Page 4 of Tutoring the Charming Earl

They both seemed to find this highly amusing, and Alex looked on with bemusement and more than a little tenderness as they collapsed into a fit of giggles. It had been far too long since he’d seen his sister laugh so much. Not since Frederick had been alive.

“You see?” Aunt Gertie said with a warm grin as she watched them as well. “I have brought you assistance.”

“I wasn’t aware I needed any assistance,” he said stiffly. He might have been very well aware of his shortcomings, both as an earl and as a guardian, but he hardly enjoyed having them pointed out.

“You don’t mind that we’ve arrived early, do you, dear?” His great aunt did not form this so much as a question than as a statement. “You see, I’d learned that the Hollisters will be at their family home for the holidays,” she said, her sidelong gaze met his with such mischief it could not be ignored.

He stiffened at the mention of their neighbors. He liked the Hollisters, he always had. But no one had liked the Hollisters—more specifically, their daughter Olivia—more than Frederick. He and Olivia had been engaged to marry only weeks before the tragic hunting accident that had ended his life. But though their official engagement had been short, their courtship had been lifelong. Olivia was the same age as Alex, only two years younger than Frederick, and everyone had seen them as the perfect pair even when they were in the nursery.

Frederick and Olivia. The fated couple. The perfect earl with his enchanting bride-to-be.

They were the shining hope for their families, and now, with one ridiculous accident, it had all been destroyed.

But his great aunt was not the only one who seemed to think that he ought to honor his brother’s promise by taking Frederick’s place as Olivia’s husband.

His stomach churned at the thought. Not out of any great distaste for Olivia—she had always been lovely to him and to his sister. She was beautiful and refined. She’d make a fine countess.

But he was not Frederick, and no one knew that better than Olivia. No one would feel the lack in comparison as keenly as she.

Aunt Gertie must have misread his apprehension, because she came to stand beside him and patted his arm in a maternal gesture. “Do not fear, Alex. I have brought my young friend to benefit you, as well. Under her tutelage you will be sure to win the heart of your fair neighbor.”

His mouth went dry at the thought. He had no desire to win her heart. Not like that. He’d always thought of her as another sister, and she—well, he hardly thought it fair to ask her to look upon him with the same affection she bore for his brother.

Olivia might have been fair, and there was no doubt that she would be an equal as far as ancestry, fortune, and land. She was the perfect match for the Earl of Charmian. Offering for her hand would be the right thing to do, it would do well by his brother’s memory, and it would be the responsible choice for the earldom. It was for the best, and yet…

“Should she refuse, you will have any number of other options.” Aunt Gertie seemed determined to misread him. One of the downfalls of having one’s default expression be a glare or a scowl or a frown.

He had not quite figured out how he ought to respond to the comment that he could have his pick of ladies when Tess and Clara interrupted and joined the conversation.

“I am so glad you’re home, Alex,” his sister said with a warm smile. “Now that the whole family is here, we shall have a splendid Christmastide, I just know it.”

He felt that warmth again, the one that made his chest ache. The whole family. It wasn’t the whole family, there was a noticeable absence, but seeing his sister’s delight at his arrival was heartening nonetheless.

“And we’ll have so many visitors,” she said, sitting upright with a flourish.

Clara beside her had already straightened and was sitting beside his sister, her hands clasped in her lap with a polite smile fixed firmly in place.

Extraordinary. The woman seated before him looked every bit the picture of propriety. Gone was the whirling dervish with the devilish glint in her eyes. There was no hint of that other girl. In her place was a demure paragon of womanly virtue.

He found himself transfixed by the change in her. So much so, his aunt nudged his side as she rose from the pianoforte. “I see someone has already caught your eye,” she said under her breath.

He stiffened, tearing his gaze away from the prim and proper young lady before him to scowl at his aunt instead. “Do not be ridiculous.”

Gertie merely smiled, ignoring him as she went to join her companion on the settee, sitting in the seat Tess had abandoned when she went to ring for refreshments.

Imagine. Him interested in Miss Clara Lovelace. It was unthinkable. He’d heard the stories—everyone had. Poor girl had been done wrong by her parents, that much was certain, but it did not change the fact that she was a scandal. Definitely not a viable option for a countess.

He adored his aunt for her generous spirit in taking the girl in as a companion, but that was the most his family could do for her. He was the earl now. There were expectations that came with the role. His father had lived up to those, his brother had exceeded them. Now it was his turn.

Family. Duty. Legacy. These were the words that ruled his life.

He viciously shoved aside the burning bitter taste that followed the now-familiar lecture. He was lecturing himself, but it was his father’s voice he heard. His father’s speech as he drilled it into Frederick.

Alex had always been spared the speech. The spare had been spared. Ha!

There it was again. The bitter taste he so abhorred. Contrary to what most likely believed, he’d never envied his brother. In fact, he’d always pitied him, just a bit. He watched as his brother did what was expected, never knowing the fine satisfaction that came from paving one’s own way, from choosing a livelihood that was satisfying and true to one’s self.

Alex had been lucky. His family had been wealthy enough to provide him a living so he was free to pursue his studies of plants and agriculture. He was able to stay in his little corner of the world and contribute to society with his papers and his findings.