Trapped with the Earl of Sin

Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

“ A re you ready for this?” Luke asked Martin as he excitedly grabbed his coat. “I am sure we are going to have a lot of fun today, and I cannot wait to show Mary more of the local town. I have promised her a tour, and I am thrilled to finally fulfill that promise.”

Martin nodded slowly, accepting that he was really going to have to partake in this activity. Even if he was not sure if his heart was in it or not. After sharing a secret moment with Susanna the night before, where she revealed the rest of Mary’s past to him, he had not been able to shake off his worry for his friend. But he had promised Susanna that they would keep this between themselves until they knew more, and that was what he would do.

But he had been hoping that he would be able to start his search this morning, to investigate Edwin more, but now he had a trip into town to contend with. Luke needed him by his side as he took Mary out, and there was no reason not to agree to it.

Nothing that he could think of offhand anyway.

He could only hope that Susanna would be joining them, so he could have someone to talk to while escorting his friend around the town.

“Where is Mary?” he asked Luke warily as he spotted Edwin in the distance. He might have wanted to investigate Luke’s cousin, but not right in front of Luke. “Is she excited to see the town today?”

“Oh yes, very much so. I am sure she is just waiting for her sister to be ready.”

That filled Martin with relief. A little joy as well. He had to stifle his smile so Luke did not pick up on what he was feeling. He did not want anyone to get the wrong idea about himself and Susanna. Not Luke, and certainly not his mother. After their little chat, he had a feeling that she was going to be relentless at the wedding. Any woman he gave even a second of attention to would be the target of her affection.

“Ah, I believe that is them.”

Thankfully, Edwin was now out of sight. He seemed to have walked into one of the rooms before Mary and Susanna appeared, so Martin could let out a breath of relief.

He turned his eyes to the women descending the stairs and was immediately stunned by how beautiful Susanna looked. She was always dressed well, and had her hair styled perfectly, but there was something even more special about the way she looked today. She seemed to be sparkling. Martin could not put his finger on what made her look that way, but he found it hard to take his eyes off her.

Susanna turned to look at him, almost as if she could sense his eyes on her, and the way her lips curled into a smile made his pulse race.

This was a little attraction that he was going to have to push down. He could not allow it to bloom and grow because it would not ever go anywhere. Not even for a little moment of fun.

It could not. Susanna was not a widow looking for a moment of fun, she was a lady who wanted love and marriage. She had made that much clear to him with her words.

“Good morning.” Mary beamed as she drew nearer to them. “How are you both?”

“We are very good,” Luke replied, shining with happiness. “How are you?”

As they conversed, Martin continued to keep his eyes on Susanna. She was biting her bottom lip, looking like she had information that she wanted to share with him, but he was going to have to be patient until he could get a moment alone with her to find out what.

Unfortunately, patience was not his strongest suit.

Eventually, Luke and Mary were ready to leave, so they headed to the carriage awaiting them outside the estate, to take them into town. Because Luke was so keen to sit beside his bride-to-be, that left Martin far closer to Susanna than he was ready for.

The seat was small, which made their legs brush against one another every single time the carriage bumped over any of the cobblestones ahead of them. The sensation of her knee near his made his heart hammer so hard against his ribcage that he feared it might burst free.

It had to be because this was forbidden, that was all he could think of. He was so drawn to Susanna because he knew that he could not have her. That was why he could not even look her way, because he was afraid that she might notice how attracted to her he was.

“Are you looking forward to seeing the town?” he asked, hoping to cover up how crazed he felt inside.

“Yes, I am sure it will be lovely,” Susanna replied stiffly.

Did she feel the same way? Was she struggling with all of this just as much as he was? It certainly seemed that way.

He could not tell for sure though, because Susanna was pointedly not looking his way either.

“Is there anything in particular you would like to see?”

Susanna shrugged. “I am sure whatever we do will be fun.”

“Yes, I am sure you are right.”

He could hardly wait until they arrived in the town, so he could escape this enclosed space where his thoughts were just jumbled and all over the place.

He wanted to be able to think straight again.

Thankfully, it did not take too long before they could climb out of the carriage once more. Martin ensured that he was out quickly, but he did reach out his hand to help Susanna climb out too because it was the gentlemanly thing to do. Although he was not quite ready for the flurry of excitement coursing through his veins.

When was he ever going to get used to this feeling?

“Right,” Luke declared as soon as his feet touched the ground. “Come with me, I have the perfect place to start our adventure today.”

