Page 52 of Empowered By the Earl (Second Sons of London 3)

Adalyn and Everett entered the dining room and went around greeting each of their guests individually. When they reached her, Adalyn said, “My parents should be arriving by noon today. Papa had some business to finish up in town, which is why they are arriving a bit later than everyone else.”

“Oh, I look forward to seeing them,” Louisa said. To those sitting around her, she added, “I have been staying with Lord and Lady Uxbridge while my father has been at the congress in Vienna.”

Adalyn and Everett moved on and those gathered near her began talking about the end of the long war with Bonaparte and England’s hopes for how this conference would turn out. Viscount Hurley had definite opinions, having been in the army and fighting against Bonaparte, while Lord Boxling seemed to know quite a bit as well from his time in the House of Lords. Both men asked several questions of Louisa and she answered openly and honestly, wanting to see their reactions to the fact that a woman had not only an opinion but an informed one.

To her delight, neither gentleman seemed a bit judgmental and both asked several follow-up questions of her. By the time the conversation wound down, she looked about and realized they were the last ones remaining in the dining room.

“Will you be riding this morning, Miss Goulding?” asked Lord Hurley.

Lord Boxling quickly answered for her, saying, “Yes, Miss Goulding has promised to ride with me this morning. Are you also coming along, Hurley?”

Louisa sensed the sudden tension in the air between the two men and almost laughed aloud, realizing she was the source of it. Nothing of the sort had ever happened to her. Once again, she had to thank Owen for helping her to blossom and empowering her with a confidence she had previously lacked. She had always been self-assured when dealing with her father and the many men who came through their townhouse but this new social confidence surprised her. It felt good to possess it. To be a woman that not one—but two—men were interested in.

“Shall we head to the stables then?” she asked.

Both men rose quickly and Lord Boxling was the first to help her from her chair. He tucked her hand possessively into the crook of his arm and guided her from the dining room. Lord Hurley followed fast on their heels.

When they reached the stables, it was a flurry of activity, as grooms were bringing out various horses for so many riders.

Her favorite groom, Georgie, approached and said, “Don’t worry, Miss Goulding. I have made sure to save Fancy for you. I’ll bring her out now if you are ready for her.”

“Thank you, Georgie, please do so.”

Lord Boxling chuckled. “It seems you have charmed both servants and guests at Cliffside alike, Miss Goulding.”

Louisa could not hide the blush that rose high on her cheeks.

Viscount Hurley claimed her attention with a question and they continued to converse until Fancy was brought out for her, as well as a mount for each viscount.

“Here, let me assist you into the saddle,” Lord Boxling said, his hands clasping her waist and placing her into the saddle.

Lord Boxling’s touch was pleasant but it did not bring about the tingles that Owen’s did. Louisa rid herself of the thought. Owen was not for her. She must look to her future and not the brief past she had shared with him. As she waited for her escort to mount, she glanced about the yard and saw Owen already mounted upon Galahad. He was in conversation with Miss Peterson. Louisa liked Miss Peterson very much. The woman was pretty and well-spoken. It would be lovely if Owen would consider Miss Peterson to be his countess. He would have to wed at some point and it might as well be with a woman Louisa enjoyed being around. Because of her closeness to her cousins, no matter the man she married, she would always be visiting back and forth with Adalyn and Tessa. That would mean seeing Owen over the decades to come. She hoped she could be friendly with the wife he selected and that they, too, could continue the friendship they had struck up. She hadn’t really known that men and women could be friends but she hoped she could with Owen.

As the last rider mounted, Louisa quickly counted heads and determined that only Adalyn, Tessa, and Spencer were not among their group. She knew Adalyn had given up riding because of the child she carried and also thought her cousin would be making last-minute preparations for her parents’ arrival, especially since this would be their first time to visit Cliffside since their daughter had wed Everett.

“I thought I would take us on a tour of Cliffside,” Everett told the group. “We should be gone a couple of hours. Her Grace will have refreshments waiting for us when we return.”

Everett led the way and others began to fall in line behind him, including Lord Hurley. As Louisa started to move Fancy forward, Lord Boxling turned to her.

“You have probably ridden every inch of Cliffside during the past month,” he commented.

“Yes. Georgie, the groom, took me to all four corners and everywhere in-between.”

She neglected to mention the week Owen had first spent with her as they rode the estate and surrounding area.

Lord Boxling’s penetrating gaze caused her heart to skip a beat. “The group is so large. Why don’t you show me some of your favorite places at Cliffside, Miss Goulding?”

Before Owen had made her believe in herself, Louisa would have shied from such a request. Instead, she boldly met the viscount’s gaze.

“I would be most happy to, my lord.”

With that, she nudged Fancy and settled into a canter, Lord Boxling quickly at her side.

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