Capturing the Earl Read online

  With a nod and a grunt, MacGruder took up his cart again and stomped off to the west end of the garden.

  Sorry to lose even the company of the gruff gardener, Wesley sighed and walked deeper into the gardens.

  The rain that had slowed his travel left behind a bright blue sky and a fresh new world dotted with droplets that caught the light.

  Like fairies in a dream, two figures walked along the ridge; one in white and one in blue. Immediately, he knew one was the tall lithe shape of Mercy Heath in the white day dress. The light hair of the other made it likely Aurora walked with her.

  His skin tingled with the memory of touching Mercy and his heart pounded. Anticipation and dread warred inside Wesley. Pulling back his shoulders he started up the path to his future. Aurora Sherbourn would marry him, there was no question in his mind about that. Mercedes Heath was not what he wanted or needed, he repeated to himself for the hundredth time.

  A footpath led him up the hill to where he had seen the ladies. Along the west side of the garden a wildly kept hedge jutted and curved to block the wind like a lush green rock formation. At the top of the ridge he surveyed the sprawling farmland that stretched as far as he could see in a patchwork of plots, each rich with summer growth.

  The hills rolled in every direction and a large manor house shone in the sun several miles to the north. The village bustled the same distance toward the east. Parvus was a small castle, but the grounds and views made it a very desirable parcel to own. Geb Arafa had done well to secure the place.

  “Lord Castlewick?” Aurora’s soft inquiry brought his attention to his right.

  “Lady Radcliff, Miss Heath.” He bowed.

  The ladies curtsied.

  “When did you arrive?” Aurora asked. Her hands were clasped in front of her with her elbows bent and her expression was of only mild interest. She appeared the perfect example of an English lady.

  He had to force himself not to look too long at Mercy, whose hands were white from gripping them and the stiffness of her arms forced her modest bust to the edge of her dress’s neckline. “I only arrived about an hour ago. I was greeted by our host and then shown my room. However, after days of travel in bad weather, I was anxious to get out in the sunshine and obtain some exercise.”

  Mercy drew in a breath that sounded a bit ragged. “We are happy for the fine weather as well. It has been dreary since we arrived a few days ago.”

  “May I walk with you ladies or are you in confidence?” He loved the sound of her voice and had to push his attention back to Aurora.

  “Please, join us,” Aurora said. “We had planned to venture into town as we have already been around the gardens.”

  “That is a fair walk, my lady. I think it’s five miles at least.” Not minding a long walk, he wanted to make sure the ladies knew what they were in for.

  A slow smile pulled at the lips he longed to kiss again. Mercy said, “Faith is not with us, so the walk will not daunt us, my lord.”

  Aurora laughed.

  “I feel I am missing the joke, ladies.” He liked to see them laugh. They were usually guarded in his presence. Letting them pass him so they could walk the path to the road into town, he bowed.

  “Faith hates walking.” Mercy pulled her shawl more securely over her shoulders. “It is no great secret. We used to walk and climb the mountains in Switzerland and she would complain constantly. Once we returned to England, we often teased her about her dislike of the diversion.”

  “May I ask what each of you did to be sent to a school so far away?” He’d been more than curious about what someone as sweet as Mercy might have done to deserve such a punishment.

  Aurora’s smile took a wicked turn. Her blue eyes flashed with memory. “I will only tell my own tale, my lord, but I was a very willful youth who did not always listen to a very strict father. He hoped sending me away to Lady Agatha Wormbattle’s school would make me a proper lady.”

  “It seems to have worked?” Every time he had seen Aurora, she’d been the model of propriety. So much so that he couldn’t imagine the disobedient child she spoke of.

  Mercy frowned, but kept her attention on her hands and the road.

  “I would say, I have learned to hide my personality better. If Lady Agatha taught us anything, she taught us that.” Aurora’s smile never wavered but the joy left her eyes.

