His Hand-Me-Down Countess: The Lustful Lords, Book 1

by Sorcha Mowbray

  Stone shook his head. “You should have written to me. I would have resigned my commission and come home. I could have done something to help you sort this out with Father.”

  “I tried talking to him. Many times. He was ridiculously insistent that I had to be the next earl and that the title would not pass to you. He was such a traditionalist. I don’t think he could accept anything but me as heir.” Odey shrugged as a sense of defeat dragged his shoulders down.

  “But where did you end up after going overboard?” Theo jumped into the conversation, her curiosity an ever-ravening beast.

  “Sardinia. We were near the Mediterranean Sea, and so I floated for two days clinging to a splinter of driftwood I found. And eventually I washed ashore. A local winemaker found me, cared for me, and then gave me work. I’ve worked for him for the last three years. He pays well and gives me food and shelter, so I have no expenses to speak of.”

  “And you like the work?” Stone prodded him.

  “I do. It’s good, honest labor, and the owner has mentioned making me a partner in the business as he has no sons to pass the vineyard on to.”

  Theo yawned. “Oh, forgive me, we have just returned home from a house party. I fear I am a bit worn out.”

  “Perhaps now that your curiosity has been quenched, you can retire until dinner?” Stone helped her stand.

  “I believe I shall.” She turned to his brother. “Odey, it is wonderful to have you returned to us safely.”

  Odey rose and kissed her hand. “It is good to be home. Rest well, my lady.”

  She swatted his arm. “Theo, please. We are family.”

  “Theo.” He smiled.

  Then she turned to Stone and placed a kiss on his cheek again. “I shall see you in a bit?”

  “Of course, pet.” He gave her a meaningful look, which she interpreted correctly.

  “Yes, M- M-…” She cast an uncomfortable glance at Odey. “My lord.” And then she all but ran from the room.

  “You shouldn’t do that to her, ’Chilles. She’s always been a sweet, gentle soul,” Odey chided him as they sat back down.

  “Do not imagine you know my wife better than I do.” Stone couldn’t control the edge of annoyance in his voice, but he tried to remind himself she was his, and Odey clearly had no interest in taking the title back—if his words were to be trusted. “She is a hellion, and she utterly disobeyed my orders to keep her safe. But perhaps I was beyond the pale to call her ‘pet’ in your company. I take it you have not continued your interest in taking the reins in the bedroom.” Stone was curious how much his brother had changed. He also had noticed Odey never really mentioned what spurred his return, which niggled at Stone’s thoughts in relation to the accidents he’d had of late.

  “Sweet Theodora? I cannot imagine such a thing.” Odey sounded appalled by Stone’s characterization of his wife.

  “Imagine my wife racing my cabriolet through Hyde Park against Hugh Denton. And then you can imagine my sweet wife visiting The Market for lessons on how to please me.”

  Odey’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “Never!”

  “Quite so. So please do not imagine my wife to be anything but what she is. A headstrong free thinker who makes me immeasurably happy.” He turned to face his brother. “You have all but said you did not return for the title. Why have you come back?”

  Odey stared at him for a moment. “Not for Theo, if that is what you are thinking. She was a kind girl and would have made a suitable wife, but we were never a love match, as you should well know.”

  Utter relief swept through Stone, damn near making him weak in the knees. “I had not suspected there was any great romance between you two, but you have yet to say why you have returned. If it was not for the title or the woman, then what?”

  Odey stood. “I do have more to discuss with you now that we are alone. Perhaps we should retire to the library for a drink?” They headed into the more masculine environment, which retained a whiff of tobacco laced with leather and dust. “You are correct. I did not come home purely to tell you I am alive. It seems that someone may wish to truly see me dead.”

  * * *

  A low, agonized moan ripped Theo from a fitful sleep. She had been tossing and turning all night with odd dreams where her husband would morph into his brother, usually at the most awkward of moments. Next to her, Stone muttered in his sleep and groaned.

  Her gut twisted, because she knew he must be in the grip of another nightmare. She unwound the sheets from his legs, careful of any sudden thrashing movements, and then sat next to him on the edge of the bed. As she lay a hand on his forehead and carefully pushed the flop of hair from his face, he seemed to ease a bit.

