The Earl's Betrothal Read online

  “Welcome home, Tony,” Farleigh said. “It is good to have you firmly back among the living.”

  “Agreed. And can these two fine individuals truly be young William and Penelope?”

  His nephew and niece were standing nearby, vibrating with excitement.

  “Bow to your Uncle Anthony, William. Penelope, you may curtsy now, as we practiced,” Louisa said.

  Young Will, whom Anthony figured to be about four years old—good heavens, could that be right?—gave him a formal bow, bending deeply at the waist and forcing Anthony to hold back a laugh as he returned the favor. The young lad was the spitting image of his father, with light-brown hair and dark-brown eyes that held a mischievous twinkle.

  Anthony crouched next to tiny Penelope.

  She blinked two large blue eyes at him—she had inherited the Hargreaves blue eyes—clutched her little skirt in both hands, and curtsied, nearly toppling over in the process. Anthony caught her before she hit the marble floor and presented her with a distinguished bow as well. That girl would steal hearts when she grew up. She already had his.

  “Amelia! Oh, I am so glad you are here!” Louisa said, causing Anthony to look up. Indeed, Miss Clarke stood on the staircase, and it was difficult for him to look away from her. “Nurse didn’t handle the coach ride very well this morning, the poor dear,” his sister continued, “and the children are wild to get some exercise.”

  “There is nothing I would enjoy more, my lady. Come, then, Will and Penny,” she said as both children ran to her side and the children’s poor nurse slipped out of the hall, looking green-tinged and miserable. “I happen to know,” Miss Clarke said to the children, “that Mrs. Deal has hot chocolate and biscuits waiting in the kitchen for two very special children.”

  “And we’re those special children!” Will crowed.

  “You are. Afterward we shall go to the stables, where I have it on good authority that there are kittens looking for playmates.”

  “Kitts!” Penelope said, skipping along, holding tightly to Miss Clarke’s hand. “Kitts! Kitts!”

  “No, Penny, I’m hungry. Biscuits first,” Will insisted, firmly attached to Miss Clarke’s other hand.

  “Kitts,” Penelope said, sticking out her lower lip.

  Anthony braced himself for the tempest he saw looming on the horizon.

  “We will take refreshment first, shall we, Penny?” Miss Clarke said softly, crouching to address the girl. “While the chocolate is nice and hot. And then perhaps Mrs. Deal will find a treat we can take to the kittens. Does that meet with your approval?”

  Little Penelope nodded, and Anthony relaxed.

  “I thought you might agree. Very practical of you. Let’s be on our way, then,” Miss Clarke said.

  Anthony watched the trio disappear down the hallway leading to the kitchen until he became aware that the hall had grown quiet. Too quiet . . .

  “What are you all looking at?” he asked, feeling defensive. Everyone was focused on him for some reason, his sister’s eyebrows raised, his brother-in-law coughing back a laugh. He needed to defuse the situation quickly. “Chocolate and biscuits would tempt anyone.”

  His mother’s look of contemplation was the most worrisome to Anthony and made him uneasy.

  “As you say,” she eventually said. “Come, Louisa. I’m sure you would like to rest for a while. What of you, Farleigh?”

  “I should like to accompany Louisa to our rooms and see her settled comfortably.” Anthony’s brother-in-law offered his arm to Louisa. “Is that all right with you, my dear?” he asked her softly.

  “Thank you, Farleigh,” Louisa said, eyes glowing. “You are so good to me.”

  Anthony made his bows to the group and beat a hasty retreat to his father’s study. His family had observed something peculiar in his behavior, though he’d changed so much in the past few years he couldn’t be certain what it would have been. But he could venture a guess.

  For Anthony, however, it was Louisa’s and Farleigh’s behavior that had been noteworthy. Theirs had been an arranged marriage, much as Anthony was fated to experience himself. But it had grown into a love match, for which Anthony was exceedingly grateful. More so now than he’d been at the time, he had to admit.

