Belonging To The Earl

10.

If it weren’t for her mother’s atrocious devotion to matchmaking, Emily thought as she descended towards the drawing room, she wouldn’t have even considered an audience with the dastardly Lord Brighton. After facing the miserable afternoon, all she really wanted to do was be left to her affairs, social etiquette be damned. 

Being stood up by a potential suitor was one thing; but being stood up by a stranger was another thing entirely, given how pleasant their meeting the previous evening had been. She’d thought the mystery man to be quite charming, civil as her mother would like, and perfectly mysterious to keep her hooked. But he’d turn out to be less of a gentleman than she would have predicted. 

A true gentleman would never stand up a lady, no matter the reason. 

To make matters worse, her corset was unbelievably tight, with the strings pulled to near breaking point. Emily could hardly breath in the damned contraption. But this, among other things, she had to bear in the presence of Lord Brighton. 

Mrs. Johnson had to stop before they rounded into the drawing, muttering something under her breath that Emily couldn't make out before she turned and walked away.

Great!

*

On his part, Lord Brighton - in reality, the earl’s brother - was hardly interested in meeting Lady Thornton. Jason had other affairs in his mind, one of which being the imminent rendezvous with the mystery lady from the previous night. While he sat in the Thornton’s drawing room alone, Jason wondered if she was already at the park, waiting for him. He would have to be quick. He was already breaking the rules of social etiquette as it was, but he had to get rid of Lady Thornton as quickly as possible so he could get to the park. 

When Lady Emily Thornton stepped into the room, Jason’s eyes slowly went up to her face. On his brother’s instruction, he had purchased a bouquet of tulips on his way to the Thornton house. He let it dangle lazily in his hands as he watched Lady Thornton enter the room. 

Her hair was red. 

Jason sucked in a breath slowly at the sight of it. Perhaps this was the universe’s way of mocking him; of reminding him that his attention was needed elsewhere. Whatever it was, Lady Thornton’s flaming red hair sent a shock wave through his entire body, ending at the very tip of his fingernails. 

She was pretty, he decided. Certainly more pretty than he was willing to admit, but he could not let his heart wander. Her cheekbones were high, her nose was pin-straight and her lips were curled into the barest hint of a smile. She refused to meet his eye, choosing instead to stare at the floor with her head bowed. 

"My lord," she said when they reached the middle of the room, curtsying briefly. "It’s a pleasure to have you here."

"Likewise," Jason muttered in reply, straightening up. Best to get it over with. "Forgive my tardiness. London traffic is appalling, as I’m sure you know."

Emily didn’t know, having just returned to the country, but she wasn’t about to point that out. Instead she said, "Of course. Please, sit."

Jason sank slowly onto the green damask sofa, perching on the very edge. He hid a smirk as Lady Thornton chose the farthest seat from him, still refusing to meet his eye. 

"Your mother wrote to me that you recently returned to the country," he said, c*****g his head. "How was your travel?"

"Decent," she replied. "Although I have missed London terribly."

"There’s no place like home after all," he muttered, his eyes far away. When he said nothing more, Emily forced her irritation aside to look at him. Slowly, her eyes crept up to meet the Earl, and for the first time since leaving Green park, a little bit of her anger dissipated at the sight of him. 

Although lean and tall, the Earl was powerfully built, his shoulders broad and his jawline sharp. His eyes were dark and stormy, and they held not a single hint of solace. He was handsome, no doubt about that. But Emily could hardly bring herself to actually appreciate a man to whom she was being forced into a relationship with. She supposed he wasn’t half as bad as she’d expected him to look, given the atrocious images she’d taken to conjuring in her mind whenever his name was mentioned. 

When the silence began to weigh heavily on them, Jason coughed slightly. 

"I should comment on the lack of a chaperone," he said. "Where could your mother be?"

"Most likely on her way here," Emily said. "She’s much too busy everyday, running the household and all."

"I’m pretty sure I made my visit known however," the Earl said with a look of boredom. Emily felt a prick of irritation shoot through her, but she bit her tongue before firing a heated retort. 

They fell silent once again, until Jason made the affront again. 

"Nice weather today, isn’t it?" he found himself saying. 

Good God! He was actually commenting about the weather. How much more awkward could the afternoon be?

"Er, indeed," Emily replied absentmindedly. She drummed her fingers slowly on her lap, looking anywhere but at the man who was seated across from her. Why didn’t he offer the flowers to her? And why did he choose to stare at the wall instead of her? Not that Emily wanted to be the center of his attention, but any proper gentleman would comment on how pretty she looked, giving the effort she’d put in. Heavens, the corset was practically cutting into her ribs now. 

"Shall I have the butler bring your carriage around?" she asked before she could stop herself. Maybe it was the silence which pushed her to say something. Maybe it was the awkwardness in the air. After all, what did one say to the person they’d been arranged fo marry for a long time now?

Or maybe it was merely the damned corset which was cutting off the oxygen to her brain and stopping her from thinking straight. Or perhaps, the anger still biting through her at the prospect of being stood up.

Jason turned slowly to look at her, his eyes narrowed. "I beg your pardon?"

"Well you seem to want to be anywhere else but here," she said. "I thought you would want to leave soon."

