Page 25 of Tempting the Earl

Rather than being offended by the odd remark, she experienced a tingling rush of warmth through her blood. Tilting her head to eye him with feigned offense, she asked, “What doesnae suit me? Propriety?” When he took a breath to deny her interpretation, she added in a cheeky tone, “Are you calling me a hoyden, Lord Wright?”

She saw the moment he realized she was teasing, and the sudden spark lighting his gaze sizzled across her nerves. An intriguing curl formed at the corner of his mouth as he replied in an even tone, “I’d never dare such a thing, Miss Morgan.”

Her belly fluttered wildly for no explicable reason as she found herself staring quite intently into the striking blue of his eyes. She wished he would dare. That and more.

Then, to her intense annoyance, the man directed his focus forward again. His aristocratic profile told her nothing of his thoughts. It was probably for the best, since she found herself at an utter loss in discerning her own.

Chapter Nine

Ainsworth took a deep breath in front of her full-length mirror. Steeling herself for the evening ahead.

Though Caillie and the earl had started meeting each day for a casual lunch as they got to know each other, Ainsworth had claimed a variety of reasons to continue taking their evening meals in their sitting room. But such evasive tactics had run their course and there would be no getting out of the expectation tonight. Apparently, Mr. Roderick Bentley was anxious to meet his half sister. And from the way the earl had delivered the news, Ainsworth suspected he wasn’t entirely pleased by the intrusion.

Not that he’d given any indication of such in his tone or manner. But she’d started noticing the earl had a few very subtle tells which he failed to conceal during moments of discomfort or distress.

At the park, when he’d realized Caillie might be in danger from the furious swans, a furrowed line of concern had appeared between his brows.

And when he’d first arrived at Faeglen, he’d stood very still with his wrist clasped behind his back. She’d come to determine he only stood like that when he was determined to remain unemotional. The glorious pacing he’d displayed that day appeared to be singular aberration.

And then there was the tensing and releasing of the muscles in his jaw. She wasn’t sure yet what that signified, but she seemed to trigger it rather frequently. No doubt, it had something to do with suppressing his irritation.

When he’d mentioned Mr. Bentley’s expected attendance at dinner, he’d lowered his eyelids ever so slightly over his gaze in a way that suggested a subtle lack of interest, but which she highly suspected was actually a signal of displeasure.

It was all sort of fascinating—how seriously the earl seemed to work at appearing detached.

Whatever his reticence was regarding his half brother, tonight brought the earl one step closer to his goal of drawing Caillie into his world. Which meant the earl’s curious manner could not be her main concern.

She made a face of disgust and frustration at her reflection. After her father’s death and then Caillie’s birth, there had been far more important things to worry about than the many ridiculous niceties expected of a gently born lady. But some things were too deeply ingrained to be totally forgotten. She’d done her part in passing along the lessons of polite society to Caillie even though she’d secretly doubted ever having a proper excuse to use them.

Yet now, here she was, dressed in her finest gown of peacock blue, with a corset that cut off her breath and pushed her rather full bosoms to the edge of her neckline. Her hair had been expertly dressed by Gracie. The petite-statured but formidable maid had brushed aside Ainsworth’s insistence that she could manage her own toilet with the bluntly stated comment, “Yes, miss, but I’d do it better.”

And she’d been right.

Ainsworth had never been able to tame her thick mane of tangled waves and curls into anything so elegant. As a result of Gracie’s expert skill, the image in the mirror no longer looked like the woman she’d become.

If not for the very familiar light of defiance in her green eyes, she’d think it a stranger staring back at her.

“Goodness, Worthy! Look at you,” Caillie breathed in open awe as she stepped into the room.

They’d already established that the doors between their bedrooms and the sitting room would remain open unless there was some specific need for privacy. Ainsworth had suggested it their first night when she’d sensed the girl’s reluctance to go to bed alone in the unfamiliar house. The open doors allowed them to feel more connected even though a full room stood between them.

Ainsworth pulled another face in the mirror that made the girl laugh as she intended. But then she turned to stare at Caillie with wide eyes. “And who exactly is this lovely lass before me?”

Caillie grinned and fluffed her pale pink skirts. “Gracie thought the pink would be a nice choice for tonight. And she added these satin ribbons to my hair. Do you like it?”

“I love it,” Ainsworth replied in earnest. Despite her own dissatisfaction with the extra focus on appearances this evening, for a girl who loved to tromp about the countryside, Caillie also adored getting dressed up every now and then. And she looked undeniably lovely in her fancy frock and beribboned tresses.

And frighteningly grown up.

Then she skipped forward and hopped unceremoniously onto the bed, proving she was still a young, impulsive girl after all. “I can’t believe I’m going to meet another one of my brothers tonight,” she exclaimed as she flopped back to stare up at the ceiling before adding in a softer voice, “Do you think he’ll like me?”

“He’ll adore you,” Ainsworth assured firmly as she came to sit beside the girl. “The more important question is whether or not you’ll like him.”

The girl considered that for just a second. “The earl has been so wonderful, I’m just afraid to think I could be so lucky as to have two perfect brothers.”

Ainsworth nearly choked on her laugh. “Perfect? The earl?”

Caillie lifted her brows in surprise. “You dinnae think so?”

---