Vexing the Viscount

by Christie Kelley

  “Stay with me tonight,” he murmured. “I know you are tired. So am I. I just . . . I just need you with me tonight.”

  Tia blinked back tears. “Let me get my night rail.”

  She grabbed her night rail before following him to his bedchamber. “Can you help me?” she asked, turning her back to him.

  Braden quickly helped her out of her dress and stays. “How much do you know about Lady Eldridge’s relationship with Jonathon?”

  She shrugged before putting on her night rail. “Emily didn’t speak much about it, except to say she wasn’t sure if he was the father of her baby or her husband. There was only a week between the last time she saw Jonathon and her wedding. Why?”

  He climbed into bed. “She’s hiding something from you, Tia.”

  “What do you mean?” Tia slipped under the covers and then snuggled up against him. She inhaled the scent of his soap with a sigh.

  “I didn’t dare speak of this before now, but as we left the bedchamber at the party, I glanced back and noticed Emily adjusting her skirts as she left a room too.”

  Shock knifed through her. “You think she and Jonathon were in a bedroom together . . . making love?” That could not be true.

  “She told me he was upstairs, but not until I forced it out of her.”

  Tia went still. Her only friend in London was cuckolding her husband and lying about her knowledge of Jonathon’s whereabouts. Braden’s arms tightened around her, enveloping her in his strength. “How could she do such a thing?”

  “Lord Eldridge is far from a perfect husband. I am not defending what she did, but it cannot be easy to see your husband openly dallying with his mistress at a party. I would just like to know why she didn’t tell either one of us that Jonathon was at the party. Why is he staying away from both of us?”

  “I wish I knew,” she said softly. Why would Jonathon refuse to pay a call on Braden?

  “Every time you have received word or rumor of Jonathon it’s been from Lady Eldridge. How is it she tends to hear of his whereabouts when no one else knows?”

  Tia’s mind spun. How had she not thought to question Emily about that? “I don’t know. I never thought about it until now. I suppose I assumed she was hearing something from the gossips or the servants.”

  “I have had two runners looking for him. One is not known to be with Bow Street and is a member of Society. Not even he has heard a rumor of Jonathon.”

  “You think he has contacted her, don’t you?”

  “I cannot think of any other way that she could know where he is, when no one else does,” Braden replied.

  Tia didn’t know what to believe any longer. A sense of betrayal crept over her. “I need to find out if she knows where he is.”

  He reached over and caressed her cheek. “She may just lie to you in order to keep him safe.”

  “But if she knows something, I have to convince her to tell me.” There was only one way to do that. “I will tell her about his opium eating. If she truly loves him, she will want him to get help.”

  He shook his head. “Or she will deny that he has a problem. Many people in love will only see the good in the other person, not their faults.”

  “Then what do you suggest?” she asked, frustration lining her voice. A part of her wondered if his words were a warning about his own faults. Was she seeing only what she wanted in him?

  “Perhaps we should return to the estate,” he said softly.

  Tia propped herself up and looked down at him. “You can’t mean that.”

  “I think I do.” He looked away from her, but she still saw the pain in his eyes. “There is nothing I can do, Tia. He doesn’t want my assistance.”

  “Give it just a few more days. If we still haven’t been able to speak with him, then we shall return to the estate.”

  He looked back at her. “Then what?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Do we return as man and wife? As an engaged couple on the brink of marriage? Or will you continue to be my mistress out there where everyone will know?”

  She bit down on her lower lip. The idea of their future hadn’t penetrated her mind. “I don’t know,” she whispered.

  “I could give you anything,” he said, caressing her face with his hand.

  Anything but love. Every time she remembered how she told him she loved him, only to get no response, a small piece of her died. She refused to live in a loveless marriage. “I can’t give you an answer right now.”

  “When?”

  “Before we return.”

  “So by the end of the week,” he said.

