Intentions of the Earl (18 page)

“Do you really think so?” Brooke asked
hopefully.

“Yes. If what you said before about him
paying attention to you and making a cake of himself in front of
your family is true, then I believe that he has an interest in you,
not her.” He stopped talking and laughed a little. “I’ll admit I
wish I could have been there to witness him saying those things.
I’ve never seen him embarrass himself. If I remember correctly, he
reacts very strongly to being embarrassed or seeing others
embarrassed.”

Brooke believed that. She remembered the
night her sisters had intentionally embarrassed her. He sat next to
her and tried to make her feel better about it, then when it was
obvious her family intended to embarrass her more by telling more
stories about her, he left. She was too mortified at the time to
realize what he was doing, but now that she could think about it
more clearly she realized he was doing his best to protect her
feelings.

“What can I do about it then?” Brooke
asked.

“About what?” Alex asked. His brows came
together and his face looked like he had no idea what Brooke was
talking about.

“What can I do about Lady Olivia? How can I
compete with her?” she asked anxiously, spelling out to an
oblivious Alex that she did not think the problem had magically
solved itself.

Alex leaned back in his chair. “Hmm, I do
believe we need to devise a plan of action. If you truly think he
was going to ask you to marry him, you could try to get caught in a
compromising situation with him.”

“I don’t think that’s the answer,” Brooke
said disapprovingly. Nor was she sure that Andrew was going to ask
her to marry him in the first place.

“Maybe not. But, if you don’t do something
soon, Lady Olivia might think of the same plan and she won’t be too
meek to pull it off.”

“She would not!” Brooke said vehemently.

“She would,” Alex countered with a simple
nod. “You may not know this about Lady Olivia, but as a bachelor,
I've become well acquainted with her kind. She isn't attractive or
even liked in most social circles, however, she still desires a
husband, and I'm willing to bet she'll go about acquiring one any
way she can.”

“Would he do it?” Brooke’s voice cracked on
the last word.

“Do what? Marry a lady he was caught in a
compromising situation with? Absolutely. He’s an honorable man and
would do the right thing.”

Brooke liked the idea of marrying the earl,
but not the idea of a potential scandal. She didn’t want to send
her family back to the United States in disgrace. Even if she
married him, it would still bring disgrace on her family because of
the surrounding scandal. Her family was too valuable to her for her
to carelessly trample over them just to get what she wanted. “Do
you think we could try something a little less drastic first?”

“Yes,” Alex said truthfully. “Lady Olivia is
desperate, but I don’t think she will push things that far this
soon. She’ll try to win him with her money, class, or connections
before trying to throw her virtue at him. I’ll try to arrange a few
activities for the two of you over the next few days. But you’ll
have to do your part as well.”

Brooke didn’t know what her part entailed,
but she nodded her agreement. She would do her part and then some
if it would help her win Andrew.

“You may not like this, but when I arrange
for you two to be alone you’ll have to tease him a little.”

Brooke let out a nervous giggle. “Tease him?
How so?”

“Little things really,” he said with a
dismissive wave of his hand. “When you put your hand on his arm to
be escorted, give him a little squeeze. When you’re alone with him
act like you’re going to let him kiss you, then back away before he
does. Do that a few times and he’ll follow you like a lovesick
puppy in no time.”

Brooke giggled again at the idea of the earl
following her like a lovesick puppy. “I can do those things. I
probably shouldn’t say this, but I’ve been doing those tricks for
years.”

“No, you shouldn’t say that to anyone else;
but for our purposes it works to your advantage you’ve already had
plenty of practice,” he said dryly.

“I just hope I can back away when he tries to
kiss me,” Brooke said without thinking.

“It will be easy, especially if you remember
why you are doing it.”

“Very true. I shall just have to block the
memory of how good our last kiss was and focus on the future
good.”

“Your last kiss?” Alex asked, his voice
taking on a sharp tone. “How many kisses have the two of you
shared?”

