Trapped with the Earl of Sin

Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

W hat is it about her?

Martin could not quite put his finger on what had him so intrigued by Lady Susanna Creasey, but he had not been able to keep his eyes off of her during dinner, and he found himself in the same position at the breakfast table as well. Whenever she was in the room with him, he could not seem to really see anyone else.

Unfortunately, it seemed that she was not looking his way.

Had he really done something to offend her last night?

He was teasing her, just as she was him. But now he felt a little bad as it hit him that he might have taken it a step too far. She seemed to enjoy the joking, but what if his instincts were off?

He had to find out.

“How are you feeling today, Lady Susanna?” he asked smilingly. He already knew that he was going to do whatever it took to get her attention.

“I am quite well, thank you very much.”

Was she always this proper ? Martin had a feeling that there was so much more to Susanna that he just needed to break down her walls. Perhaps it was the way that she carried herself, and the fact that he was convinced she was hiding so much of herself, that had him so intrigued.

“That is good to hear. Are you comfortable at Standen Abbey?”

She shot him a surprised glance. “Yes, it is quite lovely. I did not know that you were the host.”

Luckily, it seemed that everyone else was so intrigued by their own conversations that no one could hear her barbs.

“Well, Luke is my best friend and a wonderful man, as I am sure you have seen by now. But he is very wrapped up in your sister and his upcoming marriage, so I am simply checking on his behalf.”

Susanna glanced over at her sister, and Martin followed her gaze. There was no way of getting either of their attention right now, they truly were wrapped up in one another, displaying their love.

Since Martin thought it was utter madness for his friend, Luke, to get married, risking his heart and his livelihood, it was fun to have a distraction in the form of someone else. After all, he could not just tell Luke that he was about to make a fool of himself, so it was a good idea to concentrate on someone else.

“Well, you can tell Lord Standen that I am having a lovely time, thank you.”

Her icy shoulder made Martin smile. It was like she was challenging him, and he did not mind rising to the challenge.

“I am also having a nice stay.” Martin chuckled. “Thank you for asking.”

“Well, you are the one talking on behalf of the host, are you not?” Susanna cocked a knowing eyebrow. “So it is not necessary for me to ask you.”

Martin leaned back in his chair and smirked. “You do not seem to have much time for me, Lady Susanna. Pray tell, have I done something to offend you?”

“Oh, you do not need to worry, Lord St. Clair, I do not think enough about you to have an opinion either way.”

Ooh, that was meant to sting, but Martin enjoyed it. She was giving him what she was giving him. It was fun. Ladies did not normally act this way. Especially when they came across as proper at first glance.

“That might be because we have not spent anywhere near enough time together. We could always change that.”

Susanna’s eyebrows rose in horror. “Oh, I do not think that is necessary.”

“Well, we are going to be spending a lot more time together, during all the wedding planning, and during the big day .”

“The way you talk about the wedding…” Susanna commented. “It is almost as if you do not think it is a good idea. Is it my sister that you do not like?”

Ooh, now that was a joke that Martin would not jump on. He sensed how protective Susanna was of Mary. She would not talk about this as a bit of fun.

“I think Mary is lovely.”

“But not good enough for your friend?”

“Well, you are keeping an eye on Luke, are you not?”

“Yes,” she agreed. “But that is not because I would ever assume him not to be good enough . I just want to be certain that Mary will have a nice life. Is that not what you want for Luke as well? To be married and happy?”

Martin decided to be honest here before Susanna truly got the wrong idea. “I do not think it is a good idea for anyone to get married. I cannot see any reason to get married at all. It is a waste of time.”

“Love?” Susanna gasped, stunned by his words. “Many people get married for love.”

Martin grinned, loving the debate. “Are you going to get married for love? When are you planning to do that?”

As she fell silent, Martin sensed that she might share some of his opinions. She simply did not want to let it out because it was not the right thing to do.

That only made Martin even more determined to find out the truth about her, to get her to admit how she really felt about everything.

“I have never seen any evidence of true love, so I cannot say I believe in it,” he said with a one-shouldered shrug. “Maybe this wedding will change my mind.”

Susanna glowered. “Do you know how jaded you sound when you say that? I do not think I can have a conversation with a man so against love when he is faced with it himself.”

“Yet, here you are, talking with me.”

As he laughed, he saw Susanna wrestle with herself. It seemed like she wanted to join in his laughter, but she refused to give him the satisfaction. Which, of course, only satisfied Martin more.

“Perhaps I am trying to see if there is any intelligence in there,” she shot back.

“And what are your conclusions? Have you decided yet?”

She smirked at him. “I am still trying to work it out.”

“Well, we are going to be here for a while. I am happy for you to spend all the time you want working it through.”

Susanna shook her head like she could not quite believe Martin. But he could not help spotting the small smile playing on her lips. He knew now for sure that she enjoyed this game just as much as he did, even if she did not want to admit it to herself.