  “And what of you, Miss Heath? Were you sent away for lack of obedience?”

  “No, my lord. My aunt took me in when my parents died and when she remarried her husband felt it best to send me to school while they traveled.”

  “I’m sorry.” He was a cad for bringing up what must be a difficult memory for her.

  “No need,” she waved a hand. “Going to Lady Agatha’s was the best thing that could have happened. If I hadn’t gone to Lucerne, I would never have met Aurora and the others. My life would be very dull without my friends.”

  The ladies linked arms affectionately and walked slightly ahead of him.

  “I suppose all things happen as they are meant to,” he said, but wondered if he believed it. If he did, then he’d have to think his attraction to Mercy was meant to be and that made no sense.

  “Perhaps,” Aurora said on a sigh. “But sometimes the things that happen seem far too harsh, my lord.”

  There was no way to ask her what she meant without inquiring about her marriage and he didn’t feel he knew her well enough for that. She must have been far more devastated by her husband’s death than he’d previously considered. Having never met Radcliff, he assumed the general consensus of his bad character was true. The rumors his sisters had heard might be just that. Perhaps she had loved him despite what others said about him. “I suppose that is true, my lady.”

  Mercy watched him as if looking for something to censure. He stared back, waiting for some indication of what he might have done or said to offend her. A moment later, she blinked and turned her attention back to the road ahead. “You must understand, my lord, for ladies who have no ability to change their situation our fate is in the hands of others. Not everyone has our best interest at heart.”

  Trying to read between the lines was giving him a headache. “I am certain there are a great many things about being a lady that I cannot fathom, Miss Heath. However, you must also accept that everyone has obligations they must meet and those do not always align with what we might want.”

  “I believe men do not understand because they do not care to.” Mercy pressed her lips together as if forcing herself to say no more.

  “It is also possible that women are reluctant to share information with my sex and thus we are all doomed to ignorance on the topic.”

  “Oh touché, my lord.” Aurora laughed. “Though I doubt you really want to know the troubles we face.”

  They had separated so he stepped between them and offered each an arm. “I am your servant. I would be elated to have you ladies enlighten a poor ignorant man such as myself.”

  Giving each other a long look, they shrugged and took his offered arms.

  Mercy said, “I will tell you something, but please know I do not share this for the purpose of gaining sympathy. I insist you accept my tale for its educational value.”

  “Agreed,” he said too quickly. His heart beat anxiously to hear anything about her.

  “My parents were warm and kind. Father was a landed gentleman though the lands and monies were entailed to a cousin. When they died, I was fourteen. The cousin came to collect his new home and told me I had a choice. I could leave or be a servant in his house. Even at that age, I knew the way he leered at me would lead to something sordid. Thankfully, before I had to make a decision to be homeless or ruined, my aunt came to collect me.” She spoke calmly and with only the slightest hint of emotion, but suddenly the depth of emotion when she played made more sense.

  “Your cousin is a pig, Miss Heat
h. He was not obligated to care for you, but he had no rights to you either. If he had been a good man, he might have waited a few years and offered for you.” Wesley’s sense of justice beckoned him to find her ass of a cousin and thrash him bloody.

  Mercy shuddered. “What a horrifying notion, but my aunt agrees with you.”

  “I am grateful your aunt was able to take you out of a bad situation.” He had no right to his gratitude and should have kept the thought to himself.

  Aurora patted his arm. “She is safe, my lord. Though we do appreciate your outrage. Mercy’s is not that unusual a story. You must realize a lady’s fate is often in the hands of some man. Before Mercy’s deplorable cousin, her life was in her father’s hands. Had he lived to see her married, his obligation would have been passed to her husband.”

  “You are also protected by these men, my lady. You have no obligations to keep the financial end of a fortune going. You do not worry over the family honor. All of those concerns are left to the men.” It was too soon to divulge his family history even when he wished to.

