Persuading the Earl

Persuading the Earl The Country House Romantic MysteriesBook 1 byAudrey Harrison © Copyright 2023 by Audrey Harrison Text by Audrey Harrison Cover by Kim Killion Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. is an imprint of Kathryn Le Veque Novels, Inc. P.O. Box 23 Moreno Valley, CA 92556 [email protected] Produced in the United States of America First Edition May 2023 Kindle Edition Reproduction of any kind except where it pertains to short quotes in relation to advertising or promotion is strictly prohibited. All Rights Reserved. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. License Notes: This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook, once purchased, may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. 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CEO, Dragonblade Publishing Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Publisher’s Note Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Epilogue Author’s Note About the Author Chapter One Hampshire, 1811 “Aunt, I have told you a hundred times that I will not marry, and you know very well why not,” Richard Fox, Earl of Douglas, said with a pained expression. “It is long past time you were wed; you have responsibilities to the continuation of your heritage.” “That is hardly a fact to encourage me to marry, even if I was willing to do so, and as I am not, it just adds to the long list of reasons why I am right in my decision.” “You are flawed in every argument, you foolish boy. You are letting the past influence your future, and those are the actions of a ninnyhammer.” “I am the ninnyhammer? You are the one who threatened that you were determined to find me a wife, and now you are filling the house with spinsters who no one else wants. I am minded to predict that your scheme is doomed to fail before it has started, which I am more than happy about.” “I have invited those who I thought would suit you. I hope you give them a chance.” “Why should I raise expectations in women who have been unable to find a match elsewhere? I would expect at least one of the diamonds of the Season to be in attendance,” Richard drawled to his aunt. He stood in the large drawing room of his aunt’s house, one hand gripping the back of a chair, the other holding his quizzing glass to his eye, which had made many a lesser person wither under his scrutiny. “Any more of that insolence and I will box your ears, my boy,” Marie responded, not in the slightest daunted that her nephew was looking at her with his usual disdainful expression, his cold blue eyes challenging her. There was a slight pause, but then Richard laughed, tucking his glass into his waistcoat pocket. “My apologies, Aunt. I have spent too long in London with the wrong set, and I forget myself until I settle back in to country life, but when you try to meddle, it brings out the worst in me.” “Pfft, you are the leader of the wrong set if the gossip is even half true,” Marie said, fixing her skirts around her in a more comfortable manner. She still preferred the older style of apparel rather than the modern empire line dresses; her formal attire made her even more intimidating, supported by the disdainful expressions which were a trait of her family. “You should not believe everything you read in those pamphlets. They make their money by spreading exaggerated stories.” Richard defended himself, but the smile that accompanied the words undermined his suggestion of innocence. “That might be the case with regard to some of your friends, but I know you too well. The stories have more than a ring of truth about them.” Richard laughed at his aunt, the usual dark expression which marred his otherwise handsome features gone for the moment at least. She was the only person who could make him fully relax and be himself, and even that happened rarely. “I should never have told you half of what I relayed. I was young and foolish when I began this blasted practice of confessing everything to you, and I cannot stop the habit. It is too tempting when I know you will find it as funny as