Page 65 of An Earl to Remember
“At the beginning,” Georgianna cried, glancing over her shoulder to ensure no one hovered. “Why is the earl here?”
“I gather Mr. Hayle had informed him of his mother’s ball and the engagement announcement. I suspect the earl came, Georgie, because he knew without his presence, Mr. Hayle might waver, and his parents might never be persuaded to accept me.”
Confusion and other complex emotions she could not name jumbled through her. “But he came as the earl…not as Mr. Stannis.”
“I allow that when he was admitted to the library as Lord Stannis, I almost fainted. The Hayles are in rapture that they will be connected to a man of such consequences.”
Dread dropped into her belly in an icy swirl. “But we are not connected to him, Lizzie! Did he say so or was it just presumed?”
Lizzie’s brows furrowed. “When he entered the library, Mr. Hayle hastened to introduce the earl as your husband to his parents, and he…he then revealed he was the earl. Though there could not have been any doubt, considering his elegant dress and manners! His name is also well-known even in Crandell. The earl mentioned his loss of memory and that he is in full return of all his faculties. Mr. Hayle had been threatening Jonathan with cutting him off, and then everything changed once the earl interrupted our meeting without any prior announcement. Georgie, he has settled a dowry on me of ten thousand pounds, negotiated the marriage contract and settlement with Mr. Hayle, which is very generous to me in terms of allowance and widow’s portion. I am sorry I did not wait on you to sign it. I was so overcome with relief and happiness I…I…”
Ten thousand pounds?Georgianna found herself caught between laughing, collapsing into a faint, and sobbing. “Why would he do this?”
Lizzie shook her head, tears glittering in her eyes. “Oh, Georgianna, I do not know, but I am so happy!” Her eyes widened. “His lordship is coming!”
Georgianna slammed her eyes closed, hating the way her heart pounded in dread and anticipation. An overwhelming ache throbbed behind her eyes. “I cannot face him!”
Lizzie made a hopeless gesture with her hands. Georgianna rushed past her sister and down the steps leading into the back gardens, grabbing the edges of her dress before breaking into a run. Georgianna slowed her momentum, taking deep steady breaths. She tried to organize her thoughts into a semblance of order before she faced him, for she knew he would follow.
He has regained his memories.
He has not expressed any anger or disdain but has ensured that Lizzie would be accepted by the Hayles.
Why would he do this?
Surely he will want recompense?
A ripple of awareness kissed over her skin, and her mouth dried. His wall of heat surrounded her, and Georgianna did not turn to face him but waited for him to speak, her heart shaking. There was a small rustle behind her, and she felt it when he dipped.
His breath was a piercing warmth at her throat as he leaned in far too close. “Have you missed me, wife?”
You wretch, she silently wailed, hating the mocking way he called her“wife.”
Georgianna turned around, their proximity of such that her lips brushed his chin. She inhaled his evocative, masculine scent and felt the heat wafting from his body. She was overwhelmingly conscious ofeverythingabout the earl. The breadth of his shoulders, those brilliant eyes as he peered down at her, the harsh elegance of his cheekbones, and the firm sensuality of his lips. The intensity of his gaze almost sucked her down to a place she did not understand, and Georgianna realized how different he was from the man who had lived under her roof. This man was…coolly assured and powerful with the ability to crush her. They stared at each other in mounting silence, a perilous sort of tension coating the air.
“How odd,” he said with scarce-veiled condescension, his eyes gleaming with an almost intimidating light. “I feel as if I’ve missed you, wife.”
Her heart gave a painful squeeze inside her chest. “Why are you here, my lord? I am dull with comprehension as to your reason.”
His lips quirked at the corner. “How brave you are. No apology, hmm?”
“I do not regret the necessity of having to deceive you. It saved my reputation and allowed me to recoup some of the lossesyouowed me.” Georgianna allowed her mouth to curve into a polite smile. “I daresay we are now even, my lord.”
“Prevarication in the vein of self-interest can be forgiven. We are even.”
She jutted her chin higher. “How magnanimous of you.”
“I am all sincerity and humility, wife.” A beat of silence, then he murmured, “You look beautiful.”
She gripped the edges of her skirt at the unexpected compliment. Though she had worn her finest gown and bustle and caught her hair in an intricate chignon with tendrils caressing her cheeks, Georgianna was quite aware she was only a small spark in the midst of glittering diamonds. Yet the admiration in his eyes pierced her with stunning warmth.
“Lizzie told me what you did.Why?”
“If Mr. Hayle had broken his promise and I put a bullet through his heart, she would have been broken,” he said with a caustic bite. “Better to present a connection they cannot resist, hmm?”
“And when they find out I am not your wife in truth?”I will be irrevocably ruined.
“Plan to suddenly be a soul of honesty, do you?”
