Page 5 of Watching the Earl

“You have indeed. You met her at the Marquess of Ferncroft’s Twelfth Night event. She is Lady Georgina, the daughter of Lord Edgerton.”

He envisioned the women at the masquerade and the days that followed. There’d been quite a few. “What costume did she wear?”

“She was dressed as a green bird with orange and yellow feathers.”

The image of a slender woman with quick movements and fast speech entered his head. “Did she have dark brown hair?”

“Yes, she did. Do you remember her?”

“I do, at least in costume. Did she skate the next morning?”

Tamworth rose and shook his head. “You may want to give the people around you a bit more consideration in the future, so as not to miss important clues. Yes, she was skating before we took to the ice.”

Philip searched his brain for an image of the ladies who were already skating, but he’d been so intent on besting Manning and Tamworth in a race that he hadn’t paid much attention. Another instance of his selfishness? “It is of no consequence. When I call upon her, I will know her. She is amenable to this arrangement?”

“She doesn’t have a choice, and to be honest, she could do a lot worse than you.” Tamworth gave him a warm smile.

“Not much worse, but if she’s willing, I am. I can be in Town in two days.”

“Allow me to prepare the lord and lady first. Your regular betting is well known, and if Lord Claremont has already been bragging about how he won, you can be assured Lord Edgerton might have reservations.”

He bristled at the idea that he would not be considered acceptable despite his lineage and the lady’s circumstances. Had he really fallen so far? “Then please do so. I will be at Crestfield awaiting your word to call on Lady Georgina.”

Ready to leave, he almost started for the library’s door but caught himself just in time. Blast. He needed to start thinking beyond himself. Maybe a wife to provide for was just what he needed.

He turned and walked to where Tamworth leaned against the large mahogany desk, then held out his hand. “Thank you for offering me a solution. I will endeavor to make a success of it.”

“I just hope you don’t end up in the same circumstances a year from now, when you have a wife and possible child dependent upon you.”

After Tamworth shook his hand, Philip opened his mouth but promptly shut it. He’d already broken too many promises to his father, to his friends, and to himself. Until he was confident he could keep one, he would no longer make any promises. “Are you coming to Town this year?”

“Only for a fortnight, but if all goes well, Sophie and I will gladly attend your wedding.”

He gave a nod and headed for the door. As he left the house and climbed into his coach, which he’d hardly used until he knew it would be sold, he ruminated over Tamworth’s final words.

The message was clear. Tamworth expected an invitation to the wedding and would be coming to Town to check the results.

As the carriage rumbled along the dirt road toward Crestfield, a new feeling of hope filled him. If the lady in question accepted his suit, he was quite sure they could rub along well. He wasn’t a difficult man to live with. At least, he didn’t think he was.

He tried again to bring the image of Lady Georgina to mind. If she was to be his for the rest of his life, he should know what she looked like. But as he tried to remember the skaters that morning, or even the ladies at dinner the next day, he couldn’t see the face of the slender woman with dark hair.

He relaxed back into the cushion of the seatback. It was of no consequence. He would marry her and save his father’s legacy, a legacy he hadn’t known he cared about until it was about to be taken away.

Even at the mere thought, his stomach tensed. Hope was not the same as relief, and his hope could be shattered in a matter of days. He needed to do whatever was necessary to win over the lady and her parents. He sat straight as his mind raced. He would call on Lord Manning on the morrow to see if that man had any insight into Lord Edgerton. Then he would have his solicitor find a townhouse to rent for the Season.

No, he didn’t wish to incur more debt until he knew the full extent of his future wife’s dowry, if she agreed to marry him. Better to rent rooms until he was sure of his circumstances.

Feeling better with a plan, he sat back again, anxious to arrive home. He had much to do.

Chapter Three

“Georgina, do sit down. You’re giving me a headache.”

She stopped and sat in the closest chair, the one at the small writing desk next to the window in the parlor.

“Not there. Over here. This is where we receive callers. Whatever is wrong with you? It’s as if your head is in the clouds.”

Dutifully, she rose and walked to the chair next to the settee. Her mother sat in a chair on the other side of it. Even after fifty years and eight children, or maybe because of it, Lady Edgerton was a force that could not be easily withstood. Still, Georgina hesitated to sit—her nerves made her anxious, and the need to walk or even run just kept building. “Are you sure he’s coming today?”