The Earl's Complete Surrender by Sophie Barnes Page A

in him burned, nonetheless.

 
    Chapter 7

    â€œI s he as odd as he looks?” Chloe’s friend, Charlotte, Viscountess Ravensby, asked as she reached for her teacup the following day. She and Ophelia, the Marchioness of Forthright, had known Chloe since childhood and were the closest friends Chloe had, besides her sisters.
    Seated in the Chinese salon, the three women were enjoying the opportunity to share each other’s company for the first time in weeks.
    â€œI wouldn’t say he’s odd,” Chloe said. The conversation had turned toward the Earl of Woodford, whose acquaintance Chloe had just confessed to making when Ophelia had spoken of a run-­in she’d had with him a few days earlier. Chloe now wondered if she’d made a mistake by saying anything, for her friends were now curious for all the details, some of which Chloe would rather not share. Selecting a thin cucumber sandwich from the plate on the table, she peered at it for a moment as if it held the answer to Charlotte’s question. “He’s very different, if you must know. In fact, he’s unlike any man I’ve ever known.”
    Ophelia’s eyes widened a little while Chloe took a bite of her sandwich. “In what way?” Ophelia asked.
    Chloe paused before saying, “He’s more reserved, I suppose—­not at all the sort of man who’d approach a lady for any reason.”
    Neither Charlotte nor Ophelia looked pleased by that statement. Both ladies frowned. “Why ever not?” Charlotte asked.
    Chloe shrugged. “I can’t say.” Because even though the earl exuded confidence, she sensed that he had little interest in attracting women and did not doubt that his relationship to her was accidental rather than intentional.
    â€œBut it’s a man’s job to sweep a woman off her feet with his charm,” Charlotte insisted.
    â€œIf you’ll recall,” Chloe said, looking at each of them in turn, “my husband did precisely that—­not only with me but with other women as well. Unfortunately for me, he was also extremely good at it.”
    â€œForgive me,” Charlotte said hastily. “I did not mean to—­”
    â€œIt’s quite all right,” Chloe told her gently. “However, while I can appreciate the appeal of men who apply such tactics with women, I have long since decided that I will never fall prey to that sort of playacting again. But that is neither here nor there since Lord Woodford and I have no intention of engaging in a romantic relationship of any kind.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, although it did suggest that she and Woodford were less involved with each other than they actually were.
    â€œSo you plan to enjoy his friendship as you do with Lord Scarsdale,” Ophelia said. “I swear, Chloe, I cannot for the life of me comprehend how you avoid temptation where he is concerned. The man is simply divine!” She leaned forward in her seat—­eyes sparkling with the knowledge of a truly satisfied woman. “Have you never once considered—­?”
    â€œNo.” Raising her teacup to her lips, Chloe took a sip in an effort to hide her discomfort with the subject. “He is good company, to be sure,” she said, unwilling to share the conversation she’d had with Scarsdale in the conservatory, “but, as difficult as this may be for you to believe, he is not the sort of man I’d care to engage in a liaison with—­the attraction simply isn’t there.”
    Her friends nodded. They seemed to understand, despite their brief look of surprise when Chloe had mentioned her lack of attraction to Scarsdale. What else could she say? The man just wasn’t her type and that was discounting the fact that he’d turned out to be a complete ass.
    â€œLet’s forget about Scarsdale then,” Charlotte suggested, “and talk about Woodford instead.”
    Chloe