Page 61 of Discovering Her Earl

The blighter had been shot by an angry father after he had forced himself on the man’s daughter. The House of Lords didn’t punish the man who shot him, feeling justice had been served, and the world made a better place for the lack of such a blackguard.

“Why your father thought him a good friend for you, I’ll never know.”

They fell into silence as the sun came up. Julian thought perhaps Ben had fallen asleep, but after some time, he spoke again.

“You have always had a kind soul. I’m certain it came from your mother, because your father… well. He didn’t understand you and thought to break you. But your kindness was too strong for him. You know you will not rest easy until you have made this—whatever you’ve done—right.”

Julian only nodded. There was no need to use words when they both knew the truth.

He needed to make amends. He wouldn’t bother her again until he had a plan to fix this.

Chapter Nineteen

The moment Lainey woke she recalled the kiss and smiled at the sun coming through the windows. It seemed like a dream, but she knew her dreams wouldn’t have been so gloriously detailed.

It was a new day. And she was no longer a woman who had never been kissed.

She knew of girls who had been kissed and described it as if it was the greatest thing ever. She had thought it to be an exaggeration, but now she knew the truth. It was even better than they’d described.

Lainey wondered if the longer a woman waited, the better the first kiss would be. If that were so, she was glad she waited all this time for Julian’s kiss. It had certainly been worth the wait.

Julian.

So strange the way she had gone from hating him, to tolerating him, to… whatever it was she felt now. Longing? Attraction? Respect?

It was impossible to compare the man she knew now—the man who had kissed her and protected her virtue despite his obvious urges—to the arse she’d first met at the Marksley ball. The man who had laughed at his friend’s insult so heartlessly.

She had to consider the role one’s friends played in how one behaved. After all, it had been the few friends she’d made on the edges of the dance floor that encouraged her to smile in Julian’s direction in the first place. While he hadn’t noticed, the barbaric Lord Dunnage had mistaken her interest in him and come to ask her to dance.

When the dance was over and he’d offered to introduce her to his friends, she was grateful for the chance to be closer to the tall lord leaning against the wall.

But then Lord Dunnage had made a mockery of her, calling her Miss Stork.

And Julian, the man with the sweet smile who had captured her fancy, had laughed.

She remembered the way her face had burned in mortification. How Lord Heath had joined in by flapping his arms about like a large bird.

She’d been so stunned it had taken much too long for her to retreat. And in that moment her gaze had met Julian’s beautiful blue eyes. And she’d felt his betrayal like a brand to her heart.

But that was a long time ago. He hadn’t truly betrayed her since he hadn’t known her. She’d created a personality for him in her mind and he had not lived up to her expectations.

Except it seemed now, he had exceeded them.

She called for Nettie and tried not to seem in a rush to dress and go downstairs for breakfast. Today they would start their journey back to London. She’d have hours alone with him as they traveled.

She couldn’t wait.

Strange that she had been lamenting this trip and now wished it wouldn’t end. She didn’t want to leave the bubble they had created here and go back to London. Back to reality.

She entered the breakfast room to find it empty.

When one of the footmen moved to serve her, she shook her head.

“I’ll wait for Lord Melville.”

She should have expected trouble when she saw the footmen pass glances to one another. When the footman by the door stepped out of the room, she knew something was amiss.

The butler stepped into the room and offered a sympathetic frown.