“Jus—just two,” Brooke stammered. “At the
museum. But one was just merely a brush on the lips, so it doesn’t
count.”

Alex’s eyes looked deadly. “He better not
have been trifling with you.”

Brooke decided it was time to leave. She had
possibly said too much as it was and didn’t want Alex to change his
mind about helping her. “I think I better retire now in case Mama
checks in on me. Thank you for agreeing to help me. I shall follow
all of your advice to the letter.” Then before he could say
anything else, she fled the library and ran up the stairs, not even
noticing the body that was standing right outside the library
door.

Chapter 15

Andrew’s fury was bubbling inside as he left
Brooke with her parents and stalked back across the drawing room to
where Lady Olivia was waiting for him. He’d like to shake the silly
chit until her yellow teeth rattled. Who did she think she was? And
what did she want with him?

“The Prodigal Earl hath returned,” Lady
Olivia said, looking at him with that miserable pouty face she
always sported.

“Yes, I have returned per your request,” he
said with a clipped voice. What was she about? Why had she accused
him publicly of trying to renege on a promise he never even made?
What was her game? Then he remembered she had gotten upset when he
responded to her bold proposal and told her he wasn’t interested in
marrying her. Her face had changed at his refusal, and then she
declared something about trying to win his hand. This was how she
was going about it? Wonderful. Now during the whole party she was
going to plague him and try to put the other girls off, just as she
had done with Brooke.

Andrew knew it was wrong, but he wished she’d
come down with a complaint tomorrow and return to London or Bath
for the remainder of the party. Otherwise, he’d have to spend every
last shilling he possessed bribing servants to keep him updated on
her whereabouts so he could avoid her like the plague.

“Don’t be silly,” she giggled. “You said you
enjoyed my company and would be delighted to accompany me to
dinner. If I were amendable, of course.”

Her words were spoken light and airily, but
her eyes told a different story. Andrew could tell she truly
expected that he would agree to her charges right here and make it
sound like a public declaration of his feelings toward her.

Andrew’s jaw worked. This was a mess of the
worst sort. There was only one way out: go along with what she
wanted just now in order to keep gossip down; then pawn her off on
some other poor sot at the first opportunity. “You’re correct, Lady
Olivia, I did want to accompany you to dinner tonight,” he said
loud enough for the eavesdroppers close by to hear. “Perhaps we
shall discuss the rules of chess again and talk more about
strategy.”

He bit back a smile when he watched her smile
slip and disappointment twist her lips into a snarl. He hated being
such a heel, but really she was not the least bit fascinating; and
if he had to suffer through dinner with her, she was going to do
some suffering, too. He was going to make sure of it.

She recovered quickly though. “That would be
delightful, my lord. Since you earlier expressed your understanding
and penchant for rules, I am convinced you would be the best person
to consult with about rules and strategy.”

Andrew nodded and resigned himself to a
dinner companion that might drive him to commit suicide later.

Just then the butler appeared and announced
that dinner was served.

Relieved that he wouldn’t have to make idle
chitchat with just Lady Olivia much longer, Andrew offered her his
arm and started walking briskly toward where the butler was leading
the party down to dinner.

“Could you slow down? My slippers do not
allow me to walk as fast as you,” Lady Olivia said sharply.

“Of course,” Andrew muttered.

When Andrew and Lady Olivia entered the
dining room, his eyes immediately searched for Brooke.
Unfortunately she was seated on the far end of the table by Mr.
Cook, her sister Liberty and Mr. Grimes. Brooke’s face looked as
hard as steel. He tried to give her an apologetic smile, but it did
nothing to soften her face

Dinner would have been excellent if not for
such poor company. The whole meal Lady Olivia cooed, simpered,
batted her lashes, and several other pathetic attempts at flirting.
It was enough to make even the hungriest man lose his appetite.

After dinner, the men stayed in the dining
room while the ladies went to the drawing room. The separation only
lasted an hour, but Andrew felt every one of those sixty
minutes.

