Defying the Earl Read Online Free PDF

hawking their wares. A newspaper boy’s call for customers was accompanied by the steady bark of a dog near his feet. The crack of a leather whip, a horse’s whinny, the sudden laughter of shoppers as they passed her within the crowded bustle, suffocated from all sides.
    Had she not been lost in thought or preoccupied with manufacturing reasons as to why her actions were justified, she may have paid more heed to her progression and noticed the large wheel ruts, filled with gravel and murky water, just beyond the curb. Lost in deliberation as the dense crowd flowed along the pavement and parted for no apparent reason, Wilhelmina forged ahead, unaware the smarter patrons had moved aside to avoid the roadway disaster. By the time she’d realized her mistake, it was too late. She splashed into the pitted grooves and lost her footing, her best slippers, stockings, and hems drenched on contact with London’s thickest muck. Arms flailing in panic, her gloved hand landed upon a solid wooden banister and without a glance, she held tight, scrambling to hoist herself up before she fell bottom down in the middle of the avenue.
    Yet a second later, the railing gave way, and a string of expletives filled the air no matter the loud din of the city surrounding her. Exuberant cursing continued, but there was no time to consider it. A gentleman splashed into the puddle beside her, the weight of his intrusion splattering muddy water across her cheek and chin. She sputtered an exclamation over his tirade as he chided her desperate attempt to gain leverage by use of his…arm.
    Oh dear.
    Wilhelmina met his gaze and her breath caught. London had resumed its bustle, dismissing the two muddied people knee-deep in dirty water near the edge of the walk; still she could hear nothing but the heavy thud of her heart.
    “You have no idea what you’ve done.” A warning sounded in his voice as the words lashed her ears in a thunderous tone.
    Oh, but she did. Paralyzed, Wilhelmina dropped her eyes and a heavy knot settled in her stomach. Muck squished between her toes. The grit of gravel and roadway scratched through her wool stockings. Her slippers were forever ruined and with no money to purchase a new pair, her careless, clumsy mistake left her utterly bereft. Yes, she knew the predicament well.
    “Did you hear me?”
    The impervious tone of his menacing question demanded her response. Wilhelmina shifted her attention to the right and skimmed her eyes from the top button of a black velvet waistcoat, higher over a tight-knotted cravat. She paused a breath to note the deep ridge in his firm set chin and then continued upward where her eyes lingered on his mouth for a reason she could not name…perhaps she waited on his next word.
    A constricted sound emanated from his throat, clean shaved but for a shadow of dark whiskers and she shot her eyes straight to his, absorbing the fierce condescension evident in his intense glare. Despite the livid anger, his eyes glowed like the midnight sky, as blue as lapis lazuli, filled with glistening specks of light, part mystery and invitation, each framed by long lashes, black as coal, creating a brilliant contrast to the remarkable shade of his irises. Eyes that appeared furious.
    For a split second, her mouth would not work; her brain completely preoccupied with the misfires of heart and mind. Then a more sensible part shook her loose and she formed the only words that seemed appropriate.
    “I’m very sorry. I thought I’d caught a railing to prevent my fall.”
    Some unexpected emotion flickered in the depths of his fathomless stare. Nothing she could identify as it disappeared before she could examine it. Still she took in his chiseled cheekbones, his obdurate glare, and her stomach continued to dance.
    “That railing was my arm.” He huffed an angry exhale. “Sorry will not pay the cleaning bill, will it?”
    The mention of money gained her attention. Would the gentleman expect reimbursement for the