An Earl's Guide to Catch a Lady

by Wilde, Tanya

  Something deep and primal, that’d been lurking within him from the moment she walked into the room, now urged Matthew to press forward, demanding she surrender, and he would have nothing but her full surrender. She knew it, fought it even, but eventually she would come to understand that her fate had always been sealed.

  It took a moment for him to realize she was not fighting him. He groaned against her lips in delight. Her arms moved around his neck and she responded with growing passion she usually hid very well. His tongue touched hers and his hand followed the curve of her spine, keeping her close to him.

  She leaned into him even more and he in return pressed himself against her, wanting her to feel his desire for her. She caught her breath, making a small sound of surprise while he trailed kisses down the line of her neck. He knew how to make her knees weak, knew every weakness she had for him. Knew she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. Their bodies fit so well together.

  She didn't protest when his hands roamed the length of her body, instead she moaned and held on to his neck for support.

  He cupped her buttocks and lifted her to position himself closer to her. She was hot, ready. His fingers tugged at the skirt of her dress, wanting to remove barriers between them—

  A knock on the door was the only warning that their privacy was about to be interrupted. They broke apart at once and managed to place a small sofa between them just as a footman brought in tea.

  Evelyn released a ragged breath, glancing down at her hands. They were a shaking. What would the servants think of her if it were to become known she behaved like a trollop where the Earl was concerned?

  That kiss...

  Her lack of control with him, the way she abandoned her resolve, both frustrated and irritated her. Normally she wasn’t so out of control. She’d never been one to indulge in scandalous behavior, she only observed it. Yet a moment in his company seemingly robbed her of all common sense. Well, there would simply be no more kissing. She would not make the same mistake again.

  You’ve already made that mistake again... and again, her inner voice reminded her. Fine. She will not make the same mistake anymore.

  Matthew was at her side again the second the footman disappeared, clearly intending to finish what he’d started, and she forced her feet to move away, to put distance between them. She noted the footman had left the door slightly ajar. Good man.

  Matthew regarded her for a brief second before nodding, a ragged breath escaping his lips.

  “This isn’t the time or the place.”

  “Actually,” Evelyn started to say slowly, so that there was no mistaking her words, “there will never be a proper time or place, my lord. This has to stop.” Even though it was... Delightful. Heavenly. Magical.

  “Why?” he asked in a clipped tone, his eyes suddenly hard.

  Because I’m only a pawn in your diabolical plan for revenge against the man who betrayed you and can be no future for us.

  “Surely you do not need to ask.”

  “Yes, I do,” he countered quietly. “You cannot deny this attraction between us, Evelyn. I won’t allow you to. The real question here is what are you going to do about it?”

  “There is nothing to do,” she pressed quietly in return.

  “I believe we are well past nothing, sweetheart.”

  Evelyn stiffened. “Don’t call me that. I gave you a chance to persuade me to change my mind, not to seduce me.” She needed no persuading for that.

  Matthew smiled at her indignation. “Seducing you has nothing to do with my persuading you to marry me.”

  “No? Then why are you trying to seduce me?”

  “I need to feel of your body against mine.”

  The simple truth of his statement caused a pinching sensation in her heart. It would be so easy to fall into his web of seduction. If he continued to make statements like that and look at her with such longing in his gaze, he was going to reduce her to a puddle of mush.

  Matthew gave her a knowing smile.

  Oh yes she thought numbly, trouble was heading her way.

  The next morning it came as no surprise that Evelyn awoke from a peaceful slumber. The big surprise came in the form of her maid, Megan, rushing into her room announcing excitedly that there had been a delivery of delicious treats, ranging from chocolate to marzipan to licorice to countless others.

  Evelyn had trouble understanding what Megan was going on about when it dawned that this delivery of treats came from mystery man. By the looks of her maid it was extravagant. The coincidence of the delivery and Matthews’s arrival did not escape her notice.

