How to Lose an Earl in 30 Days (Preview)

Prologue

1811

Amelia felt the wind whip around her, making her hair fly across her face. Frustrated, she brushed it aside, but it didn’t stay put. Instead, it blinded her from what she was trying to do.

It was already annoying that there were knots in the string, so she wouldn’t be able to fly the kite properly, but now her hair was getting involved. Amelia regretted asking for her hair to be styled down today; it certainly wasn’t helping her.

“How are you with that knot, Amelia?” Nanny Beth asked, appearing at her side. “Do you need any help?”

“I’m fine,” Amelia said quickly. “It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure? If you want, I can get your father…”

“No, don’t worry about it. I almost have it.”

The reality was that Amelia hadn’t had it at all, and she was really stuck. The knot was tight, and she wasn’t able to get her fingers into it properly. But she was loath to ask her nanny for help. It would just make her feel like she was still a small child. Her father kept thinking that his daughter still needed a nanny at the age of fourteen. Much as Amelia was fond of Nanny Beth, she was fed up with being treated like a little girl.

She was going to get this kite fixed and flying on her own. No one else was going to help her.

Nanny Beth’s expression said she didn’t really believe her charge would be able to fix everything. But she nodded and stepped back.

“All right. I’ll leave you to it. But if you need anything…”

“I’m sure I can manage. Thank you, Nanny Beth!” Amelia snapped. Then she realized what she had said and bit her lip. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to…”

“I understand where you’re coming from, darling.” Nanny Beth didn’t seem upset that she had been snapped at. “You’re growing up. You need to find things out for yourself.”

Amelia sighed.

“At least you understand me. I don’t know why my parents can’t see that as well.”

“They’re just concerned about you and want to make sure you’re safe, Amelia,” Nanny Beth replied.

“And you don’t need to lie to me, Nanny Beth. They just don’t want me to grow up.”

Her parents, the Marquess and Marchioness of Downe, were loving people, but they tended to be a little overbearing with their only daughter. Her older brother, Robert, was treated differently, but he had been thirteen when Amelia was born. Things would have been different for him, given that he was a grown man and didn’t need to be parented. Amelia knew that her parents had been desperate for a daughter, and after several miscarriages and losing another daughter when she was just six months old, they were blessed with her. She could understand how much they wanted her.

But what she didn’t understand, or like, was how they treated her. It was like she was spun glass, and she would shatter if she did something out of the ordinary. Even things that a girl like her would be doing were treated with worry and lots of questions. Amelia wished they would stop because it often sucked the joy out of what she wanted to do.

How they had allowed her to fly a kite during their picnic in the park, Amelia had no idea. But she was going to make the most of it, even with the knots in the string.

“I’m sure things will change soon,” Nanny Beth said. “You are approaching womanhood…”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen, but I’ll be very happy when they realize that I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.” Amelia sighed, picking again at the knot. “Robert says they are just like this, and they did something similar to him when he was my age.”

“They did. Robert didn’t like it, either. I remember it back then as well.” Nanny Beth brushed her gray hair out of her eyes. The wind was managing to take it out of her tight bun. “Things were tough back then as well, going through losing all those potential children, plus their baby girl. I can understand why they’re like this around you, but…”

“But it doesn’t make me feel any better,” Amelia grumbled. “I wish they would stop.”

And she wished that she could get the kite to work. The wind was perfect for flying a kite, and Amelia wanted to play. Her parents were nearby and didn’t want her to play with the kite for too long. Before she knew it, she would be told to sit down, and she wouldn’t be able to fly it at all.

“Well, I’ll go back to your parents and leave you to it.” Nanny Beth gave her a gentle smile and squeezed Amelia’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll have it up and going in no time. But you’d better be quick because I can hear your mother complaining already.”

Amelia groaned. Lady Downe was always complaining about something. She was probably going to say that they should head home because it was too cold and windy for a picnic. Something that had been the marchioness’ idea in the first place.

Amelia didn’t want to complain, but she had been looking forward to this. It wasn’t often that she got to spend time with her parents—her father was always in the study and her mother was focused on social engagements with her friends—and she wanted to make the most of it. It was at times like this that she could forget that they were overbearing people. They loved her, no mistake about it, but Amelia felt suffocated.

What was wrong with being independent?

Her fingers were beginning to hurt as Amelia tugged at the string. It wasn’t going anywhere. How could she fly a kite like this? She sat on the grass, taking a moment to calm down and figure it out. It would, essentially, fly with a knot in the string, but not as well. Amelia wouldn’t allow it; something about seeing that knot would make her feel agitated. She wasn’t sure why, but small things like that would put her on edge.

“Are you all right?”

