The Formidable Earl (Diamonds in the Rough #6) - Sophie Barnes Page 0,9

was very sorry to hear of your father’s passing,” Fielding said while Ida continued to eat. “Considering everything he and I went through together, it came as quite a blow.”

Ida snorted. “Really?”

“You don’t believe me?”

“Well, I don’t recall you coming to his aid when he needed help.”

He sighed, scrubbed his jaw with his hand, and eventually took a long gulp of his drink. “You’re right. I should have done more.”

Ida waited for him to return the tankard to the table then asked, “Why didn’t you?” When he didn’t answer, she snorted again and pushed back her chair. “You’re just like everyone else.”

She started to leave but he caught her wrist and pulled her back. “You’re wrong about that.” His eyes moved to the chair she’d vacated. “Please sit.”

“Why should I?”

“Because unlike everyone else, I believe your father was innocent.”

Ida lowered herself into her seat and gave him a hesitant look. “He never mentioned you.” She felt like it was a fact worth stating if only to see how Fielding responded.

“To do so would have forced him to speak of the war, to relive the horror. I’m sure that’s something he not only wished to avoid but to spare you from having to hear of.”

“Perhaps.” It was true that her father had never once told her of his experience in battle. Whenever she’d pressed him to do so, he’d changed the subject or told her it wasn’t worth talking about.

Fielding took another sip of his drink. “The fact is Matthew Strong saved my life.”

Ida couldn’t look away. Not with this new piece of information hanging between them. So she stared into Fielding’s brown eyes, noting the dark mahogany outer ring circling the lighter gold center. His dark blonde hair had since fallen into disarray with several stray locks now brushing his brow. Square-jawed with an aquiline nose and a perfectly shaped mouth, the earl possessed the sort of looks with which it was hard to find fault. So Ida was oddly pleased to see that the left side of his mouth rose slightly higher than the right when he smiled. An almost unnoticeable flaw to offset his perfection.

She leaned forward, curious to hear his story and ridiculously eager to learn more about her parent. Fielding might be a stranger, but if he’d fought side by side with her father during the war, he offered her a connection she couldn’t pass up.

Provided what he said was true, that was.

She eyed him with apprehension. “Explain.”

Simon didn’t hesitate.

“Wellington had besieged Burgos in the north of Spain, but the French launched a counteroffensive in an attempt to recapture Madrid.” Simon dropped his gaze to his tankard and paused for a moment to compose himself. When he looked up, he met her gaze with renewed resolve. “The attack forced the army’s retreat into Portugal and led to thousands of lives being lost. I was shot in the back while riding alongside your father. When he saw me go down, he pulled his horse to a halt and risked his own life to save mine. There’s no doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for him.”

Angling her head in a pensive manner, Miss Strong seemed to scrutinize his appearance. Her next words proved him correct. “You don’t look like a soldier. And as the current Earl of Fielding, you must have been earl back then as well or at the very least your father’s heir, which would have made your participation in war unlikely.”

She doubted him and while he couldn’t blame her for that, he desperately wanted her trust. Without it, she’d never accept his help, and while he had to admit he’d wanted nothing more than to apologize and ask a few questions of her when he’d set out for Amourette’s earlier, the situation had changed. He’d seen someone try to kill her. All because of something he’d done.

“Wellington isn’t hindered by being one of the highest ranking peers in the land. He’s both a duke and a field marshal.” He sighed when she failed to comment. “I was a twenty-year-old viscount when I set off to liberate Spain from the French. My motive for joining the army had more to do with proving my worth to my father than helping a country I felt no allegiance toward, and while my mother protested my decision, no one else did. So I left, secure in the knowledge that my younger brother would step in as heir if I were unable to