The Earl Who Loved Me Read Free Page A

the
corridor, though Amelia was certain it was all an act.   To Lydia's credit, however, she only glanced
back once to glare at where Amelia and David still stood.
    "Well that was
unpleasant," he intoned dryly when Lydia was well out of sight.   "I absolutely detest that
woman."   Then he shivered for good
measure.   "She gives me the very
chills just thinking about falling into her clutches."   Then he peered down at Amelia who was still
clutching the book he had returned to her.   "But are you well, my lady?   You have not said a word since your, ah, outburst earlier."   The sparkle in his eyes let her know that he
had been pleased that she had spoken up and was not in the least angry with
her.
    Still, Amelia held her tongue,
frightened of what she might say if she spoke, unwilling to allow David to see
any further inside of her soul or provide him with a peek at her desires.   For then he would know the awful truth, the
one that would cost her his friendship forever.
    My lady .   Those two words could make her very insides
shiver, but he did not mean them.   At
least not in the manner that she wished he did.   Better to play the mouse than the lioness at the moment, she
decided.   He was familiar with both
parts of her, certainly, but if she allowed the lioness out right at this
moment, she was afraid that she would come to regret it.
    "Merely a megrim," she
lied softly, but it was only a little lie.   Her head did hurt, though decidedly less now than it had earlier, the
lack of the cloying lilac scent in the hallway helping immeasurably.   Now that she had vented her anger, she
discovered that had helped her head as well.   "It is nothing, my lord.   Honestly, I am well."
    The look on the earl's face,
however, indicated that he did not believe her.   "I can summon a physician, if you wish, Ame...my
lady."   Then he cleared his throat
and looked away from her, as if that could some how hide the fact that he had
almost used her Christian name, something he had not done in years.   "Or rather one of my staff can."   He gestured behind him, and Amelia noticed
that at some point Tivens, the Weatherby family's long-time butler had appeared
as if by magic.   The man was so
positively silent in his every move, that often times when they were children,
she had wondered if he was real or merely a ghost.
    "If you are unwell, my lady, I
can send for Dr. Tewksbury in the village," Tivens said solemnly, his
glance flickering between the two of them and their close proximity to one
another, obviously noting that David stood far closer to Amelia than was
strictly proper.   "He is not so
fine as a London physician, perhaps, but he is good at his job none the
less."
    Shaking her head, Amelia held up
her hand in protest, making certain to keep her voice soft.   "Really.   I am fine."   Then she
clutched the book to her chest like a shield.   "I simply do not care for parlor games.   They are..."   She
trailed off, searching for the right word.   "...tiresome," she finally finished, biting her lower lip for
good measure.   "Especially as I do
not care for crowds or grasping fortune-hunting men who see my dowry and not
me.   And there are plenty of those in
attendance here, unfortunately."  
    Then she winced, realizing what she
had just said.   Apparently she could not
hold her tongue tonight no matter how she tried.   She wanted to blame the late hour but the truth was, whenever she
was around the earl for any length of time, she found herself slipping back
into old habits from childhood, including freely speaking her mind.   She needed to control that urge and she well
knew it.   If they were in London, she
would be a scandal by now.
    "The men I cannot control,
unfortunately.   Many of them came at my
uncle's invitation, and I am so very sorry for that.   Had it been up to me, I would not have invited those who are
known rakes and fortune hunters.   I
understand what it is like to be seen for what you