Amelia looked up, and then further up. A tall person with black curly hair was towering over her. His head blocked out the sun, so she couldn’t see his face, with the sun peeking out and making her eyes hurt. Amelia was a little unnerved by how he stood over her, and she scrambled to her feet.

“I…I’m fine.” She dusted herself down, feeling slightly flustered. “I’m just trying to get my kite to fly.”

“I see.” His eyes drifted to the kite at her feet. “Anything the matter?”

Amelia got a proper look at him, and she momentarily couldn’t speak. He wasn’t a boy, but he didn’t look that old. He had to be eighteen or nineteen, or thereabouts. And he was very handsome. Gray eyes focused on her, strong, smooth features and a friendly smile that made Amelia weak at the knees.

What on earth was wrong with her? Why was she reacting like this?

“It’s just the string,” she said lamely. “I want to untangle it so I can fly it, but it just won’t come undone.”

“You can fly a kite with a knot…”

“I know I can!” Amelia flinched when she realized that she was snapping at a stranger. “I just…I prefer it without knots. Oh, Lord…”

“You can fix it for her, Edmund.”

This sudden new voice made Amelia jump. A girl a little younger than her with long black hair appeared at the side of the young man, her hair delicately made up on her head and under her hat. She was holding onto the hat as the wind whipped around them. It would be typical that the wind would get stronger at this point.

“You can fix anything, can’t you?” the girl said, prodding the young man in the side before smiling at Amelia. “My brother is very good at these sorts of things.”

“I don’t know about that…” Edmund began, but the girl ignored him.

“Why don’t you let him sort it out? It should only take a moment.”

Amelia wanted to turn them down and say she could manage on her own, especially after she had told Nanny Beth that she didn’t need the help, but she couldn’t stop staring at Edmund. There was something about him that made her unsure about what she was doing. She was in a daze, and it was shocking. Amelia suddenly didn’t want him to leave.

Still in a daze, she nodded and gave him a sheepish smile.

“I hope you don’t mind,” she said with a squeak, which made Edmund raise his eyebrows. “I mean, I hope…”

“It shouldn’t take much. I’m good with knots.” Edmund smiled at her, and Amelia felt a little dizzy seeing it. “Don’t worry about it.”

As he stepped around Amelia and crouched by the kite, the little girl gave Amelia a beaming smile.

“I’m Mathilda,” she said, holding out a hand. “Mathilda Prescott. This is my older brother Edmund.”

“I’m Amelia Everly.” Amelia shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Do you normally come to this park?”

“A few times. Edmund has been away, so this is the first time in ages I have to spend time with him.” Mathilda pointed at the maid standing nearby, a timid, petite woman with pale red hair. “This is June, my nanny.”

June gave Amelia a nod and a smile as she came to stand beside her charge.

“Are you here alone?” she asked.

“No, I’m with my parents and nanny.” Amelia pointed toward where her parents had set up their picnic. “Mother wanted a picnic, so we came here, and I wanted to fly my kite.”

“It’s a perfect day for it. I’m sure Lord Silverton will be able to sort it out.”

“Lord Silverton?” Amelia frowned. “Who’s that?”

“My brother,” Mathilda replied. “Our father is the Duke of Blackwood. Edmund is the heir, the Earl of Silverton.”

They were children of a duke? Amelia hadn’t met many children because her parents kept her home, wanting her to focus on her studies and not get hurt by playing with other children. The only time she was around them for more than a couple of hours was when they had guests at their country estate. Even then, that wasn’t often.

And for them to be the Duke of Blackwood’s children?

“Do your parents know where you are?” Amelia asked.

Mathilda grinned.

“Edmund is nineteen. He’s more than old enough to look after me. And I’m eleven, so I’m not so little.”

“Try telling that to my parents at my age,” Amelia muttered.

She noticed how the nanny was looking at her and fought back the urge to explain. She didn’t want to sound like a whiny brat who couldn’t be grateful. What she might find annoying, other people considered normal. Amelia didn’t want to look like she was complaining.

And she was getting help from someone who looked really handsome and seemed to be a nice person. Amelia found that she didn’t want him to go. Not just yet.

There was something seriously wrong with her head.

***

Edmund managed to undo the knot after a few tugs. It had been done up to the point that he was surprised Amelia’s fingers hadn’t been ripped to shreds. But he got it untangled and straightened out the kite.

“There we go. All done.” He stood up and gave her a nod. “Just be careful with it, all right? With this wind, your little self will be taken right around the park if a gust comes along at the wrong moment.”

The little girl snorted and drew herself up, lifting her chin defiantly.

“I am fourteen years of age,” she said. “I may be short, but I’m not little.”

“Oh. I…” Edmund cleared his throat. “Forgive me, I thought you were younger than Mathilda.”