Andrew walked down the hall with the
gentlemen on their way to join the ladies in the drawing room. If
not for the fact that he was going to see Brooke when he arrived
there, he would have gone up to his room. Just the knowledge that
she was in there, maybe even waiting for him, made him walk a
little faster down the hall.

He was disappointed when he walked in the
door and his eyes did a quick sweep of the room, revealing that
Brooke was absent. He wandered around to make sure he hadn't just
overlooked her, but that only confirmed that she wasn’t there.

It would seem impolite if he were to leave
right away, so he made his rounds and politely inquired to Carolina
about Brooke’s whereabouts.

“She complained of a headache a half hour
ago,” Carolina told him stiffly, watching his face as he absorbed
her words.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he murmured, and he
was. He had wanted to talk to her and now it didn’t look like he’d
get the chance. “If by chance you should see her tonight, please
tell her I hope she feels better tomorrow.”

“I’ll be sure to let her know, my lord,”
Carolina replied coolly before turning back to the ladies she had
been speaking to before he interrupted her.

Andrew could tell her demeanor toward him had
changed tonight, and he knew why. She probably assumed he was
toying with her daughter’s affections. Any mother who was in her
position would treat him the same. The truth was she had no reason
to think otherwise.

After making small talk with a few others, he
decided he would also go to bed. But first he needed to seek Alex
out to confirm he was able to go on a tour of the grounds with him
and Brooke tomorrow. Thinking of the tour made him inwardly smile.
He had made up his mind earlier tonight that he was going to steal
another kiss from her on the tour. With Alex acting as the
chaperone, stealing a dozen kisses would pose no problem.

Alex had left the gentlemen before they had
gone to the drawing room to meet up with the ladies. Andrew looked
around and noticed that Alex wasn’t in the room, either. No matter.
If Alex wasn’t here, he’d be in the library, most likely with his
nose stuck in a book.

Andrew slipped from the room just before Lady
Olivia could sink her talons into him again. Walking down the hall,
he threw glances over his shoulder to make sure she had not
followed him. He wouldn’t put it past her at this point to attempt
getting caught alone with him. The thought made him shudder.

Andrew put his hand on the handle to the
library door and was about to open it when he heard a female giggle
erupt from inside. Stunned, he took a step back. He had no idea why
Alex would choose to entertain a female companion in the library of
all places. Personally, he could think of many better places to
enjoy their company, but Alex was Alex.

Maybe it would be best to wait until
breakfast to ask Alex, Andrew thought. He turned to walk away when
he suddenly heard a familiar voice and his body froze.

Getting over his shock, he walked back to the
door of the library with the intention of hearing the voice better.
It had sounded light and musical, strangely like Brooke’s. He shook
his head, why would Brooke be in the library with Alex? And what on
earth in that room would she possibly find humorous?

He put his ear to the door so he could hear
the voice again to either confirm or disprove his thoughts. When he
heard the voice again he knew instantly it was Brooke. He couldn’t
make out what she was saying, but he knew it was her and she had
giggled about something—no, two somethings. He had clearly heard
her laugh twice. Now her voice had taken on a different tone and so
had Alex’s. Alex almost sounded on edge now.

Andrew fought the urge to swing open the
door, barge in and demand to know what was going on, but his feet
were rooted to the floor. Did he really want to know what was going
on in there? He knew some people married their cousins. Was that
what was this was? Were these two planning to make a match of it?
No, that was impossible. They hardly knew each other. Plus, their
interests were so opposite of each other they both would struggle
in a marriage to each other.

Andrew heard a noise that sounded like a
person walking toward the door and he quickly stepped aside.

The door flew open and through the shadows
Andrew watched Brooke dash out of the library and run toward the
staircase.

When she was out of sight, Andrew indulged
his temper and barged in the library. “What was that about?” Andrew
demanded curtly. He could feel the tension that had taken over his
whole body. What was going on with these two?