Read Online The Seduction of an Earl by Linda Rae Sande - Free Book Online Page A

the horse, they were going to end up on the grassy lawn to the side of the carriageway. She reached out with a gloved hand to grasp his larger hand.
    “Oh, pardon me,” Henry said suddenly, his hands suddenly tightening on the ribbons. The horse tossed his head in response but straightened his progress on the path.
    “A penny for your thoughts.” The words were out of her mouth before Hannah realized she’d said them.
    Trying hard to suppress a grin of embarrassment, Henry shook his head. “I was ... woolgathering. Which is a horrible thing for someone such as me to admit to when I find sheep so ...” He paused, not sure if he should tell her his disdain for the livestock that were so important to the region where his lands were located. Oxfordshire could boast of the Cotswolds, and while the region was synonymous with sheep, his lands were devoted to farming. And farming was what he did. It was how he had made his living before he inherited the earldom. And he continued to do it, although he did so because he could not imagine not doing it. One of the few members of the aristocracy who worked for a living, Henry could actually afford not to, should he choose. But he was used to laboring in the fields surrounding Gisborn Hall. Just because he had inherited an earldom and enough money so he could spend his days in leisure didn’t mean he intended to live like his peers.
    “Offensive?” Hannah offered, not quite sure if it was the correct adjective.
    Henry glanced over at his passenger, finding the word perfect. “Yes. I’m a farmer. I don’t own sheep. Nor will I ever. Nor are there any on my lands.” His words were delivered with a firmness that suggested he despised the sources of wool that were so important to the economy of Great Britain.
    “Should there be?” Hannah countered, her expression one of puzzlement.
    Henry laughed. “Not if you ask me.” He reached over to where her hand was resting on his arm, his gloved hand patting hers. “But they are a fixture of the Cotswolds,” he added with a shrug. “And, in answer to your earlier question, when I left the Wainwright estate yesterday, Lady Charlotte was busy with her decorating project for the duke’s house. I expect Wainwright has asked for her hand by now. He planned to do so after I left them to return to London.”
    Hannah sighed, her face brightening at the news of her best friend. “I am very relieved to hear it,” she said with a grin. “There was gossip suggesting her cousin tried to have her killed, and other gossip that had her father on his deathbed at St. Bart’s.”
    Henry cocked his head. “And he is ... not?” he wondered, his brows furrowing. He had heard the very same gossip shortly after he’d met with the Earl of Ellsworth. Although he never went to White’s, he did visit Boodles during his occasional visits to London.
    Dipping her head, Hannah shook it before returning her gaze to meet his. “He has a bump on his head, but apparently wanted everyone to believe he was going to die. He wanted to learn if his nephew was truly as awful as he turned out to be.”
    Henry gave her a sideways glance. “And?” he urged her to continue.
    “He is. He’s been arrested for theft and attempted murder,” she answered, her voice kept low as if she was afraid of being overheard. “I tell you only because ...”
    She paused suddenly, not wanting to admit she knew of his betrothal to Charlotte.
    “Because it is important to me,” Henry stated, glancing again in her direction. He wondered if what Hannah knew of Bingham’s condition was really the case. Was the man truly recovered? Or was he on his deathbed? And would the authorities truly arrest a man who was due to inherit the Ellsworth earldom? It seemed rather unlikely to him. Members of the ton seemed impervious to matters of the law. “But Lady Charlotte is under Wainwright’s protection now, so I can rest easy knowing she is safe from her own cousin.”
    Hannah nodded,