The Earl Returns (Lords of Sussex Book 1) by Lillian Marek

Author:Lillian Marek [Marek, Lillian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, historical
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2020-11-04T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ashleigh was in the library immersed in a treatise on crop rotation when he was told that there was a messenger from the Earl of Merton. Further informed that the messenger was somewhat grubby and had arrived on what appeared to be a plow horse, Ashleigh did not blink. He requested that the messenger be shown in.

The boy bobbed to him and then stood holding an old, somewhat battered hat and turning it in his hands as the duke inspected him. He appeared nervous, but not cowed.

Ashleigh thought the boy looked familiar. After staring at him for a minute in silence, he said, “You’re the Parkins boy, are you not?”

“Yes, Your Grace. Rob Parkins.”

“How is it that you have a message from the Earl of Merton?”

“Him and his lady was shipwrecked”—Ashleigh did blink at that—“and they washed up near our place. They be in our cottage and he said as I was to ask you to please send a closed carriage, shoes, a lady’s cloak and five.”

“Five?”

“That’s what he said. He said you’d understand.”

Ashleigh nodded. “Shipwrecked. He is not injured?”

“No, they didn’t seem to be hurt at all. They’re all cleaned up now and Ma and Pa gave them some clothes.”

“And the lady?”

“She’s ever so nice. And pretty, too. It’s a real treat just to see her smile.”

Ashleigh nodded. Merton managed to end up shipwrecked with a pretty girl, and needed help. Of course.

He calmly arranged for the dispatch of the carriage, shoes, cloak, and a purse of five gold guineas. He sent young Rob down to the kitchens for a meal before his return trip. He instructed the butler to see to it that rooms were prepared for the coming guests. Merton would have the blue chamber, where he usually stayed. The young lady was probably Miss Rokeby. He frowned slightly, uncertain as to which chamber to assign to an American hoyden. The yellow suite, he decided. It was by far the most elaborate of the guest chambers, rarely used for anyone not of royal birth. He disliked climbers and putting her in those rooms might be considered a way of doing her honor or a way of demonstrating her inadequacy. It would be interesting to see her reaction. He paused for a moment to consider, and then decided that everything necessary was being done.

Still calm, Ashleigh returned to his chair in the library. However, he did not immediately return to the topic of crop rotation. Instead, he stared into space.

What the devil had Tom gotten himself into now?

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