Page 3 of An Earl's Christmas Seduction
“I hope so. I’m sure we’ll be well entertained,” Amelia replied, imagining what it would be like to dance with the earl, or find herself in the company of aristocratic gentlemen.
London was not the place for a new start. It held too many memories. But in Devonshire, in the company of new and interesting people, Amelia hoped she could find a respite from her memories, and the chance of a new beginning.
“I’ll finish packing for you, Lady Amelia. I’ll make sure everything’s ready,” Elsie assured her.
Four days before the house party was due to begin, Amelia and her mother set off for Devonshire. They had hired a larger carriage than their own for the journey and an experienced drive and escort. The roads could be treacherous and Amelia’s mother feared the threat of bandits.
“I’m sure no one would dare rob you, my dear,” Amelia’s father had said, as he had waved them off.
“You can’t be too careful, Clarence,” the baroness had replied. With fresh snow lying on the ground, Amelia and her mother set off for Devonshire, excited at the prospect of the gathering to come.
“I wonder who else will be there. Clara didn’t mention any names when she wrote back. There’s bound to be quite a crowd,” Amelia said, as they drove through the snowy London streets.
“The Devonshire aristocracy, I suppose. Relatives from London, Clara and Isobel, and their mother. We’ll find out when we get there, I suppose,” Amelia’s mother replied, and Amelia imagined what the gathering would be like.
She pictured soirees, dinners, parlor games, and walks on the estate. Perhaps she and the earl would ride out together, or perhaps he would remain aloof. The invitation she had received had been formal in tone, though the earl had signed it with a flourish.“I do hope you deign to accept my invitation,”he had written.
As they took to the road leading west, Amelia could not help but feel intrigued as to what lay ahead, and glad to have left some of her more painful memories behind.
Chapter 2
Devonshire, England.
“She’s pretty; beautiful, in fact. I saw her at Clarington House. She was wearing a peacock blue dress with a matching hat. I think you’ll like her,” Harry Amesbury said, raising his eyebrows at Nicholas, who rolled his eyes.
“I’m sure she is. But I’m not interested in London society, Harry. You know that. It was Clara who suggested I invite her. She’ll be company for her and Isobel,” Nicholas replied, dismissing his friend’s words with a wave of his hand.
They were walking on the cliff tops, the waves crashing on the rocks below, and the sky brooding with snow, a blizzard having just passed over them. Harry paused, turning to Nicholas and sighing.
“You deny yourself these pleasures, Nicholas. And for what reason? She’s pretty and unattached, and she’s coming to your house party. Why not take advantage of the fact? Allow yourself a modicum of enjoyment. Are you going to be a recluse for the whole festive period? What is the point in inviting all these people if you won’t be sociable? I’ll have her for myself if you’re not careful,” Harry said, and Nicholas laughed.
His intention in inviting Amelia and her mother had not been amorous. He had done so at the suggestion of his cousins, Clara and Isobel. They had written to tell him of their new friendship with the daughter of the Baron Wells, whose betrothed had perished in a tragic accident at sea.
His cousins had gone on to suggest it would do Amelia good to be invited out of London for the Christmas festivities, and Nicholas had been only too happy to oblige.
“Do as you wish. You know my motivations for the gathering have nothing to do with Lady Amelia,” Nicholas replied.
His friend narrowed his eyes, glancing back towards Ashworth House, resplendent on the headland above.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea, Nicholas? This house has enough ghosts. Are you sure you want to summon more?” he asked.
Nicholas sighed. He had thought long and hard about the house party. It was an annual occasion, but this year, his motivation had been somewhat different. He knew the rumors about him and the question of his legitimacy and lineage. He was determined to discover the truth once and for all. A house party had seemed the ideal way of doing so, the invitations issued to those people whom Nicholas believed might hold the key to the truth.
“I want to know, Harry. I told you so. I want to know the truth about myself,” Nicholas replied.
His friend shook his head.
“And if you discover a less than palatable truth?” he asked.
Nicholas shrugged. It was a risk he was willing to take. There were those who considered him illegitimate, even as he had no siblings to challenge the inheritance of his father’s title. He was the Earl of Amhurst, and whatever the truth is, it wouldn’t change that.
“Then so be it. I want to know if my mother’s my mother. And if she’s not, who is?” Nicholas replied.
The woman he had always thought of as his mother, Lady Eleanor, died shortly after his birth. Now his father was dead, so there was nothing holding him back from discovering the truth. His father had taken the secret to his grave, but Nicholas hoped to discover it for himself. The arrival of the guests for the house party was the means by which he hoped to do so.
“Then I hope we can find the answer. But don’t deprive yourself of pleasures, Nicholas. You spend all your time here on the estate with no one for company but Branston and the maids. It’ll do you good to mix with others. I’m sorry, I’ve had my own distractions of late. But it’s good to be here, and I’m sure we’ll discover the truth in due course,” Harry said.
Nicholas was grateful for his friend’s words, even as he had no romantic motivation in making his invitations. His goal was to find the truth about himself. All else was secondary.