But they were going to have fun here, she would soon see that too.

Martin’s mother had seamlessly walked him into the drawing room after breakfast, where everyone was engaged in wedding plans. This was not particularly where Martin wanted to be, but the challenging, beautiful Lady Susanna was in the room, so he stayed just to watch her and try to figure out what he could do to get a reaction out of her again…

“So, what do you think?” Luke demanded, reminding Martin that there were in fact other people in the drawing room. Not just him and Susanna over the other side of the room. “Shall we have morning tea now that breakfast is over? Me and you, Mary and her sister, Susanna? I would like to get to know Mary and her family better.”

Martin’s heart skipped a beat. It appeared that Luke really had not heard his conversation with Susanna. “Yes, that sounds like a great plan.”

He would much prefer to be in a room with just the younger people because the conversation could flow much more freely there. Also it would give him a chance to tease Susanna some more instead. Chatting to her at the dinner table had been the most fun he’d had at Standen Abbey thus far.

“I would like you to spend more time with Mary as well,” Luke continued. “So you can get to know her before everyone else arrives. I really do want to hear your opinion on my bride-to-be. Although I am sure you are going to love her because she is wonderful. I just want you to really see her before the house is packed out.”

Martin felt his stomach sink. The more people arrived at the house, the less fun this was going to be.

“Yes, let us do it now. I will go to the parlor and ensure we have some tea prepared.”

Luke nodded and headed off to find his future wife. As Martin backed out of the room, he caught sight of his mother eyeing him inquisitively.

“Where are you going?” she asked him curiously.

“I am going to spend time with Luke.”

“And his bride-to-be as well?”

“And her sister,” Martin admitted, hoping this would not lead to the typical conversation with her about his own future.

“I see… well, Lady Susanna seems like a very lovely lady. Now that Luke is getting married, I am sure you are thinking about your own future.”

“Oh, no,” he shot back rapidly. “I am not thinking about anything…”

“Well, you know I want you to be happy, and it would be lovely to have grandchildren.”

She did not seem to understand that Martin did not want that for himself. Every time he tried to express as much, she continued pestering him until Martin had to end the conversation abruptly. She did not seem to believe that he could be happy any other way. And yet Martin had no intention of another tiring discussion about an heir with his mother.

Martin had been happy for years. He was content to engage in short-term flings with women who did not want any commitment from him.

That was easy. No complications. Just pleasure.

“I know you would like that, but I will not talk about it now, I am expected in the parlor.”

He headed towards the parlor without giving the dowager any chance to reply. He was not going to get dragged into anything he did not want, just because she had caught wedding fever.

“So, who did you say is arriving today, Luke? There are so many new faces…”

Martin heard the voices drifting down the hallway, which suggested that everyone else was about to join him. He took a seat and smiled as he prepared himself for them to come. This was going to be his chance to get to know Mary, to ensure that everything was right.

But of course, his eyes could hardly stay on Mary when her sister entered the room behind her. From the very first moment he had been introduced to Susanna, he had been constantly drawn towards her like there was an intense magnetic pull there.

But again, she did not meet his eyes.

“Mary, have you met my best friend, Lord St. Clair, yet?”

“Oh, I think so,” Mary replied with a girlish giggle. “I was introduced to a few people last night. But it is nice to meet you again.”

“Yes, you too,” Martin replied, trying his hardest to take his eyes off Susanna for just a moment. “I am looking forward to getting to know you better.”

“And this is Lady Susanna, Mary’s sister.”

Martin’s smile widened. “Yes, I remember. Good to see you again, my lady.”

Everyone sat down as the maids brought in the tea for everyone. Luke thanked the staff profusely, which made Mary smile with sheer joy. It was nice to see the way that she looked at his friend, like he was special to her and the love of her life.

It was a little sickeningly sweet, he supposed.

“How has your morning been?” Susanna asked as they sipped their tea. “My lord?”

Luke furrowed his brow as he looked between Martin and Susanna, clearly having no idea what was going on.

But Martin knew. She was getting revenge for his comments at breakfast.

“I have had a lovely morning, thank you very much,” Martin replied with a smile. “I had an enlightening breakfast, before my mother dragged me into a conversation about wedding planning.”

“I am sure she thought that you had a lot to bring to the conversation for a man who does not believe in love.”

Luke gasped in shock. “You told Lady Susanna that you do not believe in love? How could you say that on my wedding weekend?”

“I think my comments have been taken out of context,” Martin said, trying to reassure his panicked friend, but it seemed that Susanna had it out for him.

She smirked as she cocked her head to one side. “Oh, I do apologize. I never meant to take your comments out of context, please explain.”

Mary laughed a little too loudly, trying to draw attention back to her. “I do not think anyone needs to explain anything. I am sure it was meant as a joke.”