  He’d known Louisa had married well enough, that Farleigh was a decent chap and would treat his sister kindly. It had seemed sufficient and was more than most married couples of the ton could claim. It was de rigueur to marry for advantage alone and unseemly to suggest otherwise. Love rarely had anything to do with marriage among the beau monde.

  But since then he’d witnessed firsthand what ill treatment of the fairer sex was like, and he regretted his earlier opinions on the matter of matrimony. He would not have the opportunity to marry for love either, but he vowed that whatever wife he chose he would treat with fidelity and respect. If he was lucky, they could eventually share a type of affection.

  He dared not hope for more than that.

  * * *

  Amelia sipped her tea and watched Penelope dip a biscuit daintily into her cup of hot chocolate. The girl sat perched on a box placed on a kitchen chair and was swathed in a voluminous apron. It was a grand event to take refreshment anywhere other than the nursery and was doubly fortunate today, as it allowed their nurse the chance to rest and let her stomach settle.

  Travel with two young children was taxing enough, but Amelia knew from past experience that Nurse Pratt didn’t fare well when traveling by coach. Amelia had gotten used to keeping company with Will and Penny when the family paid a visit. They were energetic, delightful children, and she loved spending time with them. It also prompted happy memories of helping her father at the village school.

  Will, wearing a large napkin tied around his neck, slurped down the last of his chocolate and plunked his cup down. He wore a chocolate mustache now, which Amelia hated to wash off, finding it a charming addition to the little boy’s face.

  “Are you done, Penny?” he asked his sister. “It is time to see the kittens. May we, Miss Amelia?”

  “Kitts,” Penny said as she dunked her biscuit once again.

  “Come on, Pen!” Will tugged at the napkin unsuccessfully. “Let’s go!”

  “Let me help you with that,” Amelia said. She set her own cup down and proceeded to untie the knot at his neck. “Sit still, William, so I can wash the chocolate from your face.”

  She dipped the napkin in water, then returned to the table to dab away the chocolate. By that time, Penny had decided she was through eating, and Amelia cleaned her up as well.

  “Down,” Penny said as Amelia worked to untangle her from the protective apron. “Kitts.”

  “Yes, darling, it’s time to visit the kittens.”

  “Hooray!” Will shouted. “Hurry, Pen!”

  The three of them properly thanked Mrs. Deal, who had found a few bits of bacon for the kittens, and then set out for the stable. One of the boys had set up a nest for the mother and babies at the back of the building, past Bucephalus and the estate’s other fine horses.

  Amelia had no desire to supervise two rambunctious children around such large beasts. “Tom,” she called to one of the stable hands from the doorway. “Would you please bring some of the kittens outside for Master Will and Miss Penny to see?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied, tugging at his forelock.

  Amelia led the children to a shady area under some nearby trees. It was a lovely grassy spot, and she settled the children and then herself on it.

  “Here you are, ma’am. Mind, they’re still babes yet and need to be handled gently.” He directed that last bit of conversation to the children.

  “Oh, we shall!” Will said.

  “Kitts!” Penny cried.

  Amelia only smiled and picked up the one closest to her, a fluffy ball of orange fur, and set it on her lap.

  Penny poked a
cautious finger in the direction of another orange ball, which nipped at her and made her squeal, while William flopped onto his back and placed the black kitten on his belly. The kitten began prowling up his chest and nuzzling his chin, sending William into peals of giggles.

  “Here, Penny,” Amelia said. “Come and pet this one. It won’t bite you.”

  Penny stroked her tiny fingers down the back of the orange kitten on Amelia’s lap, then looked up at Amelia, her big blue eyes glowing with delight. “Ooh! Nice kitt.”

  “What is this I see? My young nephew bravely wrestling a huge jungle cat. A panther, I’ll wager.” Lord Halford approached the trio, looking as dangerous to Amelia’s state of well-being as a jungle cat. She kept her eyes focused on the children and the kittens . . . and Lord Halford’s highly polished boots.

  “No, it’s not,” the boy crowed. “It’s only a mouse catcher! And a baby one, at that.”