Mathilda giggled and shook her head.

“Honestly, Eddie, you really need to not jump to conclusions. You keep telling me not to do that, don’t you?”

Edmund felt like he was a child again and getting it wrong. If he was trying to defend himself, he would certainly have guessed that Amelia was a lot younger. She was petite, shorter than June, and her body a little more plump than it was supposed to be. She carried it well, though. Her auburn hair was long, very long, almost down to her waist. She looked like she was struggling to keep it away from her face, which was round and pale with a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

She was a cute little thing, but she certainly didn’t look fourteen.

“Shall we try the kite out?” Mathilda asked, making Edmund jump. “See if it flies?”

“Oh. Right.” Edmund picked up the handle and held it out to Amelia. “Do you want to hold on? Or do you want to launch the kite?”

“I’ll hold on.” Amelia carefully plucked the handle from Edmund’s fingers, not looking him in the eye. “I’m not that weak.”

“That’s not…” Edmund sighed and went to the kite, which lay on the grass. He picked it up. “Ready?”

Just as he spoke, there was a stronger gust that flicked Amelia’s hair across her face, but she held onto the kite handle. Edmund ran with the wind for a moment, and then he threw the kite into the air. It caught the wind and lifted up into the sky. Amelia held on tightly, and then she was flying it. She grinned, her joy evident.

“It’s working! It’s working!”

Edmund laughed at her joy. It was really sweet to see her looking happy. He watched as the kite flew and did circles above their heads. Now that it had caught onto the gusts as they went past, the kite didn’t want to come back down. It twisted and dived before rising up again; all the while, Amelia held on. She didn’t look like she was in any trouble, so Edmund let her carry on.

“Amelia!”

The exasperated tone had everyone looking around. There was a couple on a picnic blanket on the grass not far away, along with a thin, gray-haired woman wearing a maid’s uniform. The finely dressed woman waved at Amelia with an impatience that was palpable. She didn’t look happy.

“Come along! You should be having your lunch! Stop playing with that silly kite, and get over here!”

Amelia’s shoulders dropped, and Edmund saw her grip loosening on the kite handle. Hurrying forward, he caught it before it got caught in the wind and managed to bring the kite down to the ground. Mathilda peered at the people on the blanket.

“Who are those people?” she asked.

“Mathilda, there’s no need to be so rude,” June warned. “Those are Lady Amelia’s parents.”

Amelia nodded.

“Yes.”

Edmund could see that she didn’t seem too happy about it. It was like the life had been taken out of her. She looked like a different person.

“Perhaps we should walk on and leave Lady Amelia with her family,” he said slowly, winding the string in on the kite, keeping it as neat as he could.

Amelia looked dejected about that. But Mathilda shook her head.

“No! Why don’t we join Amelia?”

Edmund blinked. Had he heard his sister correctly? Nanny June looked equally stunned by what she had said.

“Lady Mathilda, we do not invite ourselves to join other parties like that. It’s very impolite.”

“I don’t mind if you join us,” Amelia said suddenly. Her expression had perked up a bit. “That is, if you don’t mind as well.”

“Will your parents allow it?” Edmund asked, frowning over at Amelia’s mother. She was looking more annoyed that Amelia wasn’t joining her so quickly. “Your mother doesn’t look too happy.”

“She looks like that normally,” Amelia said off-handedly. “Let me go and ask.”

Before Edmund could respond, she had run away toward the picnic. Edmund watched her go, noting that both of her parents weren’t looking happy. He doubted that she was going to get an answer she liked.

“I have a feeling that you’re not going to get a good answer,” Nanny June said.

“Why not?” Mathilda asked.

“Because that’s the Marquess and Marchioness of Downe. A very wealthy family but not particularly pleasant people. They’re a private family.”

Edmund had heard about them. The marquess occasionally visited the club in London that Edmund frequented as well. He sometimes played cards, but mostly, he sat in the corner with a few friends, just listening. Edmund had heard a few things about the marquess, but he couldn’t make up his mind if he was a rude man or simply quiet.

“Then we’d better not get our hopes up with waiting for a positive answer,” Edmund said as he took Mathilda’s hand. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Wait a minute!” His little sister pulled away from him. “I want to see what the answer is.”

“And if it’s a no?”

“Then I’ll give up and come with you. But I like Amelia.”

Edmund arched an eyebrow.

“You’ve barely said a word to her.”

“It doesn’t matter. I like her, and I want to get to know her better,” Mathilda said firmly, sticking out her lower lip. “What’s wrong with wanting to make a new friend?”

Edmund didn’t see anything wrong with it, but he highly doubted that they would be able to maintain some sort of friendship with Amelia. Her parents were very selective about who they let into their circle, and Edmund knew that his father and the marquess weren’t on good terms. If he knew which family they were from, then there was a chance that any interaction between them would be blocked.

