The Earl I Adore Read Online Free

that it will happen, and go about making it so.”
    A warm breeze ruffled the leaves of the potted lemon trees that surrounded the little seating area set up on May’s aunt’s terrace. It was blessedly private despite being located in the heart of Bath. The house was Lady Stanwix’s permanent residence, so the gardens were lush and beautifully tended, creating a living screen from any prying eyes.
    Thank goodness. Sophie needed an oasis right about then.
    Blowing out a hopeless breath, she wilted against the cushions of her chair. “Easily said when one has the look of a blond goddess,” she said with a wink. “We lesser mortals have to be more realistic. Not that I think everything is easy for you, just that I imagine them to be
easier
, although I am quite sure it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park to move halfway around the globe on your father’s whim.” Sophie cringed and threw an apologetic look to her friend. “Don’t mind me. If you thought me loquacious when happy, that’s nothing compared to when I’m upset.”
    â€œDeep breaths, my dear.” May demonstrated, her long, graceful hands lifting as she filled her lungs, then sweeping back down as she exhaled. “And remember, you are beautiful, sweet, and in possession of some very enviable curves. Any man would be lucky to call you his wife.”
    Sophie raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “Surely you must be joking. I’m short, plump, and overly talkative—hardly the stuff of men’s matrimonial dreams. If it were, I doubt I’d have made it through two Seasons without a single proposal.”
    â€œDid you
want
a proposal?”
    Sophie paused, toying with the silky fringe of her shawl as she considered the question. Her entire first Season had been such an overwhelming experience, she’d simply wanted to soak it all in. The dancing, the fashion, the music—it was all so glorious. And then there were the less than glorious parts: being looked down upon for her family’s modest funds, feeling the sting of the
ton
’s sometimes viperous tongues, nearly falling down the stairs at her first ball. Choosing a husband in the whirlwind had seemed ludicrous.
    And then she had met Lord Evansleigh.
    A fresh swell of nerves assaulted her stomach and she sat up straight again. “Yes and no, I suppose. It seemed mad to meet a man, dance with him and see a play or two together, and suddenly decide that he would be the perfect person to face across the breakfast table for the rest of my life. It seemed even more so when I met a man who made my pulse race, and I could hardly put together a coherent sentence in front of him. If I couldn’t inquire about his feelings on the weather, how on earth was I to inquire about our suitability in marriage?”
    May stared at her in utter disbelief, one golden eyebrow raised in an impressively high arch. “You, at a loss for words? Impossible.”
    â€œIt’s true!” Sophie leaned forward earnestly. Suddenly it seemed very important that May know exactly how doomed Sophie was thanks to her mother’s ultimatum. “Whenever I see him, my brain seems to go utterly blank, like a sheet of parchment left out in the rain, leached of all its former content.”
    May’s other eyebrow joined the first. “Oh, there’s a specific ‘him’? Well, this just got infinitely more interesting. Do tell, my friend.”
    Heat promptly flooded Sophie’s cheeks. If May was to help, it was best that she know everything. “You’ve met him, actually.”
    â€œLord Evansleigh, I presume?”
    Sophie gasped. “You knew?”
    May broke out in a wide grin, delight shimmering in her brilliant blue eyes. “I knew you said you embarrassed yourself in front of him the last time you spoke, but that didn’t quite explain your desperation not to speak with him at the opening ball. I suspected you