Free Edith Layton by The Conquest Page A

she thought. Only arrogant because of his life of privilege. She supposed he couldn’t help it. But he was more than charming, he was thoughtful of other’s feelings and had a lively sense of humor. That was lovely. He appreciated nonsense. She appreciated the way he looked at her too. It made her feel like a woman. That was rare too.
    But she was too wise to put the least bit of importance to it. Mrs. Tooke’s cheeks had gone rosy and her eyes sparkled as she chatted with him, so it was obvious he made her feel the same way. Alexandria lived a quiet life with few diversions and had never met an earl or a London gentleman. But even she knew men such as the Earl of Drummond were not thick on the ground anywhere.
    He was all personality, grace, and style. His looks could be considered unfortunate until he opened those forget-me-not eyes and that glib mouth of his, when he became well-nigh irresistible. Urbane, witty, smooth, and clever—and about as sincere as the spring breeze that flirted in the window and toyed with the little hairs at the back of her neck.
    Just so! she thought, watching him charm Mrs. Tooke to bits. Light, pleasant, and fleeting, those were bywords she’d better remember. They’d be the words she’d always remember when it came to this particular exotic wounded creature the boys had brought her. She’d care for him and enjoy his company while shedid. The boys would have a good example of manhood to copy too. Six weeks could be a lifetime—a bitter one—if he’d been a boor. As it was, she looked forward to the days ahead.
    In time, she’d let him go with the same mixture of emotions she always felt when she returned any healed creature to the wild. She’d feel relief, tinged with a little sorrow.
    And that, she told herself, would be that. She was prudent. She had a good education and no illusions. She was ineligible for marriage, at least, ineligible as a wife to any man she might consider having for a husband. Mr. Gascoyne had been the last one to tell her so, and she’d fled all the way to Bath to prove him wrong—only to discover he’d been right. She knew a thing or two or three, she thought bitterly, and she’d be even wiser to remember them in her dealings with this charming nobleman.
    She and this elegant earl were just as different from each other as the robins and rabbits she’d sheltered were from herself. Very different species. And if for a moment she regretted that, that was nothing new either.

Six
    T HE DAY HAD BEEN A RARE AND BALMY ONE, BUT now Alexandria, her little family, and Mrs. Tooke huddled around the kitchen hearth for warmth. It was spring, after all, and spring in England often forgot what it was. Tonight April thought it was November, and a cold wet wind cut around the edges of the little cottage and drove rain against the window-panes. Vic and Kit sat on the hearthstone, Rob on the rug in front of the fire. Mrs. Tooke had been given the rocking chair and Alexandria sat at the table, reading to them. It was a cozy scene, soon interrupted.
    A sudden sound made Alexandria stop midsentence.
    “Only the wind,” Rob protested. “Go on! Read that bit again.”
    “No,” Alexandria said, cocking her head to the side. “The wind doesn’t shout ‘Excuse me.’ Rob, nip upstairs and see what his lordship wants. I don’t think he’s in any distress,” she told Mrs. Tooke, who’d halfrisen from her chair. “We just saw him two minutes ago.”
    “Maybe he wants another cup of tea,” Mrs. Tooke said, looking concerned.
    “Any more tea and the man will wash out of his bed,” Alexandria said with a frown. “I don’t understand. He was a paragon of courage when he was in excruciating pain. Today the doctor said he was doing splendidly. In fact, he ate every scrap of his dinner and had an extra serving. But tonight he’s had us get him a dozen things.”
    “It’s the way men are,” Mrs. Tooke said with a laugh. “They get peevish when they’re on the road