He didn’t want to get Mathilda’s hopes up. His sister liked everyone and wanted to be their friend. Edmund wished that he was as innocent as Mathilda again.

Then Amelia was running back, her red hair flying out behind her. She looked like a little hellion charging into battle. Edmund had to fight back his laughter at the surprising imagery. There was something fiery about her under everything. She had spirit.

Her parents hadn’t managed to crush that.

“They initially said no,” Amelia panted as she joined them. “But Nanny Beth said that it wouldn’t hurt for me to sit and talk to someone.”

“And they said yes to that?” Edmund said in surprise.

“Sort of. Nanny Beth is setting up a separate picnic for us.” Amelia pointed to the gray-haired woman, who was unfolding another blanket. “As long as we’re in the same vicinity as my parents, they’ll tolerate it.”

Edmund noted the slight emphasis on the word ‘tolerated’ and the roll of her eyes. Mathilda, however, didn’t notice this and looked happy as she bounced up and down.

“Can we join her, Edmund? Can we?”

Edmund looked at Nanny June, who simply smiled at him.

“I don’t think it can hurt.”

She did have a point. Edmund was just worried about the tenuous link between his father and Amelia’s. If he knew, he wouldn’t be impressed. But with Amelia standing before them, looking eager for them to join her, Edmund couldn’t bring himself to say no. There was something different about her. Like she was a breath of fresh air. She was nearer Mathilda’s age, but there was a maturity about her that was coming through. Edmund was intrigued.

Maybe sitting with her for a little while wouldn’t do any harm to them. And it would make Mathilda happy.

“All right. Let’s sit down and have something to eat. I’m sure Mathilda’s stomach is going to start growling in a minute.”

“That’s not fair!” Mathilda protested. “Your stomach makes louder noises than mine!”

Amelia made a noise, and Edmund saw her hiding her mouth with her hand, but her eyes were twinkling. Then she composed herself before lowering her hand, although the smile in her eyes was still there.

“How about we make sure you two settle one conversation with some food in your belly? Then maybe you can have a proper talk.”

Edmund couldn’t help but smile back. There was something infectious about her smile. Her emotions went all over the place, but he had a feeling that she hadn’t been told how to control her emotions properly. She was still young, so that would be something she would learn eventually.

But he still found it refreshing.

“Then let’s settle one argument, then,” he said, taking Mathilda’s hand. “I’m getting hungrier the more we talk.”

“You’re always hungry,” Mathilda teased.

“Now, now, Mathilda,” Nanny June admonished gently, although she was smiling. “There’s no need to be rude to your elders like this.”

“And what about being rude to your youngers?” Mathilda shot back.

Amelia laughed, and Edmund couldn’t hold his laughter back, either. He tugged his sister onto the grass, picking up the kite as he passed. At least his sister was in a good mood, and Amelia seemed happy with her eager attitude. Hopefully, they would get along.

Edmund wanted to take his sister home with a smile on her face.

Chapter One

1816

“Is that another flower pressed?” Amelia asked the other woman, whose dark head was bent over the little flower press on her lap.

“Just about, my lady.” Taylor Marks took the flower out, nicely encased in the resin, and passed it to Amelia. “I’m getting the hang of this. I didn’t think it was possible. You know I’m all fingers and thumbs.”

“Oh, you worry too much. It’s easy.” Amelia dipped her brush into the water and swirled it around. “I’m pretty much finished here, so we’ll have the last few pressed flowers with the collection, and I can add this to the book back home.”

Taylor leaned over and saw the delicately painted plants Amelia had been concentrating on. She nodded approvingly.

“That’s beautiful, even if they’re just weeds.”

“Even weeds can be beautiful in their own right,” Amelia replied. “Although I’m sure we could call flowers fancy weeds.”

“You do have a point. How many paintings have you done now?”

“Quite a few. I’ve lost count.” Amelia put the painting to one side and shifted her painting box off her lap. “Let’s get everything packed up while we’re waiting for it to dry. I think we’ve done plenty, and it’s getting a little too warm out here.”

“I won’t argue with that,” Taylor said, brushing her hair off her forehead, her face slightly red and shining with sweat. “I wish I had asked if we could sit in the shade, but you wouldn’t have been able to capture these.”

“At least we’ve been productive.”

As Amelia packed away her paints into her travel box, tipping the water onto the grass, she caught sight of a kite nearby. It was across the river, just beyond a couple of trees. It was bright red, happily riding along the strong breeze. Amelia watched it, remembering how she enjoyed flying her kite when she was younger. It had sadly broken three years before, and her parents said she was too old to get a new one, but she had some fond memories.

