Page 3 of All Roads Lead To Earls (To All The Earls I’ve Loved Before #2)

Chapter Three

A n earl never gaped, open-mouthed, at a lady.

And an earl most definitely never drooled either, yet Patrick Belconnen had to sternly remind himself he was the Earl of Tullamore and he should close his mouth promptly and tamp down the hunger roaring through his blood at the sight of this delectable woman.

He must have knocked his head too hard when the carriage had jolted so many times on that infernal road. How else to explain his appalling lapse in manners?

He had to rectify things quickly, before this charming lady formed a poor opinion of him. Feet moving automatically in her direction before his brain was fully engaged, he tried to think of something flattering and disarming before he made a flummery of himself.

“My dear Miss Jones, how delightful to see you here,” was his opening gambit.

Of course he knew it wasn’t her name - unless by some miracle it was - but they could spend the next few minutes laughing at how he’d mistaken her for someone else.

It was a technique he’d seen other gentlemen use and tonight he thought he’d test its efficacy.

(Although how there could be anyone else with her particular features he did not think possible.

Her chestnut hair neatly piled onto her head with a few ringlets teasing her slender neck, her skin that glowed with health and hinted at something from warmer climes, her eyes that were the color of peridots…)

She was supposed to correct his misapprehension. Instead, she mutely stared at him, plump mouth slightly open and eyes round like pennies. She was supposed to reply about now. He waited through another couple of fraught breaths for her correction, which would surely come.

Any second now…

Oh dear.

Things grew awkward as they looked at each other in mute panic.

“Err,” he muttered something incomprehensible to himself and cleared his throat.

Lady Mary Rosstrevor appeared by his side and said, “Lord Belconnen, this is Miss Jones, Miss Jones, the Earl of Tullamore.”

Reality slapped him inside his head harder than a plank of wood. Her name really was Jones. No wonder she appeared so stricken at his clumsy introduction. What a prime goose he’d been to pick such a common surname.

Especially for Wales!

She bobbed a quick curtsey and said, with a layer of a delightful Welsh accent, “Delighted to meet you, My Lord.”

He really must have banged his head.

“The delight is all mine,” he said, and meant it. “I must explain - nay, apologize - for my presumption in our acquaintance.”

“No need,” she said, and gifted him with a shy smile.

She looked as if she was about to say something but then seemed to changed her mind. Patrick was not ready to move away just yet. He wanted to keep her talking, to discover all he could about her.

“What part of Wales are you from?” There, that should be innocuous enough.

“Oh, around here,” she replied. “Caernarfonshire is my home.”

Patrick hoped a smile would keep her chatting, but for some reason, it wasn’t working. Often, when he asked somebody to talk about themselves, it was hard to get them to stop.

Then it struck him, perhaps she was shy? He’d heard that some people could be shy, although he’d never been afflicted with that impediment himself.

In which case, he’d happily do the talking for both of them. “You may have picked up from my accent, that I am not from these parts,” he said, adding what he hoped was an encouraging grin.

She nodded and ducked her head a little. When she looked up at him from under her lashes his heart crashed into his ribs.

If he could get a painter to capture her expression, he’d hang it on his bedchamber wall.

The sensible advice Lady Mary had drummed into her evaporated like summer fog as Hannah found herself under the gaze of an earl.

A real-life earl! Here, at Rosstrevor Hall.

He was talking with her, asking her questions, and it was all she could do not to throw herself into his arms, which would no doubt be warm and strong and everything she needed in a pair of arms.

But she mustn’t talk about herself, because that would not do.

He definitely wasn’t Welsh, and he didn’t sound at all English, so she figured he was most likely Irish and on his way to Dublin as he’d been on that ghastly road.

The road! Yes, she could talk to him about the road. “You’ve had a difficult journey, I hear?”

“I have at that,” he said, nodding his head and making a curl of black hair drift over his left eye.

Her hand moved imperceptibly and she had to slap it to her thigh to stop from guiding the dark lock back into place.

He fixed it promptly, although in the next breath it dipped forward again, obscuring her view of his delightfully dark brown eyes.

