Enticing the Earl

“Of course.” He smiled deeply before capturing her hand and kissing it. He scrambled off his horse and then assisted her down. He clasped his hand in hers as they strolled to their home.

“Can I ask you a question that might embarrass you?”

He rolled his eyes. “If you must.”

“When did you or your family realize you had an issue with mathematics?”

He remained silent for a long time before finally saying, “From the time the governess tried to teach me when I was five. She told my father, I would never learn and there must be something wrong with me.”

Mia closed her eyes as the pain of a five-year-old boy washed over her. “What did he say?”

Simon laughed hoarsely. “That I was the next Earl of Hartsfield and I would learn my numbers. I will give the man credit in that he tutored me extensively after that. I could do the sums but always made mistakes.”

“But you are an excellent reader.”

“And writer. But some things don’t make sense for me. Music for one. I could never learn to play an instrument. You saw Charlie show me how low to dig. Without his assistance, I most likely would have dug too far or not far enough. I don’t judge distances well.”

She frowned slightly. “You did fine when we were throwing knives.”

“Still, if you had told me to stand back twenty feet, I wouldn’t have been able to judge that without walking twenty steps, and hoping it was right.”

This didn’t sound like anything she could cure. In fact, she wondered if anyone else in his family had the same problem. “Do your brothers or Caroline have the same issue?”

“No,” he answered quietly. “Only me.”

“Did you know if you took a fall when you were very young?” Sometimes a fall to the head can cause a lifetime of problems.

Simon shrugged. “Not that I remember.”

“You should ask your mother when you see her next.”

“Why? Are you afraid I’ll give this to our child?”

Mia smiled up at him. “No. But we should know to look for it in our children so we can get them a very good tutor who will work with the issue. If it was a fall to your head, that might have caused the mathematics issue.”

“And the music?”

“It’s all part of the brain. You have met the duke’s footman, Randall. He took a serious fall when he was little and has never been the same.”

Simon pulled his hand away. “Now, you’re comparing me to Randall?”

“No, it’s just that when you land on your brain, certain functions can be diminished. There is nothing a healer or surgeon can do about it.”

“I see.”

“Thank you, though.”

He looked down at her with soft gray eyes. “For what?”

“Trusting me enough to tell me such a painful fact.” Mia grabbed his hand and squeezed it in hers.

“After doing the books, I assumed you figured it out. Or thought I was an idiot.”

“I never thought that,” Mia replied. “I have known you for as long as I can remember and you are very intelligent.”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly. “Thank you.”

“For what?”