  This was the first nightmare he’d had since the episode at Hawksbury Grange, though if she were able to judge based on past nights, she’d say this was a less intense dream. She hoped that as he opened up to her, he might find more peaceful dreams in his sleep.

  He rolled away from her and thrashed about as he cried out in distress. “Not the women…”

  Determined to end his nightmare, she crawled across the mattress to where he’d moved and stroked his face again. “Stone, you must wake up. Come back to me.” She said the litany over and over until a single tear slipped down her cheek and dropped onto his face. Eyes closed, she muttered the words and hoped she could cut through the pain to bring him back.

  The first sign of his return was the strong grasp of his hand around one of her wrists, and then the warm press of his lips against her palm. “I’m here, Theo.”

  A sigh of relief escaped her as she opened her eyes to meet the coherent yet agonized gaze of her husband. “You’ve come back.”

  “I shall always return to you.” The raspiness of his voice made her heart ache with the need to soothe such a fine man.

  “I am glad to hear such promises.” She hesitated and decided to press on. “Would you like to talk about the nightmare?”

  He shook his head, but pulled her into the circle of his arms. “There is little new to share. It is simply the feeling of helplessness that torments me. The grief of hearing events unfold, and being unable to stop them.”

  Theo couldn’t imagine such frustration and despair as he must experience each time he had the dream. “I wish I could make it all disappear.”

  Stone glanced at her, and seemed to weigh sharing something. “I think you may be aiding me in some way. The dream seemed less…intense this time. Normally, the images are so vivid and real, but as soon as you spoke to me, I began drifting away from the horror and surfacing from the dream.”

  Theo held on to the notion and let it give her comfort. “I am glad if it offers you some respite.” She yawned terribly as the heat from his torso seeped through her thin nightgown.

  Stone kissed the top of her head. “Sleep, wife. You need your rest, and I shall watch over you for a bit.”

  Unable to argue, she slipped back into slumber and pressed against her husband. Perhaps things were finally turning about and going their way. All she had ever wanted was a small measure of happiness, no grand love or epic romance. Truly, she was a simple woman at heart.

  Chapter 30

  Theo awoke with her usual queasy stomach and headache, a reminder that she had yet to tell Stone of her delicate condition. But now with Odey’s unexpected return, and all the inherent uncertainty thrust upon their tenuous reconciliation, she needed more time to be certain. After a bit of tea and dry toast, she was back in the pink and decided to keep her scheduled visit with Mr. Harrington. She had hoped to have some word of the mystery buyer by the time she returned from the house party. Perhaps she could explain her story to the new owner and convince them to sell it to her?

  Hopeful for good news, she had the carriage brought around and headed off. Once she was settled in her man of affairs’s office, she tried to be patient as he went through his usual accounting of her portfolio. As she had long ago come to expect, everything was right and tight, not to mention a few investmen
ts that were performing above expectations. Pleased but still anxious for the news she truly came for, she waited.

  “As to our last order of business, the property adjacent to your orphanage was indeed sold.” The man looked up, and for once was reluctant to tell her anything.

  “Yes, I am aware of that fact, Mr. Harrington. To whom was the property sold?” She didn’t mean to be so crisp with the loyal man, but her patience had shredded with every moment that had passed.

  He ruffled a few pages held in his hand and waved the dust motes from the beam of sunlight shining down on them. “Well, my lady. As to that…”

  He huffed and puffed and fussed until she lost all patience. Leaning forward in a fit of unforgivable rudeness, she snatched the pages from his hand and read the words printed there. It was a copy of a bill of sale. Ah-ha! At last! She scanned down the page past much of the legal language that would put a corpse to sleep and found the pertinent section. As she read the words, her heart skipped a beat and then plummeted to the floor to lie at her feet.

  The purchaser of the land was listed as Achilles Denton, the Earl of Stonemere.

  Under no circumstances would she allow her upset to show in public. So she dug deep, kept her British composure, and handed the pages back to Mr. Harrington. “Thank you for getting to the bottom of this issue for me. I hope it wasn’t terribly challenging.”

  “Not at all. I merely enquired of Lord Stonemere’s man of affairs, as I had some notion of who had purchased it,” Mr. Harrington tossed off, as though the connection were obvious.