Then her thoughts started turning toward Edmund and Mathilda Prescott. They often drifted in and out of her memories, and Amelia wondered how they were getting on. Edmund was a grown man before, so he had probably gotten married and had a couple of children by now. Mathilda would be sixteen, a couple of years off from having her first Season. Were they getting on well? Amelia knew that she could find out if she wanted by asking around—just in passing, nothing out of the ordinary—but she wouldn’t be able to trust the information that came back to her. People loved drama, so it would be hard to tell if it was real or gossip. Amelia would have to seek them out herself.

And that might not be the best idea. Her parents hadn’t been happy about associating with them, and they’d thought that she shouldn’t be around them at all, despite Edmund and Mathilda being the children of a duke. That didn’t matter, apparently. It was really annoying, but Amelia knew when to leave something alone.

Even so, she wished that she could have kept in contact with them. They were nice, and they had a bond that Amelia enjoyed watching. Mathilda was lively and very engaging, a bubbly girl Amelia thought was really sweet. And Edmund was kind and patient, both to his sister and to Amelia herself. She was glad about that; there had been times in the past when people had told her that she was annoying and talked too much, and that she didn’t know what she was talking about. Amelia got so fed up when that happened, which was often. Even now, she was spoken to as if she was daft.

But Edmund hadn’t done that. It was nice and refreshing to have someone treat her kindly.

When they had left, Amelia had given Mathilda her spare kite. She had two with her in case one broke, and she wanted to give the little girl something. Mathilda had been so excited, and Edmund had thanked her for it.

Even thinking about him now made her heart flutter. He had been a handsome young man, and Amelia had felt honored that he was paying her attention. Was he still handsome now? It would be like a dream if he did.

“My lady?” Taylor had stood up, the flower press all tidied away into the box she was carrying. “Shall we go?”

“Oh. Right.” Amelia stood up and folded her little chair before picking up her paint box. “Let’s go home before you end up fainting from the heat.”

“I won’t faint, but I will need something to drink, I think.” Taylor fanned herself with her hand as they began to walk toward the entrance. “I like sitting out in the sun, but I wish we had brought something to drink.”

“That was my fault. We’ll get something on the way back.”

Amelia knew that they could stop off at a cafe and get something to drink, and maybe some cake. Anything to keep them out of the house. Whenever she was home, her mother wanted to talk to her about finding a husband, and Amelia wasn’t interested. She had no interest in getting married. In her mind, she preferred her freedom and independence. Being tied to a man who wouldn’t let her do anything she wanted would have driven her mad. Amelia would not be locked in and forbidden from doing anything she loved.

Social engagements were a complete bore, anyway. Amelia didn’t like them. The conversations were boring, and she didn’t bother to hide her true feelings. Whenever she was asked about something she was interested in, nobody wanted to listen. People thought she was a little odd, but Amelia didn’t care. She was herself, and she preferred to be a true person, rather than someone fitted into a mold.

As long as she was left to do her own thing, that was fine. Even if her parents hated it. They didn’t like that she was so different to the point it was ridiculous. Robert often told Amelia that it wasn’t that bad, and she should just go along with it so they would leave her alone, but Amelia wasn’t about to agree and fall into line.

Marriage was not meant to be a woman’s entire identity. Amelia was her own person.

They reached the carriage and saw as soon as they stepped through the entrance gate that things were in trouble. The carriage had come up onto the pavement, and the front wheel was off. It sat at an angle, splinters sticking out everywhere. The driver was staring at it, not moving as if he was in a trance. Amelia hurried over, but he barely reacted to her until she grabbed his arm.

“Hmm?” He blinked and looked around. “Lady Amelia?”

“Jefferson, what’s going on? What happened to the carriage?”

“I…” Jefferson shook himself. “I don’t know. I mean, I came back when you told me to, and this…this happened.”

His words sounded a little slurred, and Amelia noticed that he was swaying a little bit. There was a bottle in his hand, and Amelia snatched at it. She took a sniff and then recoiled as the strong stench of alcohol filled her nostrils.

“What are you doing drinking, Jefferson?” she demanded. “Why would you drink while you were in charge of driving the carriage?”

“Forgive me, my lady,” Jefferson said mournfully. He sounded close to tears. “I’ve had some bad news at home. My…my wife…she…”

Amelia didn’t need him to tell her about it. She had already heard about it from the gossip Taylor brought her every morning. Jefferson’s wife had decided to go and live with her family after trying to reason with her husband about his drinking. It was beginning to affect him at his job with Amelia’s family, and Mrs. Jefferson couldn’t take it anymore. She must have thought leaving him would be the nudge he needed to stop drinking.

Evidently, it had done the opposite.

