Page 25 of An Unexpected Earl

“Then tell me.”

Damn him! He was forcing her into a corner. “I can’t.”

“Then I have no choice.” He folded his arms, doing a fine impersonation of an immovable mountain. “If you won’t give me answers, Amelia, then I’ll get them from your brother.”

A laugh strangled in her throat. She’d fallen in over her head, and the current was pulling her under. “He won’t tell you! He’s more afraid of what could happen to him than he’ll ever be of you.”

“What do you mean?”

She kicked for the surface, frantic to save herself—“That you’re right,” she admitted quickly, glancing over her shoulder in fear that Drummond might return at any moment. “Freddiehasbeen using his influence to put men into government positions.”

His eyes narrowed on her. “Why?”

She bit her lip. She couldn’t tell him the truth. The further she kept Pearce away from this mess—and from her—the better. She couldn’t risk that anyone else might find out what illegal activities her brother had done.

Or that Pearce would find out about her husband.

“Freddie has three more men he needs to place.” She offered up this little bit of information to evade a more dangerous answer. “He thinks this trust will allow him to do that.”

“You don’t agree with what your brother’s been doing?”

“Of course I don’t.” She swallowed hard, her gaze darting into the house toward Freddie’s study, and lowered her voice. “And I certainly don’t want the trust.”

“Why not?”

“The turnpike requires Bradenhill, the property Papa left me when he died,” she rushed out. With every desperate second that passed, she knew she was running out of time to convince him to decline her brother’s plans. “It’s just a few acres, nothing much at all, but it lies between Freddie’s land and yours. He thinks that if he has all three properties lined up for the turnpike that Parliament will force the trust through for the rest of the county, and he’ll be able to place these last three men as trustees. He’s promised me that this will be the last of it.”

“But you don’t want a turnpike?”

“I have other plans for that land.” Once she freed them from this mess, she could move ahead with creating a training school and workshop at Bradenhill, be self-sufficient and away from all the gossips and problems of London. It would become the one part of her life that no man would ever be able to touch or harm. Not Freddie, not Aaron…not even Pearce.

“So why not tell your brother no? Tell him in no uncertain terms that you don’t want the turnpike.” His eyes narrowed on her, studying her reaction. “After all, it’s your property to do with as you’d like.”

Refuse the trust, force the blackmailer into exposing Freddie, watch as her life came crashing down around her… She nearly groaned. “It isn’t that simple.”

“So you wantmeto tell your brother that I’ve decided against the turnpike?”

“No!” Good Lord, if Freddie thought she had something to do with that decision, he’d have her hide! And the blackmailer would have Freddie’s head. “I’m not saying that. Just—just put off making a decision.” She grimaced, biting her bottom lip. “For a month or two.”

“What good would that do?”

“It will delay the trust.” A delay was all she needed. Just long enough that the blackmailer would think Freddie was cooperating, just long enough for other positions to come open. Then the need for the trust would vanish, and the threat to Freddie’s career and her charity right along with it.

He shook his head, unconvinced. “Why is your brother doing this?”

She wouldn’t tell him that, couldn’trisk it. If she put her faith in him, only to once more be manipulated and used by a man for his own advantage—

But Pearce had never hurt her, except for leaving her. He’d only ever been kind to her, bringing her flowers and handmade gifts, teaching her how to shoot and ride and swim just like the boys, talking with her on blankets beneath the stars about all his future dreams. Her best friend and first love who went so far as to defend her with his fists when other men made crude comments about her—men twice his size and age. He knew her better than anyone else in the world, even her own family.

But twelve years… Was any of the boy she’d once trusted still left inside the man?

Gambling on her heart’s intuition, she sucked in a deep breath for courage. “You said you wanted to help me, so help me.” In desperation, she reached for his arm. The hard muscle flexed invitingly beneath her fingertips. “Pretend that you’re interested in the turnpike and let Freddie line up the trustees, but delay it so that the act doesn’t go through before Parliament ends. Make the bill wait, then change your mind right before the next session begins.”

His face remained inscrutable, but his eyes searched her face for answers she couldn’t give. “Why should I do that?”

“For me,” she choked out and dropped her hand away.Because you once loved me… “Because we were once friends.”

Footsteps echoed from deep within the house, growing louder as they drew closer. Urgent and eager—