Enticing the Earl

The trip to Mrs. Perkins’s cottage normally took her only fifteen minutes but she still couldn’t walk at her normal gait. Almost half an hour after she started, the cottage came into view. She peered into the old woman’s cottage and noticed her sleeping in a chair.

Mia grabbed a shovel and started to dig small holes around the back of the house. Sweat dripped down her back as the sun waned in the sky. Unfortunately, she found nothing but some shards of pottery.

She sat down and rested for a while. One thing she still hadn’t figured out was how she would get the money to Simon without his knowing. If he truly wanted to review the books with her, perhaps she could keep two sets of books. The real books with the extra money and then the one she would show him. Slowly, she could put some of that money into the fake books as the crops came in and the rents too. Eventually, he would realize he was in better shape than he had known.

Picking up the shovel, she decided to try once more before heading back to Simon’s house. She stepped on the edge of the shovel to go a little deeper and then pulled it out. A few more pieces of pottery were in the dirt and then a small flash of green sparkled in the hole. She pulled it out and stared at the small emerald. It must have been part of the hilt she’d found last year. It had been missing a few jewels.

While the gem was small, it was still worth some money and it would help Simon out. Quickly, she covered the holes she’d made and placed the shovel against the back of the cottage. She brushed off her hands and put the emerald in her pocket. A slight rustling from the bushes behind the house startled her. She rounded the corner of the house to be out of sight in case an animal wandered out.

Instead, she spied a flash of brown hair. Dear God, Allan was here. On Simon’s property. Panic wouldn’t let her body move for a minute. Staring at the woods, she waited for Allan to approach her. But the only thing that came out of the woods was a deer.

Mia let out a deep breath of relief. It hadn’t been Allan she’d heard. Finally able to move again, she walked quickly back to the house. As she neared the house, she looked for a light on in his study. Not seeing a candle, she made her way toward the library door and turned the handle. She pushed her shoulder against the door but it didn’t budge.

Someone had locked the door!

Now how would she reenter without someone seeing her? She took a deep breath to calm her out-of-control

nerves. She tried all three doors that led from the library but they were all locked. There were no other options but to go to the front door.

She walked up to the front door with only one lie that might work. Robert opened the door with a questioning look.

“Miss Featherstone, what are you doing outside?”

“I had been reading in the library when I needed a breath of fresh air. When I returned the doors were locked.”

“I am most sorry, miss. Before Harris retires, he insists all doors and windows on the lower level are locked. I noticed the book on the chair but assumed you had retired for the night.”

“All is well. Perhaps in the future, if you see an open book on the chair you can assume I went out for air. Then I will tell you when I return so you can secure the doors.”

Robert’s face relaxed. “That is an excellent idea. I will let Thomas know too since he is also on evening door duty.”

Mia didn’t like the idea of two servants knowing she went out for “air.” But at this point, she had no choice. Hopefully, if Simon ever discovered she had left he would believe it was for a few minutes.

“Would it be possible to have a bath?” She hated asking the servants to draw a bath for her at ten in the evening but she had to wash the dirt off her.

“Of course, miss. We will bring up the water in a few minutes.”

“Thank you.”

She walked to the rose bedchamber and waited for her bath. Her nails were covered with dirt and so was her dress. She would need to get to her mother’s house for her old brown dress. Hopefully that wouldn’t show as much dirt as this pale green did. She brushed off what she could and prayed that the laundress could remove the rest without an explanation needed.

Finally, the tub and water arrived. Anne stayed and helped her undress.

“Your bruises look so much better, miss,” Anne said as she helped to unwrap the binding on Mia’s ribs.

“Thank you.” With the bindings removed, she realized that all the exertions of the day had taken its toll. Her side ached and felt slightly swollen. She had done far too much today and would pay for it tomorrow. Hopefully, her mother would not make an appearance and want to examine her.

Anne left her in peace as she slid into the warm water and sighed. She splayed her hand across her stomach and wondered if it was possible she was with child. She had not felt a moment of sickness yet, although she knew many women didn’t get that for a few weeks and some were never sick. She cupped her breasts and noticed they were a little bigger than normal. But almost every month she noticed that too.

She still had no idea if she were with child. At this point, she was nine days late and she had never been this late before. Perhaps it was better this way. Simon deserved a lady, not a strumpet who had already been with two men. But the idea of Simon marrying another woman made her heart ache. A lone tear fell down her cheek.

The time she’d spent with him had brought her happiness. Assisting him with his books had helped him and she’d enjoyed that more than she expected. And what they had done this morning in the library was more exciting than it had been with either Paul or Allan.

Perhaps there was another way to be with him.

Much to Mia’s chagrin, her mother arrived at eight the next morning. Mia was still in bed but hearing her mother’s voice carrying down the hall, she quickly felt her side and breathed a sigh of relief that the swelling from yesterday had gone down. The door opened after a brief knock and her mother barreled into the room.

“Why are you still abed at this hour?” She placed her bag on the end of the bed. “Are you getting lazy without me to wake you every day at six?”