Page 3 of Discovering Her Earl

Wanting something else to do to keep his mind off of his dilemma, he decided to go through the mail that had arrived while he was out.

He flipped through the pile of invitations and pulled out a letter from his dear friend Hale who had moved home to Scotland with his wife. While neither Kit nor Graham, his other friends, had any immediate plans to marry, Julian didn’t want to end up becoming the sole bachelor of the group. Another reason why finding someone to marry was not so disagreeable. That was until his father had demanded it.

And he was back to thinking about his plight.

Setting the letter aside, he continued through the stack until he found one that stood out from the others because of the hieroglyphics drawn on the side of the envelope.

He knew what it was before opening it since he had gotten an invitation like this each year at this time.

The Darlington Expedition Ball.

Lord Darlington invited contributors to his home every June near the end of the Season. He solicited funds to cover his expenses and the benefactors were ensured their names would be assigned to the artifacts collected when they were displayed in the British Museum.

Julian didn’t care so much about the recognition as he did the excitement of being the first to see what was found during the exploration of the tombs. He and the other contributors were able to view the artifacts before they were put on display. Julian had always been interested in adventure and discovery in other lands even if he’d only had the opportunity to visit the continent briefly.

His father had forced Julian to read books about agriculture and business, which had certainly come in handy. But when he was permitted to read for pleasure, he always chose books about adventure. Something his father deemed a waste of good paper.

“My lord, your bath is ready.”

“Thank you, Spence.”

Julian went up to his rooms to meet his valet. Bentley frowned as he peeled the wet garments from Julian’s body.

“Sorry, old chap. I should have called for a hack, but I needed to walk to expel some pent-up energy.” The older man had always been kind to Julian, even when he’d been his father’s valet when Julian had been a boy.

“It’s of no matter, my lord. I will have them replaced.”

“Replaced?” Julian asked. Surely, that wouldn’t come cheap.

“There is no saving this jacket,” Ben assured him.

“Very well.” Julian let his head fall back in the tub as the man left him alone to wash. And think.

No matter what expenses Julian managed to cut, he worried it wouldn’t be enough. And it wouldn’t help the men who worked in his mines and their families if Julian ran out of blunt. What would become of them?

And what would happen when he did decide to marry and have children? How would he provide for the family he was avoiding now, after he’d allowed the unentailed properties go?

And if he was planning to have a family anyway, why not just do it now?

Simply because he wanted to defy his father, who wasn’t even here to know? He would be punishing himself, his future family, and the people who depended on him with his stubbornness.

By the time he had dressed and returned to the study, it was clear he had no other option than to go along with this ridiculous scheme.

It shouldn’t be that difficult for him to find a proper bride. Not that he thought of himself as some great catch, but he had a title. A rather impressive one at that. There would be some women who refused to wed a large Scot, but his title would be enough to make many of the mamas gather their daughters to jump at the chance to be countess. And he’d have his choice of the lot.

He picked up the invitation to the Darlington Ball and smiled as an idea grew into a plan.

If he was going to marry, he was damn well going to make sure he had a bit of fun before conceding. He wouldn’t miss this last chance at adventure.

Chapter Two

Miss Elaina Bantham held tight to the bedpost as the housekeeper—currently acting as her lady’s maid—tugged on her corset. It wasn’t as if Elaina wasn’t already too tall for society’s standards, but she also had curves that needed to be squeezed into submission.

Statuesque, her Aunt Rose would say. Her Uncle Henry would agree by claiming her lovely.

Lainey loved them both for taking her in after her parents died. It had been comforting for an eleven-year-old to have her aunt, who so reminded her of her mother; it was as if she still lived.

Aunt Rose and Lainey’s mother had been only a year apart, and many people thought them to be twins because they were so much alike. The three of them had been close and when Lainey’s mother passed, Lainey and Aunt Rose had both shared an excruciating loss which strengthened their bond as well.