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Honeysuckle excused herself from dinner. The earl
had a tray sent to her room, an act that brought
tears to her eyes. The last thing she wanted from
Reggie Wanstead was kindness.
57
Ann Yost
Chapter Seven
During the next few days the manor house
resembled controlled chaos as everyone helped with
preparations for the ball. Because the event had
been scheduled with such short notice Lady Patricia
asked her nephew to extend personal invitations to
the residents of Upper Ickleford.
Naturally, Mrs. Swope-Hanley wanted her
daughter to accompany the earl on these visits.
Perhaps unnaturally, his lordship insisted upon
Miss Honeysuckle Watson s company as well. After
all, he reasoned aloud, Miss Watson already knew
everyone in the village.
Honey gritted her teeth and performed the
introductions. Occasionally someone, the vicar s
mother, for example, or Mrs. Crosswitch from the
milliner s shop, would engage Gertrude in a
discussion of fashion. During those moments Honey
attempted to determine whether the earl cared for
Miss Swope-Hanley, but her observations netted
very little information. He was always polite and
courteous to Gertrude and everyone else but she
detected no particular partiality. Neither was there
anything in the manners of Miss Swope-Hanley that
indicated affection for the earl.
Gertrude seemed content to talk with Lady
Patricia, her mama, Violet, or even Mr. Farnsworth,
about the importance of lace cuffs and netting, while
Reggie spoke mostly to Honeysuckle about the
prospects for a good harvest, whether a doctor could
be lured to Upper Ickleford, and how quickly the
estates roads could be repaired so that the post could
58
The Earl That I Marry
be reinstated at the outlying farms.
Honey was both pleased and flattered that he
solicited her knowledge and opinions. Lord
Marchmont might just become an excellent landlord,
after all. It was merely an unfortunate side effect
that his solicitousness for his tenants made him
even more attractive in her eyes. It would be very
hard to hear the announcement of his betrothal on
the night of the ball.
All too often, Honeysuckle found herself wishing
that she might retroactively accept his offer of
marriage, but she knew she could not. She had
planned to compromise herself, and while she had
more or less stumbled into the actual ruinous
incident, she had sought what happened between
them in the gamekeeper s hut. In any case, he did
not deserve a forced marriage with a wife he did not
love.
She hoped he would come to love Miss Swope-
Hanley, but she prayed she would not have to
witness it.
The time she spent with the earl was
bittersweet, but very precious, and it seemed to fly
past. Two days before the ball at which the
engagement would be announced, Honeysuckle
needed fresh air and a change of scenery. She visited
the earl s kitchen, packed a basket of food, and set
out to visit the Carringtons small family.
The atmosphere in the cottage was cheerful.
Ned was in the midst of planting wheat grass,
following a suggestion of Reggie s, and for the first
time in many months, he owed no money. While they
welcomed her offering, other neighbors had sent
plenty of food, and the infant, Ned Junior, was
enjoying excellent health. The visit improved
Honeysuckle s spirits and she said farewell with a
smile on her face. Just before she stepped out into
the yard she permitted herself to fantasize that, once
59
Ann Yost
again, Reggie would be waiting for her but, of course,
there was no broad-shouldered earl leaning against
the fence with a cigar in his hand. Her throat ached
with unshed tears, but seconds later, a shooting star
of happiness pierced her when Reggie appeared
beside the gate. Honeysuckle met his direct gray
gaze, but she bit her lip. She had known these past
few days that she loved the earl, but she hadn t
realized until this moment how deeply she had fallen
in love with him.
A gust of wind blew strands of his thick, dark
hair over his forehead. The impulse to brush it away
from his face was so strong she fisted both hands.
Honey could hardly breathe. He did not seem to
notice as he fell into step beside her, his own hands
clasped behind his back. He stared straight ahead, a
preoccupied frown creasing his brow.
 You really would make an excellent countess,
he said, finally.  Your curiosity extends to everyone
on the estate, and they like and respect you.
His words were like a knife wound. The
Countess of Marchmont would need more than the
respect of the people. She would need the earl s love.
 You have gained their respect this past week, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]