Page 15 of Defying the Earl
“Which is why you pelted me with questions when first we met, isn’t it? I am certain you have asked every other gentleman you’ve met similar questions. If you were to travel now, it would not seem so unfamiliar to you, would it?”
“For one thing, my lord, I haven’t met so very many gentlemen in my role as your aunts’ companion. For another, there is only so much one’s imagination can do to prepare you for seeing something with your own eyes. By your reasoning, you should never have been nervous in the colonies if only you had asked enough questions.”
Braxton’s grin sent another ripple through the flock of flutters in Bea’s midsection, but she held onto her composure with a tight grip.
“You have a point, my lady, but you see, there weren’t that many people to ask my questions of. The colonies are still such new land for us that few have yet returned with tales of their adventures to share.”
“Ah, I see. Well, then, surely your role now is to educate the rest,” she concluded, laughing lightly.
Bea allowed silence to lapse between them briefly as she looked around, growing more comfortable with the high, seemingly precarious position where she perched on the earl’s fancy phaeton.
“How long do you suppose a courting drive ought to last?”
Braxton turned to her sharply with a slight frown. “Are you bored of me already?” he asked, incredulous.
Beatrice felt heat rise into her cheeks but she lifted one shoulder slightly as though to dismiss the earl’s question. “I am never bored, my lord, but I didn’t wish to overly preoccupy your day. Surely you have other things to do. You are trying to run an earldom now, aren’t you? I would imagine that would require your time for far more important matters than frivolous wagers and escorting spinsters to the park.”
“You aren’t a spinster, Beatrice,” Braxton insisted, lapsing back into the familiar address seemingly without conscious thought. “And we haven’t been driving for very long. I apologize if I haven’t kept you entertained enough so the time doesn’t drag for you.”
Bea fought the tremble that wished to take over her core. She longed to rush to reassure him that this wasn’t what she had meant. But she had no desire to complicate matters further by implying she was actually hanging upon his every word. She wished the interlude to be over in order to ensure she didn’t make a cake of herself over the nobleman at her side, not because she found the excursion tedious.
Rather than replying to his apology, she turned the subject.
“I was sorry to hear about your father and brother. Have you found it difficult taking over the title?”
“In so many ways, yes,” he replied immediately, surprising her with his candour. “For one, I never, in all my days, imagined I would have to respond to such a title. It was my father’s address, and of course, expected to become my brother’s at some point. But actually answering to Lord Braxton took me weeks to accustom myself to.”
Chapter Eight
Nathan both heard and felt her sympathetic murmur which was an odd reaction to have, he was sure. But even though he had been on the receiving end of much seeming sympathy since his return to Society, there was always an underlying element of congratulations that he could never appreciate. He didn’t feel that from Beatrice. It was so refreshing he wished to bask in it for a time. Another odd reaction, to be sure.
He couldn’t wallow in her presence, he reminded himself. Beatrice was essentially in his employ. As head of his family, his aunts were his responsibility and therefore their companion was as well. That was the sole reason he was driving with her, spending this time, in order to protect her reputation from the wager he had been so stupid as to allow himself to be involved in.
Never mind that it was Beatrice’s presence that had boggled his mind and left him susceptible to the risky bet. That was Nathan’s problem, not Bea’s, and he couldn’t leave her to deal with it without making an effort to protect her.
He should have had the sense to rid himself of those hangers-on long before, so it was on him, not her, the mess he had gotten them in. He couldn’t make the situation worse by allowing either of them to forget this courtship was fake.
Even though the new Earl of Braxton would need to wed eventually, and according to his mother that eventuality ought to be sooner rather than later due to there now not being an heir apparent other than a far distant cousin, Nathan wasn’t ready to seriously pursue family matters. He still had some loose ends on cases to tie up and he needed to become better accustomed to his role in the House and his position in Society as Earl. Surely another Season or two could pass before he really needed to consider his matrimonial options.
And even if he were ready now, which he certainly wasn’t, Nathan assured himself, he couldn’t consider his aunts’ companion as his partner. Since he had paid so little attention to Society matters due to never having any expectation of gaining a title, he needed a wife who could help him navigate the murky social waters, not someone he would have to help. Essentially, he wanted a partnership such as those louts were discussing, not one more responsibility.
But Beatrice didn’t feel like a responsibility in that moment, despite that being the only reason they were together right then. Her intelligent gaze was filled with warm sympathy as she pondered what he had just said about adjusting to his new form of address.
“I would think some of your adventurous spirit would serve you well in your new role, though, wouldn’t it, my lord?” she finally asked. “And I never felt as though I received a full explanation of what you were doing in the colonies, but it sounded to me as though you were negotiating land purchases and supporting the colonists. Those skills are surely transferable to what you must do for the earldom, are they not?”
Nathan grinned. “Yes, I can see why you would see the similarities. I have occasionally thought the same thing. Although there are far more rules and constraints as Braxtonthan I had to follow as a mere Mister Lawrence, and in the colonies there are hardly any rules enforced at all.”
But that was one of his problems. There might not have been many, but there were some, and he was afraid some on his delegation had not followed them. He needed that resolved before he could leave his agent life behind completely.
“You look very conflicted about what you just said, Braxton,” Beatrice commented with amusement sounding in her voice. “Are rules not to your taste, then?”
Nathan was deeply tempted to tell her the entire sorry tale. It wasn’t really a matter of national security or anything like that, but it wasn’t a story he ought to be bandying about Town, either. Not that he truly suspected Beatrice would gossip on the matter, but Nathan had never gotten into the habit of sharing details with others, especially not any of his activities as an Agent for the Crown. He hadn’t even been a secret agent for the most part, not one who had to keep their role a secret and practice subterfuge. There had been times when he’d been forced to play certain roles or keep secrets or dress for a certain part, but while the majority of his assignments had been investigative, they weren’t of the spy-craft sort, which was a relief on the one hand but also all the more galling that he had to give it up. Why couldn’t he remain in his assignment despite his new title?
But he knew even though he didn’t want to accept it.
Being Braxton meant there were far too many demands on his time and attention. When on an assignment for the Crown, that ought to be the only thing on one’s mind. Braxton was not in a position to give his King and Country such focus. Thankfully the prime minister had completely understood, assuring him that his work in the House would be almost as helpful for Englandas his work as an agent had been. Nathan had appreciated the polite lie.
“Never mind about me,” he finally said, realizing he had allowed himself to lapse into silence for far too long. “What sort of excursions would you like to enjoy while we entertain thetonwith our courtship?”
