William knew about Olivia and still he wanted to marry her?

  “During my last visit to Dover I did some investigating. At first I did not believe the gossip about you. But I admit curiosity got the best of me. You had said some things during our private times together that had me wondering. You said something about not being innocent. And you were adamant about never marrying. Wentworth actually confirmed it.”

  “I’m sorry,” Amelia whispered.

  ***

  “Sorry.” William’s heart and body ached for his soon-to-be bride. Maybe if his life had been conventional, he would judge her harshly. But with a brother
who had a male lover and a wife who loved William, he could never lay judgment against another. “What have you to be sorry for? That you fell in love, became engaged, and made love to the man you thought you would spend the rest of your life with? You could not have known he would die. And do not be sorry for bringing that precious, innocent girl into this world. Cruel though people in this world can be, I will love her as my own, because I love her mother.” William heard crying. Soft crying, but crying nonetheless. “Please do not cry, my love.”

  “I cannot help it. I am relieved to hear you say those things. Do you really mean you will love Olivia? Can we adopt her and make her ours so people will not gossip and call her a bastard child? I don’t want my daughter to have to deal with that stigma. That is why I went to America, and now my maid is bringing her up as her own. But, oh, I so want her to be mine.”

  “Yes. We will adopt her. I will have my barrister draw up the papers as soon as we get back from our trip. She will be our daughter. Please say you will marry me, Amelia?”

  “Yes. I will marry you,” Amelia said. “I love you, too. And I promise to be a true and faithful wife.”

  “And now it’s my time to tell you something of my past.” William paused, took a deep breath, and let it out. He prayed what he was about to tell Amelia did not hurt her. “My brother preferred men. He married Katherine to halt gossip. I loved Katherine, and she was carrying my child when she died.”

  Amelia gasped. “I always believed there was more to the story than what you told me.” Her hand caressed up and down his arm. “We have both loved and lost. Now we have a second chance.” She snuggled into his arms.

  And then William did what she had been craving since the first time he kissed her back in Dover by the small stream. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. His lips were gentle at first, then she heard him moan. She opened her mouth to allow his tongue to enter. Amelia’s head spun as she gripped his greatcoat with her hands and kissed him back with all the love she had for him.

  Their tongues swirled around and danced with each other. William tasted faintly of brandy and something else, something all male and powerful. Amelia wanted—no, needed—more. And so she took what he offered and sucked his tongue deep inside her mouth and reveled in the sensations bombarding her body and soul. Oh, how she loved this man.

  “Amelia.” William gently removed her hands from his jacket, returning them to their earlier position on the seat with her head resting against his shoulder. William breathed heavily, and she could feel his heart pounding. “I do not want to take you here in this carriage for our first time. And I also want us to be husband and wife when I do make love to you. If you do what you just did to me again, I will not be able to help myself.”

  After a time, William noticed the change in Amelia’s breathing as her head fell heavier against his shoulder. He moved over on the seat and positioned her so her head rested in his lap. William reached across the seat, careful not to disturb her, took a blanket, and tucked it around her body to keep her warm. The early morning air chilled the inside of the carriage.

  William could not help but smile as he listened to Amelia inhale and exhale as she slept on his lap. Several months ago he would never have imagined that he, the reclusive Earl of Bridgeton, would run off to Gretna Green to marry such a young and lovely lady.

  He had expected to live out his life in the countryside, alone with his servants. His days would be spent on horseback, riding along the white cliffs, staring across the channel at France.

  Now, he would forever be grateful for the lady in his arms. She had shown him there was more to life than wallowing in self-pity. If Amelia could come away from tragedy and gossip and hold her head high in London Society, William could as well.

  Together, they could face any adversity. Even Wentworth’s wrath when they returned, married. William had not believed for a moment Wentworth would allow this marriage. Yes, they had talked and Wentworth seemed as though he would take everything William said under advisement. Yet William did not believe Wentworth would end up giving his consent. Not after Amelia had been engaged to a duke. It was clear as a cloudless day in London that Wentworth had high hopes for Amelia and that William did not live up to those hopes.

  Truth be told, he did not live up to Wentworth’s hopes. But he loved Amelia. It was not the same kind of love he had for Katherine. The love he had for Katherine was born out of youth and recklessness. There had been something thrilling about being together in the face of Society without anyone ever knowing they were the loving couple––not his brother and Katherine.

