The Earl's Bargain (Historical Regency Romance)

by Cheryl Bolen

  As they drew near the house, his voice lowered. "Remember, my dear Louisa, these kind persons who have opened their home to us believe us to be on our honeymoon. Act the loving wife."

  If she glared at him, he couldn't see it as he swept through the opening door, putting Louisa down and charmingly greeting the farmer's matronly wife. "Harold Smith, ma'am, and my bride, Louisa." Removing his hat, he said, "I do thank you for providing us shelter."

  The woman extended her hand. "I'm Millie Winston." She turned to Louisa. "Are you unwell, my dear?"

  Louisa shook her head. "I've just injured my leg is all."

  "You'll want to get dry, I'm sure," the woman said. "Then you'll be hungry. I wasn't expecting anyone, so our fare is quite simple, but there's plenty. Now, let me show you to what used to be our daughters' room -- before they got married and moved to homes of their own."

  They followed her up a simple wooden staircase.

  "Our girl Meg married the blacksmith over in Penwick. She's increasing now with her fifth babe. I'll be going to her soon."

  "How many children and grandchildren have you?" Louisa inquired.

  "Three daughters, and our son helps with the farm. He and his wife live just next door. Altogether, Mr. Winston and I have sixteen grandchildren."

  "You've been blessed, indeed," Louisa said.

  Harry fleetingly wondered if Louisa regretted that she had borne no children. Though he did not like to think of her bearing the seed of Godwin Phillips.

  Their hostess walked across the room and, using her own candle, lighted a tallow beside the room's only bed. "It's not been dusted nor cleaned in here in a good while, but the bedclothes are clean though most likely damp."

  Louisa began to unbutton her pelisse. "I'll come down and help you with dinner, Mrs. Winston, while my husband changes into dry clothes," Louisa said, as Harry helped her out of her pelisse and hung it on a peg on the wall.

  My husband. The words had tumbled naturally from her lips. Harry liked the way they sounded.

  "I can't allow that," Mrs. Winston protested. "Not on your sore leg."

  "She's right, my dear," Harry said. "You need to stay off that leg."

  My dear? Why did the endearment not offend her?

  Chapter 13

  As soon as Harry closed the door to their chamber, Louisa spun around to face him, anger flashing in her eyes. "Have you no shame? Telling that nice couple we're on our honeymoon?"

  He shrugged from his wet coat and hung it on a hook a foot from her pelisse. "You know little of human nature if you do not realize the Winstons are delighted to be of assistance to us. I fear their glee would vanish if they were to be apprised of the truth."

  "I suppose you're right," she agreed, hands on her hips as she watched him standing there facing her, a look of sheer devilment in his black eyes. "But how am I to get into dry clothing with you standing there gawking at me?"

  "I shall turn around and gaze at the wall until you notify me you are dressed."

  "Very well," she snapped, "turn around." She watched as he presented his back to her. Why did the man have to have such broad shoulders? His size intimidated her. Looking at him, she backed away but was still not able to undress, even though she trusted him. Though the man had his faults, she had to admit forcing himself on a woman was not one of them.

  She slowly unbuttoned her dress.

  "If you need assistance, I shall be happy to oblige," he said mischievously.

  "Just keep looking at the wall." She took a dry worsted dress from her portmanteau, then began to slip out of her wet travelling dress, clutching its skirt over the personal parts of her anatomy. Throwing one last look at him to assure herself he was not watching her, she quickly stepped into the dry dress and buttoned it.

  "I am dressed now," she informed him. "I shall sit on the bed and turn my back so that you may don dry clothing."

  "You can look if you like," he said teasingly.

  "I don't."

  Once they both were dry, Harry moved over to the bed and picked up Louisa. "I'll carry you downstairs. Taking stairs is the worst thing you can do for a bad knee."

  She could not argue his point. Her knee was already throbbing from the weight she put on it while dressing. Though she allowed him to lift her, she vowed she would not put her arm around him. Which really was awkward, keeping her arms pressed against her sides.

