Page 70 of Surrender to the Earl
But although Blythe was able to finish driving home, she was not to be consoled that day, and fled to spend the rest of it in her room. This sensitive side to her sister was new, and Audrey didn’t know what to make of it.
She played mournful tunes on the piano and tried to consider what she should do about the rumors concerning the Sanfords’ oldest daughter and wished she could discuss it with Robert. She missed him far too much for a woman who firmly believed she could live without a husband. Was it her place to confront them, so they knew what people were saying? Or perhaps they didn’tcare, as long as they misledher, the woman who had the power to let the entire family go. Then, how would they support their grandchild?
By nightfall, she’d decided to do nothing—their shame wasn’t her business, and perhaps the gossip wasn’t even true. Yet, it would make more sense, why they were trying to mislead her …
Wouldn’t it?
16
Before dinner the next day, Audrey waited in the drawing room for Blythe, feeling chilled from the dreary, misty rain that had fallen all day. She may not have been able to see it, but the steady patter of rain was like someone strumming every last nerve. The dampness seemed to seep into the house. She’d been warm in Molly’s bedroom, where Molly had begun to write the invitations for the new annual tenants’ feast. It would take several days to do, since Molly still needed to rest after an hour of writing.
But since Audrey had come downstairs, she’d begun to shiver. With a sudden determination to prove that she wasn’t helpless, she knelt before the hearth and felt the empty coal grate. There was a bucket of coal nearby, and plenty of kindling. So she began to pile the kindling, and with a match, encouraged a steady flame, feeling the heat with her hands, trying to judge it. The kindling had to be hot enough to spark the coal. Eventually she shoveled on small coal chips and waited for their ignition, feeling even that little bit of warmth.
“So you’re doing the work of your servants now?” Robert suddenly asked.
She gave a start and had to put out a hand to keep from toppling into the coal grate. “My word, Robert, what happened to our signals?”
“I didn’t think we ever settled on one.”
“There was that handy invention, the knock,” she said dryly.
But even as she tried to be calm and sarcastic and oh so above it all, her heart pounded at the sound of his voice, and she felt all warm and happy inside.
Oh, this wasn’t good. She was getting too caught up in him, too used to his help, his presence, his sensual attention.
She swallowed. “I didn’t want to bother the servants as they prepared for dinner. I tried to do this myself.”
“Not bad,” he said, coming to stand above her.
She could almost feel the warmth of him, the vibrancy, as he stood beside her, his limbs so near.
“I think the coal chips are hot enough to add larger. Shall I?”
“No,” she said, taking up the little shovel again, and by the sensation of warmth, adding more large pieces. She heard a few fall off, but that didn’t matter. At last, she stood up, dusting her hands against each other, knowing she would have to wash up before dinner. “How was London?”
“Still rather sparse. But your sister seemed to put word in the right ears, for everywhere I went, people asked about our engagement. You are the mysterious woman no one has ever met, and you swept aside my normal soldier’s caution.”
“Powerful, aren’t I?” But she couldn’t help her laughter.
“One of my distant cousins wanted to host an engagement party.”
Her laughter died. “Oh, my. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s the first time we’ve ever taken notice of each other. And, of course, I am an earl, and to host such an event would be quite the accomplishment.”
“You’re so cynical. Perhaps he just wants to get to know you, since you’ve been gone nine years.”
“Maybe.”
She heard his approach, and suddenly, she wanted to forestall however he might attempt to weaken her senses. “The servants tried another little trick.”
“Doing what?” he asked flatly.
“They said there was no milk for breakfast, that the dairymaid had been having problems with our cows.”
“Audrey—”
“So I went out to the dairy barn myself, only to hear that the dairymaid had sent in the pails before dawn, as she did every morning.”
