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“As you wish,” she said, in a tight voice. “But you still must give me your word you will not speak about my solitary ride in Hyde Park. I really must insist, sir.”
To her surprise, he laughed outright. “Do you now? And what will you do if I refuse to comply?” He took a step closer to her, gazing down at her. “I do not take orders well, my lady. Even from beautiful ladies like you.”
Olivia glared at him. How insufferably rude he was!
“Do you know who I am?” Her voice was full of steel. “I am the granddaughter of the Earl of Weaver, sir! And you are nothing but a common man. You should learn how to speak to your betters, Captain Fletcher.”
He did not like that. His eyes narrowed. Olivia felt a shiver of apprehension, which was odd.
“I think you will discover soon that you need better manners when addressing me, my lady,” he said, his blue eyes shooting off sparks. “For I may just have your entire future resting in the palm of my hand.”
Olivia took a step back. What on earth was he saying? Was he quite mad?
“Who do you think you are that you can say such a thing to me?” She was shaking with anger now. “I do not even know you! You are a stranger to me. You refuse to tell me anything about how you know my grandfather or why you are here. And then you talk to me as if I am a lowly serving wench in my own home. For shame, Captain Fletcher.”
His eyes flickered. He did not look in the least perturbed by what she had just said, nor the tone in which she had said it. Olivia had never had to remind someone of their manners or how to speak to a high-born lady in her life before. Who was this arrogant man, who thought he could just waltz into her home and have the authority to speak to her in this way?
“I am going to tell my grandfather how you spoke to me,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I think you shall find you will no longer be welcome at Essington Manor. He will have your head on a spike.”
To her shock, he just shrugged. “Do your worst, my lady. For I think you are about to discover that I shall always be welcome at Essington Manor and that you do not control me nor everything around you.”
Olivia glared at him. She wanted to stomp her foot like a child. She had never met a more intolerable man.
“Olivia.” It was her grandfather’s voice behind her.
She spun around. The Earl was standing there, gazing at her impassively. “I need to speak with you, my dear. Immediately.” His voice was firm.
Olivia’s jaw dropped. He sounded angry or upset. It was most unusual. Her grandfather was always so placid and did not have a temper at all.
“Come along, my dear,” he said, taking her arm. “We need to speak inside.”
He led her away. Olivia glanced back at Captain Fletcher. The man was just standing there watching them go. He made no attempt to follow them. She felt a shiver of apprehension again.
The whole situation—the man’s sudden appearance at Essington Manor, the fact he would not tell her why he was here or how he knew her grandfather, his appalling manners—was strange, indeed. Unprecedented. She did not like it. What was going on? And why did her grandfather need to speak to her so urgently?
***
Alexander watched the earl walk off with his granddaughter. He cursed underneath his breath. He had let her rile him, and he regretted it now.
He was not used to dealing with spoilt, stuck-up ladies like her. She was the first one he had ever spoken with. Lady Olivia Oakley was high spirited but used to getting her own way. Her grandfather had clearly cossetted her. The problem was, he was used to being in command now. The role of subservient puppy dog was not to his liking at all.
He should not have been so rude to her, and he did regret it. She was about to get a shock. Her whole well-ordered, predictable life was about to be turned upside down. How was she going to take the news that he was going to inherit this house and the Earldom? How was she going to take the news that her grandfather wanted her to marry him, as well?
Not well, by the looks of things.
He cursed again. They had gotten off to a bad start and he was not sure how to turn it around. She would probably be more hostile towards him after her grandfather delivered the news. And now, Alexander was not sure at all if any of this was worth it.
He had almost been seduced into accepting the inheritance and agreeing to marry her. But he was not sure at all any longer. The thought of marriage made him shudder with distaste anyway. The thought of marriage to a hostile, unwilling woman even worse, no matter how beautiful she was. He did not think all the riches and glory in the land could compensate for it.