  When they got downstairs they found the Winston's linen-covered table set in Sunday finest and spread with an array of steaming bowls.

  Louisa fleetingly thought of the warmth and privacy of the dining parlors she and Harry were used to and vaguely missed them.

  But as soon as they sat at the kindly couple's table, her misgivings vanished. This little farmhouse possessed more warmth and feeling of love than any impersonal inn could possibly offer.

  Mrs. Winston could not have been more hospital, and her quiet husband, dressed in Sunday wear that had become faded and shiny at points of use, was amiable.

  "They're on their honeymoon, Jonah," Mrs. Winston informed her husband. Then, turning her attention to the presumed newlyweds, asked, "When did you get married?"

  Louisa looked at Harry to answer.

  He put down his fork, looked up at the farmer's wife with a smiling countenance, and said, "We married at my wife's home in Trent on Saturday and are now journeying to Penzance, where we shall make our home together."

  "You are from Penzance?" Mr. Winston asked in a surprised fashion. Had Harry's lack of a local accent raised warning flags?

  Harry nodded as he buttered his roll.

  "However did a man who lives in Penzance meet a bride who lived so far away?" Mrs. Winston asked.

  There was not even a second's hesitation on Harry's part. "My wife was introduced to me by my cousin, who also lives in Trent."

  The man was a natural-born liar! My wife this, my wife that. Lying appeared to come quite naturally to him. Like stealing.

  "Millie and I've known each other all our lives," Mr. Winston said. "Known since I was twelve I was gonna marry her."

  Louisa smiled at this. "Was there never anyone else?"

  Mr. Winston looked at Louisa as if she'd blasphemed the Lord he so obviously honored. "There weren't no one else to shower my affections on, lest you count Rosemary Penthorn, who weren't all right in the head, if you know what I mean."

  All except Mrs. Winston laughed at this. The round, white-headed woman put her hands to her hips in protest. "I'll have you know, Jonah, I had my pick from four different lads, and you're the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

  At this, Mr. Winston lowered his head to his bowl of soup and began to slurp.

  Louisa and Harry exchanged amused glances.

  When Mr. Winston finished with his soup, he turned to Harry. "A little old aren't you to be marrying for the first time?"

  "What makes you think it's the first time?" Harry asked.

  Louisa felt her stomach drop.

  "It's not?" Mr. Winston queried.

  "Yes, it actually is the first," Harry said with a chuckle. "It took me three and thirty years to find my sweet Louisa. I'd given up hope of ever finding one such as her."

  Oh, please. Lord Wycliff had certainly missed his calling on the stage. A pity he did not make his fortune there. Then, thinking of the manner in which he had regained his fortune, she grew angry once again, and turned her complete attention to her sturgeon.

  "What do you do in Penzance, Mr. Smith?" Mrs. Winston asked Harry.

  Louisa was astounded over the huge amount of food Harry had consumed as she watched him cut his fish and answer his hostess.

  "I'm in imports and exports."

  At least that was somewhat true.

  "You have a boat?" Mr. Winston asked before shoveling peas into his mouth.

  "Let's put it this way," Harry said. "My bank and I have a boat."

  Hogwash.

  When they were finished with their meal, Louisa insisted that she and her husband be a
llowed to clean up. "Please, Mrs. Winston, we have been sitting in a carriage all day and are longing to stand for a while. You and your husband go rest by the fire. You both have put in a hard day's work."

  The old woman shuffled off, mumbling protests under her breath.

  Once alone in the kitchen, Louisa lashed into him in a sing-song voice of mockery. "My wife and I this, my wife and I that. My bank and I. . .Honestly, my lord, you are a scheming, lying, cheating, good-for-nothing peer of the realm if ever there was one." For good measure, she added, "I do declare!"

  His mouth twisted into a wry smile. "Don't forget to add thief."

  She huffed. "If it weren't for the bandages on your arm I would hit you."

  "But if you did, I wouldn't be able to help you with the dishes."

  "As if you know your way around the kitchen." She issued a harrumph.

