Enticing the Earl (26 page)

“You have?” She still couldn’t seem to comprehend what he was telling her. “Then when you asked me to marry you...?”

He laughed softly. “It had nothing to do with my reputation. It had nothing to do with your protection. Although that made a fine excuse. I proposed because I loved you and thought given time, you might come to love me too.”

Mia thought about how she’d told him she didn’t love him. Was that truly only a few weeks ago? She’d been a fool to think she could leave him and become Middleton’s wise woman. This was where she wanted to be.

“Didn’t you know how I felt about you?” Simon asked.

“No, why would I have known that?”

Simon chuckled. “Apparently everyone around us knew, including the servants.”

Mia stared at him in disbelief. “That’s not possible. Someone would have told me.”

“Not likely. Most people would have assumed I would only be interested in an affair with you. They were trying to protect you.”

Slowly he pushed her away and rose from the tub. Grabbing a towel, he wrapped it around himself in silence. He walked to the linen press and pulled out a dressing gown. After wrapping it around himself, he turned toward the door. “I will leave you to your bath, madam,” he finally said stiffly.

“Where are you going, Simon?”

“You wanted peace for your bath so you shall have it.”

“But I’d rather have your love,” Mia said softly as she rose from the bath.

“Why?”

Shivering from the chill in the air, she said, “Because you already have my love.”

S
lowly, he turned and faced her. Even from the door, he could see the goose flesh rising on her chilled skin. Her small breasts rose proud, but begged to be suckled. He grabbed another towel and rushed to her. She looked regal and yet terrified as if he would reject her. Not that he could ever do that. He wrapped the towel around her and lifted her from the tub.

He released the pins holding her hair up. She stared up at him with her soulful brown eyes. With her lips slightly parted, she looked like a temptress.

“So you want my love?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“You already have it.”

Her lips moved upward. “Say it.”

“I love you, Mia. I have for years and will forever.”

She reached out and caressed her hand against his cheek. “I love you too, Simon. I have wanted to tell you but thought you didn’t feel the same way.”

He leaned over and kissed her gently. She lifted her arms, wrapped them around his neck and pressed her body against his. He wanted to ravish her. He wanted to make love to her slowly and savor every aspect of it. In the end, he left it up to her.

She led him into the bed with a seductive smile. As they reached the bed, she let the towel drop to the floor.

He gazed like a hungry dog at her beautiful body. Her rosy nipples were drawn tight, waiting for his mouth to tease them. Her slim waist flared at her hips. He wanted to grab her hips and delve into her softness. But he waited for her sign.

She closed the distance between them. Her fingers worked at the knot on his dressing gown. “This is being difficult.”

He brushed her hands away and unknotted the mess. The gown gaped open, revealing his hard cock. He moaned as her fingernails skimmed up the length of him. He closed his eyes until a warm, moist mouth replaced her fingers, drawing him in and out. Pleasure surged within him. Her tongue played with him, circling the top of his penis before sliding back down. He had to stop this now.

“Mia, stop,” he rasped.

As she continued to suckle him, her fingernails lightly scraped his sac almost sending him over the edge.

“Now,” he said. “I want to please you too.”

Slowly, she slid him out of her mouth. “As you wish.”

“You will pay for that,” he warned with a smile.

“I do hope so.”

He picked her up and plopped her on the edge of the bed with her legs dangling off. He leaned over and covered a nipple with his mouth. Feeling her squirm beneath him only surged the passion flowing through him. He moved to the other breast and circled around her areola until she moaned. With a smile, he suckled her nipple until her hips ground against his.

Instead of giving her what she wanted, he trailed hot kisses down her belly until he reached the apex of her legs. Spreading her folds, he found his target. As his tongue touched her, she started.

“Simon,” she moaned.

The pent-up desire he heard in her voice made him hungry for her. He tasted her, licked her and flicked his tongue against her until she shook from the pleasure of her orgasm. Finally, he entered her wetness. He brought her legs up against his chest so he filled her completely.

“Simon.”

He thrust in and out of her. Her fists clenched the coverlet as her inner muscles tightened around him. Feeling her start to quiver and shake, he let go too.

“Mia.”

“Oh, Simon, I love you,” she said in a husky tone.

Thrusting once more, he spilled his seed into her. The pleasure of their lovemaking overcame him. He pulled out of her and then moved them both up to the head of the bed. Drawing her to his chest, he caressed her soft brown hair.

