How to Wed an Earl by Ivory Lei

understand. They were old and no one else would have them. Especially poor Jingles; he hasn’t had a good life at all.”
    She heard the loud banging of the metal bucket against the barn wall as Sarah continued her diatribe. “And I appreciate how you saved Nelson from going to heaven because he couldn’t herd sheep. Even Daisy the cow at least can give us milk now that her wounds have healed. But those chickens are good for nothing!”
    Sarah emerged from the barn. “They were way past the egg-laying phase when you took them from Mrs. Gray, and they’ve become too much like pets to eat now that their feathers have grown back.”
    Penelope took off her soiled apron and folded it under her arm. “Well, they do help you wake up in the morning.”
    “All the more reason to get rid of them.” Sarah made a face, then she took Penelope’s other arm as they started walking back to the house. “Are you ready to face Papa now?”
    She took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Of course I am. The chickens merely needed feeding. It’s not as if I was hiding from him.”
    Sarah looked skeptical, so she changed the subject. “Where’s Colin?”
    “How would I know?” Sarah retorted.
    “You’re his twin, aren’t you?” Penelope arched a brow. “I thought twins had a mystical connection or some such.”
    Sarah let go of her arm and started walking briskly. “Stop teasing me about that. I’ve long given up on mentally speaking to Colin.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s obviously pure rubbish.”
    “Are you certain? Perhaps we should ask him to think of a number and let you guess it again, only this time we limit the range. How about a number between one and fifty?”
    Sarah waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Oh, that’s easy enough to answer. He’d probably think of how many pairs of his shoes I put marbles in this morning.”
    “Three,” Colin answered, glowering at Sarah as he leaned against the front door of the house, his dark blonde hair swaying just above his shoulders.
    “Oh, there you are, Colin. Have you heard about the earl?” Sarah asked. “Polly met him when she went to the inn to give your flowers to Mari.”
    Colin’s green gaze shifted to Penelope. “Yes. That’s why I came out here to meet you. Polly, does this mean I can go back to school?”
    She winced. “I don’t know, Colin … I wouldn’t want to importune Lord Ravenstone with requests for that sort of thing yet. I’ve only just met the man.”
You should keep that in mind next time you throw yourself at him.
    She sighed. Grandfather had died two years ago, and that’s when the family had learned of his gambling debts. All they had left now was this house, and the creditors were determined to take it, too.
    Colin had to quit school, Sarah had no governess, their mother spent most of her time grinding herbs to sell at the apothecary shop, and Papa traveled farther, working longer hours, while Penelope had taken over the household management.
    Part of the problem, she knew, was that Papa often worked for no pay, seeing as most of the villagers had so little in terms of financial assets.
    It was a miracle some of the servants stayed, even though the family couldn’t afford to give them any more than board and lodging. If her family didn’t possess such a good sense of humor, they would be in complete despair.
    “Speaking of Papa,” Penelope pressed on, “why hasn’t he summoned me yet? I thought he wanted to talk to me, and I’ve been home for two hours.”
    Colin shrugged. “He was very tired when he came back from visiting a patient, so he fell asleep as soon as he sent that note to the inn.”
    Something in the way he spoke made her eye him suspiciously as he stepped aside to let them into the house. “What did you do, Colin?”
    “I don’t know what you mean.”
    “Yes, you do.” She stared at him. “Did you put something in Papa’s tea?”
    “Don’t worry about it, Polly.” He grinned.