Page 28 of Tempting the Earl

The two men stared at each other for a quick moment. Though the look was fleeting, a great deal could be detected in their mutual stare. There was an undeniable, and not entirely covert, battle of wills between them. Though Ainsworth didn’t think it was malevolent so much as...challenging.

The moment was broken when Mrs. Bentley gently laid her hand on her husband’s arm and he tilted his head to give her a quick smile before turning back to Caillie.

“Just let me know anytime you’d like to go adventuring and I’ll escort you myself,” Bentley offered with a wink before adding quickly, “With Miss Morgan’s agreement, of course.”

Ainsworth acknowledged his deference with a casual tilt of her head. “What’s the point in visiting London if we cannae enjoy a wee bit of adventure?”

“Well said,” Mr. Bentley noted with another flashing grin.

“His lordship escorted us to Hyde Park the other day,” Caillie said with a bounce in her seat. “It ended up being a verra harrowing adventure, indeed,” she added with a small laugh.

The earl lowered his chin and gave one of his fleeting smiles. “Indeed,” he replied simply. “Though I suggest we avoid the pond on future visits.”

Caillie laughed again then turned to the Bentleys to explain, “My collie, Bramble, was a bit too eager to introduce himself to the local swans.”

Though his wife’s elegant brows furrowed in minor concern, Mr. Bentley’s blue eyes lit with humor as he leaned forward conspiratorially. “Please tell me His Lordship had to intervene in some dramatic fashion.”

Ainsworth lifted a brow. Was he attempting to tease the earl?

“It really was quite dramatic. And perfectly heroic,” Caillie added with an admiring glance toward the earl.

If Ainsworth had harbored any concern that Caillie might feel intimidated in the presence of her two grown brothers, that moment disabused her of that thought. It was clear to her, if no one else, that the girl had noted the tension between the men and was expertly engaging them both equally in the conversation.

Which was why she probably should have been prepared when Caillie turned to her.

“Wouldnae you agree, Worthy?”

Caught off guard, Ainsworth did her best not to glance to the earl, though she could feel his gaze on her like blue sparks dancing across her skin. “Certainly. His Lordship deflected the fury of the swans with the flare of a matador facing a bull. It was quite a thing to witness.”

Bentley chuckled. “I think I’d have paid to see that.”

Ainsworth smiled, recalling the image of the earl in his shirtsleeves, waving his coat about. Then she also recalled the blood dripping from his fingers after the altercation. He hadn’t come away from the incident unscathed.

As the conversation continued around her, she glanced surreptitiously at the earl’s injured hand where it rested atop his thigh. She noted the small wounds had been well cleaned and didn’t show signs of inflammation. Then his long fingers extended and curled into a fist under her gaze. A strange corresponding stretch and tightening occurred deep inside her. Glancing up in surprise, she found him staring rather intently back at her.

She quickly turned back to the conversation between Caillie and Mrs. Bentley. The lady had asked about any other pets the girl had and Caillie was describing the personalities of each of their hens at Faeglen.

“It sounds like a delightful place to grow up,” Mrs. Bentley noted warmly. Then she looked to Ainsworth. “It’s been just the two of you all these years?”

Ainsworth tensed, wondering at the motive behind the inquiry. But as she met the other woman’s gaze, all she saw was a compassionate curiosity.

“Not quite,” she replied. “We’ve had the help of an older couple at the house and various friends in the village.”

“But no other family,” Mr. Bentley noted with a slight frown.

“We’ve had each other,” Ainsworth noted with her mouth curved into a smile of pride edged with distrust.

“And now we’ve got all of you,” Caillie added brightly.

Ainsworth internally squirmed at how the lass had included her in the statement. These people were Caillie’s family. Not hers.

Luckily, any further discussion on the subject was interrupted as Shaw stepped into the drawing room doorway to announce dinner.

COLIN TOOK A QUICK glance around the table as he focused on maintaining a proper demeanor despite his personal discomfort. Miss Morgan was entertaining them all with a lively story of the first time Caillie decided she’d like to climb onto their huge horse’s back—without Miss Morgan’s knowledge or supervision—and Colin took that moment to assess exactly what was triggering his internal stress.

He’d known Roderick would be his effortlessly charming self and, of course, Mrs. Bentley was all grace and kindness. Together, they managed to make a person feel quite comfortable and relaxed in their company.

Everyone but him, of course. He’d accepted long ago that he’d never really feel truly comfortable around others and always relied on his deeply ingrained comportment to get him through social situations. His stiff awkwardness was only one of the many things for which his father had often denigrated him. He’d worked hard to learn how to mask it in most situations. The strict manners and multitude of rules regarding behavior within polite society had certainly helped.

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