“For goodness sake, Jefferson, you know this is going to get you into serious trouble.” She handed the bottle to Taylor. “Dispose of this somehow, Taylor. I don’t want it anywhere near us.”

“My lady…” Jefferson protested, but Amelia cut him off.

“Stop it. You’ve done something really foolish. You know that you’re on thin ice with my father about the way you’re using alcohol as a way to get through the day. This is the fourth time you’ve broken a carriage with your drinking.”

Jefferson looked like he was about to cry. He swayed on his feet, and Amelia braced herself, expecting to catch him in case he fell. She couldn’t believe that he would put everyone’s life at risk. She pointed at the busy street with people walking past, giving them curious looks. Amelia knew that they were judging her for having an incompetent servant.

“You do realize that you could have hurt someone, don’t you?” she snapped. “What if Taylor and I had been in the carriage?”

Jefferson flinched. Sighing, Amelia looked around as Taylor came hurrying back.

“I poured out the bottle, and there was a beggar man walking by, so I gave him the bottle to get some money from it,” her maid said. She looked at the carriage wheel. “What are we going to do now? Shall we get the tools out?”

“Yes, you’d better.” Amelia pointed at Jefferson. “You focus on keeping the horses calm. If you can’t stand up, go and sit on the pavement out of everyone’s way.”

“Please don’t tell your parents about this,” Jefferson begged.

“Just do as you’re told, Jefferson.”

Amelia didn’t want to get the man into trouble. It was not something she was comfortable with, and when he was sober, Jefferson was a good worker. But the drinking had been getting worse lately, and he didn’t seem to show any signs of stopping.

His shoulders slumped, Jefferson went to the horses and started to pat their necks, rubbing their noses. It seemed to calm him as well as the animals attached to the mess sitting on the curb. Taylor brought out the box of tools and put it on the pavement.

“Right, what do we need?”

Amelia peered at the mess.

“Well, it looks like the wheel has come off the axle. It’s splintered a little as well.” She leaned in to take a closer look. “We might be able to get back home if we go slowly, but a temporary fix will have to do for now.”

“Do you think we’ll be able to fix it on our own, though?” Taylor asked in a worried tone, frowning at the mess. “If we’re going to straighten the wheel, we’re going to have to lift the carriage up to adjust it, and Jefferson’s not in a state to be doing that. Also, you and I aren’t strong enough.”

“I’m sure we’ll figure something out. We can’t give up because of that.”

However, Amelia was thinking the same way as Taylor. Something like this did need the help of a man, and the only one in close proximity was drunk. Amelia knew it would be easier said than done to sort it out between them. Especially on a busy road with everyone watching them.

At this point, Amelia didn’t care if people found the two of them fixing the carriage disgraceful. She just wanted to go home.

The sound of a carriage approaching got her attention, and Amelia saw it pull up behind theirs, slowing at a more sedate pace. The door opened, and a young man climbed out. For a moment, Amelia couldn’t help but stare. Oh, my, the man was remarkable to look at. He was tall, so tall that he pretty much unfolded himself as he climbed out of the carriage, wearing dark blue on a slim but firm-looking frame. His face was slightly angular, but it didn’t take away from the fact that he was very handsome. Black curls were visible before he put on his hat, and he approached them with a pleasant smile.

As he drew closer, Amelia had a nagging feeling that she knew him. There was something familiar about him. Yet she was sure that she hadn’t seen him before in her life. And Amelia would have known if she had met this gentleman before. She would have recognized this reaction her body was having toward him, with her pulse racing and feeling like the hairs on the back of her neck were tingling.

“Is there a problem?” he asked, a deep voice with a timbre that made Amelia shiver. That sounded familiar as well. He looked at the broken wheel. “Ah. I see. Someone got a bit too close, did they?”

“You could say that,” Amelia said quickly, hoping that he couldn’t smell the alcohol in the air. “As you can see, we have a problem. And we’re beginning to realize that we’re a little out of our depth.”

“You mean you two were going to fix it yourself?” He arched an eyebrow in amusement at her. “You think you can do that?”

Amelia drew herself up.

“We are capable, but there are times when we have to admit defeat. Now, did you come here to mock us for getting into this position, or are you going to help us?”

“Hold your horses, my lady. I was coming to ask if you needed any help.” He nodded at the wheel. “I can get my driver, and we’ll help you with this. Just to last you until you get home.”

“That would be great if you could, my lord.” Amelia smiled. “Thank you.”

He smiled at her, and Amelia was struck by a memory from her past. There was a young man, barely into his adulthood, who had smiled at her like that before. But then it was gone. No, it couldn’t be him.

And yet…

“I’m always willing to come to the rescue of a young lady.” He bowed to her. “I’m Edmund Prescott, the Earl of Silverton.”