“A hazard to life and limb it was,” he appeared to be warming to his theme. “I prayed mightily for salvation. If not for the quick actions of my coachman, I’d have perished in a ravine, never to be seen of again.”

A hand covered her mouth in shock, before she asked, “I hope your horses were unharmed?”

“That they were, also thanks to John Coachman. And thank you for your concern for the animals’ welfare.”

Another awkward silence curled Hannah’s tummy. “Is he here with you, the coachman?” He deserved recognition for his gallant actions.

That brought a quick flash of – was it annoyance – across his face, as if the earl wasn’t interested in talking about anyone else. “He is staying at the coaching inn at the next town along, and will rejoin me when he has obtained fresh transport.

Hannah hoped that would take several days for that to manifest, which would mean the earl would simply have to stay with the Rosstrevors for that time.

Lady Mary announced dinner was served. Then, as the highest-ranking woman in attendance, she claimed the arm of the earl. (The Marquess and Marchioness had not appeared at all.)

Together, the earl and Lady Mary walked into the dining hall first, followed by several other guests who had quickly worked out their various rankings.

It impressed Hannah the way people who barely knew each other could quickly designate the order of rank for engineers, returned officers and government officials.

Hannah remained waiting until nearly everyone else had entered.

Then she walked in ahead of Sarah and Anne.

Quietly and without fuss, they took their assigned seats in between various gentleman from the roads committee who were part of the advance team conducting the necessary land surveys.

Any chance for Hannah to continue conversations with the earl was lost now, as there were far too many people sitting between them. It didn’t stop her from looking his way every now and then. He, in turn, would happen to cast his eyes her way and she’d quickly duck her head.

Throughout the evening, the gentlemen either side of her spoke of their work in a strange kind of code. The ‘adverse camber’ of the turns and the ‘inclines of four to one’ or some. It made sense to them, at least.

Conveniently, Lady Mary’s advice came back clearly to her now.

She recalled there was no need for her to talk at all if she didn’t want to, as she was not there to catch the eye of any of them.

She and the two maids were here to make up the numbers and allow any of the other young ladies from the district the chance to converse, should they be able to keep up.

Casting a look about the table, the rest of the ladies were doing their best to appear interested in the promised feats of engineering.

Gradually, as the men’s voices rose and the conversation consisted entirely of the road and the proposed bridge - and Telford designing it - the rest of the ladies around the table made slow blinks.

One tried to hide a yawn as she took a spoonful of syllabub.

The woman opposite saw her struggle and hid her expression of boredom behind a napkin.

Blessedly, Lady Mary indicated the evening had reached the time where the women might like to withdraw.

Chairs scraped on the floor with speed as the gentlemen rose from their seats.

Anne and Sarah were closest to the door, so they were the first to leave the dining room.

Being on the other side of the table, Hannah had to walk around and not rush away, despite her legs wanting to take her far from the incomprehensible conversations.

She cast a quick glance toward the earl before leaving and blushed to find him looking at her with an appreciative smile.

Odd that he should still smile at her, knowing how very far beneath his class she was, based on where she was sitting.

Before the doors finished closing behind them, they heard the gentlemen’s voices raised in conversation. Somebody mentioned the extraordinary price of the works. They’d clearly been waiting for the women to leave before discussing the truly unsuitable topic of money.

Lady Mary indicated that Hannah, Sarah and Anne were free to retire for the evening.

The two maids bobbed their thanks and headed to Lady Mary’s suite, so they could change into their regular clothing. Hannah held back a little and said, “Thank you, Lady Mary, it was a delightful meal, and I am so honored I was able to meet an earl.”

“Until tonight, I’d never met one either,” Lady Mary confessed. “Why don’t you join the rest of the ladies and tell us a little about him?”

Warmth spread up her neck and face. She had rather hoped to rush to her rooms and spend all evening dreaming of the lush lord with the beautiful wavy hair. Then again, spending time talking about him with other ladies came a close second best. She didn’t want to appear too eager, however.

“Oh, but I couldn’t possibly. I hardly know him from Adam as we were not talking for any deal of time.”

“It was more than some of the other ladies achieved,” the dowager acknowledged.