  “So it is. May I sit?”

  He directed that last bit to Amelia, and what could she say? In any case, the dratted man didn’t wait for her reply before lounging down next to William, who now had two kittens crawling all over him.

  “Of course,” she murmured belatedly.

  He eyed her suspiciously, so she bent her head and fed a bit of bacon to the orange kitten. “I’ve been instructed to ask you if you will judge the baking competition tomorrow,” she said.

  He sighed. “I suppose they will not take no for an answer?” he asked.

  “I doubt it.”

  “Fine, then,” he said without much enthusiasm.

  He had come outside to enjoy a moment with his niece and nephew, and she’d inadvertently added to his burdens. “I can tell them you would rather not, if you like.”

  He chuckled without humor. “I can either judge and offend all the ladies whose baking I do not choose, or I can offend them all at once by refusing to judge at all.”

  “I see your point,” she said. “I will tell them you are extraordinarily happy to have been asked and accept wholeheartedly.”

  That raised a genuine smile on his face. “Please do that for me,” he said. “Penny, love, what is that I see by your feet?”

  Penny, feeling much more confident, grabbed the calico sniffing at her shoes and handed it to her uncle. “Nice kitt!” she said.

  “It certainly is, sweeting.” He pulled the child onto his lap and held the kitten for her examination, running his finger down the kitten’s neck.

  Amelia’s own neck began to tingle. She cleared her throat. “I am actually surprised Penny went to you so willingly. Had you even seen her since she was born?”

  “No, but she obviously has great instincts when it comes to people. Don’t you, Miss Penny?”

  The poppet beamed up at him. He apparently had an effect on females of all ages.

  William suddenly plopped the two kittens on the grass and darted off.

  “Where are you going?” Amelia called after him, but he returned as quickly as he’d gone, holding a longish stick.

  “Watch,” he commanded and then ran the stick around in the grass for his two kittens to chase, which they did with relish.

  Penny pointed. “Kitts!”

  “It’s obvious I am going to have to work on expanding my niece’s vocabulary while I’m here,” he said.

  Amelia looked at him with alarm.

  “I mean,” he corrected, “while she is here, of course.”

  “I do not think that is what you meant at all,” Amelia said.

  “No, you are right. It is only that after the celebration tomorrow, I must go to Town for several days. Weeks, possibly.” He dropped his gaze and stroked Penny’s curls.

  A knot formed in Amelia’s stomach. “But your parents. They have only just gotten you back. Why weeks?”

  “I have duties that must be fulfilled,” he said, “and the sooner I attend to them, the better for all involved. I have been absent too long.”

  “You are speaking in riddles,” Amelia said. “I have no right to pry, I know, but I will be heartbroken for your parents’ sake and hope you will be able to return to them quickly.”

  “Heartbroken, the lady says . . . but for my parents’ sake. It is for my parents’ sake that I go, Miss Clarke. But let us say no more on the subject, for it is a fine afternoon and we have kittens that must be enjoyed.”

  Amelia noticed Penny had nearly dozed off from the gentle ministrations Lord Halford had given her curly head. The kitten too had curled up for nap. William’s two were worn out from chasing the stick, and Will had lost interest in the game anyway and was chasing a butterfly. Staying any longer would only add to their sense of familiarity with each other, and there had been something resolute and unnerving about his plans to go into Town. Amelia rose to her feet. “I think it is time for the kittens to return to their mama,” she said, then called softly to Will. “Let’s go find Tom, William, and then we can go to the lake.”

  “Brilliant!” Will cried, then clapped a hand over his mouth when he saw Penny was asleep.

  “I will see that Penny reaches the nursery,” Lord Halford said.

  “Thank you.” She left him with Penny and the kittens and, after informing Tom, led Will to the lake, where he was content to pitch pebbles into the water and watch them splash.

  Amelia was not content, however. Her thoughts were a jumble. Why was Lord Halford leaving so soon after arriving? Why did he consider it his duty to leave? It made no sense. He may have business that needed urgent attention; he’d been gone from England for the better part of five years, except for the occasional leave. And yet it seemed to be something of an abrupt decision on his part.

