Page 5 of All Roads Lead To Earls (To All The Earls I’ve Loved Before #2)

Chapter Four

T he next morning, Hannah was again not required as a companion for the Marquess of Caernarfonshire and she found herself at liberty once more.

The sun, too, had apparently decided it was not required either.

She loved taking in the ever-changing moods of the Menai Strait, but after walking for about an hour, the ground had become wet and slippery.

She should head back inside and read a book by the fire, which would be warm and comfortable.

How odd that her lot in life was to be a companion to someone who honestly didn’t need one.

At least, not for the foreseeable future.

Visiting the spring bucks would be the distraction she needed, and at this time of day there would not be too many visitors. Mrs. Alwyn greeted her with a smile and a hot cup of tea. More importantly, she offered a little company as well.

“I hear there was an earl at the dinner,” Mrs. Alwyn said.

Gossip certainly travelled quickly. Heat infused Hannah’s neck and face at the memory. “Indeed, and you must have heard that I made an uttermost fool of myself in front of his lordship.”

“Not in the slightest. He should not have walked in to the retiring room,” Mrs. Alwyn consoled. Goodness, she’d certainly heard a great deal!

Mrs. Alwyn went on, “At the very least he should have made himself known instead of eavesdropping .”

The emphasis she placed on the last word gave Hannah pause. Her stomach sank. “Don’t tell me he’s in here?”

Mrs. Alwyn laughed, “No, dear, but my husband is never far away and I’d hate him to feel left out.”

“Don’t mind me,” a male voice said from one of the far stalls.

Hannah laughed at how carefree the Alwyns were with each other. It was something to aspire to. Everyone else at Rosstrevor Hall appeared to have a well-defined role, while she was at something of a loose end.

Mrs. Alwyn leaned in and whispered, “The maids are saying how handsome he is.”

Hannah nodded. “Palm-bitingly so.”

Mrs. Alwyn giggled, “I bet he knows it too.”

They shared an appreciation for a fine-looking gentleman. It was lovely to have Mrs. Alwyn to talk to, she wasn’t much older than Hannah and always made her feel welcome. Perhaps because she was a relatively new arrival to these parts herself?

Hannah said, “If I get the chance to speak to his lordship, I shall set him -”

The stable doors creaked open.

Mrs. Alwyn set her tea aside and stood up. Hannah did the same, assuming the new arrival would be the Marquis checking in on their unusual livestock. If he was out and about, the Marchioness might need her companion to return.

It was the earl. Of course it was! Standing there in the open doorway. As if ordained by the heavens, the sun broke through the gloom and lit his face with a warm glow.

“Your lordship,” Hannah made a quick curtsey, and Mrs. Alwyn followed. Hannah made quick introductions, stunned that her brain operated at all in his presence.

“You’ve come to see the spring bucks?” Mrs. Alwyn asked, although the lack of rising tone at the end of the sentence made it far more of a statement than a question.

“Are they real?” He asked.

“They most certainly are,” Mrs. Alwyn replied as she guided the earl to the stalls where he could gaze upon them. “There are four now.”

Hannah fidgeted, not sure whether to leave or stay.

The earl was so lovely to look upon, nobody could blame her for remaining transfixed to her seat.

Also, nobody had come to retrieve her, so it wasn’t as if she were needed anywhere.

The biggest reason to stay, though, was to speak with the earl, and apologize for her lapse in manners the previous evening.

That opportunity presented itself sooner than she had time to compose the right words in her head. When he smiled at her, the few words she’d had ran off in flight.

“Confess,” she managed.

That earned her a single raised brow of confusion.

Fair enough. It didn’t make any sense to her either, and she’d been the one to say it. “Terribly sorry for speaking about you last night, while you were not there to defend yourself.”

That earned a half smile, as if he were rather enjoying himself. “Did you say anything that wasn’t true?”

Suddenly Mr. and Mrs. Alwyn were no longer in sight. How had they slipped away so quietly?

It was just the two of them and the spring bucks. Which were adorable, especially the babe of the group.

“Ahh,” Hannah had to remind herself of his question. Had she said anything about him that wasn’t true? “I don’t think so.” She’d bragged of his fine qualities, of course, because her audience seemed to want that from her.

“Then there’s no need for an apology of any sort.” The man was confidence personified.