Luke led the group to a small park to take their first walk. He and Mary walked ahead of Martin and Susanna, so he made the effort to hang back a little so they could finally talk.

It was all lovely enjoying the sunshine in this lovely greenery, but Martin could not focus.

“Is everything alright?” he asked Susanna quietly, leaning in closer to her. “You seem distracted today.”

“Yes, I am alright…” She kept her eyes focused on Mary and Luke, ensuring they were ahead enough for her to speak freely before she continued. “But I have been subtly asking around, trying to see if I can discover anything new about Edwin. It was not the easiest thing to do because I do not want to draw attention to myself. I do not want Edwin to find out that I have been asking questions, and I most certainly do not want anyone to think that I am interested in him…”

The idea was so ridiculous that Martin could not help letting out a little chuckle. At first, Susanna stared at him in horror, like she could not believe that he was finding this funny, but as soon as she seemed to realize why he was laughing, she joined in a little.

“I know, I know, it is insane to think that I would like him, but I am afraid of giving that impression.”

“But you asked around anyway?” Martin checked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

“I did, and I cannot discover anything new about him that I did not already know. But there are not many people with positive things to say about him. Most people just say very little, but I can tell by their faces that they are not impressed by him.”

“Well, that makes sense,” Martin agreed. “Because I have never been impressed by him. I have never had the best opinion of him. But I am still trying to work out if he is really capable of doing something so terrible. How insistent has he been with his pursuit of Mary? Is he still causing issues now?”

“Well, Mary will do anything that she can to not be left alone with him,” Susanna confirmed. “She tries her hardest not to even be close to him because she knows what he is like, even when there are other people around, but I have noticed him watching her a lot. It is a good job that Luke is his cousin. That might force him to behave…”

“Hmm.” Martin was not so convinced. He did not know if Edwin would be loyal to anyone. Especially if he was a desperate man, and from what he had heard, Edwin appeared to have some desperate tendencies. “I will ensure that I keep an eye on him always. I will also ask my own questions because it is unlikely that anyone will assume that I am interested in Edwin.”

Shock crossed Susanna’s face before she realized that he was joking. The giggle that escaped her mouth was a little too loud.

Mary whipped her head around and stared at them both in surprise. “What is so funny?” she demanded, eyeing them both in shock. As her eyes narrowed, Susanna recalled telling Mary that she did not like Martin at all.

No wonder she was so intrigued by the laughing.

“Just a silly joke,” Susanna quickly replied, her voice light and dismissive. “Nothing to worry about, Mary.”

Mary’s expression softened, but she still looked a bit puzzled. “Alright then, but do share next time! I could use a good laugh.”

“We will, I promise,” Martin added, trying to sound casual.

Mary nodded and turned back to her conversation with Luke, who seemed completely oblivious to the brief interruption.

Martin and Susanna shared a look, a silent understanding passing between them. They needed to be more careful, especially around Mary.

“We are going to have to continue digging deep,” Susanna agreed the moment Mary turned back to concentrate on her husband-to-be. “Because I am growing more concerned about Mary by the day. I am terribly worried that Edwin has done something, and that he cannot be trusted again. Mary has been through so much, I do not want her to suffer anymore.”

Martin could see how fiercely Susanna cared about her sister, which only drew him to her more. He loved seeing passion in other people, he was excited by anyone who could speak their mind and freely care enough to show it. Society ladies usually did not allow themselves to behave in such a way.

But then Susanna was not like anyone he had ever met before, which perhaps was why he could not stop his heart from skipping a beat.

“We will solve this,” he reassured her, just as determined. “We will figure out if Edwin is up to anything. Hopefully, we will find out that there is nothing to worry about. With a bit of luck, we will discover that he has recovered from his obsession with your sister, and then we can concentrate on the upcoming wedding.”

Susanna nodded, but she did not look like she believed that would be the outcome of this investigation. “I do hope so. I want Mary to be happy. I really do.”

As they continued to walk, Martin tried to think about their plan with Edwin and who he was going to talk to about him, but he continued to find himself distracted by the beautiful and strong woman beside him. She really was incredibly intriguing. He was not sure how he was going to ensure that he kept a respectable distance from her while they completed this mission. All he really wanted to do was feel her close to him again, to know that they could kiss at any given moment.

Even if that was not something they could really do.

Eventually, they reached a small café at the edge of the park. Luke suggested they stop for tea, and everyone agreed. They found a table outside, shaded by a large umbrella. Martin sat next to Susanna, once again hyper-aware of her proximity.