  "Do you?" he asked.

  "Of course." She took Mrs. Winston's apron and tied it about her slim waist. "The real question is if you know your way around a kitchen."

  His face fell. "To be truthful, no."

  "You wouldn't know the truth if it bit you on the nose."

  "A very poor analogy, Louisa." He picked up a roughly hewn stool and placed it before the sink. "I order you to sit down."

  She shot him an angry glance, sat on the proffered stool and began to run a wet cloth over a plate several times. "I told you not to call me Louisa."

  "And I refused." He took a dry cloth and began to dry the plate Louisa had washed.

  They worked side by side for some time, lost in their own thoughts, no conversation uniting them.

  When they were more than half way through, he spoke. "It's clear that you detest your father, but what of your mother?"

  She continued washing. "I loved her very much, but she died giving birth to Ellie."

  "So you were almost like a mother to Ellie."

  She nodded solemnly. "I suppose so."

  "Did your father never remarry?"

  "No, which seemed peculiar, given his delight in ordering others to do his bidding."

  "But he was so selfish a man, he probably didn't want to feign affection for another that he did not feel."

  She stopped washing and looked at him. "I believe you're right. He never needed anyone but himself. The only person he cared a fig for." Then she took up her cleaning again.

  "Louisa?"

  "Yes," she answered, averting her gaze from him.

  "Is there nothing I can do to regain the affection I felt from you yesterday?"

  She thought for a moment. "You could show your remorse by giving your money to the poor."

  "You know I can't do that," he said somberly.

  She turned to him, hardness in her steely eyes.

  "It was never about the money," he said softly. "Always it was about family. My family. Not only the ancient title and the wealth that had once gone with it, though those things were important to me.

  "It was pride in my family name I wanted to recapture. I want to rebuild what my father had torn down." He dropped the cloth to the counter. "More than anything on earth I have wanted to rekindle the feeling of love I had known so thoroughly as a child. I wanted to reestablish that. I want my old home back. I want a woman whom I can love as my father loved my mother. I want a son who will proudly carry the title of Earl of Wycliff and grandsons and great-grandsons." He turned back toward her. "Are you understanding any of this?"

  She swallowed. "I think so," she said, her voice wispy.

  He felt a closeness to her he had never felt with anyone else. Why else would he have revealed so much about himself and become so vulnerable?

  When the kitchen was spotless, Louisa and Harry said good-night to their host and hostess.

  "Mrs. Winston," Louisa asked, "How did you know we were newlyweds?"

  "My dear, I knew by the way Mr. Smith looked at you. It was the same as Jonah Junior looked at his bride the day of their wedding."

  Louisa's cheeks grew hot. She left the parlor to climb the stairs to their room, grabbing onto the banister to carry her weight from her bad knee. Harry followed, picked her up and began to march up the stairs while holding her to him. How did he expect her to dress for bed with him in the room? A pity there was no tavern for him to go to tonight.

  The taper Mrs. Winston lit still burned on the bedside table. The room was cold. Terribly so. Since there was no hearth in this room, Mrs. Winston had brought extra blankets.

  Now Louisa knew why. "Turn around and close your eyes," she ordered.

  For extra preservation of her privacy, she too turned around, her back to him as she quickly undressed and hurried into her woolen night gown.

  Then she sat on the bed. "You may turn around and remove your shirt. I need to redress the bandages on your arms."

  "Would you like me to come stand in front of the candle as I remove my shirt?" he asked teasingly.

  She bent down to pick up her shoe and throw it at him. "You odious man!"

  The flying shoe just missed one of his bandaged arms. She was all contrite when she said, "Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry. Did I hurt your arm?"

  He stood beside her and slowly began to unbutton his shirt, not removing his eyes from her.

  Embarrassed, she turned away until he had removed his shirt and came to sit on the bed next to her. "You called me Harry again," he said gently.

  She was in no mood to be seduced by a thieving pirate. "Let me see your arms," she said harshly.

