Page 30 of The Earl Next Door
She had no doubt she looked like a kitten that had been fished out of the Thames, but that was of no consequence. Society dictated one rule she wouldn’t ignore. Delicately grabbing the sides of her wet, clinging dress, she curtsied. “My lord, and gentlemen.”
The earl tossed his cards on top of the table, rose,and bowed. “Countess Wake,” he said, taking time to assess her from head to toe.
At the sound of her title every chair scraped across the fine wood floor. The men laid their cards on the tables, too, rose, and bowed.
The earl stood tall, handsome and powerful-looking among all the men. Without a doubt, without wanting it to happen, she was reminded how immensely attracted she was to him. That angered her even more. Suddenly she felt every frigid bead of drizzle running down her body, every strand of rain-soaked hair curling around her face. She shivered all the way down to her toes.
“Has something happened?” he asked, his expression suddenly changing to concern.
Stubbornly ignoring the worry that appeared in his features, Adeline gathered her courage and ire around her as if they were her soggy cape. Taking further steps into the room, she gripped her wringing wet reticule tightly and plopped it down on the gaming table beside the earl’s cards and then quickly wrenched off her ruined gloves and threw them beside it.
“How dare you gentlemen sit here snug, warm, and may I saydry, sipping your fine cognac, without a care in the world while your coaches clog the street causing others to slog through a slashing storm to reach the same amenities awaiting them in their homes.” Adeline’s gaze swept around the room meeting every face as she spoke. When she settled her attention on Lyon again, she added, “The street in front of my house is not your private parking area.”
Some of the gentlemen continued to be astonished,staring at her with eyes wide and mouths open. One gentleman abruptly cleared his throat and looked away. A couple of them coughed inconspicuously, while still another peered at her over his spectacles with great interest.
She felt no intimidation from any of them.
“I will thank you gentlemen to be more considerate in the future of blocking access tomyhome withyourcarriages and horses while you visit with the earl.”
From seemingly out of nowhere the butler appeared beside her with an umbrella in his hands and said, “Perhaps, my lord, since you have guests, I could see that the lady reaches her home.”
Before anyone could speak, and with hot eyes, Adeline shot another blistering look toward Lyon and then took the umbrella from the butler’s hand. “Thank you,” she said, “but that’s not necessary. Since I managed to find my way this far in a slashing rainstorm, I think I can get along home just fine.”
Confident in her inner strength, Adeline snatched her knitted purse off the table and without further ado whirled and strode out of the room like a queen, reaching the vestibule the same time as the butler. She paused and opened the umbrella while he opened the door.
As determined as she entered, she walked back into the driving rain.
Chapter 11
For the first time in his life Lyon was aroused in mind as well as body.
Every man in the room had remained silent and in awe of the audacious, hot-blooded lady who’d just stood before them, verbally dressing them down to their toes. Not a one of them moved. All continued to stare at the doorway Lady Wake had disappeared through. Only the crackle of the fire was heard.
Lyon was as mesmerized as the rest. Where the devil did she get the courage to be so bold as to take on a roomful of gentlemen?
The countess was mightily impressive. Her eyes had blazed with the right amount of justifiable anger and indignation. Her softly rounded shoulders had been thrown back defiantly. Her breasts heaved as if she’dbeen running for miles, and the skirt of her drenched silky dress had clung to her shapely legs with indecent splendor. Without question, Lyon knew every man in the room would be dreaming about her all night. The image of her admonishing not only him, but a duke, a viscount, and several other well-respected gentlemen in London Society would be burned into Lyon’s memory forever.
And theirs, too, he had no doubt.
He was also reminded this wasn’t the first time he’d been so stunned by her provoking boldness that he wanted to make her his. From their first encounter he’d known she was a lady with strength and spirit who wouldn’t fold up at the first sign of adversity. He’d sensed her deep feelings, innate passion, and honorable intentions. Opening the boarding school had proved she had a kind, generous heart. A woman most men would want.
Now, his gaming club knew it, too.
Everyone heard the front door shut. Still no one moved until, at last, the Duke of Middlecastle said, “My God, what a lady! A fiery one to be sure,” before plunking back down at the table with a flabbergasted expression still on his face.
“That she is,” Broward agreed, pulling on the layers of lace at his cuffs. “The Dowager Countess Wake. Hmm. I never knew she was so comely or so vigorous. I’d always heard she was of the delicate sort and never left her house.”
“Me too,” Charleston added. “But, she’s no bird with a broken wing, that’s for sure.”
Mumblings of agreement sounded around the room as heads began to nod in agreement.
“If I weren’t already married,” Pritchard said, grunting as he lowered into his chair, “I’d have to have her myself.”
“When did you ever let being married stop you?” Charleston grumbled. “Don’t act as if we don’t know of your numerous dalliances.”
“Now, see here,” Pritchard argued defensively. “You’d be after her yourself if you weren’t too old to catch her attention.”
“Who are you to call one old, my dear man?”