“So, as I was saying,” Luke continued, obviously referring to a conversation that he had been having with Mary, but now bringing Martin and Susanna into it. “My cousin, Edwin, had invited these wealthy investors to his estate, hoping to secure their support for a business venture. He was determined to make a great impression. So, he went all out—hired the best chefs, imported the finest wines, and even arranged for a string quartet to play throughout the evening.”

Susanna and Martin exchanged glances, both eager to hear more. Martin, in particular, was keen to glean any insight into Edwin’s character.

“The only thing he had forgotten to do was plan what he was going to say.” Luke clutched his stomach and laughed. “It was a mess. A disaster. I imagine one of the worst investment meetings that anyone had ever gone to.”

Even as Mary joined in the laughter, Martin could see caution in her eyes. It left him a little more certain that Luke did not know a thing about the way Edwin had pursued her.

“Is he always that disorganized?” Susanna asked, a little coldly. It was clear that she wanted to know more, but that it was hard for her to keep her tone in check.

“He usually has a way of charming himself out of tricky situations. But not that time. It is safe to say that the business never got anywhere.”

Martin leaned back in his chair, absorbing Luke’s story with an air of casual interest, but inside, his mind was racing. This was precisely the kind of information he needed to better understand Edwin. Charm without substance, a penchant for grand gestures with little follow-up—these traits painted a picture of a man who relied on superficial impressions rather than genuine capability.

“He seems to have quite the knack for theatrics,” Martin remarked, aiming for a light tone. “But how does he handle failure? That must have been quite the blow to his ego.”

Luke shrugged, taking a sip of his tea. “Edwin has always been resilient, I will give him that. He bounced back quickly and started planning another venture almost immediately. It is like he never lets anything truly get to him. But,” he added with a chuckle, “sometimes I think he lives in his own world, where everything always works out just because he wills it to.”

Martin exchanged a meaningful look with Susanna. This insight was crucial. Edwin’s resilience, or perhaps his inability to accept failure, might drive him to more desperate measures. This could explain his relentless pursuit of Mary, seeing her as another challenge he needed to conquer to prove himself.

Eventually, they finished their tea and started a walk through the town, so Luke could show Mary where she would soon be living. They visited bookshops and flower stalls, bakeries and a lovely marketplace.

Mary looked utterly thrilled at the life that lay ahead of her, but now he was even more concerned that she might not like it there.

“That bit about Edwin was telling,” Susanna said quietly as they paused near a stall selling delicate hand-painted ceramics. “It aligns with everything we have suspected about his character. He does not seem to know when to give up.”

Martin nodded, his eyes scanning the surrounding crowd to ensure they were not being overheard. “Yes, and that worries me even more. If he is that determined, and he really did harm his best friend, then his cousin might also just be ‘something in the way.’”

Susanna’s brow furrowed. “I agree. We are going to have to work really hard to find something on him.”

They followed Luke as he excitedly showed Mary some jewelry he thought she might like, stopping talking for a moment because they might be overheard by the people they wanted to protect the most.

“Look at this one, Mary,” Luke said, holding up a delicate silver necklace adorned with a sapphire pendant. “I think it would suit you perfectly.”

Mary blushed, clearly pleased with Luke’s choice. “It is beautiful,” she murmured, allowing him to fasten it around her neck.

Strangely, it left Martin wondering if he should do something kind for Susanna. He never partook in romantic gestures, but he had the urge to do something nice for a change.

He wanted so badly to reach out for a necklace, but he could not. Just because he had the strange urge did not mean it was the right thing to do.

But as his eyes ran all over Susanna, he knew that her neck would look utterly ravishing with a chain around it.

What is happening to me?

Martin’s thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion and desire as he watched Susanna admire the delicate ceramics. The notion of giving her a gift, something as simple yet meaningful as a necklace, gnawed at him.

He had never been one for romantic gestures, preferring to keep his interactions with women casual and unburdened by deeper emotions. Yet, Susanna was different; she stirred feelings within him that he had not anticipated.

It had to be his mother. Her words were getting to him, nothing more.

Yet, as Susanna sensed his eyes upon her and she turned to give him a smile, Martin felt his stomach flutter. This was not a feeling that he could ever get used to, and he was not even sure what it meant.

All he knew for sure was that it would not be easy for them to continue on with this secret mission, just the two of him, but also he did not want it to end.

For everyone’s sake.