Page 20 of Her Daring Earl
“That is a frightening prospect.”
“Would you like to come closer? I’d prefer not to shout,” she said, already slightly embarrassed at what she was about to ask. She didn’t need the entire estate to overhear her.
“Very well,” he grumped, swimming toward her until he stopped about half the distance closer, enough that she could speak in quieter tones, and he could stand on what appeared to be the lake’s bottom beneath him, but not so close that she could see what was hiding beneath the surface.
A pity.
“What can I do for you, Lady Eliza?” he asked as though he was at a society event. It made her laugh.
“Are you bored, Fitz?” she asked, suddenly unable to get right to the point. It seemed far too forward, even for her.
“Bored? Now? Eliza, I am swimming in the lake on my family’s estate in the middle of a Season in which I am supposed to be finding a wife and introducing changes to the law that have never been heard of before. Yesterday I engaged in a conversation about which servant the scullery maid prefers. So yes, I am bored.”
He lifted his hands and threw them down into the water, causing splashes to reach the hem of her dress.
“Sorry,” he murmured. “And in case you were wondering,Ithink she fancies the stablehand.”
“It’s fine,” she said, trying to keep her chipper tone intact. “As it happens, I agree with you on that. Now, I also thought that my time here would be different. You can understand that I assumed Henrietta and Sloane would be here, as well as the rest of your sisters.”
“Of course,” he said, obviously curious about where she was going with this.
“Well, I have a proposition for you. One which would solve the boredom we are each dealing with.”
He waited, one eyebrow lifted.
She took a breath, the words rushing forward.
“You see, for some time now, I have been very interested in the pleasures that can be found between man and woman.”
His jaw dropped so suddenly she wondered whether he was going to faint. She could swim, but she wasn’t sure she could swim well enough to rescue him from the bottom of the lake.
“I know that I will need to marry soon, and I understand that the relations between husband and wife can be… perfunctory.”
“I-I suppose that depends on who you marry,” he said, finally finding his voice, although his eyes remained round.
“Yes, I suppose, but the problem is, one would not know what type of husband she has until it is too late.” She sighed. “Quite annoying.”
He nodded slowly, jerkily, and she took that as a sign to continue.
“I decided that, before I marry, I would like to explore the pleasures that could be found so that I don’t go the entirety of my life without experiencing them. That being said, I would like to do so safely and with a man whom I can trust. I have been considering options for some time.”
He seemed to suddenly understand where she was going with this, as he shook his head and Eliza tried to push down the hurt that he would so quickly dismiss her.
“You are the brother to my friends. Your family is close to mine. You have experience so I would guess that you are proficient in such relations. And I expect you know how to prevent pregnancy, given that I haven’t heard talk of you having any bastard children running about. With that being said, I was wondering if, in the time that we are both here at Appleton, you would share some of your expertise?”
He looked so dumbstruck that Eliza stood, prepared to enter the water to attempt to save him from drowning if it came to that.
“Are you going to be all right, Fitz? Perhaps you should come out of the water before you are overcome.”
“I am not overcome,” he argued. “I am… I am… surprised.”
“That is to be understood,” she said, knotting her hands together. “If you would like some time to think about this, please take it, although we cannot take overly too much time as soon enough your sisters might return or your detective might do his job and we will have to return to London.”
“You have the same prospects as any other young woman. Why this sudden need?”
“I am curious. And I always like to satisfy my curiosity.”
“You have listed all of the reasons why me, but… you hate me.”
