Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

E arls, Adam thought, should not have received as much attention as he did.

A duke, perhaps, or a viscount, but not an earl. There was a hierarchy for a gentleman’s title, and an earl was not so high up as to give reason to the number of people that would stare at him wherever he went.

It had been ten years since he left England, and he truly had thought that given how much time had passed, there would have been enough scandal and gossip that his tragic end to his time there would have been long forgotten. Oh, how wrong he had been.

The moment he entered the ballroom, all eyes turned to him. Then they all turned away, talking to one another. Adam pretended not to hear them, but he heard every word.

“Is that him?”

“The Scottish brute? Yes, I believe so. Who else could it be?”

“He doesn’t look anything like his supposed father did.”

“Yes, well, you know what the poor do when they want to be one of us. They plot, they scheme, and eventually they are successful.”

“How abhorrent!”

Adam rolled his eyes, going to take a drink. He wondered why he had been invited in the first place, though it was allegedly the ball of some newcomers into the ton that had invited everyone in London. It was a good welcome, all things considered, given that he had free drinks and the opportunity to listen to some gossip that wasn’t pertaining to him.

But that did not change the fact that he did not wish to be there.

“Good evening, My Lord.” a small voice came from behind him suddenly, and he turned around to see a slight young lady.

“Good evening,” he replied, “How have you managed to find yourself here? Are you not afraid?”

“A little, I must admit, but that is why I felt compelled to speak with you.”

“And why is it that you are afraid of me?” He asked.

He already knew the truth, of course, but he wanted to know what the lady would come up with. He knew that she would not be direct about the gossip, at least.

“In all honesty, speaking with any man is a frightening prospect. He could be unkind yet hiding it well, and you wouldn’t know until it is too late.”

Adam thought about her answer, unsure as to whether or not she had meant it.

“Lydia!” An older woman, presumably her mother, exclaimed, taking her wrist, “Excuse us, My Lord. She tends to wander.”

“I see.”

“It was nice speaking with you, My Lord,” the young lady said before being taken away.

He hadn’t even asked her name.

He sighed. Eventually, he knew that he would have to take a wife, but it would be impossible if every young lady he saw was whisked away before he could even begin a conversation.

Then again, would that be such a bad thing? The ton was not the place he wished to be; there were far too many airs and graces for him to understand, and too much pomp and circumstance for him to ever find a meaningful connection. The only reason he could tolerate his sisters was because they had been raised outside of it all, and even then he felt as though they were from a different world.

Perhaps that was why he could never write to them.

He scanned the room quickly, searching for them. He knew that he would have to tell them he had returned, but he did not know how. There were only so many ways that he could apologize for vanishing for a decade, after all, and none of it would have been enough. Simply put, he couldn’t stand having any ties to a country that loathed him so, and that included the two ladies that loved him more than anything. It was selfish, and he knew that, but it was also necessary.

“Winston,” a man said loudly, appearing in front of him, “I think it is time for you to leave.”

“And why might that be?”

“You are causing upset.”

Fortunately, Adam knew that if he used the same he did in Scotland, it would have the desired effect. It always did in London.

“To whom, exactly? I thought that they were all quite pleased to see me, given that talk turned to me the moment I entered.”

Given that the man took a step back, a flicker of fear in his eyes, Adam’s plan had worked.

“That is precisely what I am talking about.” He replied, half-stuttering, “Your presence is a distraction from the festivities, and there are people terrified of your influence. You may not know this, but here we do not go where we are unwelcome. The best thing for you to do now is to leave quietly, and allow those that are truly wanted here to enjoy their evening.”

“Ah, I see. You do not want me here because the attention is on me, and not yourself. Is that it? Truly, that is very ungentlemanly. I am unsure as to whether or not you are aware of this, but the ton frowns upon such self-centeredness. That is what I have heard, at least.”

The man turned red, and Adam thought he might be seeing it too, but he was not one to appease a situation, especially one that he did not create.

“Here,” he continued, finishing his drink in one and handing him the glass, “As you care so much for standards, be sure to clean it thoroughly. I wouldn’t want anyone to catch my beastly diseases. Also, if you could make a note to your fellow servants that the glasses had marks on them, that would be wonderful. We must strive for perfection, after all.”

He turned and left without another word. He did truly wish to turn back and see what the gentleman had thought of being spoken to like a butler, but he had a point to prove.

