My Reluctant Earl

Shirley Karr My Reluctant Earl Brazen Bluestockings book 1 First published by Shirley Karr 2023 Copyright © 2023 by Shirley Karr All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. First edition ISBN: 978-1-955613-07-1 Cover art by Daniela Colleo, StunningBookCovers.com This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy Find out more at reedsy.com Contents Preface Acknowledgement Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Epilogue Author’s Notes Sneak Peek About the Author Also by Shirley Karr Preface How did a respectable spinster end up hiding an earl in her bedchamber? Miss Ashley Hamlin has two months of the London Season to find a husband or another job at a ladies’ academy. Despite her experience and spotless reputation, rejection letters are piling up. And the gentlemen of the ton show no interest in courting this bluestocking. David, Earl of Ravencroft, is a talented musician and singer who reluctantly inherited his title after a family tragedy. He gave up the carefree life of a second son and takes his new duty to protect very seriously. Perhaps too seriously: he winds up unconscious and bleeding after defending a woman. He never expected to see again the lady he had previously rescued … yet here Ashley is, tending his wounds, concealing him and his secret identity. Despite their friendship blossoming into romance, they both have secrets. Secrets that could tear them apart and ruin their carefully planned lives if exposed. Add in David’s affectionate but nosy sisters, a patron who doesn’t take no for an answer, and a prestigious competition David’s family wants his help to win … and his path to happily-ever-after with Ashley is anything but smooth. Acknowledgement My thanks to Geoff Castellucci, whose fabulous vocal performances inspired the “what if…” path that led to this story. My thanks also to Helen Beseda and Betty Booher, who share my love of music but have a much better understanding of music theory than I do. Any errors are mine. I’m also indebted to Cheerleader Jessie and the Monday night write-in group from Rose City Romance Writers for holding me accountable and helping me reach my goals. Three cheers for positive peer pressure! Prologue Surrey, Summer 1801 David held his hands above the keyboard, trying to form the next chord correctly, when he heard a baby crying in the hall. Moments later his sister Lydia poked her head through the doorway, her eyes closed.“Are you decent?” He checked that the blanket on his lap covered his nightshirt and legs, at least as far as he could reach. “Enter,” he called loud enough to be heard over the squalling baby. Lydia shut the music room door behind her and strode directly to David, holding her baby out in front until she thrust the screaming infant into David’s arms. David tucked the baby against his chest and began rocking side to side and uttering soothing nonsense. Within moments Missy began to settle, and soon let David hold her in the crook of his arm. “Oh, thank heavens,” Lydia muttered as soon as the baby quieted. “Keep talking to her, or better yet, sing,” she said. “She wouldn’t settle for Nurse or me.” David shook his head and frowned at Lydia even as he began to quietly sing a lullaby. Only a few phrases in and Missy relaxed with her chubby cheek against David’s chest, one tiny fist clutching his nightshirt. Lydia tugged the blanket down to cover David’s foot, his splinted right leg propped up on the Bath chair. He finished the first verse and began the next, dropping his voice one octave. Lydia sat on the pianoforte stool and swayed as though she were holding the baby. He finished the lullaby. Missy gave a tiny yawn and kept her head pillowed on his chest. Lydia opened her eyes and smiled fondly at her baby. “I noticed how quickly she settled when you held her while we were all singing after dinner.” “I couldn’t exactly run away when you handed her to me.” She squeezed his toes. “How much longer did the surgeon say you had to stay off your leg?” “Another three weeks, at least,” he grumbled. “I’ll be stuck in here like this the whole rest of the summer.” “Well, at least you won’t miss any school. And you have plenty of toys to break up the boredom.” Her gesture encompassed the entire room. The family music room held pianoforte and harpsichord, harp, violins, viola and violincellos, Great-Grandfather’s viola da gamba, and cupboards with an extensive collection of smaller instruments and music books. After David broke his leg and was brought to the house, footmen carried him in through the terrace doors and set him on the sofa in here. His mother had since ordered a cot set up and the servants brought some of his belongings and a privacy screen down from his bedchamber while he convalesced in the ground floor room. “I’ve heard you, you know,” Lydia continued. “When you leave the garden doors open, I can hear you practicing, playing with your voice like it’s a new toy. You’re getting better at baritone, and when you’re playing the pianoforte, I’ve heard you hit several bass notes.” Missy patted his chest and lifted her head to look at him expectantly. “It’s just interesting to see how low