Page 8 of The Earl’s Inconvenient Nemesis

“You have?” Alice found herself saying before she could stop herself.

“You need not sound so surprised,” Anthony laughed.

“I am surprised,” Alice admitted. “It is no secret that we do not get along.”

“It is true we used to bicker occasionally, but we have been perfectly friendly and pleasant to one another!” Anthony countered. “What do you call going riding together almost every day!”

“An obligation to my brother?”

“It is not an obligation,” said Anthony, gently. “It has been a pleasure to have your company.”

“We have barely spoken on our rides for over a week!”

“I apologise,” Anthony said. “I have been in a contemplative mood, but I would not want you to imagine that these rides are not … honestly the highlight of my day.”

Alice felt her mouth drop open in surprise and quickly closed it. “The highlight of your day?” she repeated.

“Yes,” shrugged Anthony. “My father… he is not the easiest person to live with and recently….” He stopped, seemingly unsure whether he was going to say anything else. He shook his head, apparently deciding he had nothing more to add.

“Has your father done something to upset you?” Alice asked before she could stop herself. She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. Why was she so nosy?

“No, of course not,” said Anthony, quickly. “He is just…” he trailed off, looking straight ahead at the path they rode on. “I would rather not discuss it,” he said finally.

Alice nodded in understanding. For as long as she could remember she had been petrified of Anthony’s father. The man was huge and impatient. He also always seemed to be in a bad mood, and Alice made sure to stay well out of his way. He was notorious for not wanting people in his house anyway, so her family did not spent a lot of time on the neighbouring estate, despite Anthony’s mother being more than welcoming, if rather shy and timid.

Anthony’s family moved onto the estate eleven years before when his father inherited. Somehow Anthony had been almost immediately sort of adopted into Alice’s family and it was accepted that when he was home from school he would be at their house most days. The fact that he seemed so much happier to spend time in their home rather than his own was never discussed but just accepted. Alice could still remember feeling put out that her adored big brother was suddenly so much more interested in playing with his new friend rather than his little sister, but she always had plenty to do with the animals she so loved, and she took to spending even more time with them.

Anthony was quiet for the rest of the walk. Alice worried she had done something to offend him, especially when he barely said goodbye to her when they returned to the stables. He got off his horse and went into the house, presumably to find Henry. She knew they had some university reading they had been putting off so far and needed to get settled into.

She was not sure if Anthony would want to ride with her the next day but when she came out to the stables at the usual time, he was there waiting for her. He gave her a smile as she approached and mounted her horse.

His quiet mood of the day before appeared to have lifted, and he asked Alice about her new governess, Miss Shaw, teasing Alice that she had scared her predecessor off by turning up to lessons smelling of horse.

They rode for a couple of hours and were both laughing as they trotted back to the stables. An out-of-breath stable boy Alice did not recognise came running over to Anthony. “Sir! Your father has been taken gravely ill. You must come home at once.”

Anthony’s face paled. Without a word or backward glance, he spurred his horse into a gallop and disappeared down the drive.

The next time Alice saw him was at his father’s funeral a few days later. He stood pale and rigid beside his mother, every inch the new Earl of Tonbridge. Their eyes met only once. Alice offered a small, sympathetic smile, which he returned with a brief nod before departing with his mother to stay with relatives.

When Alice encountered Anthony again some weeks later, he made no mention of their shared rides, nor did he ever offer to accompany her again. It seemed he had returned to preferring the company of Henry and his university friends to that of his best friend’s little sister.

Chapter Four

Alice felt decidedly shaken as she stepped out of the carriage onto the tree-lined Mayfair avenue her aunt lived on. She had never travelled well. None of her siblings had ever wanted to sit next to her when they journeyed as children for fear she would cast up her accounts over them. Judging by the indignant yowls from the carrying container by Alice’s feet, Duchess shared her low opinion of carriage travel.

“I am sorry,” she murmured to her pet as she stared up at her aunt’s imposing four-storey townhouse. It was the perfect base for her to partake in the London Season. She had visited once or twice years ago, but always with the rest of her family. In fact, this was the first time she had travelled anywhere by herself. She straightened her spine and pulled herself up to her full, rather unimpressive, height. She needed to do this for her siblings, and she would. She possessed good family connections, a decent dowry and, though her looks were not fashionable - her hair being too dark, her stature too small, and her skin too tanned from rarely remembering to wear a hat when she was out riding - they were pleasing enough.

Still, as two elegantly dressed ladies glided past and gave her a dismissive glance, Alice’s confidence wavered. She got the impression that she had been immediately recognised as a country girl playing at being a lady of the Ton. Well, she would be changing that soon enough. She would make an appointment with a modiste as soon as possible and have some new clothes made.

Charlotte and Margaret would love to go with her, she knew. They were desperate to see the new designs from Paris, and she felt a pang that they were not there, even though they would drive to distraction within five minutes of being in the dressmaker’s shop. No, it was far better that she did this by herself. That way she could have as much control over the situation as possible and not be overwhelmed by her siblings all attempting to assist her.

She needed to do this her way or she simply would not be able to go through with it. She had spent her life vowing that she would never ever put herself in this situation and it was going to take all of her willpower not to back out of it.

She reached down and felt for the list in her reticule. She suspected she had it memorised by now. The twenty most eligible bachelors who would likely be interested in marrying a woman of her rank currently in London for the Season. Surely one of them would be a suitable husband.

The very next day, Alice found herself doubting the sense of her resolve as she peered around the pillar she was half hidden behind. Her heart hammered inside her chest. She watched the fellow attendees of the ball, wishing she felt as confident as they all appeared to be in this place.

Aunt Jane had chosen a relatively modest affair to ease her into society, yet the glittering chandeliers, the swirl of colourful gowns, and the press of elegant strangers felt utterly overwhelming, not to mention rather grander than she was used to. And she had planned to spend more than just one night in London before making her debut into society. But Aunt Jane was a force to be reckoned with and Alice had put herself in her aunt’s hands. Alice knew next to nothing about London society and she valued her aunt’s advice. If anyone was going to get her married by the end of the season, it was Aunt Jane.