"Perhaps I would have considered staying a bit longer if I felt more welcome here," he said, frowning at her. 

"Are you saying I’m a bad hostess?" Emily asked, astonished by his audacity. 

"I’m saying you’ve hardly looked at me since I came," he said. "Am I really that unpleasant to look at?"

"I am not one to comment on a man’s handsomeness, or lack thereof," Emily said. 

Jason felt a muscle pulse in his temple. 

"Lady Thornton," he said, pausing so he could properly look at her, "if you did not wish to see me today, all you needed to do was write to me and inform me that my presence is not wanted here."

"Believe me, I would have if I wanted to," Emily said harshly. "But Mother wants you here, so my hands are tied."

The corner of Jason’s lips twitched slightly, mildly amused by her insult. 

"You think so little of me," he said. 

"I hardly know you, my lord," she replied. "Besides," she chewed her a nails for a moment, before remembering Mrs Johnson's warning on such acts. "I suppose I'm right to do this. After all, both you and I are in no way interested in this."

He was about to comment on how improper she was being when the door burst open and Lady Georgina floated into the room with the warmest of smiles. 

"Lord Brighton," she breathed, her eyes practically aglow, "how wonderful to have you here."

Jason rose from his seat as he bowed before the viscountess. "It’s a pleasure to be here, my lady," he said, taking her hand and kissing it lightly. "I was just asking Lady Thornton about you."

"Forgive my manners," she said, her smile never faltering. "I was just taking care of some business before I arrived."

"Of course," he said. "Running a household is no easy chore."

"You get used to it pretty soon," she said. "Although I would have hardly thought a Lord would understand the tediousness of running a household."

"I have my own affairs to tend to," Jason said, smiling as he offered her the bouquet. "These are for you. I was walking past the shop and I couldn’t help but appreciate their beauty."

The viscountess seemed at a loss for words as she received the flowers. 

"Why, Lord Brighton," she sighed, beaming at the tulips, this is a most unexpected gift. "I don’t know what to say."

"Thank you works," Emily offered, pleased that her mother had come to draw the Earl’s attention away from her. 

The viscountess shot her a nasty glare, but the smile immediately returned to her face as she looked at Jason. "Thank you, my Lord," she said. "Your gift is most appreciated. Although I would have expected these to be for Emily."

"All in due time," he said, smiling roguishly. "There will be plenty of time to shower lady Thornton with gifts. But today, I wish only to please you."

Emily glared so hard at the back of his head that she wouldn’t have been surprised if a hole suddenly appeared there. He was so painfully arrogant, so unbothered about her that she fought the urge to stomp on his head. 

"Will you be attending Lady Macklemore’s ball later tonight?" the viscountess asked, still smelling the tulips and beaming. 

Jason, who wasn’t aware whether Jordon had received an invitation or not merely shrugged. 

"Perhaps I might make an appearance if I can find the time," he said. "I’ve been unfortunately buried in so much work that I hardly find time to socialize these days."

"Oh, but your presence would be most appreciated," Lady Georgina said. "I hardly ever see you at any social gatherings."

"Large crowds do not appeal to me," Jason said, a half-truth, but a truth nonetheless. 

"Well, I believe only a select few will be attending Lady Macklemore’s ball this evening," she said. "Like you, she detests large crowds."

"I see," Jason muttered distractedly. 

"And you must join us for dinner," she added. "Our cook makes the most excellent turtle soup you’ve ever had."

Jason didn’t wish to be dragged into an unwanted evening with the Thorntons. But the hopeful look in Lady Georgina’s eyes was so melodramatic that he found himself saying, "I would love to join you then."

"Excellent," she said. "Will tomorrow be possible?"

"I’ll see what I can do," he said, straightening his cravat. "Well, I must be on my way, Lady Georgina. I have much to do, and so very little time to do it."

"It’s been wonderful, Lord Brighton," she replied. "I hope we see more of you soon. It's actually my first time seeing you this close."

Emily certainly did not hope for that. She would have sooner seen the back of Lord Brighton than anything else. His attention was not something she craved, even less than his condescending gaze. The sooner he left the house, the better it would be for both of them. Maybe then she would finally be allowed to return to her bedroom and dwell in the silence up there. 

"Lady Thornton," Jason said almost reluctantly as he turned to Emily, "it’s been a pleasure."

"Likewise," she muttered through clenched teeth.

As Jason walked out of the room, Emily watched his retreating back and wondered why the man had to be so damn intolerable. They had precious little to talk about, and when they did speak, his tone was that of a man who knew he had her already. The tone of a man high in the instep.

 Damn her parents for trying so hard to force this union. Surely there were other men more suited for her than the Earl. Without question, if Lord Brighton did not hold a title, her mother wouldn’t have paid him a second glance, except maybe to comment on his looks. But ambitious mothers never retired, and so Emily would have to find something else to do. A pairing with Lord Brighton, after his repugnant behavior today, would be a union which would surely send her to the grave earlier than expected. 

"Charming, is he not?" Lady Georgina said, remnants of her wide smile still lingering on her lips. 

"Yes," Emily replied quickly, even though charming was the last word she would have used to describe Lord Brighton.