  She proceeded to remove the bloodied bandages from his arm, gasping as she did so. "I am afraid infection may have set in," she solemnly announced.

  He picked up the candle and held it to his arm. The gashes were still oozing, and his entire arm had begun to swell.

  "No wonder the blasted thing's bothered me so much today."

  Her voice was soft when she spoke. "You never said anything."

  "We weren't speaking. Remember."

  She looked contrite. "I don't know what we can do for it. What have you learned about such treatment in your vast experience?"

  "To bloody well hope it gets better. I'd rather not lose my arm."

  She gasped. "Oh, that's terrible, and it's all my fault." She removed clean linen from her portmanteau with shaking hands.

  "I'm sure it will be all right," he soothed.

  She ignored him as she gently cleaned the wound and began to wrap it in a fresh bandage. Then she leaned across him and began to minister to his other arm "This arm isn't nearly as bad as the other."

  "I'm not such a bloody idiot that I don't already know that."

  "Don't be so cross," she scolded. Then she was sorry she had snapped at him when he was obviously in a lot of pain. "I'm sorry if I'm hurting you, Harry. Would you like for me to go downstairs and see if Mr. Winston has some whiskey for you take to dull your pain?"

  "I don't need it," he said. "I've been through worse."

  She saw by the scar low in his belly that he spoke the truth.

  "Besides," he snapped, "you can't go down those stairs on your knee."

  She stopped what she was doing, met his devilish eyes and began to giggle. "If we aren't a pair for sore eyes!"

  He began to chuckle, his voice low and hardy.

  When they stopped, she gave him a solemn look. "I shall put you in a sling in the morning. Perhaps that will help your bad arm."

  "Perhaps it will."

  She put the rest of the clean bandage back in her bag. "I suppose we had best blow out the light and go to sleep."

  "I suppose we had."

  She blew out the candle and scooted under the covers, shivering with cold.

  Harry had walked around to the other side of the bed. She heard him removing his pantaloons and was terribly thankful he could not see the blush creep into her cheeks once again.

  Chapter 14

  As he had done the day before, Harry awakened Louisa with a cup of hot tea. "Sit up, sleepy head."

  She sat up and stretched and gratefully picked up
the warm cup and drank. "I declare, I have never been so cold in my entire life."

  Harry nodded. The blasted cold had awakened him several times during the night -- which was no wonder since Louisa had pulled the blankets from him and wrapped herself in them. All of this, of course, occurred while she slept. Being a gentleman, he could hardly remove the blankets from her. So he had gotten up and fully dressed, and anxiously waited for the first light of dawn so he could go downstairs and stand before a fire.

  He watched with satisfaction now as Louisa curled her hands about the warmth of the cup.

  "Let me have a look at your knee," he said when she finished.

  She obliged him by swinging both legs over the side of the bed and lifting the hem of her woolen gown until both her knees were revealed.

  Her lack of womanly modesty surprised him. This was, after all, the same woman who grew crimson at the mention of bosom. He dropped to one knee and visually examined her swelling first. Then he flexed her leg, first down then up. "You've made great improvement in one day," he told her. "The swelling's half what it was yesterday."

  "Does that mean you'll allow me to walk downstairs by myself?"

  "It does not," he said. "The worst thing you could possibly do is to negotiate stairs." He reached to pull her gown back down, surprised at what an intimate gesture it seemed. "I shall carry you."

  He got to his feet and announced, "I will tell Mrs. Winston you're ready for breakfast."

  "Not until you put that arm in a sling, Harry Blassingame, Lord Wycliff."

  He rolled his eyes. "You remembered your threat."

  "I did indeed." She began to rummage through her valise until she found a length of linen which she fashioned into a sling. He obliged her by allowing her to tie it around his neck before he left their chamber.

  A moment later he rejoined her, lifted her into his arms, and proceeded to walk down the stairs before placing her in a dining room chair.

  The cheerful Mrs. Winston, wearing a white apron and carrying a tray of scones, entered the dining room and proudly laid the table with food. "I hope your room wasn't too cold last night," she said.