Earl of Billington and Miss Lyndon

Chapter 11

Ellie never lost her temper. Oh, but actually, as his father always said, he was a little chatty, but overall he could always think clearly and calmly, his emotions were not easily provoked to vent his anger.

This trait, it turns out, he could not show at Wycombe Abbey.

"What?!?" cry Ellie while jumping to her feet. "How dare you!" Then he roared, running towards Billington who was trying to step back, as much as possible to avoid with his swollen legs with his stick.

"Bad!" ellie's nagging finally, pushed Charles' body and fell together onto the floor.

Charles groaning. "If I could be knocked down like this" said Charles, "then you must be Miss Lyndon."

"Of course I'm Miss Lyndon" cried Ellie. "Who else is it?"

"I have to say that you don't look like you at all."

Ellie was silent to hear it. He knew now that he looked like a rat in a sewer, with clothes full of mud, and his hat... He sees around him. Where's the hat?

"Lost something?" ask Charles.

"My hat," Ellie replied, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

Charles smiled. "I'd rather see you without a hat. I wonder what color your hair is."

"Red," Ellie bursts out, thinking that this should be the final insult. Ellie hates her hair. Long time ago.

Charles coughed to hide his gel smile. Ellie was really angry, even more so than angry. Ellie was wrathful, and Charles could not remember when she felt this happy. Well, actually yesterday he had enough fun, when he fell out of a tree and got a lucky break by landing in front of this woman.

Ellie raised her hand to get rid of her hair that was stuck to her face. Her movements made her wet dress stick tightly on her body. Charles felt his skin suddenly warm up.

Oh yeah, thought Charles, she'd be a great tang wife.

"My Lord?" The butler interrupted, bowing to help Charles get up. "Do you know him?"

"It seems so," Charles replied and immediately got an angry look from Ellie. "It looks like Miss Lyndon just had a bad day. Maybe we should offer you a glass of tea. And..." He watched Ellie with worry, "towel."

"That would be very helpful," Ellie said politely. "Thank you."

Charles watched her as Ellie stood up. "It looks like you've considered my proposal."

Rosejack stopped walking and turned around. "Master?" Her voice choked

Charles grinned. "Yes, Rosejack. And I hope Miss Lyndon will accept my proposal."

The pale rosejack.

Ellie looked at Rosejack angrily. "I just got caught in a rainstorm" Ellie said, feeling that it could have defended her a little. "I usually perform better than this."

"He was just caught in the rain" Charles repeated. "And I can guarantee that two can perform much better. I'll make sure she'll be the perfect countess."

"I haven't accepted your proposal" Ellie muttered.

Rosejack looks like he almost fainted hearing it.

"You will accept it" said Charles with an understanding smile.

"How could you..."

"I didn't come to accept your proposal" Ellie said. "I just want to talk to you about it. I'm..."

"Of course, honey," murmured Charles. "Will you go into the living room? I wanted to offer you my arm, but I'm afraid I can't do it for the next few days" he said, pointing at his cane.

Ellie sighed in frustration and followed her to a nearby room. The room was decorated with a predominance of ivory white and blue, and Ellie did not dare to sit anywhere. "I don't think a towel would be enough for me, My Lord" Ellie said. He did not even step on the carpet. Not when her skirt drips dirty water.

Charles watched him attentively. "I think you're right. Do you want to change your clothes? My sister is married and now lives Surrey, but she keeps some dresses here. I think you're the same size."

Ellie doesn't like the idea of borrowing other people's clothes without asking the owner's permission first, but Ellie's choice is to stay there or get pneumonia. Ellie looked at her fingers, which were trembling withstanding the cold, then nodded.

Cahrles rang the bell, and in an instant a servant lady entered the room. Charles orders him to show his sister's room to Ellie. Feeling no longer able to control her fate, Ellie immediately followed the female servant.

Charles sat on a comfortable sofa, exhaled a long sigh of relief, then thanked in silence to whoever had sent Ellie to his doorstep. He was afraid to go to London and marry one of the debutante girls offered by other members of his family.

He whistled while waiting for his tea and Miss Lyndon. What made that woman come here? Charles realized when he proposed to Miss Lyndon, he was still a bit drunk, but he was not so drunk that he could not figure out how the woman felt.

Charles wiping Ellie would have turned her down. He's almost sure of it.

Ellie is a smart and logical woman. All of this was evident at their brief encounter. What made her accept the proposal of a man she hardly knew?

There are some easy reasons to guess, of course. Charles has money and titles, and if Ellie marries him, then he will have money and titles too. But Charles felt Miss Lyndon's reason wasn't that. Charles caught the look of his broken eyes when he...

Charles frowned and laughed as he walked over to look out the window. Miss Lyndon just attacked her. There, in that room. No words can describe that.

The tea came a few minutes later, and Charles asked his maid to leave her tea leaves in his pot. He likes strong tea.

A few minutes after that, there was a slow knock on the door. Charles turned around, surprised that his maid had left the room without closing the door.

Ellie stood in the doorway, her hand raised to knock back. "I don't think you heard me" he said

"The door is open. No need to knock."

Ellie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't want to bother."

Charles gestured her to enter, watching closely as Ellie crossed the room. His sister's clothes are a bit short on Ellie's body, so he had to lift the pale green skirt when walking. It was then that Charles noticed that Ellie was not wearing shoes. It is strange that just looking at the feet without shoes can make Charles the bottom of his stomach tingled.

Ellie saw the earl looking at her feet and blushed. "Your sister's feet are so small" he said, "and my own shoes are wet all the way inside."

Charles blinked, as if he had just woken up from a daydream, then shook his head slightly and looked into Ellie's eyes. "It's okay" he said, then his gaze fell back at Ellie's feet.

Ellie dropped her skirt, wondering what was pulling from her legs.

"You're a perfect fit to wear a green shirt" Charles said as he limped beside Ellie. "You should wear it more often."

"All of my clothes are dark and very durable" Ellie said, her tone sounding ironic as well as somber.

"Dearly enough. I'll buy you new clothes after we get married."

"Hey, wait a minute!" ellie protest. "I still haven't accepted your proposal. I came here just to..." He suddenly fell silent when he realized that he was shouting, then continued in a softer tone of voice. "I just came here to talk to you about it."

Slowly Charles smiled. "What do you want to know?"