Page 19 of Trapped with the Earl of Sin

But she was not going to worry her mother about this. Not yet.

“Thank you, Mother,” Susanna replied, her voice wavering just enough to seem convincingly fatigued. “I appreciate your concern, but I promise, all I need is a good night’s rest.”

Her mother reached out, gently brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead. “If you say so, dear. Just remember, you can always come to me if you need anything.”

“I will,” Susanna assured her. “Good night.”

With a final concerned glance, her mother nodded and left, closing the door softly behind her. Susanna let out a long breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She needed a moment to compose herself, to gather her thoughts.

Tomorrow would be a new day, and it seemed like she was going to have a lot to deal with.

CHAPTER SIX

“Are you ready for this?” Luke asked Martin as he excitedly grabbed his coat. “I am sure we are going to have a lot of fun today, and I cannot wait to show Mary more of the local town. I have promised her a tour, and I am thrilled to finally fulfill that promise.”

Martin nodded slowly, accepting that he was really going to have to partake in this activity. Even if he was not sure if his heart was in it or not. After sharing a secret moment with Susanna the night before, where she revealed the rest of Mary’s past to him, he had not been able to shake off his worry for his friend. But he had promised Susanna that they would keep this between themselves until they knew more, and that was what he would do.

But he had been hoping that he would be able to start his search this morning, to investigate Edwin more, but now he had a trip into town to contend with. Luke needed him by his side as he took Mary out, and there was no reason not to agree to it.

Nothing that he could think of offhand anyway.

He could only hope that Susanna would be joining them, so he could have someone to talk to while escorting his friend around the town.

“Where is Mary?” he asked Luke warily as he spotted Edwin in the distance. He might have wanted to investigate Luke’s cousin, but not right in front of Luke. “Is she excited to see the town today?”

“Oh yes, very much so. I am sure she is just waiting for her sister to be ready.”

That filled Martin with relief. A little joy as well. He had to stifle his smile so Luke did not pick up on what he was feeling. He did not wantanyoneto get the wrong idea about himself and Susanna. Not Luke, and certainly not his mother. After their little chat, he had a feeling that she was going to be relentless at the wedding. Any woman he gave even a second of attention to would be the target of her affection.

“Ah, I believe that is them.”

Thankfully, Edwin was now out of sight. He seemed to have walked into one of the rooms before Mary and Susanna appeared, so Martin could let out a breath of relief.

He turned his eyes to the women descending the stairs and was immediately stunned by how beautiful Susanna looked. She wasalways dressed well, and had her hair styled perfectly, but there was something even more special about the way she looked today. She seemed to be sparkling. Martin could not put his finger on what made her look that way, but he found it hard to take his eyes off her.

Susanna turned to look at him, almost as if she could sense his eyes on her, and the way her lips curled into a smile made his pulse race.

This was a little attraction that he was going to have to push down. He could not allow it to bloom and grow because it would not ever go anywhere. Not even for a little moment of fun.

It could not. Susanna was not a widow looking for a moment of fun, she was a lady who wanted love and marriage. She had made that much clear to him with her words.

“Good morning.” Mary beamed as she drew nearer to them. “How are you both?”

“We are very good,” Luke replied, shining with happiness. “How are you?”

As they conversed, Martin continued to keep his eyes on Susanna. She was biting her bottom lip, looking like she had information that she wanted to share with him, but he was going to have to be patient until he could get a moment alone with her to find out what.

Unfortunately, patience was not his strongest suit.

Eventually, Luke and Mary were ready to leave, so they headed to the carriage awaiting them outside the estate, to take them into town. Because Luke was so keen to sit beside his bride-to-be, that left Martin far closer to Susanna than he was ready for.

The seat was small, which made their legs brush against one another every single time the carriage bumped over any of the cobblestones ahead of them. The sensation of her knee near his made his heart hammer so hard against his ribcage that he feared it might burst free.

It had to be because this was forbidden, that was all he could think of. He was so drawn to Susanna because he knew that he could not have her. That was why he could not even look her way, because he was afraid that she might notice how attracted to her he was.

“Are you looking forward to seeing the town?” he asked, hoping to cover up how crazed he felt inside.

“Yes, I am sure it will be lovely,” Susanna replied stiffly.

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