Maid for the Earl: Book 2 Victorian Romance Novella Series

Four

First Draft
Bath, England 1863

Nora paced her bedchamber, running her hands through her dark hair. She was losing her mind a little bit more each day and yearned to speak with Verity. Why didn't I confide in her? What have I done? The thought of Verity finding out that everything about Nora was a complete lie was almost as scary as the thought of marrying a brute. The idea of losing Verity's friendship was a risk she wasn't ready to take at the time. Now with Verity so far away, Nora realized she was a coward. She trusted me, and I deceived her. She would have understood. Yet, it was too late for regrets.

Nora toyed with the idea of writing to Verity, but the risk was too significant. Maybe she could explain everything to Lady Margaret. She was a wise, powerful woman and would know what to do. However, Nora didn't have the strength to do so. Instead, she paced the floors some more. In her heart of hearts, she could see it all unfold before her eyes. Nora would put off the inevitable every day until it wasn't possible anymore. She could see her father dragging her away and the confused, open-mouthed stares of the people she had grown to love. Nora would wait until it was too late for help.

This thought terrified Nora to her soul. She replayed this scene in her mind repeatedly until she became too angry to see it anymore. "No," she yelled into the air of her bedchamber. "No," she cried again because it felt good. "No, no, no, no, no," she whispered, and tears ran unchecked down her face. "I refuse to give up. I refuse to give in. I have come too far on my own. I have friends now who will help me. Some people care about me and my happiness."

Her newfound bravado felt fantastic, and Nora was suddenly strong. She would calmly explain everything to Lady Margaret tonight after Lady Kenward's intimate soiree. The countess would be tired, but she would want Nora to chat with her while drinking her nightly brandy. Nora looked forward to sitting on the end of the bed and gossiping with the countess every night. Lady Margaret would fall asleep, and Nora would go to her room only to toss and turn. But that would stop tonight. She would unburden herself and hopefully sleep like a babe afterward.

After overcoming such obstacles, she reminded herself that she was still in charge of her destiny and felt lighter.

***

Gerald, the Earl of Blakley, cursed his mother under his breath. What was the woman thinking bringing that beautiful creature with them to Bath? From the moment he laid eyes on Miss Nora Sharpe in London almost a year ago, he'd been a tongue-tied besotted fool. Gerald had never felt about a woman how he felt for Nora. She was different from any other female of his acquaintance and had met numerous in his lifetime. She was considered far beneath his station as a lady's maid or companion, but her beauty cast her far above him or his title. She was too good for him and everyone else, for that matter.

None of those factors stopped him from dreaming of a future with her as his countess. He knew his mother wouldn't object to the match and would honestly be thrilled to see him thumb his nose at societal dictates or the ton's disapproving stares and gossip. Yet, getting his family's approval was indeed not the problem. Getting the quiet and shy goddess, Nora, to accept him was the hurdle he must leap over.

Miss Nora Sharpe was kind and treated him somewhat like a sibling. It was maddening to Gerald, and he went out of his way to avoid the siren. She made him decidedly nervous anytime she was near. He acted like a love-sick boy and had embarrassed himself more times than he'd care to admit. Stuttering and breaking out in hot or cold sweats was undesirable, so Gerald avoided her as much as possible.

However, he couldn't avoid her tonight, and dread crept up on him just thinking of the carriage ride they would share to the soiree where he would escort her and his mother. His musings also involved Johannes Lymington, The Duke of Hayward. Gerald couldn't say he didn't like the chap, but there had always been something about Johannes that seemed to get under Gerald's skin. However, they had been childhood friends, attending Eton and then Cambridge together. At the time, Gerald was more reserved, while Johannes was a bit rowdy and somewhat boastful.

Gerald could admit that envy played a significant role on his part, and he wasn't proud of it. Yet, now, he had grown up and could admit his faults. By the time they started Cambridge together, Johannes was a marquess and heir to a dukedom, while Gerald was a viscount and heir to an earldom. However, that had never bothered Gerald. Johannes had an air about him that seemed to set him apart from everyone else. He was good-humored, intelligent, an excellent horseman, and was uncommonly handsome-or so Gerald was told.

Lord Vinge studied his face in the looking glass and chuckled. The idea that he had spent years feeling inadequate next to Johannes made him feel like a fool. Gerald had many fine qualities of his own, or many women had also told him. He had a fine form, a pleasing face with an aquiline nose, pale blonde hair, blue eyes, and was also intelligent-more so than Johannes since he was being honest. Truthfully, it was the duke's bold, carefree, and often mysterious personality that set him apart.

The Haute ton were enamored with the Duke of Hayward, and unfortunately, so was Nora. Or, that's how it appeared to Gerald when he saw the way Nora looked or acted around the duke. Of course, Lord Lymington was full of praise for Nora just like he was with most females of his acquaintance. So, Gerald wasn't too concerned that there was a love match in the making, but if Nora harbored real feelings for the pompous duke, she would never truly be his. He had to figure out how to determine if Nora was merely spellbound, like many females, by the charismatic duke or if it was something more profound. Gerald needed to know if there was a chance for him with the whimsical beauty. He intended to find out sooner rather than later and hopefully tonight after the soiree.