Page 7 of An Earl's Christmas Seduction
“Here we are, this is your bedroom, Amelia,” Clara said, opening a door and ushering Amelia into a comfortably furnished bedroom, where a fire was burning in the hearth, and lamps had been lit, bathing the room in a soft light.
A canopied bed stood against the far wall, and plush velvet curtains were pulled across the window. A table and chairs stood in one corner, and a large wardrobe and chest of draws in the other. It would be a most comfortable retreat, and Elsie had already laid out a clean dress on the bed for Amelia to change into.
“We’d better go and get ready, too. Isobel needs to look her best for Mr. Thornton,” Clara said, and Isobel turned bright red.
“Oh, Clara, don’t say such things. I’m sure Mr. Thornton isn’t interested in me, not at all,” she said, but her sister rolled her eyes.
“He’s mad about you. Why do you think Nicholas invited him? He’s playing matchmaker, Amelia…our cousin, I mean,” Clara said, and Amelia laughed, even as she wondered whether his games extended to his own prospects, too.
She was curious about the earl and could not hold back from asking the question foremost on her mind.
“And… what of your cousin? Is he betrothed?” she asked, for she could not imagine a man of such obvious charms and good standing being devoid of romantic attachment, despite the rumors about him.
“Nicholas? Oh, no, he’s not betrothed. Our mother worries about him dreadfully. Where will the heir come from? But he’s stubborn in his refusal to even consider finding a wife,” Isobel said.
Amelia was surprised, even as she found herself feeling thankful at the thought of Nicholas being unattached.
“He was only being friendly,”she told herself, remembering the looks the earl had given her in the carriage.
Clara and Isobel went to get ready, and a few moments later, Elsie appeared, greeting Amelia with a look of relief.
“Oh, Lady Amelia. I was so worried about you. I’ve just been with your mother and Lady Turner. Thank goodness you’re all right,” Elsie said, fussing around Amelia, who was desperate to get out of her traveling clothes.
“Oh, I’m all right, Elsie. It was just a little cold, that’s all. The earl came to our rescue,” Amelia replied, and her maid smiled.
“He’s a remarkable man, isn’t he? All the servants speak highly of him,” she said.
Amelia blushed. Perhaps the earl was just that sort of person, and the rumors of him as a recluse were wrong. Had she made a fool of herself with her flirtatious glances? The locket hung heavily around her neck, and she took it off, placing it on the table. It felt like a betrayal, and tears welled up in her eyes.
“Oh, Elsie… I’m so very tired,” Amelia said, sitting down heavily on the end of the bed.
The journey had been exhausting, and her feelings were confused. The maid looked at her sympathetically.
“Shall I bring you something hot to drink, Lady Amelia?” she asked, but Amelia shook her head.
“No… thank you, Elsie. I’d better get ready. We’re expected downstairs with the other guests. There’ll be tea there. The earl gave us some plum brandy in the carriage. I think it’s made me sleepy. I’ll be all right,” Amelia said.
Elsie helped her change into the clean dress, and taking up the locket, she placed it around her neck again, not wanting to set Rupert’s memory aside, even as she felt guilty for having done so earlier on.
But as she was readying herself in the mirror, she noticed a portrait above the hearth, half hidden in the shadows, and examining it closer, she realized it was of the earl himself. The painting showed a handsome man, framed against the heathers. He was dressed for riding, a slight smile on his face, his hand on the collar of a dog. It was the same dog she had seen in the hallway by the fire.
“He’s very handsome, isn’t he, Lady Amelia?” Elsie said.
Amelia smiled.
“I’m sure he is, yes,” she said, for she had decided her flight of fancy was just that.
The earl was attractive, that could not be denied, but he had merely been friendly towards her, acting as any decent and chivalrous man would do under the same circumstances. Having finished readying herself, she followed Elsie to her mother’s bedroom, pausing to admire portraits of the earl and his ancestors on the way.
“Your mother was engaged in quite a conversation with Lady Turner, Lady Amelia. I didn’t think they knew one another,” Elsie said, as she led Amelia along one of the upper corridors to her mother’s bedroom.
“They don’t know one another. They met at the Clarington Ball, but that’s it. What were they talking about?” Amelia asked, but Elsie shook her head.
“I don’t know, but they were whispering something to one another in hushed tones when I met them earlier on the stairs. It’s just here,” Elsie said, knocking at a door at the far end of one of the upper corridors.
The baroness was readying herself in front of a long mirror as they entered, admiring the peach-colored dress she had chosen for the evening. She looked very pretty, turning to Amelia with a smile, even as she appeared strangely nervous.
“Is your bedroom comfortable, Amelia?” she asked, and Amelia nodded.
