Her Unconventional Earl by Amy Jarecki

Author:Amy Jarecki [Jarecki, Amy]
Language: eng
Format: epub

16

Charity stirred her porridge as she listened to Grace’s animated prattle about Northbourne Seminary for Young Ladies. “‘Midwinter recess’ they’re calling it, though if you ask me, the instructors needed an excuse to break from the winter doldrums. Winter days are ever so short and dreary.”

“And cold,” Mama agreed, buttering a slice of toast.

After savoring her last honey-sweetened bite, Charity placed her spoon alongside the saucer. “At least it is warmer here than at Stack Castle. It is ever so drafty, sitting on the northeastern-most point of Great Britain.”

“You are not wrong, my dearest. Heaven forbid I ever have to winter there again.” Mama nibbled her toast. “Mind you, after I married your father because of his duties in the House of Lords, we nearly always spent the worst of the winter in London, sometimes Newhailes near Edinburgh, but rarely in that frigid old fortress.”

“Do you think Julia will fare well there during her confinement?” asked Grace.

“She seems to love the castle, oddly enough,” Mama replied. “Just yesterday, I received a letter from Martin about how he’d taken his wife on a sleigh ride and she didn’t want it to end. Imagine a sleigh ride in her delicate condition!”

“I think venturing outside is good for the soul, if one is dressed warmly enough.” Charity imagined her sister-in-law bundled from head to toe. “I’m certain Marty would have dressed her in a fur cloak and placed a hot brick at her feet.”

“Isna that romantic, Mama?” asked Grace, evidently not as enthusiastic about losing her Scottish accent as she had been when she’d first begun her studies, having announced that she wanted to sound as English as their mother.

“Romance?” Mama daintily dabbed her lips. “Your brother is a duke. He hasn’t time for romance.”

Holding in a laugh, Charity’s apple juice burned the back of her nose. Good heavens, if Mama thought her eldest son was impervious to romance, she must have been blind when he and Julia were sneaking about Huntly Manor, stealing kisses everywhere, including the China closet, and even outdoors behind the woodshed. Before she made a spectacle of herself, Charity swallowed her juice and dabbed her eyes.

“Speaking of Julia…” Now composed, she was determined to say what needed to be said, lest she lose her opportunity. “I’ve written to her about the new Earl of Brixham. Ye ken he has a right to go into Huntly Manor and remove every last piece of furniture, every portrait, every candlestick and the like.”

Mama sat back to allow Tearlach to remove her empty bowl and plate. “True, but where would the chap put it all? His Lordship lives above a butcher’s shop, does he not?”

“He does, but there’s nothing stopping him from holding an auction and selling Julia’s family heirlooms. You said yourself the lass is in no state to travel, not to mention Marty needs to be with her. My brother hasna time to worry about a small holding in the south of England.” Charity reached for a slice of bacon, though it wasn’t anywhere near as tasty as Harry’s.

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