The Desires of a Countess

by Jenna Petersen

  She reeled back as a fresh wave of nausea threatened to bring her to her knees. But this sickness wasn’t because of the child that might grow inside of her, this was because of the truth she finally understood. For months she’d tortured herself as she relived the murder over and over. That dull thud of the poker as it had struck Henry’s skull had woken her in the night from her nightmares. It had haunted her every time she’d dared to enter the parlor where Henry had died.

  Though she’d known she had no choice but to defend Jack, she had hated that she was a killer. And now she knew she wasn’t. Her relief was immense, but faded just as quickly as it had come. What good was it to have her named cleared if she didn’t live long enough to celebrate it?

  Robert laughed. “It’s a bit overwhelming, isn’t it? Trying to adjust to a new truth so many months after you were sure you murdered your own husband. My, how you must have tortured yourself.”

  She glared at him but refused to say anything. She’d given him enough pleasure through her pain. She refused to give him any more by responding to his vileness.

  “I must say, I was impressed by your cover-up of what had happened.” Robert shrugged. “I was certain you would immediately send for me and confess the whole bitter truth. I even planned to ‘save’ you from the consequences. I thought that would endear me to you. But then I got your message that Henry was missing. From that moment, I knew there was a deviousness to you that would fit with me very well.”

  “Oh, you are a disgusting man,” she burst out. “I covered up the truth to protect my son.”

  “And yourself.”

  Throwing up her hands, she cried, “Why are you telling me this? Why not just let me go on forever believing that I killed my husband and could be caught any day?”

  “You want to know why I’m telling you now?” Robert grabbed her arm to yank her closer. His eyes flashed with strong emotions and his grip was hard as steel on her flesh. “Because I want you to know just how far I’ve already gone to have you. If I’ve killed my own flesh and blood to make you mine, do you really think I’d ever give you up? No matter what, Virginia, you will be my wife or by God, I’ll be sure no one else will have you.”

  She wrenched her arm away and tried to control her trembling and the wild cadence of her heart.

  “Then take me away. Leave Noah here.” She took in a shuddering breath. “Leave my boy here.”

  She hated saying those words, but if no one would come to set her free from this man, she wanted at least one of her children to be safe from him. Noah would take care of Jack and raise him in the love of her family.

  As for Simon’s baby, she would have to find some other way to protect his child.

  Robert laughed that bitter, loud laugh again as he walked over to Noah, who was beginning to groan his way back to consciousness. “No, I’m afraid that just won’t do. You see, your brother knows too much. I cannot allow him to live and continue to hound us until he takes you away from me. I won’t let that happen.”

  “No,” Ginny shouted as he raised the club.

  “Say goodbye,” Robert ordered.

  “Stop or I’ll shoot you where you stand,” came a voice from the doorway. A familiar voice.

  Ginny pivoted and found Simon standing in the stable, his pistol drawn and pointed squarely at Dennison’s chest.

  “Don’t tempt me, Dennison,” he snarled. “I’ve been waiting to rip you to shreds for a long time.”

  Ginny’s heart rushed to her throat at the sight of him. He looked tired and angry as he glared at her captor, but he was there.

  “Simon,” she breathed.

  “I’m here and I won’t ever let this bastard hurt you,” Simon promised as he took slow, steady steps into the stable.

  Robert turned to glare at Simon. “Webber, you should have learned your lesson when I blackened your eye.”

  “A couple sucker punches could bring any man down, couldn’t they?” Simon said with a small smile. “If you’d fought fairly, you never would have had the chance to bruise me. But it isn’t in your twisted nature to play fair. You blackmail a woman you pretend to love. You kill your own brother to steal his life. You’re a coward, Dennison, plain and simple.”

  He had come within a few feet of them and tossed a side-glance her way. “Is Noah badly hurt?”

  “No,” Ginny said as she glanced down at her brother, who was now rubbing his head as he tried to open his eyes.

  “He’ll probably hate that I saved his life.” Simon said with a laugh.

  “I’m sure.” Ginny smiled with relief. She was safe. Again his eyes slid to her. “And the baby?”

  Her breath caught in her throat. He knew about that, too.

  “I’m not sure, but he or she seems to be fine.” She shook her head. “I promise you, I didn’t know about our child when I left, Simon. In fact, I tried to get the innkeeper’s wife-”

  “I know.” His eyes softened. “I know.”

  “You’re having his child?” Robert whirled on her with hatred in his eyes. “His bastard child?”

  “Robert,” she began, but before she could say anything more, he pulled the club back again and began to swing it toward her.

  “If I can’t have you, no one will,” he roared.

  Ginny screamed as she put up her hands to block the blow, but before she felt the crush of the wood against her skull, Simon depressed the trigger and a shot cracked through the air.

  Robert crumpled to the floor with a look of anger and surprise on his face. “Bitch,” he breathed. On his last gasp of air, he reached out toward her.

  With a sob, Ginny dodged his grip and stumbled toward Simon. He caught her in his arms as the pistol hit the dirt at their feet.

