Page 80 of An Earl to Remember
“Not too well thought out, hmm?”
Perhaps it was fate or the lady’s own machinations, but footsteps sounded. The earl made to walk away, and she gasped, “Lord Stannis,please!”
Unfortunately, her voice carried. Quite deliberately. The young lady’s hand then fluttered to her throat, and she waited, evidently rioting with nerves yet hopeful.
“Are you gambling on my honor?” he asked, then coolly withdrew a cheroot from his pocket and lit it. “How naive. Even if you were to be found naked in my arms, Lady Katherine, I would not marry you.”
Shock snatched the air and retort from the lady’s throat, only a small squeak emitting from her. The footsteps moved closer, and Lady Katherine hurriedly patted her hair, clasping her fingers before her as the Countess of Stannis emerged. The earl remained indifferent, drawing on his cheroot as if there was not a compromising plot afoot.
The countess’s eyes widened upon seeing her son. She stared at him, clearly aghast when she saw Lady Katherine. Another lady emerged, gasping, “Katherine?”
The girl dissolved into sobs and flung herself into her mother’s arms. “Oh, Mama!”
Silent communication passed between the countess and the lady who held her sobbing daughter. She whisked her daughter away, leaving the countess with her son. Georgianna wished there was somewhere she could slip to escape being a part of this sordid scene.
“I expect you will do the honorable provision,” the countess said tightly. “The duke will not take kindly to any marring of his daughter’s reputation. A marriage announcement must be made.”
Shock tore through Georgianna’s heart, and she stepped forward in instinctive denial.
The smile that touched Daniel’s mouth was cruel and indifferent. “There is no force that can persuade me to go against my own convictions, Mother.”
Georgianna was decidedly curious about that dangerous throb in his tone. There was a tightness across her chest that made it difficult to breathe. Observing the debacle before her, she was suddenly glad she had no ridiculous dream of wanting more with this man, who had the power to crush her heart beneath his boots.
“How long will you maintain this cruel reputation as a rake about town?” his mother demanded in accents of stinging rebuke. “Lady Katherine is on the list your grandmother made; would it be so unpalatable to make her your countess? It is evident that she went too far in her reckless admiration, but she is a very amiable and wonderful girl.”
“I will think about it,” he said, his expression impenetrable. “From the list Nana provided, I had thought Lady Katherine would be the first choice to be my wife.”
The word from his lips speaking about another woman ridiculously pierced her. Georgianna felt as if something cracked inside her chest, the feeling so visceral that she shuddered.
“Good. I shall speak with the duchess.” His mother vented a weary breath before turning away and retreating back inside the townhouse.
Georgianna waited for the earl to leave, but he only tipped his face to the sky, appearing far too stark and lonely in that silhouette.
“Ah, wife, we are finally alone, and outside.”
She drew in a deep sustaining breath, alarmed that he had known she was observing. The words were coated with flirtatious heat. “I did not realize my presence was known.”
“I can feel you whenever you are near. It is as if something invisible ripples over my skin.”
Georgianna was painfully aware of him taking several slow, measured steps closer, yet she did not flee or offer any protest when he came so scandalously close.
“I did not mean to intrude on your business, my lord.”
“It was no intrusion.”
Georgianna wrapped her arms around her waist. “Will you marry her?”
He stiffened, and his mouth tipped sardonically. “I will consider the advantages of an alliance with the duke’s family.”
Georgianna’s heart throbbed with painful intensity. “Of course, she is perfect for you.”
“Far from perfect,” he said with chilling indifference. “That I am an earl with wealth is all that matters to the ladies who wish to be my countess.”
She blinked. “Does it happen often, a compromising situation?”
“Frequently enough where I once even made a list of the traits I would seek in my countess when I eventually take a wife.”
Curiosity hitched through her heart. “Dare I ask what those requirements might be?”
