Chapter 15 #3
“Then you are a good teacher.” The earl clasped his shoulder. “Your mother has told me of the bond of affection you share. How vast is that bond?”
Cliff hesitated. “Father, I am not a boy of fourteen anymore.” A warning had slipped into his tone.
“I am aware of that,” the earl exclaimed.
“Cliff, of all my sons, you were the one always jumping the highest fence on your hack, jumps no boy should have dared! It wasn’t Ty or Rex I found in the bed of one of my guest’s wives, it was you—or have you forgotten that summer when you came home at sixteen?
Ty did not run off and neither did Rex, but you had to leave home at fourteen.
Although I understood then and I understand now, I did ask you to wait another year or two.
I have always been proud of you, but you have given Mary and I many sleepless nights, too.
Of course I must worry about my most willful and independent son! ”
“You need not worry now. Amanda is my ward and I have vowed to secure a bright future for her. And while I am fond of Miss Carre, I am her guardian, and I am seeking a marriage for her.” He hesitated. “I am sorry I worried you and the countess so often as a boy.”
“Have you been in her bed?” the earl asked quietly but abruptly.
Cliff flushed anew, about to say no when he realized he would be lying to the earl. He had never lied to Edward and he never would. He could not, not even when he was younger and his scandalous behavior had merited severe discipline from his father.
Edward’s eyes widened with comprehension.
Cliff said quickly, “She is innocent. I would never take her innocence, no matter the temptation.”
“But you have been in her bed,” Edward stated. “Mary is right.”
“I am trying to behave honorably!” Cliff retorted, now worried about what the countess had said.
“I rescued her from a mob at her father’s hanging.
I declared myself her guardian when I did not have to do so—I could have left her a penniless orphan in Jamaica!
I had hoped to reunite her with her mother, but her mother is the worst of women, a conniving weasel and Amanda has suffered enough heartbreak.
I realize I fall far short of your standards.
Yes, I have been in her bed. But she remains innocent and it will not happen again. ”
Edward sighed. “I know you mean it. Cliff, I am very proud of your taking Miss Carre in and providing for her as you have. You have done the right and noble deed in offering to foster Miss Carre and launch her. But I am hoping to protect Miss Carre from any possible ruin. And frankly, although you seem immune to the gossip whispered behind your back, I should like to protect you, as well.”
“I can protect myself,” Cliff exclaimed, truly surprised.
“Do not even try to tell me you do not care about the gossip. I know you are wealthy enough to withstand it, but I also know that it gets beneath your skin, which is not as thick as you would like me and everyone else to believe.”
He flushed, because every now and then, the whispers more than annoyed him. He might be an island privateer, but he was, by damn, the earl’s youngest and wealthiest son. “I do not need your protection,” he insisted, meaning it.
“Perhaps not. But I wish to give it, and I always will.” His gaze was searching. “I see the way you look at her, Cliff. Considering your penchant for seduction, what should I have thought upon seeing you dancing together?”
“I will not ruin Amanda,” he said grimly. “But she is tempting. I admit it. However, if the day ever comes where I am such a cad, that is the day I will make her my wife.”
For a long moment, Edward stared, his gaze searching. “So that is how you are thinking?” His face softened.
Cliff became terribly uncomfortable. “I have no intention of marrying anyone. I prefer my life exactly as it is. I am thinking of finding her the proper husband. But she is my ward.” He paused. “And we are friends.”
The earl stared at him for a moment. Then he clasped Cliff’s arm. “It is early, but will you join me for a glass of wine?”
Cliff relaxed. “It is very early,” he agreed, aware of being let off the hook. “But as you pointed out, it has been some time since I was home.”
They crossed the ballroom, heading toward a pair of great doors. “I understand you have given Miss Carre a dowry that includes an estate. You are going to great lengths for your ward,” Edward remarked.
“There is no other way to secure her future. In truth, it is my pleasure to provide for her,” Cliff said easily.
The earl smiled. “I am beginning to realize that. Have you ever considered the possibility that you are in love with her?”
Cliff jerked, caught upon that hook once more, where he squirmed.
“Of course not,” he said, aware of his heart speeding.
They entered the great hall. “I am not like Tyrell or my stepbrothers, to fall madly in love and never look back. I know the family legend is that the de Warenne men love only once and it is forever.” He laughed, but it sounded shaky to his own ears.
“I have never been in love and I do not expect to ever fall in love.”
“Of course you don’t. You have decided that you are different from all of the de Warenne men.
If you wish, I can help you arrange a marriage for her,” Edward said, casting a sidelong glance at him.
“Considering her charms and the uniqueness of this relationship, it might be best to marry her off immediately and end this guardianship—and friendship.”
Cliff stiffened. Adare never failed in any objective.
If he asked the earl to find Amanda a husband, he would do so, and swiftly.
For the first time in his life, he told his father a significant lie.
“I have a list of possible suitors, although I have yet to carefully analyze it, or other prospects. I can manage, but thank you.”
Edward shrugged. “If you change your mind, you need only ask. I am sure a choice of suitable prospects can be found.”
“Thank you, but no,” Cliff said. “I have the matter firmly in hand.”
The earl merely smiled.
“And Edward? Amanda and I will remain friends after she is wed.”
“Of course,” the earl said.