Amelia thought she had misheard. No, she wasn’t imagining it. Her memory was intact. This was the young man from the park who helped her with her kite.

“Edmund?” she gasped and then backtracked a little when he gave her a curious look. “Forgive me. I wasn’t expecting to see you again. It’s been a few years since you and I last saw each other.”

“Really?”

Did he not recognize her? Then Amelia guessed that she probably looked very different than she had five years ago. She hadn’t grown at all in that time—she was still under five feet tall—her body had filled out appropriately, and she had some nice curves that Amelia felt confident about. She wasn’t about to be ashamed of her body. Her auburn hair was longer, but it was better styled, and she kept it pinned up in various styles to keep it out of her face. Her parents said that she had really grown up.

“I’m Amelia Everly. The girl who needed help with her kite in the park?”

Edmund blinked, almost as if he didn’t know what she was talking about. Then his eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open.

“Oh, my goodness. Amelia. You were that girl?”

“Yes. It’s good to see you again.”

Amelia stuck out her hand. Edmund hesitated—it wasn’t the done thing for ladies to shake gentlemen’s hands—but then he curled his fingers around hers and shook it. Then both of them froze. Amelia saw Edmund’s eyes widening, and she was sure that he could feel the tingling in her hand as well. It was something she had never experienced before.

“Edmund? Is everything all right?”

Amelia looked past Edmund to see a young girl alight from the carriage, equally tall and slim like him, with long black hair pinned away from her face. She couldn’t be any older than sixteen.

They stared at each other, and then the girl’s eyes widened.

“Oh, my! Amelia Everly?”

“Mathilda?”

Mathilda Prescott beamed as she strode over.

“You remember me?”

“Of course! You had such a unique name, and I remembered our time in the park.” Amelia managed to let go of Edmund’s hand and grasped both of Mathilda’s, looking her up and down. “Look at you all grown up. I can’t believe it.”

Mathilda laughed.

“You look stunning, Amelia. You were a pretty girl when we last saw you, but you’ve simply blossomed. Don’t you think so, Edmund?”

She elbowed her brother in the ribs. Edmund cleared his throat, and his cheeks went a little red. He was unable to look at either of them. Mathilda nodded at the carriage.

“Do you need some help? I’m sure my brother can help you with whatever you need.”

“That’s what he just offered.” Amelia nodded at Jefferson, who was still with the horses. “My driver…he’s a bit shaken.” That was one way to put it, she thought to herself. “Hopefully, it won’t take long, and I don’t want to take time away from what you’re doing.”

“No problem at all. We’re fine with helping.” Edmund signaled for his driver to climb down and join them. “You’ll get going in no time, Lady Amelia. You know how good I am at fixing things.”

Amelia noticed that Taylor was giving her an odd look, and she ignored it. She would explain it all later.

***

Edmund couldn’t believe it. The young woman in need of help was the same girl from five years ago who needed someone to undo the knot in her kite. He hadn’t expected to bump into her again, not with how protective her parents were. Being a child, she wouldn’t have been in Society until recently, anyway, so they wouldn’t have moved in the same social circles.

She had also blossomed as well. When she was fourteen, she had shown signs of how cute she could be, but now it was like her beauty was shining through. There was a confidence about her that seemed to glow about her. She looked more put together, and the sparkle in her brown eyes was more than present.

Edmund had to stop himself from staring, especially after Mathilda’s comment. He was not here to gawk at the woman when she needed help. With the help of his driver, Michaelson, they began to work on fixing the wheel. It was split, but the crack wasn’t all the way through. The axel didn’t look broken, thankfully. So it was just the wheel to focus on. They just needed to straighten it up and find a way to tighten it so Amelia and her maid could get home.

As he worked, he could hear Amelia and Mathilda talking behind him, and it was hard not to listen in on their conversation.

“How long have you been in London?” Mathilda asked. “We only arrived a few days ago. Mother and Father wanted me to experience London before I enter the ton next year, so I’m really excited.”

Amelia laughed.

“I can imagine. But I thought you’ve been to London plenty of times before.”

“This time, they’re going to allow me to join in the dinner parties they’re going to throw, to give me an idea of what’s going on and how to behave. Practice, if you like.” Mathilda paused. “What about you? What is being out in the ton like for you? Is it all right?”

“I wouldn’t know just yet. I’m having my first Season right now.”

Edmund wondered if he had heard this correctly. By his calculations, Amelia would be nineteen now. She should have been in the ton for at least a year by now, if not two. Mathilda sounded as surprised as Edmund felt.

“Really? You’re having your first Season now? How is that possible? Were you unwell?”

“I was able to put it off for two years. I never wanted to enter Society like everyone else.”

