Page 9 of Defying the Earl
“I couldn’t offer for her. I would hate to make light with her heart.”
Silence followed his explanation.
“You are making a mull of this, Braxton. You’d better go back to the beginning and explain because I think you lost us somewhere along the way.”
Nathan sighed. His aunt was right. He was making a mull of it.
“Last night, I was in the company of two men who are less than gentlemanly. When we encountered Lady Beatrice, shedidn’t seem delighted to see me. The two men thought this was highly amusing. So they proposed a wager that I couldn’t turn her up sweet.”
His words were met with continued silence.
Chapter Five
Just outside the open door to the receiving room, Beatrice nearly gasped with shock. Nathan had been discussing her with unsavoury men? And making wagers about being able to make her fall victim to his charms? That nearly made her snort. What charms? But how could he do such a thing? Had he no care to her reputation?
Obviously not. Past experiences should have taught her that. For the briefest moment she was transported back to the broom closet they had found themselves in two years ago.
It was highly improper. Bea still shuddered to think of it even as a flock of butterflies took up residence in her belly at the remembrance. It had been the most delicious of sensations at the time.
Lord Braxton had nearly kissed her.
Of course, he hadn’t been Lord Braxton then. He was a mere Mr. Nathan Lawrence. And she had thought he was courting her. It might have still been scandalous behaviour, but she had genuinely believed he was interested in wedding with her.
Neither of them wished to beforcedinto marriage, though, so when they were about to be caught together, they had hidden in the broom closet. In hindsight, Bea burned with humiliation.How ridiculous and foolish. As if being found in the closet could possibly have been explained. Whereas if they had been merely in the withdrawing room together, that was easily explainable and not even all that terrible when looked at in the correct light.
Even after two years, Beatrice was embarrassed about the incident. And she had ensured she was never in a position to be so mistreated again. She avoided gentlemen as much as she could and ensured one of the Ladies or a servant was always by her side if there was ever the possibility of a gentleman caller.
And now here she was finding out that Lord Braxton had once again disregarded any risk to her reputation. Of course, he wasn’t interested in courting her truly. If he hadn’t been two years ago, before he’d inherited the title, one could be certain he was even less so now. She wasn’t about to point out to him her status as an earl’s granddaughter nor tell him about her trust. If it hadn’t mattered to him back then, it wouldn’t do so now. And from what she understood, Braxton was sufficiently lucrative that her inheritance wouldn’t matter much to him.
No, she reminded herself firmly, despite all appearances to the contrary, Nathan Lawrence was a cad. No men, whether noble or not, were worth her time or effort. She would wait out her time with the Ladies and then she would find her cottage somewhere and settle down to her own life. She needn’t concern herself with men’s games or stratagems much longer. Certainly not the actions of Lord Braxton.
But should she enter the room? Should she let on that she had overheard? Why was the room so full of silence?
Bea was at a loss as to what to do. The housekeeper hadn’t needed her assistance in the least, and Bea had allowed herself to be influenced by the impulse to return to the withdrawingroom to see Nathan, Lord Braxton, she reminded herself, once more.
She was fortunate she had done so, although the reasons were certainly flawed. Bea was sure neither Lady Frampton nor Lady Charlotte would ever have told her anything about what Braxton had just said. They wouldn’t want to worry her, of course. But they would surely fret about it. Especially if Braxton didn’t have some sort of solution or plan. What a ridiculous mess men got themselves into, Bea scoffed, wondering how she ought to deal with it.
“Don’t hover out there, Beatrice,” Lady Frampton called, making Bea jump with surprise before stepping into the room. “You’ve never been one for eavesdropping, why start now?” the older woman asked, sounding affronted.
Bea almost laughed. “It had not been my intention, my lady. But I paused when I heard my name being discussed.”
“How much did you hear?” Lord Braxton demanded.
“Enough to know the title of gentleman is a misnomer,” Bea returned with a tart bite to her tone that made the Ladies smile.
“Don’t you worry your head about this at all, Bea. Braxton will figure out his little mess, and you needn’t be concerned about it in the least.”
Bea had to bite the inside of her cheek to avoid being snippety with Lady Charlotte. The dear lady didn’t realize that telling someone not to worry about something was a sure way of making them worry. Beatrice wanted to shout at the lot of them whether their intentions were kind or not.
“I’d like to know how he intends to fix it, if that isn’t too much to ask,” Bea said. She directed her statement to Lady Charlotte,since it was that sweet woman who had said the earl would fix it, even though Bea had little confidence the man could do so.
She had little to no experience with such matters, but she had been drifting through the outskirts of thetonfor long enough to know that one couldn’t stop the gossip once it started. If word got out that such a wager had been placed about her, all sorts of unwelcome attention would come her way. Her status as the Ladies’ companion wouldn’t protect her from the scrutiny.
Of course, it might work out for the best in the end. She might have to be sent away. That might be perfectly lovely if they just sent her home to Lady Frampton’s dower house where they lived most of the year. But she couldn’t rely upon that. It was far more likely that the Ladies would very kindly force her into a marriage they thought was acceptable. They wouldn’t much care if Bea wanted it or not because they would be completely convinced it was for her best good.
Bea could not allow that to happen. For one thing, she had no intention of wedding. For another, she wanted to have the freedom to choose her future. That was the reason she had remained in her position as companion. She could have found other positions, perhaps as a teacher or governess or even a shop keeper, although that would probably be far more difficult work than she was accustomed to.
Lifting her chin, Bea turned her turbulent gaze upon Lord Braxton. She was capable and willing to work hard. She would leave the Ladies and find whatever position she could if she were forced into it. But she would prefer not to be in such a position. It ought to be interesting to see what the earl thought to do to solve the mess he had made for her.