  “Not all men care about the safety of their wards, wives, sisters, and mistresses.” Aurora kept her chin high and stared straight ahead, but her posture stiffened.

  “No. I realize there are men who would take advantage of the people whom it is their responsibility to protect. Miss Heath’s cousin does not sound like a caring man. I would have been sorry to see you fall under his control, Miss.” Anger surged through him with more ferocity than was wise on a casual walk to town.

  “You would never have met me if he had, my lord. Perhaps in a parlor one day, you would have heard a sad tale about a girl gone bad.” She rolled her eyes. “I would have been the destitute orphan of Mr. Heath. People would have blamed me for my fate. No one would have tried to help me. What choices did I have at fourteen years that would have left me a lady in the eyes of society? You would have heard the tale, blamed my father or me for my fate, and never given me a second thought.”

  He wanted to deny it. With every fiber of his being, he wanted to tell her she was wrong and he would have cared very much for her fate. However, he was not foolish enough to defend a position that never occurred. “I hope I am a better man than that, Miss Heath. I hope one day to prove that to all of you ladies. I am the caretaker of my sisters and would hate to think of them falling into disreputable hands. It is fortunate you do not need rescuing and even if you did, I believe you would prefer to save yourself.”

  Aurora threw her head back and belched out a loud laugh. “Oh my, that is truer than you know, my lord. I think you very brave to have spoken it aloud.”

  Unable to keep his own amusement hidden, he chuckled with her. “I’m happy to have any rise in my character in your estimation, my lady. I hope bravery is something favorable in your eyes.”

  She smiled and winked at Mercy, who was not at all amused.

  The village of Lambly with its quaint houses and stores came fully into view.

  “This is lovely.” Mercy released his arm and rushed forward.

  He missed her closeness immediately. His mind plotted ways of bringing her back to him, but he held his tongue.

  Aurora remained at his side. That was what he wanted. He had to convince a very pretty, wealthy woman to marry him. It was not a terrible task. So, why did his heart sink?

  “Mercy is very fond of new places. She’ll want to investigate all the shops before we return to Parvus.” Aurora grinned after her friend.

  “And you, Lady Radcliff, do you enjoy new places?”

  She shrugged on a long sigh. “I don’t mind, but I wish I had the enthusiasm that Mercy displays when she thinks a discovery is to be made.”

  They walked to where Mercy peered in a store window.

  “Look at this, Aurora. It’s a hat shop and isn’t that the most charming little bonnet?” Mercy had put her spectacles on and pointed to a lavender confection with perfectly folded silk, with larger folds incremental to its left side, where a long pheasant feather sprang from behind an amethyst.

  “How unusual to find such a work of art in this village.” Aurora went to the door.

  Wesley opened it for her. When Mercy made no move to join them inside, he asked, “Will you not come inside, Miss Heath?”

  A forced smile pulled at her lips for barely a second before she stepped inside the shop.

  Aurora bought the bonnet and several other “very clever” items before they left the shop. “Was there nothing that you fancied, Miss Heath?”

  “It is a lovely shop.” She took her spectacles off and put them in her reticule. “I have no need for anything at this time. I do enjoy looking.”

  He offered his arm and once she took it, they followed after Aurora, who had rushed to look in another shop across the street. “You only wear your spectacles on occasion, Miss Heath?”

  “They were very expensive and I worry I will break them, so I only wear them when I really need or want to see something clearly.” Her smooth cheeks pinked.

  Guilt tightened his chest. “Had I sent you less expensive eyewear, would you wish to see the world around you all the time?”

  Her throat bobbed as she swallowed several times. “I appreciate you sending them and allowing me to pay you back over time. I could never have afforded them on my own.”

  Stopping, he faced her. “I wanted you to have them to wear, Mercy. It would have pleased me if you had accepted them as a gift.”

  She nodded. “I know, but what would accepting such a gift have said about me, Wesley?” She exaggerated his name.