  “Yes. At the latest.” Now she had four days to determine the best way to tell him that when they returned to the estate, their relationship was over. Her heart ached with the thought. She didn’t want to end the closeness she felt with him. She wanted to fall asleep every night to the sound of his heartbeat in her ear and his arms wrapped around her.

  She put her head back down on his chest and attempted to keep the tears at bay. How would she be able to endure knowing he was so near, but unable to touch him, kiss him, or soothe his worries? It would be impossible. She would give in to her yearning for him.

  Listening, she heard his steady breathing and realized he had fallen asleep. She let her tears fall. Crying didn’t help, but she couldn’t seem to stop. Why would he press her to marry him when he didn’t love her? Was he frightened someone was trying to kill him, so he wanted to be married with an heir on the way? It seemed the only answer that made any sense to her, except there were many women in Society who would fall at his feet for the chance to become a viscountess.

  She tossed and turned all night, barely sleeping at all. Finally, at seven, she slipped out of the bed and headed to her room. Her head ached from lack of sleep and worrying. Perhaps lying down in her bed would help. She reached for the door handle and then stopped when she heard a commotion down in the hall.

  “Where are they?” a woman demanded.

  Tia froze. She knew that voice all too well. She couldn’t possibly be here. That would mean she knew about Tia’s relationship with Braden.

  “My lord, is she with you?” Nelson said calmly.

  “Yes, Nelson. This is my wife. She is looking for her sister, Miss Featherstone.”

  Chapter 20

  Braden woke to Tia slamming the bedroom door and shouting at him. He rubbed his eyes before opening them to see her standing near the foot of the bed with wide eyes and looking frantic. She was speaking so quickly, he had no idea what she was saying. “Tia, slow down and tell me what is wrong,” he demanded.

  “They are here,” she said. “Both of them. Oh my God, he told Nelson she was his wife! That cannot be true!”

  “Who is here?”

  “My sister and her husband! He sounded just like the Earl of Hartsfield. But she wouldn’t marry him. No matter how much he loved her, she would never feel comfortable marrying an earl.”

  Hart was here? In London? He rolled over and looked at the clock. “Why are they here at this hour?”

  “I have no idea! You must get up!” She came around and pulled his arm. “Maybe I should hide. Just tell my sister you never found me.”

  “Sweetheart, if your sister is here, she has already heard the rumor that you are my mistress.”

  She covered her mouth with her hand. “No,” she mumbled.

  “Why does it matter if your sister knows that we are lovers? She had relations with two men before Hart. I doubt she will condemn you for doing the same.” Slowly, he slid out of bed and rang for his valet.

  “Of course she will admonish me. I told her that I would never do such a thing. I said dreadful things to her when she took up with that second man.”

  He drew her into his arms and hugged her. “It will be all right. I shall be there with you.”

  She nodded her head slowly against his chest. “I would still prefer to hide here.”

  He chuckled softly. “I have never seen you so skittish. Just
calm yourself and we will face them together.”

  “Very well, but be warned, she was born five minutes before me, so she believes she is my big sister and can tell me how to live my life.”

  “Duly warned. Now go call for a maid to help you dress. We are not going to meet them like this.”

  She finally giggled. “I do believe seeing you dressed—or should I say, undressed as you are—she might understand why I am with you.”

  Braden laughed. “So you are only with me for my body?”

  Finally, her adorable coquettish manner recovered as she leveled him a seductive grin. “That is the best part of you.”

  “Go,” he said with a laugh.

  She rushed to the connecting door and turned the handle, but the door didn’t move. “Why is this locked?”

  “Because you haven’t unlocked it from your room,” Braden said with a chuckle.

  “Oh!”

  He laughed as she ran out of the room to her bedchamber. Hearing her rustling about in her room, he rang for Wilson, but when his valet entered the room, so did Nelson.

  “Good morning, my lord,” Nelson said as Wilson said the same. “You have a caller at this odd hour and one of them seems most upset.”

  “Ah, the Earl and Countess of Hartsfield,” Braden said and then smiled at Nelson’s gaped mouth.

