Intentions of the Earl (7 page)

“Lord Townson, I did enjoy our afternoon
together and I look forward to going again sometime,” Brooke told
him as a goodbye before this nonsense with Liberty could continue
any further.

“I also enjoyed our afternoon, and I shall
call upon you again in the near future, Miss Banks,” Andrew said,
taking his cue and climbing back onto the curricle.

“Wait!” screamed Mama, running outside and
looking all out of sorts. “Before you go, I wanted to invite you to
dinner tomorrow night. I would be absolutely delighted if you would
come and join us for our evening meal.” Allowing Andrew no time to
agree or refuse, she quickly added, “We eat at eight sharp. You’ll
need to be here a little early. Quarter till should be sufficient.
We look forward to it.” She waved to Andrew and stepped back into
the house. “Come girls!” she chirped.

***

Andrew blinked at the door the Banks women
had just gone through. Without hinting or flat out asking, he’d
just secured another approved meeting with Brooke.

At his townhouse he ate a brief dinner then
retired to his study. He had all he needed there to keep him
completely occupied, for about a half hour.

He glanced at his account books; still in
debt.

He picked up the newspaper; only crime and
social scandals, nothing of interest there.

Ah, a stack of correspondence that had been
collecting for more than three months and was about eight inches
high. With a sigh, he thumbed through the stack. With the exception
of a couple of letters from his mother, it was a bunch of
nonsense.

He read the letters of interest and discarded
the rest, then sat staring into the fire when he heard a knock at
the door.

All too eager for the distraction, Andrew ran
over to the door and swung it wide open to find a disgruntled
Addams on the other side with his mouth agape. “Sir, I do believe
it is the job of the butler, which currently is me, to open the
doors.”

“Addams,” he snapped, “this is still my house
and I will open any door in this house I wish. Now, what did you
want?”

Stiffening his spine, Addams said proudly,
“Sir, you have a guest.”

“Who is it?’ Andrew asked impatiently.

“His Grace, the Duke of Gateway,” Addams
announced with all due pomp and circumstance.

Andrew groaned. Then quickly tried to cover
it up when he caught sight of Gateway not five feet away.

“Don’t act so happy to see me, Townson,”
Gateway said with a mocking smile.

“I’m always just ecstatic to see you,” Andrew
said without any undue sarcasm. “Come on in.” He gestured vaguely
into his study. He really didn’t want to invite him in, but it
appeared he didn’t have a choice, the man was already in his
house.

Gateway wasted no time. He made his way into
Andrew’s study, poured himself a drink, and then sat down on a
leather divan with all the grace of a hippopotamus.

Watching from the doorway, Andrew mumbled
under his breath, “Just make yourself right at home, why don’t
you.”

“I think I will,” Gateway smugly replied.

Andrew sat behind his desk, crossed his arms
across his chest, leaned back in his chair, and just to show the
duke how much he respected him, propped his feet up on his desk,
with the soles facing the direction the duke was sitting. Finally,
when he was comfortable, in a voice dripping with sarcasm, he
drawled, “What do I owe the pleasure of your company to?”

“Miss Banks,” was his only reply, but it was
enough for Andrew to know what he wanted to talk about.

“Yes,” Andrew said, raising an eyebrow and
making a rolling hand gesture to urge Gateway to continue. When it
was clear that Gateway wasn’t going to indulge him by saying
anything more, Andrew offered, “I met her, if that’s what you’re
asking.”

“Good.” Gateway nodded in approval.
“And?”

Andrew contemplated what to tell Gateway.
First, he needed to figure out what Gateway was doing here. Was he
here just to know that Andrew had started his work or was he here
fishing for details? “I found her well,” Andrew answered with a
sardonic smile.

“Cut the bull, Townson,” Gateway bellowed,
leaning forward in his chair. “Do you think you’ll be able to pull
this off or not?” His face had gone slightly red from rage and he
looked as if he were ready to leap across the desk to strangle
Andrew for his insolent manner.

“I do,” Andrew stated evenly. Years ago he
might have been a little uneasy at Gateway’s manner, but not now.
He learned fifteen years ago that Gateway was nothing more than a
bully. But ten years ago, he realized that by himself, Gateway
wasn’t one. Gateway enjoyed giving off the impression he was tough
and in control, but really without an accomplice, he was
harmless.

