The Earl is Mine by Kieran Kramer Read Free Book Online Page B

neither you nor any male shall interfere with that plan.”
    “Don’t be unreasonable, my lady. What’s done is done. Your stepfather and I—”
    “I’ll scream if you come any closer,” she interrupted him. And she would. She’d scream bloody murder, and she’d have to hope Uncle Bertie’s constitution could endure the ensuing mayhem that was sure to result.
    Mr. Hawthorne looked down at her gown and then back at her face, his expression distinctly admiring. “The only plan you need, dear lady,” he said, “is to wed the right man. And I am he. You’ll forget all about going to Paris once you share my bed.”
    “Don’t you dare mention the word bed again.” Anger and fear made her voice shrill. “I’m losing patience with you. Go now. Or I will scream. I promise you that.”
    “Go ahead and call the guards, or whomever it is you want to come rescue you.” He pulled off a boot and let it fall to the floor with a thunk.
    “What are you doing?”
    “Getting undressed.” He pulled off another boot. “What does it look like?” That boot dropped to the floor, too.
    “Be quiet, you vile man, or you’ll wake the house.”
    He tittered and shrugged off his coat, throwing it on the bed. “If you won’t come with me, I’ll stay here. You’re already in your nightgown. You’ll have to marry me.”
    “No I won’t. I’ll tell Uncle Bertie you entrapped me.”
    He emitted another obnoxious laugh. “Trickle warned me you might not be cooperative.” He’d unraveled his cravat and was fumbling with the ties of his shirt.
    She’d have to convince this awful man to see reason. “Why do you want to marry me? I have only a modest dowry to offer you. This is going a bit far, don’t you think?”
    “You’re a lady, and a beautiful one. I don’t need your money. I only want you in my bed. I have a difficult time meeting women, you see. I seem to intimidate them. Trickle understands.” When he pulled off his shirt, his torso was so thin and white she was reminded of a flounder skeleton left on a platter for a cat to lick clean.
    He flexed his scrawny arms over his head. She grimaced and looked away, not in the least interested in seeing any more of him.
    “Why question your good fortune?” he said. “You’ve landed a virile and wealthy husband. You’ll never get a better offer.”
    She gave a little cry of frustration and spun around to face him. “Is there any way I can bribe you to give me that key and let me go?”
    “No.” His hand was on the placket of his trousers.
    “Don’t touch those trousers,” she said, “and put your shirt back on. I’m warning you.” She picked the linen garment up off the bedcover and tossed it at him.
    He pursed his lips and gave her what he obviously thought was a come-hither look. “You might as well give in. There’s no escape. Trickle and I saw to that before I got here.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    He put his hands on his hips and thrust his scrawny chest out. “There’s someone in the village who’s seen us together and has all the lovely details.” His yellowed smile was complacent.
    “I don’t believe you.” Her heart thumped in her ears. “No one in the village would ever speak against me, no matter how much money Mr. Trickle offered them. They’ve known me since I was a child!”
    “You are a naïve girl, aren’t you?” Once again his hands reached for the placket of his trousers.
    “You won’t get away with this,” she said. “Uncle Bertie trusts me implicitly. And Lord Westdale will call you out. He’ll see you and Mr. Trickle for the liars you are. If I were you, I’d ride away as soon as possible before trouble really hits.”
    She strode to her clothes press and picked up her ivory satin evening gown from the night before, crushing it to her chest. “Stay here if you must. I’m leaving.”
    She walked purposefully to the window, unlatched it, and threw it open. There was a trellis there. It was old and she’d not