Entangled with the Earl
A Tangled Threads Story
As the Earl of Carlington, Martin Audley has spent ten long years working to restore the estate his father left in ruins – and wasted as little of them as possible in London ballrooms. When his grandfather, the Duke of Debenford passes away, it seems the end is in sight: a thirty thousand pound inheritance. The only condition? Martin must present his bride to the current Duke within a year.
Teresa grew up on the stories of the fairy tale romance her parents had, dreaming that she’d find her own true love amid the bustle of a London Season. But as her third Season draws to a close, her aunt makes it clear that her time is running out. If no other suitors present themselves, she’ll be married to a man three times her age by the end of summer.
Martin’s title guarantees he’ll have little trouble finding a bride but he wants someone with no delusions that love or romance has anything to do with marriage. Teresa has no interest in marrying an arrogant Earl with an aversion to romance, but that’s exactly the sort of suitor she needs to convince her uncle that she has better prospects than an elderly roue. So when the Earl surprises her with an invitation to dance, Teresa makes a bold proposal: she’ll use her knowledge of Society to match Martin with the perfect bride if he’ll play the suitor, buying her more time to look for love.
What neither of them allows for is an inconvenient and undeniable attraction – or that even the best laid plans can go awry…
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Excerpt
“I’m pleased to meet you, Miss Selkirk.” Her stomach gave a queer little flutter at the sound of his voice, a pleasant baritone with none of the nasal qualities some gentlemen of the ton affected. “Your aunt tells me you are a remarkable young woman.”
Considering his title, her aunt would claim her niece to be a paragon of womanhood if it would result in a potential alliance between the two families, regardless of Teresa’s opinion on the matter. The real question was whether the Earl believed her aunt or was merely being polite. Teresa rather hoped it was the latter, given what she had heard of his reputation in the House of Lords. Surely someone described as “intelligent” and “insightful” could tell when her aunt was being completely insincere. Most of the ton could and Teresa would hardly use those words to describe them.
“My aunt is too kind, I’m sure.” There, she had said nothing Charlotte could fault her for. A lady is always modest. Teresa kept her tone coolly civil. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”
It was clear from her aunt’s indrawn breath that neither Teresa’s tone or phrasing met with her approval. The Earl, however, showed no reaction to the coolness of his reception beyond the mere quirk of an eyebrow. Perversely, Teresa wanted to grind her teeth at his nonchalance. It seemed immensely unfair that his presence be enough to turn her world upside down while she barely registered to him.
She’d found him attractive enough from a distance, before she had been close enough to touch him. Now it was all she could do to keep from staring at how broad his shoulders were before slimming down to a trim waist. Whatever it was the Earl did when not in London, it clearly kept him in excellent shape. Her father would have approved.
“I was hoping you might do me the honor of joining me for this next dance.”
No. Oh no. Her reaction standing next to him already terrified her. Even if she closed her eyes, she could feel a tug in his direction, an awareness of his body that had nothing to do with seeing him. She wanted nothing more than to put enough physical distance between them that she no longer felt that pull.
“I’m sure Teresa is delighted to accept.” Charlotte inclined her head toward her niece, her eyes narrowing even as her tone stayed honey-sweet. “Aren’t you, my dear?”
Teresa didn’t need years of experience to understand her aunt’s meaning. If she declined this invitation to dance, she lost what little say she might have over whose offers she would consider.
“I would be honored.” When trapped with no way out, it was better to yield with grace. At least the Earl seemed capable of looking at her face, which put him ahead of several other gentlemen Teresa had danced with in the past.
He held his hand out as the first strains of a waltz drifted up from the orchestra. Of course it’s a waltz. Placing her hand in the Earl’s, Teresa nodded to her aunt. “Excuse me.”
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