Free The Earl's Bargain (Historical Regency Romance) by Cheryl Bolen

not imagine
Louisa Phillips ever having been so silly and carefree.
    Then, with a thud in the vicinity of his
heart, he realized Louisa Phillips had long been a married woman by
the time she was Ellie's age. And he once again cursed Godwin
Phillips.
    He turned from the window, deliberately
kicking his boot against the patterned carpet as he did so. The
least Harry could do for the poor widow was to see her settled in a
little home. Perhaps that would assuage his conscience.
    Damn, she trusts
me , he thought with shame.
    When she returned to the room, he read
disappointment on her face. "Any luck?"
    She shook her head, then returned to the
settee. "Like me, he knew of the man's importance to Godwin, but
Godwin was careful to shield the man's identity. Williams does know
where the man came from, though."
    A smile on his face, Harry sat down. "And,
pray, where might that be?" He was getting close.
    "Somewhere in Cornwall. And I was right
about him being a lord. Williams confirmed it. Apparently the man
was somewhat of a recluse."
    Harry's mind spun. He tried to remember a
lord from Cornwall, but the only one he knew -- Lord Robartes --
was an honorable man who took his seat in the House of Lords and
was far from being a recluse. There must be any number of lords
residing in Cornwall. The problem was to find one. The right
one.
    Say!" Harry said. "Have you
a Debrett's ?"
    She got up and went straight to the book.
"How clever of you!" She began to thumb through its pages. "Though
I daresay it will take hours to go through all these names and
titles and determine which of them live in Cornwall."
    He took the tome from her. "We'll need paper
and pen."
    "Of course. We shall have to draw up a
list." She went to the desk drawer and removed several sheets of
velum and set them on top the desk. Then she pushed a second
armchair up to the desk. "Come to the desk, Lord Wycliff. We can
both sit here."
    "Shall you record the names?" he asked. "I
daresay no one, not even me, can read my handwriting.
    She nodded.
    He sat beside her and placed the opened book
on the desk. "You're right. This will take a great deal of
time."
    She sat and watched as he silently scanned
page after page.
    "Is Tyndrum in Cornwall?" he asked.
    "No. It's in Scotland. Cornwall and Scotland
retain many Celtic names." She moved to get up. "What's needed is a
map. I'll make a list of the towns and villages of Cornwall. Will
that be helpful?"
    "It will, indeed."
    She fetched the map and spread it over the
top of the desk, then took pen and paper and began to list the
names of Cornish towns. "I shall attempt to put them in
alphabetical order," she said. "Bodmin. Boscastle. Cambourne. . .
"
    Her list was drawn up in less than ten
minutes. And still he had not found a single peer who lived in any
of the cities. She scooted her chair closer to him and began to
peruse the information within the book. "Why do you not take the
even numbered pages, and I'll take the odd?"
    Without removing his gaze from the page, he
nodded and moved the open book closer to her.
    They read for another half hour until they
found a peer who hailed from Cornwall. "Lord Arundel!" Harry
exclaimed.
    Louisa took her pen and wrote down his name
and seat.
    Then they commenced reading again.
    By the time they had finished, they had
discovered there were six lords residing in Cornwall.
    Next, Harry took the map and studied it to
determine where each of the lords lived.
    "Why do you need the map now?" she
asked.
    "Because we'll just have to go find the
mysterious benefactor."
    "We?"
    "Yesterday," he said, "I told you I would
help you financially if you could help me to regain this house. I
am now ready to make a specific proposal to you, madam."
    She cocked a thin brow.
    "I am prepared to bestow on you a small home
and an annual pension for as long as I live. I want you to travel
to Cornwall with me and help me find the benefactor."
    "But I can't possibly do that," she
protested.
    "You are afraid of the