Page 40 of Real Earls Break the Rules

Eliza gave her a penetrating look of disapproval. “We’re no longer proprietors of the print shop. You should use the services of the maids.”

Amelia understood. A day did not go by that she wasn’t grateful for their new position in society. All of it was due to Eliza’s marriage to her earl.

“Is that what you came to discuss?” Amelia said.

Eliza stopped short in dismay. “Forgive me. I’m the one intruding.”

Amelia felt immediate shame. If it wasn’t for Eliza’s sacrifice and business acumen, they’d still be in the rookeries. “No. Please forgive my rudeness. I’m feeling overwhelmed by the house party.” She sat on the four-poster and patted the mattress for Eliza the join her.

The sisters sat in silence for a while. “This reminds me of the nights we spent at our living quarters above the Peacock Print Shop. We haven’t had time alone like this to talk since you’ve been married,” Amelia said.

Eliza sighed. “I miss it, too.”

“But you wouldn’t give up Huntingdon, would you?”

Eliza’s lips curved in a smile. “No. I’ve become quite attached to him.” She smoothed a lock of hair away from Amelia’s cheek. “What do you think of Lord Weston?”

Amelia picked at a piece of imaginary lint on her skirt. “Why would you ask me about Weston?”

“There are a limited number of eligible bachelors at the house party. It’s no secret Lord Emmett is a rogue and enjoys his liquor. The ladies consider Weston a bore, but you are not like most ladies and can see through his exterior. I noticed the way he looked at you in the music room tonight. The man is clearly enamored.”

“I know you want us to marry, but marriage is not as important to me. I want to paint, remember? And I want to do it using my name. What gentleman of the aristocracy would choose such a wife?”

“I understand your concerns, but I want the best for you and Chloe. The past is too fresh in my mind to ignore. I don’t want you worrying about your survival,” Eliza said.

Amelia sighed. She knew she wouldn’t be able to change Eliza’s mind. “Have you asked Chloe about him?”

“Weston isn’t for Chloe.”

“Why? Because he discusses politics?”

Eliza shook her head. “No. Because he is the second brother and Chloe insists upon a title. How many times have we heard her say that she wants a duke? An outsider would call her shallow, but we know the truth. She’s petrified of being abandoned with no money and is convinced only a title will ensure her future.”

Amelia had often thought of their father’s abandonment, but his betrayal had resulted in different scars. She feared she was too much like him.

The forger. The criminal without a stitch of guilt.

After she’d sold her sole forgery, Amelia had experienced a thrill of excitement. Not an ounce of regret or guilt had pierced her conscience. She’d inherited the worst from her father. She desperately wanted to exorcise him from her veins—whereas Chloe had always longed for him to return.

“Do not change the subject from you to Chloe. So what do you think of Lord Weston?” Eliza said.

“I like him. I enjoy his company, but he’s not…”

“He’s not the one?” Eliza finished for her.

Amelia felt a twinge of disappointment. How she wished it weren’t true. It would be so easy to encourage Weston’s attentions.

If only I could stop thinking about another. She couldn’t deny the truth any longer. She was infatuated with her model.

“How was it with you and Huntingdon?” Amelia asked.

Eliza chuckled. “I hated him at first.”

“Hated him?” Amelia asked incredulously.

“I didn’t trust him. I despised his position of power.”

Amelia recalled the sparks between Eliza and Huntingdon. It hadn’t mattered that Huntingdon had been searching for their father for selling him a forgery five years before. That swindle had humiliated Huntingdon and almost ruined his reputation as a respectable art critic. Huntingdon had been out for justice and wanted their father arrested and tried for his crimes. He had purchased Amelia’s forgery at an estate sale and used it to blackmail Eliza into helping him find their father.