The only surviving son of a poor American farmer, Leander Mayfield is shocked to learn that he is in fact the new Earl of Dearborne. Barely recovered from one of the many illnesses that have plagued him all his life, he sets sail for England and a new life.<br><br>Tired and bored with all the wealth and finery that constantly surrounds him, Julien Sutcliffe, the Earl of Blackstone, is constantly on the lookout for something to lift his ennui. Then he meets the young American Earl, whose naiveté he finds refreshing and new.<br><br>Drawn to each other, it actually begins to seem as though they might be able to enjoy a happy life in each other’s company, but something -- or someone -- is determined to separate them permanently.

The Desire for Dearborne

Before following, Julien looked around the room as well, trying to see what Leander seemed to find so awe-inspiring. About sixteen feet in diameter, the stairwell stood directly opposite the door. A fireplace was in the center of one curved wall, with a window set on each side. Three windows were evenly spaced on the opposite side, with the center one being larger and made of stained glass. The symmetry of the room was admirable, Julien supposed. Each window had the other directly opposite, while the fireplace and stained glass countered one another in the same way as the doors. A heavy table with intricately carved sides and legs, along with four matching chairs, were the only furniture in the room.


The room itself was much cleaner than Julien had expected to find it. Everything was a bit dusty, and the windows were in terrible need of scrubbing, but on the whole it looked very well for a building that hadn’t been used in more than fifty years.


Chapter 40