  Was he going away because of her? Certainly she wasn’t important enough to take him from his family so soon, despite their kiss in the music room. He’d been friendly and pleasant to her in the days since but had also maintained a careful distance, tacitly reminding her that the kiss had been an impetuous mistake on both their parts.

  Mistakes of that nature were agonizingly sweet and tempting, which made them difficult to forget. And yet she must.

  Her thoughts did not settle, not after she returned Will to the nursery or while she saw to the final details of the fete. She needed to be clearheaded that evening. The remainder of the guests were arriving during the afternoon, among them Lady Walmsley, to whom Amelia owed her position here. She would not do anything to make Lady Walmsley regret her letter of reference.

  And yet the idea of Lord Halford leaving the day after the celebration cast a pall over everything for her. She expected his parents were not ready to have him gone so soon.

  And she acknowledged to herself that she was not ready either.

  * * *

  Tonight’s dinner will be endured only through what little mental discipline I developed on the Peninsula, Anthony thought as he finished dressing.

  His kind mother had absolved him of greeting every guest upon their arrival that afternoon, saying he could be presented to all of them that evening at dinner. He had been immensely grateful.

  She’d found him shortly after he’d ducked into his father’s study and had chided him for hiding. “Go outside and get some fresh air,” she’d said. “You seem restless to me. The exercise will do you good, and you need to be in good humor in time for dinner.”

  And so he had, immediately stumbling upon his niece and nephew in Miss Clarke’s care, and it had done him a world of good to be in their company.

  How wonderful it would be to have the blessed innocence of Penelope and the jolly outlook of little Will again. How weary and old Anthony felt by comparison.

  After he had taken tiny Penelope up to the nursery, he’d saddled Bucephalus and gone for a ride across the estate. Blessedly alone and, for the moment, free of guilt and obligation.

  Setup had already gotten underway for the fete tomorrow. The staff
had set up tables for the food-tasting competitions, and there were seating arrangements in shaded locations that would allow for conversations amongst the guests. An area had been roped off for the children’s games, and the head groundskeeper had located the rowboats, which were now lashed to the small dock at the north end of the lake.

  Once past all that, Anthony took Bucephalus on a good run. He longed for more physical exercise, though, and was looking forward to the cricket match tomorrow, as well as the tug-of-war he’d heard rumors about.

  Back in the day, when he and Alex had been boys, the men of the village had held a tug-of-war at every fete. There was a traditional spot near the green where the stream that wound near Ashworthy cut nearest to the town. The women had done everything they could to get the spot as muddy as possible, and it had made for great entertainment as the men had slipped and pulled and exerted all their strength. The losers had always bought the winners a round at the pub later.

  Both boys had looked forward to the day when they could participate, but school and university had limited those opportunities. Anthony had seen instead his share of mud and grit at Badajoz. Perhaps tomorrow’s tug-of-war would be a way to replace a bad memory with a good one.

  He checked his neckcloth one more time in the mirror.

  “You look fine,” Lucas said. “It’s one of my better knots.”

  “I should have said no when you offered to tie it; it feels like a noose,” Anthony said. “I think you are trying to get back at me for your having to dress and dine with us, although you are as grand as half the people who will be in attendance.”

  “Fortunately, the attention of all the marrying mamas and young ladies will be directed at you, despite my superior looks,” Lucas said, flicking imaginary lint from his sleeve. “I would bow out to ensure your success in that regard, but I would be throwing off the seating numbers, and we cannot do that to your mother at such late notice, now can we?”

  Anthony’s only response was a growl, making Lucas laugh before they both left Anthony’s dressing room and joined the guests.

  A footman opened the door to the sitting room in which the guests had gathered, and Anthony braced himself as he and Lucas entered. It was much more crowded than he’d anticipated, and he tugged discreetly at his neckcloth again. Lucas quickly melted into the crowd, blast the man. Anthony was on his own.