My Brown-Eyed Earl by Anna Bennett Read Free Book Online Page A

we shall leave you to your own devices.” Meg led the twins away from the path where London’s elite strolled. Why should she care if the earl was embarrassed to be seen with her? If he were so shallow that he would shun a person for being a bit unfashionable, then she would not waste a single thought on him.
    â€œStay away from the water, girls. I’ll not have you falling in. Come, here’s a nice open space.” Meg and the twins quickly formed a triangle and tossed the ball to one another. Each time the ball flew over their heads, Diana and Valerie squealed in delight and chased it with glee. Their laughter washed over Meg, soothing some of her hurt. They didn’t seem to mind that she dressed like a kitchen maid.
    If only she hadn’t goaded the earl in the library last night, they wouldn’t have had to endure his company today. But he’d provoked her, and she’d responded in kind, and he’d ultimately called her bluff, blast it all.
    â€œMiss Lacey.” Valerie pointed across the lawn. “I think the woman over there is waving to you.”
    Meg turned and raised a hand to her brow, shielding her eyes from the sun. Several yards away, Charlotte waved happily as a young girl skipped beside her.
    â€œWho are they?” Diana asked.
    â€œMy friend Miss Winters and her charge, Abigail.”
    â€œI think she’s our age,” Valerie said.
    â€œI believe she is.” Meg cast a glance at the bench behind her where the earl had been joined by a pretty blond-haired woman in a stunning pink gown. The woman slowly twirled a yellow parasol trimmed in delicate lace while she giggled at something Lord Castleton had said. Her maid stood to the side of them, a discreet distance away. No, the earl would not mind if she introduced the twins to Charlotte and Abigail.
    He was too busy making his next conquest to notice. In fact, Meg doubted he’d notice if she and the girls toppled head-first into the Serpentine.
    â€œMeg!” Charlotte cried as she approached. “What a lovely surprise.” Pink-cheeked and breathless, she pulled Meg into a quick, fierce hug. “How are you faring—well, I hope?”
    She cast a meaningful glance over her shoulder toward the earl. “Quite.”
    Charlotte followed her gaze and nodded. “Well, then,” she said to the girls, smiling, “we must all become acquainted, for I’ve a feeling we’ll be spending many afternoons together.”
    After introductions, Meg handed the ball to Abigail. “Here, you may take my place in the game. You’ll keep up with these two far better than I.”
    While the girls played, Meg and Charlotte walked to the shade of a stately oak nearby. “It’s so wonderful to see you,” Charlotte said. “You look very well, indeed. Are you happy?”
    The question caught Meg off guard. She couldn’t very well tell her friend the truth—not after she’d been so kind as to arrange the interview. “I miss Beth and Julie, of course. But the twins are delightful.”
    Charlotte raised a brow. “And the earl?”
    â€œSo far, we’ve managed to tolerate each other.”
    â€œWhat?” Charlotte’s forehead knitted. “He hasn’t done anything … untoward, I hope?”
    â€œNo,” Meg reassured her. “It’s not that.” She frowned as the girls drifted across the lawn, farther away from her. “I’m going to bring them back here.” She started toward them, but Charlotte placed a hand on her arm.
    â€œThey’re fine. Let them enjoy a bit of freedom.”
    Meg relaxed. Unlike her, Charlotte knew what she was doing. And the girls were in plain sight. “Tell me this gets easier.”
    â€œIt does. Building trust takes time.”
    Meg nodded but was unsure whether her friend referred to the children or the earl.
    â€œYou said that there was some history between you and