  “Come on Megan, help me dress,” Evelyn said hastily and Megan bounced up and down in excitement. While her maid helped her dress in a simple morning dress of sky blue, Evelyn considered her mystery man. The flowers and the tree seemed to suggest he knew her favorite place she spent most of her mornings. It wasn’t public knowledge, but it wasn’t a crown secret either.

  The rest of the gifts suggested awareness of her dreams to travel the world, except the case of brandy. That gift alone spoke volumes. Evelyn would sometimes creep into her brother’s study and indulge in a glass of brandy. She told no one about it, finding an odd sense of satisfaction to keep that little secret to herself. Regardless of the gifts, it was becoming quite apparent that her mystery man went through a lot of trouble finding unique gifts that only she would understand the meaning of. It was alarmingly intimate.

  Rushing down the stairs with Megan short on her heels, her eyes widened at the sight that yet again greeted her in the front parlor. Hundreds of boxes of sweets in all shapes and sizes crowded the front all, almost as colorful as the garden, only this time a garden of delicious treats. She could smell the sweetness radiating from their front parlor. What she did not however expect was Matthew, standing amidst the colorful sweets, his expression thunderous. His gaze darkened when he caught sight of her. Clearly this would not be a pleasant visit.

  Walter suddenly appeared before her, blocking out Matthew’s wintry glare.

  “Good morning, my lady,” he said as he handed her the card.

  “Good morning Walter,” she murmured, sparing a brief glance in Matthew’s direction. His eyes were now narrowed on the note in her hands. She ignored his frosty glare and quickly read the card, mentally willing herself not to react.

  I hang onto each word you speak. I look forward to this evening...

  To Evelyn’s relief her composure never once slipped under his penetrating gaze and she congratulated herself for keeping her calm under those heated eyes. Under no circumstance may he see this note.

  “What does it say?” Matthew asked in a clipped voice.

  She spared him the slightest of glances and frowned at the sight of his clenched jaw and his fisted hands. He reminded her of a bull about to take charge.

  “Not that it is any of your business,” Evelyn started annoyed, “but if you must know it’s some lame attempt at poetry,” she lied.

  “Then you won’t mind my reading it.”

  Well, of course she minded.

  “There is no reason for you to read my note,” she trailed off when she saw the subtle change of his posture. Every instinct in her body screamed she should just hand him the note even if it proved her to be a liar. She shrieked when he gave a step forward and did the only thing she could think of, she turned and ran up the stairs. She barely cleared three steps before he yanked her back against his broad chest, his breathing heavy in her ear. Without a word he snatched the note out of her hand and read the content. And tensed.

  Common sense told Evelyn that she was innocent, but previous betrayals would have him lash out.

  “It is not what it seems,” Evelyn whispered cautiously, recognizing she would need to tread lightly. Those hard green eyes lifted to pierce her soul.

  “Then why did you lie to me?” The question came softly, surprising Evelyn. She had expected anger.

  “Because you demanded the truth,” Evelyn said on a sigh
. “And I did not wish to anger you.”

  Matthew exhaled. “Do you know who he is?”

  Evelyn shook her head, glancing at the array of sweets in thought. “No.”

  “Look at me when you say it.”

  She shot him a glare. “No.”

  Matthew nodded, satisfied. On some level he understood her defiance. She was struggling to keep control of her life, refusing to marry and hand him the reins. He needed to show her that she wouldn’t be giving up control over her life; she would share it with him.

  “Will you be attending the Richmond ball tonight?”

  “Yes,” she murmured reluctantly.

  “Then I shall look forward to seeing you there.”

  Leaning forward he planted a chaste kiss on her head if only to show her that his anger had not been directed at her.

  A breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding escaped her when the door shut behind him. She slumped against the staircase and sighed. What a morning this was turning out to be!

