Page 57 of Earl Crazy
“I despise duels, James, but if you insist upon dueling with someone, then it must be Lord Wyle. He’s the culprit here, not Lord Prestwick.”
Kit had never seen a man look more haggard, more beaten than James Fairmont did then. He was so white, so still, he might have been a wax figure. “I never should have left you alone, Hattie,” he whispered. “None of this would have happened if I’d remained in England.”
Lady Harriett’s face softened, and she reached for her brother’s hand. “You didn’t leave me alone, James. You left me with our Aunt, and she’s been very good to me. What happened with Lord Wyle was entirely my own fault. I never should have agreed to—”
“Let’s not discuss it here, Hattie.”
Fairmont led his sister to the door, but before they left, he turned back to Kit. “I beg your pardon, Prestwick. I’ve wronged you, and I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me someday.” His gaze slid to Darby. “Yes, Mr. Darby.Theophilus. It’s a family name.”
“I’ve just left Tilly in the breakfast room, my lord,” Lady Harriett added, smiling at Kit. “Alone.”
Once they were gone, Darby rose to his feet. “Well, it looks as if my work here is done. No need to thank me, Prestwick.”
“Yes, there is.” Kit laid a hand on Darby’s shoulder. “Thank you, Darby. You’re a good man and a loyal friend.”
“Shhh. For God’s sake, Prestwick, someone will hear you.” Darby winked. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to pay a call on Miss Edgerley.”
“Is that so?” Kit followed Darby to the front door. “How uncharacteristically gallant of you.”
“She’s a dreadful harridan, you know, Prestwick, and doesn’t find me at all charming. I like her immensely.” Darby accepted his hat and stick from Watkins, then grinned at Kit, and hurried out the door, calling over his shoulder. “Good luck with Miss Mathilda.”
But Kit didn’t need luck. He only needed Tilly. No luck, neither good nor bad, and no curse could ever touch him, as long as he had her.
She was right where Lady Harriett had said she’d be, alone in the breakfast room, an untouched cup of tea on the table before her. “Tilly.”
Her head jerked up at the sound of his voice, and then… God above, the smile that rose to her lips made his knees go weak. He’d devote his entire life to making her smile if she’d only let him.
“Kit. I couldn’t sleep for thinking of you.”
She started to rise to her feet, but he hurried across the room and fell to his knees beside her chair. “Let’s try this again, shall we? Properly, this time.” He took her hands in his and drew in a deep breath. “Do you love me, Tilly?”
“Oh,yes. I do love you, Kit. So very much.”
“I can’t bear to let you go, Tilly. I want you with me forever, as my wife, my countess, and my love.” He brought her hands to his lips. “Do you want me?”
“More than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life. More than I ever believed I could want someone.” She cupped his face in her hands, her palms warm against his cheeks. “How could I not? Every young lady in London has gone mad for the handsome Earl of Prestwick.”
“Ah, but he only wants one lady. Only one lady in all of England will do for him.”
“Indeed? Is it one of the Misses Arundel?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.
God, how he adored her. “No. She’s one of the Misses Templeton. I’ve been madly in love with her since she nearly blinded me with absinthe. She was the first lady I saw when I opened my eyes afterward, and the only lady I’ve been able to see since.”
She gazed down at him, her eyes as warm and blue as a summer sky. “Thetonwill say I’ve bewitched you.”
“Youhave, Tilly.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head in her lap, his eyes closing at the soft drift of her fingers playing in his hair. “You have.”
Epilogue
LATE AUGUST, 1816 HAMPSTEAD HEATH, LONDON
“You don’t think we’re making a mistake, do you?” They’d just crossed the footpath that led from Prestwick House to Lady Fosberry’s rose garden, but when they reached the gate, Tilly held back, her fingers tightening around Kit’s hand.
“My dearest wife, you’ve asked me that same question a dozen times this morning, and I’ll give you the same answer I did every other time.” He tugged her into his arms and dropped a kiss on the end of her nose. “No, I don’t, and even if we are, it’s too late now. Lady Fosberry is waiting for us.”
“It’s easy enough for you to say so. You weren’t there to witness the worst of his trickery, as I was.” Still, despite her misgivings, she allowed Kit to maneuver her through the gate. “Why, there was a time or two I would have sworn he was pure evil.”
“That may be, but surely as a Countess of Prestwick, you’d never hold the child responsible for the sins of his father?” He swung their hands playfully between them as they walked. “Or his grandfather, his brother, his uncle—”