“I still feel dreadful for my part,” she insisted. “I was at the dinner under false pretenses.”

“Oh?”

She had his full attention now, and became just as skittish as the spring bucks. “There were too many gentlemen at the table, I was merely there to balance the sexes. I should not have engaged in conversation with you.”

“But it was I who engaged you,” he said. “In fact, it also speaks of a caring hostess that she should make sure to have equilibrium at the dinner table.”

“These are not merely dinners, my lord. The dowager marchioness organizes them as match-making enterprises. When the numbers are out of balance, we, that is, I and another maid, sometimes step in to fill the seats. There are so many more eligible gentlemen in the region, thanks to the investigations into the roads and the planned bridge across the Menai. It’s important you know which ladies at the dinner were truly eligible, and which were like me, with nothing to our names.

That’s what I need to apologize for; for potentially leading you on when I should have remained in the background. ”

Thoroughly out of breath, she quickly refilled her lungs.

His lips quirked in amusement. “The dowager invited me to dinner in the hopes I’d form an attachment with one of the ladies? Considering I’d arrived unannounced only a few hours earlier, the lady moves fast.”

“It would have been intolerably rude not to invite you to dinner,” Hannah countered.

“Nevertheless, she extended the invitation my way, and then … you were in the receiving room, right where I’d see you.”

“That was pure happenstance. You were never meant to form an attachment with me, which is why I must set you to rights, that I have no fortune. I must admit, I was astounded when you already knew my family name. Had you asked after me already?”

His elegant brow creased, and his mouth curled once again in amusement. “I was having fun and assumed you would correct me, never for a moment knowing I happened upon the correct address.”

Well, that made sense. And Jones was a common surname in Wales.

“But I must also set you to rights,” he said, “I have not formed any kind of attachment, it that is what you are implying.”

Her stomach dropped with shock, but she clamped on a smile and lied, “I’m so relieved.”

A hitched laugh escaped him and that mesmerizing brow creased in earnest. “Wait. Did you think me capable of losing my senses after a mere evening of conversation?”

Now he was insulting her, and Hannah swallowed hard. “It’s been known to happen.”

A deep laugh erupted from him, and it was definitely not indicating that they were sharing a joke. He was laughing directly at her expense, and she cared not for it.

He hands clenched into little fists of impotence. She’d like to slap that smug look off his face. How dare he laugh at her heartfelt apology, as if she wasn’t good enough to deliver it.

“You clearly don’t know what you’re missing,” she said. With a short step she closed the distance between them, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him directly on the mouth.

Jolts of unmet need surged through her system. Beneath her hands, his body stilled as her hands began to play with the lush curls at the nape of his neck. She pressed a little more and coaxed his lips apart. A second later, his arms came around her body and he returned the kiss with equal passion.

Excellent.

She pulled back just as things began to heat between them. His eyes were unfocused.

“Just you wait,” she said. “You will fall in love with me.”

He grinned and shook his head, “I’m an earl. I don’t do love.”

Hands on her hips, she stepped back out of his reach and declared, “You will by the time I’m through with you.”

What a delightfully charming minx this Miss Jones was turning out to be. At first he’d considered her rather lovely to look upon and was happy to look upon her.

Now she had fire of spirit, something far more favorable. What a welcome diversion she would be!

“You are challenging me to form an attachment in your favor?”

“Take it however you like,” she said with a defiant jut of her chin.

Goodness, it was almost worth the loss of his carriage to find himself sparring with this woman.

“I will take it as a challenge,” he readily accepted.

Her eyes flared with interest and she did not retreat. If anything, she stepped a little closer, taunting him to deliver a kiss back to her on her pert, ripe lips. Damned if his body wasn’t reacting against his better judgement. His mouth turned dry, his breath caught a little.

Neither retreated, as they stood there facing each other, locked in a daring challenge to see who might back off first. There was nobody else around, except for the spring bucks. His hosts had made themselves scarce.

“If I did form an attachment, emphasis on if , you must know that you could only ever become my mistress.”

She grinned with confidence and slowly shook her head. “Don’t insult us both, my lord.”

What spirit! It was misplaced, obviously, because he was an earl and she was … well, he wasn’t really sure what she was, but she wasn’t his social equal and that’s what everyone said mattered in this world.