“Lord Stonehaven,” Gemma cried, hurriedly affixing a welcoming smile while attempting to interpose her body between the earl and Hal.
She didn’t usually mind her short stature too much—one never had to duck a low doorway to enter a room, or worry about the view of those seated behind one at the theater—but in this case, she could wish for a few additional inches to blockHal’sview.
Not that the Earl of Stonehaven was at all objectionable to look upon.Indeed, Gemma liked the look of him, even if he did look absolutely nothing like Hal.
Gemma huffed internally, annoyed that even in the privacy of her own thoughts, Hal should figure as the apotheosis of all that was manly and attractive.But having the two of them here before her, Gemma realized, looking back and forth between the two men, it was nearly impossible to avoid drawing comparisons.
Where Hal was broad and thickly roped with muscle, the earl was lean, though surprisingly wide of shoulder.Where Hal’s skin was toasted a rich golden tan from the sun, the earl had the complexion of a man who spent more time with books than with livestock.Or perhaps it had to do with his research, Gemma thought vaguely.Wherever one went to look at rocks.Caves?Not much sunlight to be had there.
And of course, there was Hal’s beard.Well-trimmed though it was, still no gentleman of Gemma’s generation would consider sporting any facial hair beyond the occasional pair of overgrown sideburns known as mutton chops.
The Earl of Stonehaven’s cheeks were smoothly shaven, revealing a face of pleasing angularity, sharply defined jaw and cheekbones, and the high, clear forehead of the intellectual.
Hal’s rough, homespun clothing fit his body oddly, as though it had been made for someone else—too tight in some places, billowing hugely in others.His boots were scuffed and caked with dirt.As she’d come to expect from him, he wore no neckcloth nor hat.
The earl was sensibly attired for the country: sturdy wool trousers and a tweed coat, brown brogued boots that looked well worn in, but all exceedingly fine and exquisitely tailored.He’d whipped his wide-brimmed hat off his head and tucked it under his arm the instant he stepped through the door.The action had ruffled the waves of his shiny brown hair, cropped short at the sides and back and fashionably longer on top, and he lifted a hand to smooth it into place in a motion that looked habitual.
The earl’s smile lit his serious face with a sudden charm, wider and more genuine than Gemma had expected.“Lady Gemma!What charming countryside you have here.I have had a long ramble and found a spar formation that…but pardon me, that cannot be at all interesting to you.”
Behind her, Hal snorted, drawing the earl’s attention for the first time.Gemma did not need to look at Hal to picture the expression on his face—she only had to observe the way the smile dropped from the earl’s lips, to be replaced by a look of consternation.
“On the contrary,” Gemma trilled, linking her arm firmly through Lord Stonehaven’s and maneuvering him past the large obstruction of Hal.“I am fascinated to hear of your discoveries.We are only recently arrived in this neighborhood ourselves and I’m sure there are many things about our new home that we do not yet know.”
“I shall be happy to tell you all about it, only you must promise to stop me if I begin to drone on.”He gave a hapless shrug.“My sisters tell me I am an absolute menace when it comes to conversation about my geological findings.Apparently I have bored more than one young lady to literal tears.”
“It would take more than some chit chat about rocks to overset me,” Gemma assured him as she got him settled at the table she’d reserved for the purpose.Semi-private, tucked into a snug corner of the taproom in a window alcove, it was the perfect place for a little genteel seduction.
The earl played his part by courteously inviting her to join him for supper.If she could only stop being aware, at every moment, with every inhalation and every beat of her heart, that Hal was in the same room.
That was the last major difference she noticed between them, Gemma reflected unhappily.William Brighton, Earl of Stonehaven, was kind, solicitous, personable, and gentle.And when he smiled at her, she felt…nothing.
Whereas Hal Deveril was impossible, irrepressible, brash, and she didn’t even need to turn her head to feel the raw, dynamic vitality that poured off of him in a volcanic torrent.The very air between them throbbed, pulsing with all the things they’d said—and done—together.
I can’t do this, Gemma thought, despairing.
“That fellow you were speaking with when I came in,” Lord Stonehaven said quietly.“Does he…reside in the neighborhood?”
Against her will, Gemma felt her cheeks flame with heated color.“Oh!That’s no one, only our barman who is taking a few days off.Tell me more about what you found on your walk!A spare, was it?”
“A spar,” he corrected her distractedly.His light gray eyes seemed to search the room beyond her shoulder, perhaps for another glimpse of Hal.Gemma shifted in her seat and wished she had worn one of her lower-cut London evening gowns.His attention would not wander so readily then.
“Yes, a spar,” she repeated, leaning in to create a sense of intimacy.“Tell me more.”
Appearing to come to some decision, Lord Stonehaven refocused his attention on her and began a long explanation about the way an outcropping of living rock, or bedrock, could be followed to find various minerals in the chalk hills of the Downs.Gemma set herself to listen, determined to learn more about what Lord Stonehaven liked.Even if it was more boring than she wanted to admit.
Hal’s warm laugh boomed out behind her, as big and unrestrained as the man himself, and Gemma found herself wishing she could turn around and join in the fun.
Something of what she was feeling must have shown on her face, because Lord Stonehaven broke off in the middle of a description of a particularly promising exposure of metamorphic rock.
He was silent for a moment, then said quietly, “If there are things you need to attend to, your duties as landlady of the inn, I would not keep you from them.”
Gemma’s stomach clenched.Full of remorse for being unable to give this kind, thoughtful gentleman the full attention he deserved, she overcorrected.“Not at all!I declare, I have never been so fascinated!I want to hear all about the granite intrusion you found today!”
A smile creased the corners of his eyes.He really did have such nice eyes.“You are very kind, Lady Gemma.”
He reached across the table and clasped her hand, an impulsive move that should have given Gemma a thrill.His hand was warm; his fingers were long, the mobile digits of an artist or a musician.Gemma looked down at the place where their skin touched and felt nothing.
That didn’t matter, she told herself.Marrying this man was the right thing to do for her family, and she would see it through.At least she’d managed to wait until a truly good man came along.