Martin saw her give Susanna a warning look. It seemed like they were going to have to curtail their banter for a while.

It was a shame, but Martin respected the bride. He did not want to upset her.

“Anyway, there is a lot that we need to talk about when it comes to the wedding,” Mary continued happily. “Because I am sure we will have good enough weather for our ceremony to take place very soon, and I am excited about it. I cannot wait to wear my dress.”

“Everyone is going to love your dress,” Susanna reassured her, clearly feeling guilty over the banter as well. “You will be the most beautiful bride anyone has ever seen.”

Her protective nature came flying out again.

Martin did not have a sibling, so he was not sure where this came from, but he found it incredibly interesting. It was another layer of Susanna that he wanted to unravel.

“I cannot wait to see you in your dress,” Luke agreed with a love-struck smile. Honestly, it was unnerving for Martin. He had never seen his friend so entranced by anyone before. “I am sure you will be radiant. My mother is excited as well. She is looking forward to seeing my bride.”

“My mother too,” Martin shot back dryly. “But we all know how she loves weddings.”

“Your mother seems very lovely, my lord,” Susanna declared, jumping on Martin’s throwaway comment, in a pointed tone as they all sipped their tea. “I actually just had a very lovely intellectual talk with her.”

“Oh, I am sure she thinks the same about you., my lady.”

She certainly seemed to thrive on sniping back at him, which was what kept him going. The next statement that came out of her mouth certainly suggested as much.

She rose to the challenge easily, jutting her chin confidently. “I have always found it strange how such wonderful women can have terrible children.”

Luke sucked in a sharp breath, but Martin chuckled. “Oh, I know,” he agreed. “It is rather curious, I have always thought the same thing.”

He was not offended. He knew that Susanna only said these things to get under his skin, and he would not let that happen. This was exactly what he wanted to happen, as soon as Luke mentioned the conversation over tea.

“Perhaps it is hereditary from your father,” Susanna responded darkly, her eyes twinkling. “Was he a highwayman?”

“Yes, that would be an interesting study to complete,” Martin jumped back in. “I wonder if any scientist would ever partake in it.”

Susanna parted her lips, about to fire back some other retort, but she did not get a chance to say a word.

“So, for the wedding,” Mary cut in, looking like she desperately wanted to keep the conversation running smoothly. “I am thinking about carnations for the flowers.”

It was very funny, especially because he could feel Susanna’s eyes burning through him even as they discussed flowers and dresses. Much as she was the one who wanted to get under his skin, it seemed like she was the irritated one. How funny. It was honestly a little challenging for Martin to hold back his laughter.

Their eyes kept meeting while Mary and Luke talked, and Martin could not ignore the fizzle of excitement coursing through his body.

He wanted to continue their chat for as long as he possibly could. He did not want to leave this parlor because it was the most fun he’d had in a very long time. This afternoon tea could last as long as possible, as far as he was concerned. He was happy to not leave this room all afternoon if possible.

Unfortunately, that was not possible. Before Martin could even find the words to spark up his conversation with Susanna again, a footman entered the room, speaking directly to Luke.

“My lord, more of your guests have arrived.”

“Ah,” Luke replied with a smile. “Wonderful. Come on, let us go and greet them.”

Martin was not in the mood to talk with others, but he would do it for his friend.

He was even more disappointed when he spotted who had actually arrived, because this was not someone he got along with well.

“Lord Edwin Allen,” he muttered to himself, unimpressed.

“Cousin, it is so good to see you.” Edwin embraced Luke enthusiastically. All Martin could hear was the insincerity in his tone. “And for your wedding as well. How thrilling!”

It was honestly always surprising to Martin to recall that Luke and Edwin were cousins. They could not have been more different if they tried. Luke was always genuine and kindhearted.

Edwin… was not.

Martin was yet to find a quality in him that he enjoyed. He could not exactly pinpoint what he did not like about Edwin, but the distaste was definitely there. It always had been.

“Lady Mary Creasey, how wonderful it is to see you too.”

From the back of the crowd, Martin could not help but notice that Edwin seemed very keen to greet Mary and to try and talk with her, but she seemed colder. Not the way he had seen her be with Luke at all.

“Yes,” she replied awkwardly. “Thank you for coming.”

“And Lady Susanna. Always a delight.”

Susanna was much less subtle with her distaste. She shook Edwin’s hand and curtsied to him, but she also had an iciness about her.

She seemed relieved as Edwin stepped to the side to talk with everyone’s mother. He had a way of charming the older ladies, which was likely why he was always around.

And now they had to suffer the whole week with him in the build-up to the wedding.

Martin suddenly sensed eyes upon him, and he turned to see Susanna eyeing him. It seemed like she had picked up on his unimpressed expression as well.

They might not have outwardly agreed on a lot of things, but it seemed like a distaste for Edwin was potentially something that they could bond over…

Interesting.