He did not need the ton, and he was not going to pretend that he did.

The air was cool against his skin, but nothing compared to the air in Glasgow. The weather was colder, but the people were far warmer, and it was a trade he had been more than happy to make all those years ago.

If he was going to find the right lady to spend the rest of his life with, he would have to find a way to find one that was not in the midst of society, unaware that scandal seemed to follow him wherever he went.

It was during that carriage ride home that an idea came to him.

“You said what? ” His solicitor, Fletcher Grounton, demanded the following morning, “My Lord, that is no way to conduct yourself here and you know it.”

“Do I? According to the ton I am nothing short of an animal.”

“And if you wish to prove them wrong, then you ought to act in another manner entirely.”

“And what if I do not wish to? I do not care what they think of me. You know precisely why I am here, and that is all I will be doing.”

“Yes, and your efforts in that are why I am here this morning. Do you mind telling me what this is?”

Fletcher slammed a piece of paper onto Adam’s desk, and he recognized it instantly.

Wanted: Young and unmarried woman. Preferably tall, preferably green-eyed, willing to marry me as soon as possible. For enquiries, see Lord Adam Winston, the Earl of Colton

“It is an ad, Grounton,” he replied dutifully, “And a good one at that, I must say. Succinct and very much to the point.”

“My Lord, you know perfectly well that that is not how matches are made. You cannot simply place an ad and wait. Your bride will be a person, not an object to purchase.”

“You are misunderstanding. I am not looking to purchase a woman, I am offering my services as a husband. Those are two entirely different things.”

“Even so, you should have consulted with me before doing this. If you have a lack of knowledge as to how things work in London, you must use my knowledge to aid you.”

Adam lounged on his chair, uncaring.

“Grounton, I have knowledge about this place, do not worry. I knew that the haute ton would not appreciate the straightforwardness, but it does not matter to me much when they disregard me no matter what I do.”

“That is not true.”

“Showing up to their events is not going to yield any results, if we consider last night.” He argued, “I did the right thing. I put on my best clothes, forced a smile, and went to a ball. I was told to leave almost instantly. They do not want me to find a wife the traditional way, so before returning home I did the next best thing. You must admit, too, that it was quite brilliant of me.”

“I cannot admit brilliance that I do not see. My Lord, any lady that sees this and wishes to respond, if there even are any that would do such a thing, will not be the sort of lady that you would wish to marry.”

“On the contrary, she would be exactly right. She would be someone willing to break from expectations and do what is necessary, just as I do.”

“She would be a young lady that could find no other suitor. Is that what you want?”

“Am I not in that very position myself?” Adam pointed out, “It is not as though I have my pick of all the girls in London.”

“But-”

“Grounton, if you are correct, this will not make a difference. I shall receive no responses and accept defeat and continue to disgrace myself at every outing simply by being there. You have my word.”

“You hardly disgrace yourself. Disappearing for so long will have only confirmed the rumors about you, but it is nothing that cannot be fixed by remaining here and doing your duty.”

“I have already tried that, if you recall, and it ended terribly. I am here for a wife and nothing more. If you want me to be a perfect gentleman, then you can do the work to make the ton see me differently.”

“You can adapt-”

“No. I will not adapt to a life like this when I could be away in a place where I am liked and respected.”

“Then let us hope this plan of yours works, though the chances of your future bride reading that and deciding that you are an ideal suitor are slim to-”

“My Lord?” A high-pitched voice came suddenly, “I am here to inquire about your ad.”

It was clearly a woman’s voice, out of breath and very quick. Suddenly, she burst into the room, footman on her heel.

“My apologies, My Lord,” the footman said quickly, “I tried to stop her, but she-”

“What impropriety is this?” Grounton gasped, “What on Earth are you both doing here? You did not even have the courtesy of knocking.”

“My apologies again,” the lady whispered, turning and knocking the door.

“Enter.” Adam nodded, smirking at her, “Do you have anything further to say about the running of my household, Grounton?”

“Many things, yes, but not in front of strangers.”

“These are not strangers. This is…”

He motioned towards the lady for her response.

“Lady Beth Harvelle, My Lord.”

“Lady Beth Harvelle,” he continued, “And a trusty footman. They are no strangers to me.”

She curtseyed, and he studied her carefully. She was certainly on the taller side, and her eyes were bright green, and she had been the sort of lady that was willing to answer an ad to become a wife.

She was exactly what he was looking for.