“Good. How soon?”

Andrew steepled his hands up by his chin as
if he were in deep contemplation. “Hmm, I don’t know. Within the
month, I hope. Perhaps sooner. Depends on how quickly I can get her
to trust me. I know you want this done as quickly as possible.
However, it won’t do for her to be unwilling. If I try to
compromise her, which we both know is what it will take,” he said
casually, leveling a murderous glare on Gateway, “too quickly, it
will not be viewed as she was a willing participant. I don’t want
this to look like I’m forcing her. Then, neither of us would get
what we want.” Andrew didn’t want to rush because then it would be
most likely viewed as a rape; or an attempt to rape anyway. Even
though he was an earl and a peer of the realm, he was not above the
law. Nor did he want rumors circulating that he was the kind to
force himself on a woman.

Gateway’s eyes took on a new spark, a rather
scary spark as it were. “So who is the lucky, or should I say
unlucky, chit?”

“Miss Banks,” Andrew answered mockingly. He
didn’t like this whole arrangement, and he didn’t like dealing with
Gateway even more; so he had to take his fun where he could, and
for now that was intentionally irritating Gateway.

“I know ‘Miss Banks’,” Gateway snapped, his
eyes burning with fire. “Which ‘Miss Banks’?”

Andrew looked straight at Gateway and with a
monotone voice said, “Miss Brooke Banks.”

Much to Andrew’s surprise, Gateway began to
hoot and snort with laughter. This drew Andrew up short. He had
never seen Gateway behave this way. What could he possibly find
funny about Andrew’s selection? “Pray tell, what has you laughing
like a villain in a bad play?”

“Oh, you’ll see. You will see!” was all
Gateway would say. After he regained his composure, he added, “I
suppose you’re going to start ‘courting’ her, then?”

“Yes, I am. I met all the Banks women
yesterday. And I took Brooke on a ride in Hyde Park earlier today.”
He leaned back in his chair to get a better look at Gateway’s face.
“Oh, and did I mention that I have plans to go eat with the family
tomorrow night?”

“Good, all good, Townson,” Gateway said and
nodded. “You’ll be glad to know I’ve cleared your debt on that
estate in Essex. I had no idea it was so much. Nonetheless, it has
all been paid. The deed is waiting for you once I get notification
that the Banks’ family has boarded on the fastest ship to New
York.”

“You will be the first to know when they’re
on their way home,” Andrew said. He folded his hands in his lap and
started to examine his nails. “Well, maybe not the first, I suppose
all of London will know at the same time. When the scandal sheets
tear Miss Banks apart, that is,” he amended, fighting a slight
twinge of guilt.

“I look forward to it,” Gateway said
curtly.

Going out on a limb, Andrew mused, “I do
wonder why is it that you are so desperate to have this family
gone. They seem a decent sort. Did one of the sisters cut you?”

Gateway’s face turned rigid and he sprang to
his feet. “That is none of your concern, Townson. Just do what you
agreed to. Charm Miss Banks out of her gown and be done with it,”
he snapped, making a hasty path to the door.

Chapter 6

“I cannot believe Mama invited him here for
dinner,” Brooke said, looking around the most distasteful dining
room she had ever laid eyes on.

“Brooke, Mama did not invite him. She trapped
him. The poor man didn’t even have a chance to deny her request,”
Liberty said.

“Liberty, I’m shocked you didn’t ramble on
about how Mama handled the invitation being ‘improper’.” Madison
added.

All three of them burst into a fit of
giggles.

“She has a point. You take the proprieties
all too seriously. You should relax a bit. If you did, then you
would certainly have more fun,” Brooke told her sister.

“I know. I just want to be accepted. I don’t
have Madison’s good looks or your outspoken personality. Therefore,
if I want to get a husband I have to be able to show that I’ll do a
good job doing the duty of a wife. Men here care about dinner
parties and their wives being perfect ladies out in society. If I
can prove to a man that I can do those things, then I might land a
husband,” Liberty said as she pointed to the mounted squirrel on
the wall that she wanted the footman to haul away.

