Losing the Earl: Regency Romance Clean Read (Yearnings for Love Book 2) by Rebecca Grave Page A
Authors: Rebecca Grave
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mad dash, a hare escaping from a fox within her, his soft lips contacting her neck above her pearls.
She went weak, although she tried not to show it. His proximity was…intoxicating. She felt alive and faint at the same time.
“They’ll be waiting for us,” she whispered. Closing her eyes, she felt her chest pressing against the corset under her dress as she inhaled. The next kiss was no longer the evasive hare but wild horses in full stride. “There will be plenty of time for your impropriety after June,” she said, almost breathless.
Being the last two people in the room dining had not worked to Samuel and Mary's advantage. One chair had been left open for her between her mother and her two friends Lucy and Victoria, both ladies in their own right. They were her oldest and dearest friends, and alongside her maid her only real confidants. Samuel's place was near hers, two seats down and across the table.
Next to Samuel stood two men, one white, the other black, clearly the newcomers.
Her father stood at the head of the table, the rest of the guests waiting for him to sit. His smile deepened as Mary and Samuel entered the room. He raised his glass, “Friends and Family, I never thought my little girl would enter into a betrothal. When you have a child, they are forever your baby. To think I would give my child away to a well-respected member of royalty, my mind is set a whirlwind.” He leaned forward at the waist, gesturing to the table, arms out with drink in hand. “I want to thank you all for coming out to our home, so far from London. While many are far from home tonight, we have two guests from the Americas.” All eyes turned towards the two standing there, waiting patiently.
“They are two gentlemen traveling and caught in the blizzard. They requested to take shelter with us, which we’re happy to provide. A Mr. William Caulfield and a Mr. Thomas Aquinas.” Her father nodded at the two well-dressed but slightly shivering men. “To friends, old and new. Hear, hear.”
The room lifted their glasses with a “hear, hear” and drank. As everyone sat, Samuel remained standing as he gazed, face neutral but with a hard stare at the two men.
“Sir,” he began. “I find it distasteful that I have to sit and eat with the help, never the less a man such as him,” he nodded at Thomas, the black man, “from the Colonies.”
The black man said nothing but his eyes tilted upward at the chandelier. His companion, sitting between him and Samuel rolled his blue eyes and ran his fingers through his wet blond hair. “There are no slaves or servants here friend, only fellow good men of standing like yourself.”
Samuel snorted, and a few raised their eyebrows. “Apparently very good men, one of you achieved Sainthood.”
“Sir, I needed a better name than the one I had, sir.” The black man answered, his voice low but confident, with an accent Mary had never heard before.
“Of that I’m certain,” Samuel mumbled.
“No sir, I was a slave, and I escaped to the North and became a free man. When I was a slave, my master had given me a different name. One I no longer answer to.”
“Men in the colonies have forgotten what stature is…if they ever had honor in the first place.” There was something veiled in what he said as he smiled, and Mary did not know why but she laughed along with her friends at his remark.
Samuel then lowered himself into the chair, apparently bored with the conversation.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” said the blond man, William, “and sir, you have no idea of how lacking in honor some men in the South are. I beg you, please don’t make light of my friend.”
“My gracious apologies, I jest sir” Samuel said, directing his words to the man next to him. “Welcome.”
There was a moment of silence as they sized each other up, the American cautious but confident and relaxed, and Samuel, nose a little higher in the air, and
She went weak, although she tried not to show it. His proximity was…intoxicating. She felt alive and faint at the same time.
“They’ll be waiting for us,” she whispered. Closing her eyes, she felt her chest pressing against the corset under her dress as she inhaled. The next kiss was no longer the evasive hare but wild horses in full stride. “There will be plenty of time for your impropriety after June,” she said, almost breathless.
Being the last two people in the room dining had not worked to Samuel and Mary's advantage. One chair had been left open for her between her mother and her two friends Lucy and Victoria, both ladies in their own right. They were her oldest and dearest friends, and alongside her maid her only real confidants. Samuel's place was near hers, two seats down and across the table.
Next to Samuel stood two men, one white, the other black, clearly the newcomers.
Her father stood at the head of the table, the rest of the guests waiting for him to sit. His smile deepened as Mary and Samuel entered the room. He raised his glass, “Friends and Family, I never thought my little girl would enter into a betrothal. When you have a child, they are forever your baby. To think I would give my child away to a well-respected member of royalty, my mind is set a whirlwind.” He leaned forward at the waist, gesturing to the table, arms out with drink in hand. “I want to thank you all for coming out to our home, so far from London. While many are far from home tonight, we have two guests from the Americas.” All eyes turned towards the two standing there, waiting patiently.
“They are two gentlemen traveling and caught in the blizzard. They requested to take shelter with us, which we’re happy to provide. A Mr. William Caulfield and a Mr. Thomas Aquinas.” Her father nodded at the two well-dressed but slightly shivering men. “To friends, old and new. Hear, hear.”
The room lifted their glasses with a “hear, hear” and drank. As everyone sat, Samuel remained standing as he gazed, face neutral but with a hard stare at the two men.
“Sir,” he began. “I find it distasteful that I have to sit and eat with the help, never the less a man such as him,” he nodded at Thomas, the black man, “from the Colonies.”
The black man said nothing but his eyes tilted upward at the chandelier. His companion, sitting between him and Samuel rolled his blue eyes and ran his fingers through his wet blond hair. “There are no slaves or servants here friend, only fellow good men of standing like yourself.”
Samuel snorted, and a few raised their eyebrows. “Apparently very good men, one of you achieved Sainthood.”
“Sir, I needed a better name than the one I had, sir.” The black man answered, his voice low but confident, with an accent Mary had never heard before.
“Of that I’m certain,” Samuel mumbled.
“No sir, I was a slave, and I escaped to the North and became a free man. When I was a slave, my master had given me a different name. One I no longer answer to.”
“Men in the colonies have forgotten what stature is…if they ever had honor in the first place.” There was something veiled in what he said as he smiled, and Mary did not know why but she laughed along with her friends at his remark.
Samuel then lowered himself into the chair, apparently bored with the conversation.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” said the blond man, William, “and sir, you have no idea of how lacking in honor some men in the South are. I beg you, please don’t make light of my friend.”
“My gracious apologies, I jest sir” Samuel said, directing his words to the man next to him. “Welcome.”
There was a moment of silence as they sized each other up, the American cautious but confident and relaxed, and Samuel, nose a little higher in the air, and
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