  The love he had in his heart for Amelia was mature and steadfast. With the exception of running off with her to Gretna Green, William would never be reckless with her. He would never play with her emotions, which he sometimes had done with Katherine’s. William was not proud of himself for that. But he had been young, only four-and-twenty when he had first fallen in love with Katherine. Now, at eight-and-thirty, he understood that what the three of them had shared could not have sustained time. He was confident the love he had for Amelia would never go away.

  He hoped Amelia would not live to regret marrying someone nearly twice her age. But only God knew what their future held. And if William had learned anything from his time with Katherine, it was that life was fleeting and one should live it to the fullest, for the future might not exist.

  From this day forward William would live with Amelia and love her with all his heart and soul, because he did not want to have regrets. He did not want to die without her knowing she meant everything to him. Since she had agreed to marry him, a man with a terrible reputation, she deserved no less. There would always be members of the ton who believed the gossip about him. They would be waiting for Amelia to wind up dead.

  He would do all in his power to protect her and to keep the gossip from reaching her ears. He’d do anything for her.

  ***

  They traveled all morning, eating the picnic lunch while in the coach. Amelia, nervous with anticipation, gave little notice to the stiffness in her body.

  “Are we spending the night traveling?” she asked, hoping they would stop for the night.

  “No. We’re stopping at an inn that is well off the road. I do not want your brother to find us until we are married. One of my servants has sent word that Wentworth is indeed in pursuit of us. He’s traveling by coach, although I would have thought he’d be on horseback which would be faster.”

  Amelia gasped. “He would not dare stop us, would he?” Of course Wentworth would. As head of her family, he could do anything.

  “Do not fret, Amelia, my love.” William squeezed her hand. “I will do all I can to stop your brother from finding us. But bloody hell, I thought we had more of a head start than we did.”

  “Perhaps we should travel through the night.” Amelia did not relish spending the night sleeping in the coach.

  “No. They will never find us. The Three Owl’s Inn is unknown to most travelers. Spencer knew of it, and he trusts the innkeeper completely.”

  Later, when the sun joined the horizon, they turned off the main road and traveled several miles on a narrow cart path deep into the woods. An hour later, Amelia could just make out the inn ahead, with windows lit up in the distance.

  The innkeeper and his wife welcomed them with smiles and assured William his coach would be well hidden.

  Amelia looked for the sign with the inn’s name, but there didn’t appear to be one. “Lord Bridgeton, are you quite certain this is an inn? There is no sign.”

  “Yes, Lady Amelia, it is indeed an inn. They have taken down the sign to ensure our safety.” He leaned down and whispered into her ear. “Why are you suddenly so formal?”

  “For the innkeepers. I don’t want them—”

  “My dear, they know why we are here. Most of their business comes from couples traveling to Gretna Green. Do not be alarmed that there might be other patrons here. I have reserved the inn for us exclusively. We are safe f
rom gossip and from your brothers.”

  “Oh.” Even with William’s assurance, Amelia found it hard to breathe easily. She kept waiting for her brothers to storm the inn, steal her away from William and take her home.

  The innkeeper’s wife, a short, middle-aged, plump woman with a kind face, led them into a cozy dining room. A round table, situated close to the fireplace, overflowed with plates and bowls of food. Steam rose up from them, and the smell of mutton stew and freshly baked bread had Amelia’s stomach churning with hunger. Once William seated her, he sat down and she broke off a piece of the warm bread and spread cream generously on it.

  “This is wonderful. I had not realized how hungry I was.”

  William broke off a piece of bread also, ignored the cream, and instead dipped it into his stew. “And I as well. Stealing away in the middle of the night and traveling for hours on end, being wary of being found out, makes one hungry for the comfort of good hot food.”

  Amelia had to agree the bread and stew warmed her stomach. Her body, which had been stiff and tight since yesterday morning, relaxed more and more with each passing minute. “How much longer until we are there?” She knew it took roughly between three and four days, depending on the speed of the carriage and the weather, to travel from London to Scotland. But at the rate they were traveling, would they make it in less time?

  “If we continue at the pace we’re traveling, two days. That’s if the weather continues to be on our side. The clouds this evening look ominous. I hope the storm passes tonight and does not linger into tomorrow and make the roads difficult to travel,” William replied between mouthfuls of stew.

  “The bright side to that is my brother won’t be able to travel as fast either”

  “Yes, there is that,” William agreed. “I’ve only known your oldest brother a short time, but he is the most stubborn and determined man I know. I can see him braving the elements and pushing on regardless of his, the carriage or the horses’ safety. What he doesn’t understand is that you and I will marry no matter what—if not in the next few days, then next month or the month after that.”