  “No one would have had to know.” He lowered his voice. Despite her making sure he knew she didn’t approve of the use of their Christian names, he loved hearing her say his name. “I should have taken better care.”

  “In my experience, my lord, someone always knows. Besides, you and I would have known, would we not?” She stared at him; her green eyes filled with questions.

  “And you would never wish to be on such intimate terms with a man like me.” Sarcasm escaped despite his desire to keep their relationship light.

  Pulling her gaze away from his, her voice was tight. “Our intimacy will always be reserved to friendship. As you know, it can never be more than that. Accepting an extravagant gift is out of the question.”

  “Miss Heath, would you then be willing to accept a less expensive pair of spectacles that you might be comfortable wearing every day, from a friend. It would give me great ease of mind to know you had your sight at all times.”

  She looked everywhere but at him. “It is not necessary. I can manage as it is and I quite love the pair I have.”

  The fact that she had not said no gave him a jolt of hope that erroneously went right to his heart. He tried to quash the feelings, but the more he tried, the harder they pushed to the surface. His decision made, he said, “May I ask why you were not wearing the old pair when we danced last year?”

  Blinking, she looked up at him. “I have been told to not wear them at social functions where my aunt feels I might attract a suitor.”

  Wesley took her reticule from her, pulled it open and removed the spectacles. Carefully he placed them on her nose and wrapped the side pieces around her ears. Soft tendrils of hair tickled his fingers and her skin was silken, but he forced himself to only touch her where necessary to let her see. “You are just as lovely with them on, Miss Heath. Perhaps it is time to defy your aunt on the subject. There is much to see in the world. I should hate for you to miss any of it.”

  Bright pink, she studied his face from his forehead to his chin and then back to his eyes. “You are too bold by far, my lord.”

  “Perhaps, Mercy, but as your friend, I am quite in earnest. Do not sacrifice your sight for someone else’s idea of beauty.” A cart rumbled down the street, waking him from the appeal of being so close to her. He stepped back. “Shall we join Lady Radclif
f? It looks as if she has found a book shop.

  Mercy’s eyes sparkled and her lips bowed. For the barest moment she showed pure happiness.

  The effects on Wesley both mentally and physically had to be hidden quickly. If they had been alone, her smile alone would have forced him to pull her into his arms and claim those lovely lips. As it was, he fisted his hands and turned away.

  She rushed across the street and he followed more slowly, trying to decide if it was his compliment or the notion of a book shop that had brought her such outward joy.

  Lord, the woman was going to be the death of him. As determined as he was to abandon her for the woman he had to marry, he still wanted her painfully.

  They would be friends and nothing more. Aurora was the woman he would marry. His family honor depended on it.

  Chapter 9

  Mercy had always liked her soft green gown. It matched her eyes and made her feel pretty. She worried that after the wildly flattering complement from Wesley, she might be feeling a bit too pretty.

  Of course, he hadn’t meant it when he’d said she was just as lovely with spectacles as without. No man wanted a lady who appeared studious or mousy she thought as she pushed her frames up her nose. Giving herself one last look in the mirror, she ran her hand along the pearl beads that trimmed the low neckline of the gown.

  Popping her spectacles into her reticule, she went downstairs. She had promised her aunt she would spend time with Mr. Colby and she intended to honor that promise even if she had no intention of allowing the man to court her.

  In her head she knew Mr. Colby was a good catch for her, but her heart wouldn’t agree to be wooed by someone she had such pale feeling for.

  Yet at the bottom of the stairs stood the man himself. Tall and slightly awkward, Wallace Colby smiled at her. “Miss Heath you are a vision.”

  His legs were a bit thin in his breeches and his coat was poorly tailored for his wide shoulders and narrow waist, making him look as if he might be wearing someone else’s clothes. But his blue eyes were kind and he waited expectantly for her to speak. “Mr. Colby, how nice to see you again. It was kind of Mr. Arafa to invite you.”