  “How did you know that?” he asked.

  “Miss Featherstone heard them in the hall. She informed me of their arrival and her sister’s state of angst.”

  Nelson leaned in closer. “She is far from angst. The woman is livid, my lord. I have sent in tea and biscuits, but that won’t hold her for long. I’m quite surprised she hasn’t stormed upstairs.”

  “I’m sure Hart would prevent that as best he could.”

  “I do hope so, my lord.”

  He would love to get Hart alone before meeting Tia’s sister, but Nelson was most likely correct that she would storm upstairs. “Tell them we will both be down presently.”

  “Very good, my lord,” Nelson replied before turning and leaving the room.

  Braden dressed quickly and then knocked on Tia’s door. Hearing her admit him, Braden slipped into the room and waited as Mrs. Abbott dressed her hair.

  “We are almost done, Middleton,” she said. “I don’t suppose they have decided to leave.”

  He chuckled. “No, we will have to face them.”

  “Stop fretting, Miss Featherstone,” Mrs. Abbott reprimanded. “We all have to pay the piper for our actions.”

  “You are not helping, Mrs. Abbott,” Tia said.

  “I know,” the housekeeper replied with a wink to Braden. “You are dressed. Now go face your sister.”

  “Come along, Miss Featherstone,” Braden said, holding out his arm to her.

  She took it slowly. Looking up at him with her big brown eyes, he felt a pang of pity for what she must be going through.

  “Thank you for going in with me,” she whispered.

  “Stop fretting. It will be all right.” He squeezed her hand.

  They walked down stairs to the salon. Entering the room, Tia halted at the threshold for a long moment and stared at her sister. She broke away from him and ran into her sister’s arms.

  “Oh, Mia!” she cried. “I really am so happy to see you.” She pulled back and stared at her sister. “I sent you a letter a week ago. Did you get it?”

  “We were in Suffolk,” she said slowly. “Now, what exactly is going on here? Mother instructed Middleton to bring you back as soon as he’d found you. He left six weeks ago.”

  “Yes, but he didn’t find me for—” Tia glanced back at him—“was it a fortnight?”

  “Yes.” Braden finally moved to Hart and shook his hand. “Good to see you and congratulations, Hart.”

  “Thank you.”

  Hart moved closer. “This may get nasty before they are through.”

  “I realize that. What should we do?”

  “Stand by and be ready to separate them if necessary.”

  “Wonderful,” Braden muttered. He grabbed a cup of tea and sat down to watch the performance.

  “Why did it take him two weeks to find you? Mother gave him the address.” Mia eyed him with suspicion.

  “Amy and her husband had been evicted. They had left no forwarding address, so I was staying at an inn in Whitechapel.” Tia moved to a sofa and sat. “At least I was, until Middleton found me.”

  “Whitechapel?” Hart commented. “That is not a very good section of town.”

  “I had no choice. I had very limited funds,” Tia said, taking a cup of tea from her sister’s hands.

  “So why didn’t you just return once he found you?” Mia asked and then added, “That was weeks ago.”

  “She didn’t stay long at my house,” Braden added.

  “I don’t understand.” Mia sipped her tea.

  Although they were twins, Tia’s sister looked far different from her. Mia had sable hair, no freckles, and was slightly taller than her sister. But they both had the same wide, brown eyes that dominated their faces.

  Braden sipped his tea before replying. “I succumbed to a slight accident that first night. After she patched me up, she gave me laudanum. So the next morning, I slept much later than my usual. When I awoke, I discovered that she had left.”

  “You left him!” Mia exclaimed, glancing at her sister.

  “You were not there, Mia.” Tia put her teacup down and glared over at him. “I went for a walk in the park and met a lovely lady who wanted to help me. She offered to let me stay with her. So I did so for a fortnight until Middleton found me yet again.”

  “Why would you stay with someone you had only just met?” Mia asked.

