Page 33 of Empowered By the Earl (Second Sons of London 3)

“Slowly here,” he cautioned. “It’s a bit dense but a nice shortcut between our properties.”

They came out the other side of the thick woods and Owen galloped away. With her newfound confidence, Louisa followed at the same pace.

He took her around the entire estate and they even stopped to speak to a few of his tenants. She noticed that Owen called everyone by name. Despite the fact he was not brought up to be an earl, she knew he would be a good one. His capacity for leadership, either innate or taught to him by the army, would make him excel in his earldom.

Finally, they came to the house. It was not as enormous as Cliffside but all the same, it was most impressive in size and looks.

“Would you like to go inside?”

Louisa hesitated. “We have already ridden for longer than usual this morning and still need to return to Cliffside. Don’t you have things to do?”

He laughed and the sound fluttered on the breeze, making her chest grow tight. “I am the earl, you know. I make my own schedule—and today, I have made time for you.”

She sensed her cheeks heating and glanced away, staring at the house again.

“Yes, I would love to see your house,” she told him. “A quick tour would be nice.”

“Let’s go to the stables then and leave the horses there.”

He led her around the side of the house and to the stables, where he told a groom to water the horses and give them a bit to eat.

“Not too much because Miss Goulding and I will be riding them back to Cliffside in an hour or so.”

“Yes, my lord,” said the groom, leading the mounts away.

Owen slipped her hand through his arm and said, “I am famished. We’ll cut through the kitchens and let Cook know we need some tea and cakes to fortify us before our tour.”

They entered and the scullery maids went about their jobs as usual, leading Louisa to believe that the master of the house often cut through the kitchens on his way to and from the stables.

He came to stand in front of a stout woman with a kind face and graying hair.

“Cook, this is Miss Goulding. We’ve been out riding and could use a spot of tea and something to eat. Is there anything available?”

“There are some of those raspberry scones, my lord. Would you like those with a bit of clotted cream?”

“That would be perfect, Cook. With tea, please.”

Guiding her toward a small table in the corner of the room, he pulled out a chair. Louisa realized he meant for them to sit in the kitchens.

And liked him all the better for it.

After they were seated, Owen said, “This was my favorite room at Danfield. I didn’t see much of my parents. Being a spare and not the heir, my father had little use for me. Ev and I were close in proximity and age and we would roam between Danfield and Cliffside. Cook always made us feel welcomed here. Ev and I would eat cakes and biscuits and sample dishes that were being prepared.”

He smiled and she said, “You have many happy memories here.”

“I do. My brother was six years my senior and spent all his time with Ev’s brother, who was the same age. Both Lawford and Mervyn, Ev’s brother, were together from the time they were boys until they were attacked.”

Briefly, he told her about what had happened. How Mervyn had quickly died, his injuries severe, while Lawford lingered for months until his recent death.

By then, Cook had brought over steaming cups of tea and two plates of the promised scones, along with a jar of clotted cream. They ate as Owen told a few stories about his and Ev’s boyhood adventures and how they met Spencer when they first went away to school.

“We were a trio as thick as thieves until university. The Second Sons expanded our number to five with two cousins, Percival Perry and Winston Cutler, officers in His Majesty’s army.”

A shadow crossed his face. “Do you miss those friends terribly?”

Owen nodded. “It’s not just missing them. It’s worrying about them. Having been at war for years, I know exactly what they face every day. The perils. The pitfalls. The law of averages has some men return home and others fall. I would hate in our group of five to lose one of them, especially after so many years at war.”

“But England is no longer at war with Bonaparte,” she protested. “That ended this past April. Surely, they are safe now.”

---