“Dearest, you worry too much about catching a
husband. You’re only nineteen, you still have plenty of time to
find a husband,” Brooke reassured her. Then grabbing the footman by
the arm, she said, “Stop. I think this room is helpless.” Even if
they removed all the mounted animals, most of the decorations
and
found some way to cover up the table, they would still
have a hideous dining room. They couldn’t cover the sixteen dining
chairs, or the carpet, or wallpaper. “This room is a lost cause,
let’s just leave it alone. We can set up a small table in the
parlor and have a cozy dinner like we did back home.”

Mama came into the room beaming. “That is a
great idea,” she agreed. With a snap of her fingers and a few
directives to the footman, a makeshift dining room was created in
the parlor. “Why don’t you girls go get ready for our guest?” Mama
said to Liberty and Madison. “Brooke, I have just the gown you
should wear tonight. Meet me in my bedchamber in fifteen minutes.”
With that, the girls were on their way.

Carolina hummed a merry tune the whole way up
the stairs. Smiling wistfully, she sailed into her room where
Brooke was already waiting for her.

Brooke watched her mother walk behind her
dressing screen and come back holding a crimson red gown that had a
silk bodice and sleeves, and had eight panels of velvet that made
up the length of the skirt. The bodice was medium cut, just perfect
for Brooke who had little in the way of a natural bosom. Brooke
stepped closer to examine the embroidery. It had little rosettes
all along the hem and cuffs, alternating colors: white, pink, and
red.

“It’s beautiful,” Brooke exclaimed.

“It sure is, and you’ll look beautiful
wearing it. Your cream colored slippers will have to do. I don’t
have the original slippers to match it anymore.”

“Original? How long have you had this gown?”
Brooke asked, running her slender fingers along the fabric.

“Longer than you’ve been alive,” Mama
retorted. “I wore this dress the night I met Papa. And as I always
say, it was love at first sight. I hope you have the same luck when
you wear it tonight,” Mama said with a quick wink.

Brooke was shocked and a little unsure what
exactly her mother meant. “But I’ve already met Lord Townson.”

“Yes, I know,” Mama agreed. “But maybe
tonight he’ll see you differently and fall madly in love with you;
not that I believe for one second he hasn’t already started down
that path. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Mama looked so excited and hopeful that
Brooke didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to crush her
mother’s feelings, so instead she just stared blankly at her.

As if sensing Brooke’s lack of excitement,
Mama went on, “I think he fancies you. I think if you give him a
little encouragement,” she shook the gown, indicating it was the
“encouragement” she was referring to, “he could develop true
feelings for you. Just think of it, you could marry the earl. You
would be a countess,” she cried excitedly. “My daughter a countess!
Oh, you must wear the dress tonight.”

Excitement is hard to contain, and it spreads
so easily, soon Brooke found herself smiling right along with Mama.
“Thank you, Mama.”

“You’re welcome,” Mama said as she shoved the
gown in Brooke’s hands. “Now, go put it on, he’ll be here in less
than an hour.”

Walking down the hall to her room, Brooke
stared at the elegant red gown she carried. A small smile came over
her lips and she murmured, “It may not steal his heart, but it
will
steal his undivided attention.”

***

“Turner, we’re expecting a guest for dinner.
When he arrives, please show him into the drawing room. After we’re
all assembled, you’ll need to show us all to dinner in the parlor.
I have instructed some footmen to set up a table in there to
function as the dining room tonight, and possibly until further
notice. Please wipe that look off your face, we want him to get the
impression we always eat in the parlor.” When the butler shook his
head, Mrs. Banks’ voice took on a sharp edge. “Frankly, sir, we
find that dining room frightful and unfit for company.” With a
sniff of disdain, she spun around and walked away, informing him
the conversation was officially over.

As soon as Mrs. Banks had walked away, a loud
knock shook the door. Opening the door, Turner greeted the Earl of
Townson, the dinner guest they were expecting. “Come on in, my
lord. If you will follow me to the drawing room, I believe the
Banks family is in there awaiting your arrival.”

Entering the drawing room, Andrew saw that
Mrs. Banks, Miss Liberty and the middle Miss Banks were seated on
the settees. Noting that he still did not know the name of the Miss
Banks that was constantly staring out windows, he decided he would
have to ask Brooke if he wasn’t able to pick it up in conversation;
until then, he’d mentally refer to her as “Spacey”.