  “Because I was not ready to be forcibly escorted back to the estate,” Tia retorted. “And then there was the poisoning.”

  “The what?” both Mia and Hart asked at the same time.

  Braden watched the reactions as Tia explained the poisoning to her sister. Mia’s brown eyes grew large as she glanced back and forth between Tia and Braden. Concern lined Mia’s face and he was certain the worry wasn’t for him.

  “Someone is trying to kill you?” Hart asked. “Why didn’t you send a note? I could have helped.”

  “I believe you were busy with your own business,” Braden said with a nod toward Mia.

  “True,” Hart admitted. “But I am here now.”

  “There is still something that has not been explained,” Mia interrupted them. “There has still been several days of them living together with no poisoning and no mishaps. Rumor has it that you are his mistress. Is that true?”

  “Miss—excuse me, my lady, I do not believe that is anyone’s business except Miss Featherstone’s and mine,” Braden said stiffly.

  “She is my sister so it is my business too,” Mia retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “How dare you suggest it is not.”

  “Indeed. Then one has to assume you are blameless. For why else would you be the one to cast the proverbial first stone?”

  Mia’s cheeks reddened as she stared at her feet.

  “Middleton, that is enough,” Hart warned.

  “I agree. The subject is to be put to rest. Miss Featherstone has been proposed to, so it is up to her if she decides to become a viscountess or a woman of scandal.” Braden rose. “Hart, I need to speak with you privately.”

  Hart glanced at everyone in the room before nodding. “Very well.”

  Tia couldn’t look at her sister, the earl, or even Braden as the men left the room. Her cheeks felt as if they were on fire with embarrassment. Now that she and her sister were alone, Mia would attack her for her mistakes.

  “I am sorry, Tia,” Mia said softly. “I suppose I am the last person who can scold you for your behavior with a man.”

  “Thank you for understanding.”

  “Honestly, I don’t understand. Middleton has a dreadful reputation as a rake and some say he may have been involved in the deaths of the previous viscount and
his son. How could you be with such a man?”

  Tia stared at her sister with a raised brow. “Indeed? And the last man you were with before Hart beat you. Middleton has only treated me with love and respect.” Perhaps not love, but there had been some respect. “And he had nothing to do with those deaths. Since he has returned, someone has tried to kill him.”

  “Are you going to marry him?”

  “I haven’t decided yet.”

  “Why?”

  She wasn’t sure how much to tell her sister just yet. While they had been close growing up, since she moved to Middleton’s estate, they had grown apart. Mia’s dalliances with men hadn’t helped the situation. But Tia needed someone to speak with and since Emily’s friendship was now in question, it must be her sister. “When I told him I loved him, he didn’t say a word, Mia. Not a word.”

  “Oh,” Mia whispered. “I am so sorry, Tia.”

  “How can I marry a man who doesn’t truly love me? I don’t want that. I want what Mother and Papa had. They were so happy together.”

  “Yes, they were,” Mia said. “I want that too.”

  “Are you happy?” Tia hoped her sister hadn’t married Hart for the wrong reasons. The man had loved her for years, but Mia had never seemed to notice. A dreamy look entered her sister’s eyes.

  “Very happy, Tia. Did you know he loved me?”

  “I think everyone knew but you.”

  “I still cannot believe I never noticed,” Mia said softly.

  “Do you love him?” Tia asked hesitantly.

  “So much, Tia. That’s why I was so upset when I found out you were Middleton’s mistress. I don’t want that for you. You deserve a man who loves you as much as you love him.”

  Tia pondered her sister’s words carefully. Mia was right. How could she marry Braden if he didn’t love her? It would not be the right thing to do. Emily was a perfect example. Tia refused to live her life as Emily did, watching her husband take mistresses right in front of her. Or sneaking behind her husband’s back to meet with a man. Tia would not settle for a life like that just to become a viscountess, not when that wasn’t even important to her. The dresses were lovely, but beyond that, there was such a stiffness to the people in Society. She didn’t want that.