Free Undressed by the Earl by Michelle Willingham

that list will be glad to hear of it,” she said quietly. “Knowing that they will forever be confined to the ground while the memory of your first wife rests on a pedestal.”
    It was cruel, but after he’d struck out at her own dreams, she couldn’t stop herself.
    “You’re too young to understand,” he countered. “Go on, then. Make a fool of yourself in front of a man who hasn’t a responsible bone in his body.”
    “I don’t know why you’re even bothering to make pretenses.” Amelia crossed her arms and regarded him. “If you don’t want another wife, then don’t marry. Send your daughter to live with an aunt or someone who will show her how to be a young lady.” Softening her tone, she suggested, “Margaret could teach her every last rule of society. But you needn’t wed her for that.”
    His expression didn’t change. “I thought your sister’s name was on the list of candidates.”
    Amelia sighed. “Not if you won’t even give her the chance to have a happy marriage. She doesn’t deserve a life where you’re comparing her to Saint Katherine, the Wife Who Could Do No Wrong.”
    The earl raked a hand through his dark hair, impatience flaring upon his mouth. “You should learn to temper your words, Miss Andrews.”
    “Since I have no intention of being with a man like you, it hardly matters what I say. I only ask that you leave me to make my own choices.” Amelia took a breath, trying to hold back her anger. “I’ve done what I could to help you. You should do the same for me.”
    “He’s no good for you,” Lord Castledon warned. He leaned one hand against the stone wall, and Amelia suddenly realized that she was standing entirely too close to this man. The scent of sandalwood emanated from his skin, and she found herself intrigued by it. Her gaze fixated upon his mouth, and a sudden flush came over her cheeks. This was an experienced man, one who had knowledge of kissing and what went on behind closed bedroom doors.
    His body was solid, and she suspected that beneath the tailored coat and shirt was a muscled man. In her mind, she tried to compare him to Lord Lisford. But while the viscount was amiable and teasing, the earl was quiet and tense. She ought to be irritated by Castledon… but instead, she found his sudden outburst captivating.
    The flare of anger still lingered in his blue eyes, and she suddenly realized how badly she’d misjudged him. This man did have a hidden passionate side…but he would never show it to any woman. He was completely unattainable, like a man formed of ice.
    She blinked, wondering what had prompted her to think of him in such a way. Lord Castledon wasn’t a man she wanted at all. But she couldn’t deny that when she was so near to him, she grew aware of the hard cast of his jaw and his hidden strength. He was broad-shouldered and so tall she had to tilt her head back. Right now, he was eyeing her as if he wanted to take her apart.
    “I’ll be the judge of which man is good for me,” she replied. Then she turned back from him, wondering why her heart was pounding so fiercely.

    David stood against the far wall, inwardly furious. Amelia’s insistence that he leave her alone to make her own choices was akin to watching her throw herself off a mountain. She was too trusting in others, too eager to see the good in people.
    He didn’t want her to be hurt the way her sister Margaret had been. Viscount Lisford took too many risks and seemed to relish the danger. The man had made many enemies among the ton, but it only seemed to make him more attractive to the women.
    He shouldn’t care. What did it matter if Amelia Andrews chose to throw herself at a man who would only use her dowry to fund his gambling habits? It was her life, wasn’t it?
    But when he watched her enter the ballroom, her face flaming, he saw in her a spirit that should not be dimmed. She needed to be protected, even if she was unaware of the danger.
    In his waistcoat pocket, he touched