“You’re serious about that?”

“Yes. I don’t care for it at all.” Amelia sighed. “Unfortunately, my parents are adamant that I attend this year. You could say I’m pretty much forced into this.”

She didn’t want to enter Society like everyone else? Edmund glanced over at Amelia, seeing how relaxed she was about it. She was stunning; she could easily grace any ballroom and have all eyes on her. And she didn’t want to have anything to do with that? He was curious now, wondering what her mentality was.

Michaelson cleared his throat, and Edmund remembered what he was meant to be doing. His driver lifted the carriage up a little, and Edmund adjusted the wheel. Hopefully, this worked.

“I’m surprised,” Mathilda said. “I never expected someone to say that. Edmund says that he’s not keen on it, but he has to go. I think our parents would have a fit if he tried to stop himself from entering Society.”

“I can imagine. But I was lucky for a couple of years, and now it’s run out.”

Mathilda giggled.

“I can’t imagine why. I’ve heard there are quite a lot of good-looking gentlemen. Take my brother, for example. He’s one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. Women are falling over themselves to get his attention, and he still won’t pick one.”

Edmund almost fumbled with the wheel as Michaelson put the carriage down, and he had to brace himself as he waited for his master to pay attention. Feeling his face burning because of his embarrassment, Edmund concentrated on what he was doing. As they balanced the wheel and tightened it up, Edmund listened to Mathilda and Amelia talking, unable to stop himself.

“I don’t really care for any of that, I’m afraid. I don’t really have any interest in being courted, or even getting married.”

“What?” Mathilda sounded surprised. “You don’t want to get married?”

Edmund’s ears pricked up at this. He heard Amelia’s response, so matter of fact about it.

“I have no desire to get married anytime soon. It’s the last thing on my mind. Especially at my age. Why would I want to marry so young when there are so many things I wanted to do?”

“But what do your parents think? Do they think it’s the right thing for you?”

Amelia snorted.

“I’ve pandered to their behavior for years. Now I’m doing something for myself. I’m more interested in living life as I want. There’s so much to do, and how am I meant to do that when I’m concentrating on finding a husband?”

Edmund listened to this with growing surprise. Amelia had no intention of getting married? How was that possible? She was beautiful. A woman like her would have a queue of gentlemen lining up to get her attention, and she didn’t want it? Why was that?

He wanted to ask, but then Amelia changed the topic and started asking Mathilda questions about how she was finding London. That gave Edmund the opportunity to work on the wheel, which was looking better now that it was straight and back on the road. Michaelson tightened the last nut and straightened up.

“That should do it,” he declared, nodding at Amelia. “Just be careful going home, my lady. We don’t want you to get into another accident.”

Suddenly, there was a bang. The wheel broke, and the carriage sagged again. Amelia’s maid screamed and darted away; Amelia and Mathilda jumped in surprise, Mathilda clutching at Amelia’s arm. The edge of the carriage bumped against Edmund’s shoulder, and he gritted his teeth to fight back the pain. Michaelson sighed.

“So much for thinking it could hold a little. It’s not going to hold at all. That wheel is completely split.”

“Oh, no.” Amelia looked upset. “I was hoping we would be able to get home at the very least.”

She glanced over at his driver, and Edmund noticed that he was focusing too much on the horses, not looking at her. He had sensed the whiff of alcohol in the air, and it seemed to be emanating from the man in front of him. That was the reason for the accident, he was sure of it. At least Amelia wasn’t hurt, so they had been lucky.

“Why don’t we take you home, then?” Mathilda suggested.

Amelia blinked.

“What?”

“The carriage needs to be fixed, and it will take a while. Edmund and I will take you and your maid home.” Mathilda gave Edmund a pointed look. “That’s fine, isn’t it, Edmund?”

“I…”

Edmund was about to respond, and then he saw Amelia had turned to him with those golden-brown eyes, and he forgot how to speak. It was such a beautiful sight that it left him shaken. This was not something he was used to, and certainly not from someone he previously knew.

There was something wrong with him. There had to be.

“Edmund,” Mathilda warned, giving him a sly wink. “We can take Amelia home while her driver waits for someone to come and help with the carriage, can’t we? She shouldn’t have to wait here as well.”

“I…of course.” Edmund managed to recover, aware that everyone was watching him. He smiled at Amelia. “We can do that. For you and your maid.”

Amelia’s expression was a little wary, but when she smiled, it softened her features. The freckles on her face were still there but a little muted. It was still as cute as it was five years ago.

He was going to have to stop himself from staring at this girl, otherwise she was going to keep him off-kilter.

She didn’t have any idea how easy it would be for her to capture a man’s attention when she looked as stunning as she did.