Page 30 of An Unexpected Earl

But all that Frederick could think about—

“It’s aturnpike, for God’s sake!”

He paused in pacing to smack his hand in frustration against the desk where she was attempting to update the account ledgers. Her quill jerked and streaked a line across the page.

She bit back a curse, heaving out an irritated sigh instead, and reached for the blotter to clean up the mess.

“How could Sandhurst not be interested? The man should be turning cartwheels of joy that I’d suggested it to him.”

“You met with him yesterday,” Amelia reminded him. For over an hour. She knew because she’d kept herself carefully hidden in the dining room the entire time, hoping to overhear important information as Pearce left, but garnering nothing except his parting appreciation for Freddie’s choice of cognac. Now she feigned disinterest when the voice inside her head screamed for details. “What did he say, exactly?”

“Nothing. I couldn’t pin him down. All he did was ask questions—who the trustees will be, why I chose them, why I would want a turnpike trust in the first place…” He scowled. “Damned suspicious, if you ask me.”

“What ulterior motive would Lord Sandhurst possibly have for delaying?” she murmured as artlessly as possible, not daring to lift her eyes to look at him.

“I don’t know.” He turned hopefully toward her. “You two had a moment alone together in the entry hall before I arrived. Did he say anything to you about not wanting be part of it—anything at all?”

“Not one word.” The God’s truth. He hadn’t said anything to the contrary…but only because she’d been the one doing all the talking. If Pearce had any compassion in him, he would find a way to continue to evade a concrete decision until after Parliament ended. If only for her sake.

“Are you certain?”

“It’s all new to him. He just needs more time.”To string you along until the blackmailer is no longer a threat.“You’re asking the man to place a large chunk of his property into someone else’s control for what could be uncertain profits.”And asking me to hand mine over for a complete loss of control and no profits at all.“Give him time to consider it.”

“We don’t have time.” As he began to pace again, he gestured in frustration in the general direction of Westminster. “The session’s going to end in less than a fortnight.”

Dear God, she hoped so! Yet she calmly reminded him, “But the trust will remain viable, that’s what matters.” Knowing she would never be able to figure the last of the columns with him here, she patiently put down her quill and closed the ledger. “You might have to wait until the next session before the act can be passed, but whoever is forcing you to make these appointments knows it, too. The blackmailer will give you the time you need to put forward the bill next session.”

He slowed in his pacing, only to shoot her an aggravated grimace.

“Pearce will be less likely to decline because he’ll have the chance to think it through thoroughly.”And then decline it.

Frederick faced her. “Do you truly think Sandhurst will be persuaded?”

“I believe so.”Persuaded to decline.She wasn’t certain at all, but every ounce of her soul prayed for exactly that.

She stood and crossed to the worktable, where she fussed with several yards of cream-colored silk that the women who worked in her shop had hand-printed with wooden blocks and paint, the way the silk weaver in Spitalfields had taught them to do. They’d picked up the skill quickly, creating lengths of beautiful silk that could be used for all kinds of projects—wallpaper, pillows, bedding… Amelia could barely keep the fabrics in stock because the society ladies who shopped at the Bouquet Boutique snatched them up as fast as they could be produced. This one of a red damask rose was particularly exquisite and—

“I want you to charm him.”

The fabric slipped through her surprised fingers and piled on the table. “Pardon?”

“Sandhurst. You and he were once quite fond of each other, as I remember.”

Guilt pinched her stomach. Oh, that was a lovely way of stating that they’d behaved scandalously and gotten caught!

But Frederick had been away at school the night when Papa caught Pearce in her bedroom, and she would have sworn that Papa wouldn’t have told him for fear that her brother would have revealed it to his cronies during some drunken rout. No, he must have figured out on his own how much she and Pearce had once meant to each other. Dear heavens, had they been that obvious?

She leveled her gaze on him. “What, exactly, are you asking of me?”

“Oh, don’t pretend naivete with me.” He cut her an accusing glare. “Surely, he still has an attraction for you. After all, beneath the uniform and finery, he’s still just a former tavern rat.”

“Frederick!”How dare he!To insult Pearce like that—

“Use your feminine charms, Amelia! Men like Pearce fall for that sort of nonsense all the time.” When her eyes narrowed to slits, he added, “You don’t have to let him do anything untoward, of course.”

“Well, thank goodness,” she drawled sarcastically, so furious that her hands trembled as she picked up the cloth and shook it out. “Someone more mistrusting might think you wanted me to compromise myself.”

He placed his hands on his hips in aggravation. “Why can’t you be serious?”