Her fingers splayed across his chest, tangling with his chest hair. “I like your chest.”

He laughed softly. “I like yours too.”

“No, I mean the hard muscle and soft skin. Just the right amount of hair. Not too much and not bare.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that.”

She went silent for a few minutes. At first he thought she might be sleeping but he could feel her biting her lower lip in worry.

“What’s wrong, Mia?”

“What are you going to do when you find Charlie?” she whispered.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I’ve been thinking about that for days. First, I need to know if he was involved. Perhaps it was all a coincidence.”

She raised her head and stared down at him. “Do you really think so?”

“No,” he admitted. “Too many things don’t add up.”

“Are you going to hurt him?”

Could he hurt his brother? Unfortunately, he could if Charlie was as involved as Simon believed. “What do you want me to do if he hired Lambert?”

Mia went silent in thought. Did she want revenge for what happened to her? A part of her did. But another part of her didn’t want her former friend to feel the pain she felt. No one should have to suffer a beating like that. She also didn’t want Simon to have to hurt his brother for her. “I don’t know,” she finally answered.

“If he gives me no choice, I will have to fight him.”

She nodded against his chest. “I know. Are there any other choices?”

“Perhaps.”

“Oh?”

He tweaked her hair. “Do I have to give away all my secrets?”

“There shouldn’t be any secrets between a husband and wife. Unless they involve gifts, then it’s all right.”

He chuckled. “I shall remember that.”

“Now, back to the situation at hand,” Mia said.

“Yes. I could have him arrested but I fear he might hang.”

She certainly didn’t want Charlie to hang for what he did. “So the lesser of two evils may be the beating?”

“I wish I knew what was the right thing to do here, Mia. But I don’t. I won’t know until the moment I confront him.”

“I understand. But perhaps I should be there with you. You wouldn’t be so hard on him if I was there.”

“No. Then I would be distracted. He could use that as an opportunity to either hurt me or you.”

Why did he make so much sense? If she couldn’t be there, she intended that James was there. He might be able to get the two men talking. “As you wish.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Trusting me. Believing in me. And mostly for understanding about my condition.”

She moved up on the bed so she could look into his eyes. “A person can’t help how they are born. I have seen a few horrible births, club feet, cleft lips, and so much worse. You have difficulty performing mathematical equations.” She smiled at him as she caressed his jaw. “That is why you have me.”

“Thank God,” he said. “I will be happy to let someone I trust do the books for me.”

Slowly, she drifted off to sleep content for the moment but worried about what tomorrow might bring.

 

The next morning, she awoke alone and cold. She scrambled out of bed to find Simon before he confronted Charlie. She dressed quickly in one of her old gowns that needed no one to help her. She raced to the top of the stairs and listened for angry shouts. There was only the sounds of the household, footmen cleaning, the clattering of a dish from the morning room and the soft voices of the maids.

She walked down the stairs and headed for the morning room. Simon and James were both sitting at the table with a newspaper in their hands. For a moment she said nothing, just watched the two men who looked so similar.

“Anything in that one about him?” Simon asked.

“Just the usual round of gossip. Nothing about Charlie being back in town,” James replied.

“What are you two doing? Isn’t Charlie here?” she asked as she took a seat across from James.

“No, he still hasn’t returned. We thought we’d try the papers and see if there was any mention of him,” Simon said as he folded his paper and placed it on the table.

Harris entered the room with a slight cough. “My lady, you have a caller.”

“At nine in the morning?” Mia said.

“Oh for pity sake, I am not a caller. Now move out of my way, Harris, before I put some poison in your tea.” Her mother blustered past an indignant Harris who turned and left.

“Good morning, my lord, Mr. Blakesworth.”

“Good morning, Mother,” Mia said, offering her a seat. “What are you doing here at this hour?”

“You’ve been away near a fortnight. I wanted to see my daughter.” A footman placed a cup of tea in front of her. “And I have a question for the earl.”

“Oh?” Simon said casually.

“What is your brother doing here?” Mother asked bluntly.

James looked taken aback. “I beg your pardon, madam, but that is hardly your concern.”

“Not you,” she said to James. “Charlie. He arrived almost as soon as you left and has been rifling through Mrs. Perkins’s garden for days.”

“The treasure,” Mia and Simon said together.