  Patience had never been one of his virtues, Matthew reflected as he was shown into St. Aldwyn’s study. And after having been made to wait for over half an hour he had lost what little patience he had. The room, he noted, still looked the same as it had six years ago. Nothing changed, not even the man sitting behind the grand mahogany desk. But then, it didn’t matter whether St. Aldwyn had changed or not, what mattered was that he had changed.

  “Well, this is certainly a surprise,” St. Aldwyn drawled. His lazy stance not fooling Matthew one bit.

  “I’m not here on a social call.”

  “Never would have thought it, old friend.”

  “I’m not your friend,” Matthew growled, noting with smug satisfaction the amusement fading from his ‘old friend’s’ face.

  “I’m only here to warn you to stay away from Evelyn and to give up this ridiculous farce as her secret admirer.”

  St. Aldwyn regarded him for a moment before he answered, “I’ve no interest in Evelyn beyond friendship.”

  “Well, consider your friendship over.”

  “This conversation seems awfully familiar, does it not?” St. Aldwyn remarked. “Bath, I believe it was?”

  Matthew clenched his jaw. “Don’t test me St. Aldwyn. I’ve been lenient beyond reason and if you so much as touch her again, I will rip you apart.”

  “Be that as it may, I’m not secretly courting Evelyn. That would imply that I have an interest in marriage, which I can assure you, I do not.”

  Matthew flicked the note across the desk. “So you did not send her this note, along with every damn sweet in London?”

  St. Aldwyn did not touch the note, nor spare it a glance. “No, I did not send her that note.”

  Matthew cursed. He’d been so certain it was St. Aldwyn behind this farce, so certain that he would put a stop to this secret admirer business once and for all. It annoyed him that he was no closer to the identity of the man than he was when he first saw the tree. It had been deliberately done, so deliberately that there would be no chance he could not have missed it. Which he had. Until Westfield pointed it out. This admirer wanted to be noticed by far more than just Evelyn.

  “Thank you for your time,” Matthew said gruffly, snatching up the note, tension evident in his frame. “If you will excuse me, I have some things to settle before this evening.”

  “Of course,” St. Aldwyn stood. “If you need any assistance with this matter, you know where to find me.”

  “Thank you, but no.”

  St. Aldwyn watched Grey take his leave with a smile. He did not think Grey was satisfied with the outcome of his visit, but perhaps that was not a bad thing. He might not have sent Evelyn the note, but he was happy it rattled Grey’s composure.

  Too long his friend had secluded himself in the country, effectively cutting himself out of society and the life of the people who loved him. Granted, St. Aldwyn had made a big mistake all those years ago, but in his defense, he hadn’t been aware Grey had formed such a deep attachment to the trollop, or he would have avoided her like the plague.

  Now fate had gifted him with a second chance at friendship even though said friend was proving to be stubborn. Curious how Lady Evelyn handled all the attention showered upon her, he decided perhaps it was time to pay a visit to the Tremaine residence.

  St. Aldwyn’s conversation was still fresh in Matthew’s mind on his way to his town house. No matter how he tried, the memory of that night, all those years ago, never quite left him. Bitterly he wondered if it ever would. Even after six years that woman still had the power to fire the blood in his veins to boiling point. He hated everything about her, the arrogant tilt of her head, that ever-taunting gleam in her coal-black eyes. The sound of her voice.

  When he’d caught her in bed with St. Aldwyn he’d reacted rashly. Blindly. He should have demanded an explanation from his friend, and perhaps not exiled himself to the extent that he had done.

  His steps continued, echoing through the frigid London air. Turmoil raged in his heart. Self-loathing poured through him, boiling through his veins. That bitch could still ruin his life even after all these years. He would not let her win. His mouth twisted. Hell, how she’d fooled them all. And to think he’d thought himself in love with her. He supposed St. Aldwyn had done him a favor, might even have saved him from marrying that whore. What a travesty.

  Yet it changed nothing. It didn’t erase the unfortunate end of their friendship, his seclusion for six years and the hollow emptiness in his heart. A hollow emptiness only one woman could fill, but refused to. Why would St. Aldwyn not leave him be? Why would he not stop provoking him? In fact, the bastard seemed to delight in it.

