Page 7 of Tutoring the Charming Earl

In fact, she thought perhaps he might even be shy.

The thought made her warm toward him, though he had done nothing at all to encourage her. She found herself smiling at him kindly, hoping to put him at ease.

It seemed she knocked him sideways instead.

He stumbled a bit as he hurried toward her. “What sort of book were you looking for?”

“Uh…” She scrambled to think of a topic that would make her appear as intelligent and serious as her host. Oh, what did it matter? She had no reputation to protect. Besides, she was certain no one could be as serious as he. “I do not suppose there is anything in the romance genre around here, is there?”

He looked at her as though she’d spoken Greek.

“Never mind,” she mumbled.

“No, no,” he said quickly. “I was merely thinking.” He took three steps to the left and reached up to the third shelf, pulling out a book and handing it to her without a second glance.

She blinked in surprise. “My goodness, either you have an excellent memory or you are very well acquainted with the books in this library if you are able to pull out a book without even looking.”

She could not be sure in the dim lighting, but she was fairly certain he blushed.

No, that could not be right.

“A little of both, I suppose,” he said.

She glanced down at the book in her hands and fought a laugh. “Sonnets.”

How did it seem so uncharacteristic and yet so utterly lovely that this stiff, proper earl knew exactly where to find the poetry?

She glanced up at him through her lashes. “You can be honest with me, my lord. Are you secretly a poet?”

His eyes widened in his most expressive look yet. He quite aptly expressed horror, to be precise. “Er…no. Pardon me? No. No, of course not.”

Her smile widened. “I was merely teasing, my lord.”

He stiffened. “Of course.”

She instantly felt regret. He might look untouched by the world around him but she had a suspicion that was all a façade. In fact…

She looked from him to the book in her hands. She was starting to believe perhaps he wasn’t unfeeling at all. Indeed, it was starting to seem as though he felt more than most.

She softened her smile as well as her tone. “I would not be surprised to find you were a poet at heart, I think.”

A slight hitch of one brow was the only answer to that.

She nodded, her eyes narrowing as though she were deep in thought. “Yes, I think you are quite a romantic.” She gave him a bright smile. “But then, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, should I? You are, after all, the Earl of Charm.”

She’d meant to tease him about the well-known moniker, to lighten the seemingly ever-present seriousness in those dark eyes. She’d meant to rid the air of this tension that she could not quite explain. She’d never felt intimidated in a man’s presence before—not the most dashing, nor the most handsome. There was no reason for her to feel it now.

He looked down at the ground and the only clue to his feelings was a tick in his jaw. “Ah yes, the Earl of Charm.”

She swallowed. It did not take a genius to see that this man was peeved by the comment. “It is a compliment, is it not?”

His eyes shot up, his head still tilted down. It caught her by surprise, making her feel pinned in place like a butterfly in an exhibit. She stayed utterly still as he watched her. Studied her. She felt the tension ease out of him as he lifted his head. “My aunt says that you have a special gift for teaching the rules of society.”

Her brows flew up in surprise at the sudden turn in the conversation, at the almost accusatory tone. “Why, yes. I have been known to give lessons.” She took a step forward toward the fire so she could see him better. So he could see her. “Typically my students are ladies, however—”

“Would you teach me?” he interrupted.

She was stricken into silence at the request. Yes, the Dowager had mentioned that she hoped she might be able to ease conversations at the dinner table and perhaps teach him to dance, but she had not expected this.