  “It’s over now,” Simon whispered as he ran his hands over her shoulders and back and through her hair.

  Pulling away, Ginny kissed him as hard as she could. “Are you hurt?”

  “Me?” He stared at her in disbelief. “What about you?”

  “I’m fine.” She smiled and didn’t even bother to wipe away the tears that streamed down her face. “If I’m with you, I’ll be fine.”

  “I know neither one of you is asking,” Noah said from the ground at their feet. “But I feel like hell.”

  Ginny laughed as she reluctantly pulled from Simon’s arms to drop down to her brother’s level. “How’s your head?”

  “Awful, thank you.” He sent Simon a pained smile as the other man pulled him to his feet. “God, I don’t think anyone knocked me unconscious in over ten years of spying. And one idiot magistrate with a billy club, a billy club for God’s sake, brought me down.”

  She gave him a relieved smile. If Noah could complain, he was fine. “You’re out of practice.”

  He shot her a look that assured her he wasn’t appeased as he brought a hand up to the lump in his head. “I was a very good spy.”

  Ginny took him in her arms and hugged him with all her might. “And an even better brother. Thank you, Noah. Thank you for coming after me even after my horrible letter.”

  Noah squeezed her back. “None of us intended to give up on you. No matter what you said to try to protect us.” Releasing her, he turned her around to face Simon and gave her a little shove. “None of us. Now I’m going to go throw up and see if that innkeeper’s wife has an icehouse.” As he hobbled to the door, he added, “I’ll also make the explanations about why there’s a dead man in the stable.”

  But Ginny hardly heard him as she stepped up to Simon and touched his face. He bent his head to take her lips with his, but she pushed him away slightly.

  “Before you kiss me, before we say all the things we want to say with our bodies, I have to apologize.” He shook his head, but she covered his lips with her fingertips. “No, I need to say this.”

  Simon kissed her fingers with a nod and the sensation shot up her arm and filled her with a warmth that made it hard to concentrate.

  “I told you the things I did a few nights ago because Robert
was blackmailing me.”

  “I know,” Simon whispered as he tried to draw her closer. She knew she’d be lost if he kissed her and pulled back.

  “He had manufactured evidence and said he would implicate you in Henry’s murder. Worse, that he’d make sure Jack ended up being raised by Cordelia. I believed I had no choice but to do as he ordered and push you away. But as soon as I realized I might be carrying your child, I knew I had to find you. I would never have kept you from the baby, Simon. Ever. I promised you that before and I meant it.” She drew in a short breath at the way his eyes softened with love and understanding. “And I lied that night. I do love you with all my heart.”

  “I wanted to die when you told me you didn’t want anything to do with me,” Simon said as he drew her against his chest. “But when your brother and I discovered the truth, I knew that what I’d felt from you was real.”

  With a quick dip of his head, Simon caught her lips in a fiery kiss. One that possessed her as much as any vows they would make in the future. It told her without a doubt that he loved her and would continue to love and protect her no matter what obstacles were thrown in their way.

  When he drew back, she made a murmur of disappointment.

  “You must promise me something,” he said on a short breath. He slid her arm into the crook of his own and led her from the stable and away from the past.

  “Anything.” She nodded.

  “Promise me you won’t keep the truth from me ever again. No matter what Dennison was threatening, I would have protected you. And your family would have, too.”

  Ginny smiled. “I shall never lie to you again. I promise you that.”

  As they came out into the sun, Jack ran down the path toward him with a few stable hands and the innkeeper and his wife close behind. As the adults hurried past them to the stable to take care of Robert and the mess he’d made, Jack launched himself into her arms and she swung him up into a tight hug. He was safe. They all were.

  “Well, you can say one thing for Henry, he gave you a beautiful son,” Simon said as he grinned at the little boy.

  She smiled at her boy and then her love. “And he brought you to me, so I’ll find a way to forgive him for all he took away.”

  Simon put his arm around her shoulders and drew her and her son close. “I’m so proud of you. So proud you protected yourself and your son that night.”

  She blinked back tears. “Thank you. I was never sorry, even when I thought I’d killed Henry.”

  He nodded as he set Jack down and tilted her face up to his.

  “I never would have blamed you.” He smiled and his beautiful eyes were full of love. “I’ll give you the life you always deserved.”

  She turned her lips up and met his for a gentle kiss. “No, Simon. We’ll give each other the life we’ve both dreamed of. Forever.”

  Check out these other books by Jenna Petersen:

  Scandalous

  From London With Love (Lady Spies Book 1)

  Desire Never Dies (Lady Spies Book 2)

  Seduction is Forever (Lady Spies Book 3)

  Lessons From a Courtesan

  Her Notorious Viscount

  What the Duke Desires (Billingham Bastards Book 1)

  The Unclaimed Duchess (Billingham Bastards Book 2)

  A Scoundrel’s Surrender (Billingham Bastards Book 3)

  Rogue for a Night

  Almost a Spinster

  Undeniable

  The Secrets of a Lady (Jordans 1)

  The Temptation of a Gentleman (Jordans 2)