  Deliberately he forced the tension from his jaw. It would do him no good to reflect on things he couldn’t change. His priority was Evelyn and securing her hand in marriage. He would not let some fop of an admirer cause doubt to enter his mind.

  He hurried up the front stairs when he reached his home, impatient to see Evelyn again. His butler opened the door with impeccable timing, but with a face full of panic. “Sir! There is—”

  His poor butler never finished his sentence. It was interrupted by the rich purr of a female voice.

  “Good evening darling. I’ve been waiting for you for quite some time.”

  Matthew’s heart nearly stopped as he watched the one woman immerge from the shadows he never wanted to see again, a glass of whisky in her hand.

  Charlotte.

  Chapter 12

  “What about the Earl of Clarence?”

  Evelyn looked around the morning room where two pairs of eyes scrutinized her. She sighed. “I’ve never even spoke one word to him.”

  They were all trying to figure out who her mystery admirer was. So far no gentlemen came up to scratch.

  “Are you sure it’s not Grey?” Belle asked.

  “No,” Evelyn said with a shake of her head. If it hadn’t been for Matthew’s reaction to the note, she might have entertained the idea, but he had been furious. “You should have seen his face when he saw all the treats. Not to mention his reaction to the note. I’ve never seen anyone so calm in their anger before.”

  Belle clapped her hands together. “He’s jealous, how exciting! Although it would be best to figure out who this mystery admirer is before the Earl does something rash.”

  “I doubt he would do anything to cause a scandal,” Evelyn said unconvinced. She’d overheard the Countess of Gatesbourne mention that the Earl had once been a charming rake, but that seclusion had turned him into a bore, albeit a handsome one.

  Jo and Belle exchanged a glance, and then gave her a have you lost your marbles look. They weren’t convinced either.

  “What about Wes?” Evelyn asked. It made sense. He could be just about the only other man aside from her brother who knew her that well.

  “I don’t think so,” Jo said considering her question. “He enjoys watching events unfold, not taking part in the action.”

  Belle nodded. �
�That’s true. He can be such a bore, lurking in the shadows.”

  “He deliberately provoked Matthew by flirting with me.”

  A moment of silence passed before they all burst out in laughter. Wes might flirt, yes, but that was about the extent of it. He loved himself too much to get caught in a situation that might end up in a brawl.

  “Perhaps your mystery man is deliberately trying to provoke the Earl?” Jo suggested. “An enemy perhaps?”

  Belle scratched her head in thought. “It makes sense. Why else would he remain nameless?” she pointed out.

  “And he hinted he would see you tonight,” Jo said, her eyes wide.

  Yet another problem she faced. Matthew would track her every move like a hawk. The mystery man would be watching too, and once again Evelyn had the distinct impression of being a pawn in a game of chess.

  Her gaze travelled fondly over the faces of her friends. They would do anything for her and she in return, would do anything for them. Like her they remained unmarried by their own choice. Unlike her they did not have a stubborn Earl determined to leg-shackle them into exile.

  “I daresay St. Aldwyn and the Earl have proven to be enemies,” Jo murmured.

  Belle gave a shocked gasp. “Would that not be the frosting on the delicious yummy cake?”

  St. Aldwyn? Now that was a distinct possibility, one worth looking into. From the moment he found her in Bath she suspected he had an agenda for not dragging her to her brother, tattered reputation and all. She made the perfect pawn for their little battle.

  An image of Matthew’s tall hulky frame, dark wavy hair, and green eyes filled her mind. His eyes held the fiery gleam of wicked secrets and age old wisdom. A man surrounded by a veil of temptation, danger and pain. The sort of man that would normally have her hiding behind a potted plant. It did not seem fair that his eyes burned with fire when he looked at her, making her want rip off his clothes.

  A shudder rippled through her.

  “Evelyn? Are you all right?”