Why Earls Fall in Love by Manda Collins Page A

liked to ask young Mr. Callow whether he was Methuselah’s age, but bit her tongue before she could say the words. He was hardly to be blamed for his cousin’s words, or his youth. Remembering herself at that age, she was grateful to be past it. Aloud she said, “I daresay you are correct, Mr. Callow. I thank you for your concern.”
    Georgie had supposed that she was quite adept by now at dampening the pretensions of young men in search of affection from an older lady, but apparently she was not as skillful at the task as she thought. For Philip’s next words were to ask if she’d care to accompany him to view the intact tower ruins.
    “I have been assured by friends that they are quite sound, Mrs. Mowbray,” he told her, standing over her as she finished packing the basket. “There is no danger, I promise you.”
    Georgie was not unaware of her own appeal to the opposite sex. It was difficult to come of age surrounded by dozens of young men in search of dalliance without knowing that they liked the way she looked. But, since her return to England, she’d been careful to ensure that whatever allure she possessed was hidden beneath drab gowns and severe hairstyles. Such measures did not seem to work on Philip Callow, however.
    Perhaps he was the rare man who could see past her disguise.
    Then, noticing the way he glanced at his cousin Con, seated behind her, she saw that whatever had prompted the young man to ask for her company had more to do with Con than with her. Interesting, she thought.
    “I should like that very much, Mr. Callow,” she said to Philip, accepting the hand he offered to assist her to rise from the blanket. “I have always been fascinated by ruins.”
    Not surprising her in the least, Georgie heard Con flip his sketchbook closed behind her. Turning, she saw him rising as well. “I’ll come along, Cousin,” he said to Philip, who was not so ill-mannered as to show his displeasure, but if Georgie wasn’t mistaken, was not best pleased by Con’s decision to come along.
    With a slight shrug, Philip tucked Georgie’s arm into his and led her across the open field toward the tower on the opposite side of the castle from the one that Lydia and James had set off for.
    “I suppose you’ve never seen something like this before, have you?” Philip asked her as they approached the ruin. “It is truly remarkable, isn’t it?”
    In fact, Georgie had seen any number of crumbling estates and towers in ruin as she crossed Europe with the army. Clearly Philip had no notion of what it meant to cross the continent on one’s feet. “It is remarkable,” she responded, ignoring the first part of his query. “I shall never become used to the sight of what must at one time have been a beloved family home falling into such disrepair.”
    “Oh, I daresay whoever lived here was well off enough to build another, better home,” the young man said dismissively. “It is the way of the world. One house crumbles, and you buy another.”
    Before he could expound further on his theory, the voice of Lydia intruded. “Philip!” she called. “Philip! You must come and see! It’s the most extraordinary tomb you’ve ever seen!”
    Soon Lydia and James appeared over the horizon and hurried their way. “They are perfectly carved in the shape of the dead person, Phil. It’s positively ghoulish! You must see it.”
    For a flash, Georgie caught a glimpse of what Philip as a little boy must have looked like. He appeared to debate within himself whether he should go with Lydia and James or continue whatever it was he wished to accomplish with Georgie.
    Thinking to spare him the inner conflict, she placed a hand on his arm. “Go and see,” she said firmly. “I will walk with Lord Coniston. And I’ve no wish to see any ancient burial sites. I’ve seen quite enough of death for one lifetime.”
    “If you are sure,” Philip said a bit guiltily. He spared a look back at Con, who stepped forward to take Georgie’s