A Wicked Way to Win an Earl by Anna Bradley Page B

home” to the business associates who called, day after day, demanding to speak to him. There had even been talk of selling Bellwood.
    His mother’s “friends” had anticipated her downfall with delight. On the surface the countess had maintained her placid calm, but the ordeal had drained her. Alec had seen the effort it took for her to hold her head up amid the gossip and the whispers. Robyn, Charlotte, and Eleanor would have been required to make the same effort had they been ruined. The family had been drowning in debt, the Sutherland name was fodder for the worst kind of gossip, and his mother had been on the brink of collapse.
    Alec had been helpless to prevent any of it.
    Then his father died. Alec would call his death fateful, but it was nothing as romantic as that. Alec wanted to believe that before death came some sort of understanding, but his father had died very much as he’d lived. Selfishly. Hart Sutherland had drowned himself in whiskey, and left his wife and elder son to pick up the pieces.
    Alec had picked them up. Shilling by shilling. Pound by pound. Through sheer force of will and iron determination he’d rebuilt the Sutherland fortune. As was usual with the
ton
, once the fortune was secure, the Sutherland name was promptly resurrected.
    He wasn’t helpless now. He was the Earl of Carlisle, and he would be
damned
if a mere three years later he’d allow this family to suffer again. His sisters were now at marriageable ages. Their prospects would be damaged by another scandal. Delia Somerset might be brave and intriguing, but she was a scandal waiting to happen. She was disgrace. Disgrace with a beautiful face this time, but disgrace nonetheless. And Robyn—well, he might think he knew what he wanted, but Robyn and Delia Somerset came from different worlds. A marriage between them would lead to nothing but regret and misery.
    His mother sighed. “Does Robyn have serious intentions toward Miss Somerset?”
    Alec shrugged. “I haven’t the vaguest idea. Robyn doesn’t confide in me.”
    â€œNo, he doesn’t. Not anymore.”
    A hollow feeling filled Alec’s chest at her words, but he let them pass. “The more pressing question is whether Robyn will do whatever is necessary to secure her if he
is
serious.”
    He stared hard at his mother.
    She went still. “You don’t mean . . .”
    â€œThat if he truly wants her and I object to the match, he’ll seduce her?” Alec shook his head. “As recently as a year ago I would have said there was no chance. That Robyn would never do anything so cruel or dishonorable. But now? I’m not sure. I don’t know Robyn anymore.”
    There was such profound sadness buried in those last few words, and his mother must have heard it, for her face softened as she looked at her elder son. But she didn’t reply. They fell into a deep silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, she roused herself. “What do you intend to do?” She searched Alec’s face.
    â€œKeep them apart as much as possible until the end of the house party, then send Miss Somerset right back to Surrey,” Alec said. “It won’t take long for Robyn to move on to some other diversion once she’s out of his way.”
    Lady Carlisle shook her head. “You can’t mean you intend to trail after Robyn for the next two weeks? You’ll both go mad.”
    â€œNot Robyn. Miss Somerset. The girl has barely been out of Surrey. She’s never been to a house party like this one, and she’s not accustomed to the attentions of gentlemen. A little charm and some harmless flirtation will keep her out of Robyn’s way.”
    He didn’t mention to his mother that so far Miss Somerset appeared to find him as charming as a steaming pile of horse dung. Or that he was far more distracted by her than she appeared to be by him.
Or
that even the thought of