“I looked there yesterday and he wasn’t there,” Simon said with a frown.

“What treasure?” her mother asked.

Mia explained about the few trinkets she’d found over the past year. “He must think there is more. But after I discovered Hart’s financial situation, we searched for days and found nothing.”

“There are holes all over her garden. The poor woman can’t do anything about it either. She’s fretting about it and is going to make herself sick. At first she thought she had upset a garden troll. But one night she saw Charlie out there. She didn’t say anything at the beginning because she thought you had given him permission but then she noticed you never came out there.”

Simon scraped back his chair. “I will see to this.”

Mia started to rise but James shook his head at her. She widened her eyes at him and nodded in Simon’s direction. Again, he shook his head. Once Simon had left, she said, “Why aren’t you following him?”

“Mia, he is the earl. It is his decision what happens to Charlie.”

“Charlie is your brother too.”

“Yes, he is. And in about ten minutes, we will ride out to Mrs. Perkins’s house to see what is going on. That will give him enough time to confront him alone but not enough time to kill him.”

Mia stared at the clock on the wall until ten minutes had past. “Let’s be off.”

James stood up from his seat at the same time as her mother. Both James and Mia stared at her.

“There might be someone hurt,” her mother said. “I am going with you.”

“I can tend to the sick,” Mia said.

“I will go with you.” Her voice brooked no reply.

“Come along, both of you,” James said in an unusually rough tone.

Mia followed James out the door to the stables. Her irritation with her mother had returned even more quickly than normal. She knew it shouldn’t matter but it did. Her mother had never thought she was a good wise woman.

She jumped on the horse and then led the mare down the path to Mrs. Perkins’s house without waiting for James or her mother. She urged the horse to a run, determined to find out what was going on at the old woman’s garden. The sound of horses behind her meant she would not have much time alone.

Once she reached the house, she jumped off the mare and ran toward the garden. She stopped when she saw Simon filling in the holes that Charlie had left. No wonder Mrs. Perkins was so upset. The poor woman would have tripped if she came out here.

“Did you see him?” she asked.

“No.”

“He doesn’t come around until dark,” a feeble voice sounded.

Mia turned to see Mrs. Perkins standing with an old pistol in her hand. “Please put the pistol down, Mrs. Perkins. The earl is here to straighten this mess out.”

“You need to come back after dark. That’s when he digs,” Mrs. Perkins said, placing the small pistol in her pocket.

Simon turned to her. “Would you mind if we stayed until then, in case he returns early?”

“I don’t care. But I’m not feeding you.” The old woman turned and walked back to the house.

Simon chuckled. “It’s a good thing your mother arrived and told us about this. She might have shot him tonight.”

“She never did like him.”

They spent the day outside waiting for Charlie to return. By dusk, the temperature had fallen so they took refuge in Mrs. Perkins’s house. James had returned to Hartsfield Park and brought back a basket with food for all of them and extra for their host. As they dined on cold chicken and bread, a thud sounded from the garden.

They stood up but Simon stared at her. “I will go out there with James. It might be a wild animal.”

Mia rolled her eyes. She traveled this land in the dark many times and had seldom come across more than a fox or an occasional polecat. Simon closed the door to the cottage. Mia followed behind him.

Simon crept along the side of the house. Mumbling and quiet rambling sounded from behind the house. He couldn’t be sure if it was Charlie or someone else. It sounded too rough to be Charlie.

He peered around the corner only to find Charlie with a shovel in his hand staring at the ground.

“Well?” James whispered.

“Shh.” He wanted to hear what Charlie was saying.

“Who did this? Probably that crazy old bat.” Charlie hurled his shovel in anger toward a tree. “Now how will I know where to dig?”

Now that the shovel was out of his brother’s hand, Simon turned the corner. “What are you digging for, Charlie?”

Charlie gasped. “What the bloody hell are you doing back already? You were supposed to be gone for days.”

“You didn’t answer the question. What are you digging for?” James asked as he rounded the corner.

“You brought James with you?” Charlie asked Simon. “Afraid you couldn’t take care of me on your own? Or afraid you might need someone to talk you out of killing me?” His eyes widened. “You told him, didn’t you?” He stared at James.

Simon clenched his fists. “Why would I want to kill you?”

“No reason. I’m just digging out here to help you, Simon. I felt bad that your finances had been hurt by that steward of yours.” He scratched the back of his head.