  “And how would you have known how to find his man of affairs?” Suspicion burned in her gut as she eyed her employee.

  “Well, I had the address where I send updates on your holdings and from which I receive an additional retainer fee.” As though he had only just become aware of what he revealed, his eyes flew wide until the very orbs in his head seemed to pop forward.

  “I see. Thank you, Mr. Harrington.” Fury thrummed through her veins as Theo rose and departed the small office. The poor little man trailed after her, mumbling excuses and apologies for which she had no time. The audacity of her husband to meddle in her affairs, and then his utter betrayal, buying the land she had wanted right out from under her! It was outside of enough.

  On the street in front of the office, she found her carriage waiting, but the coachman and groom were having a hard time controlling the cattle. One of the front mounts was attempting to rear up. In desperate need to be in the coach and in private, Theo wasted no time in charging over to the horse, wrapping her shawl around his head, and taking a firm grip on the bridle. “Please check the tack and ensure everything is as it should be. The horse is behaving very oddly.”

  “Yes, my lady.” The groom adjusted the saddle of the harness to check it was secure and still attached to the shafts. As he moved it, the animal attempted to rear again. Once it had resettled, the groom pointed out, “My lady, the animal is bleeding from beneath the saddle. ’Tis no wonder he’s agitated.”

  Theo looked closer and wanted to horsewhip whoever would do such a thing to an animal. “You will remove the harness immediately. I shall hail a hack and send a stable boy back with a fresh harness and mount. Do see that everything arrives home safely.” And with that decision made, she turned and went in search of a cab to carry her home.

  One of Mr. Harrington’s runners helped her hail a vehicle, and she was ensconced alone for her journey home. As she rode, she considered all she knew of her husband. Only a few days ago, she had failed to trust him, and as a result, nearly damaged their relationship beyond repair. She needed to give him an opportunity to explain why he bought the land and why he was paying her man of affairs to report to him.

  Half an hour later, she strode into the study and found him talking with Odey as they looked over a stack of papers. She barreled ahead, needing to address both issues immediately. “Stone, I have just come from Mr. Harrington’s office. I had to take a cab home because someone appears to have tampered with the carriage harnesses, which left one of the poor beasts agitated and bleeding. I have already set the stable master to deal with it, but you should be aware that something is not right. Our staff is not normally so careless. You should address it posthaste.” Even to her own ears, she sounded like a field marshal, but she was at a loss for how to manage the storm of emotions raging inside.

  Stone cast an odd glance at Odey before addressing her. “Is that all, Theo?”

  “No, I also need a word with you in private.” She stood with her feet spread, ready to do battle. She imagined he could see the fury wafting off her like smoke from a fire.

  “I shall go follow up with the stable master and see if I may be of assistance.” Odey rose and quickly departed the room, closing the door gently behind his retreating form.

  “Well, now that you have unceremoniously booted my brother from my study, what may I do for you, Theo?” Stone sat behind his desk and steepled his fingers beneath his chin as he looked at her with what she had come to call “the look of displeasure.”

  However, she was beyond worrying about possible punishments. Righteous fury fueled her once again as she launched into her tale. “Do you remember the piece of land I mentioned just before the Hawksburys’ party?”

  “Vaguely.” Stone raised one brow.

  “Yes, well, I’m surprised you do not have a better recollection of it since it appears you are, in fact, the mysterious buyer.” She folded her arms over her breasts and waited.

  “Obviously not mysterious enough to evade your detection.” He pushed back from his desk and stood. “It seems you have found me out.”

  “Indeed, it does seem that way. Today has been very educational, you know. I also learned that you also pay my man of affairs a monthly stipend to keep informed of my investments.” Her heart pounded as she waited for him to deny it. Hoped he would tell her it was all some silly mistake.

  Instead, he cleared his throat, leaned against the front of his desk, and crossed the ankles of his boots. “Yes, about that. I daresay I have been doing just that.”

  The storm broke loose within and found various cracks in her shell to escape. And there were so many cracks. “We discussed this after I found out you saw him, and yet you failed to mention this arrangement? Failed to be honest with me? Used your supposed honesty only days ago to convince me I was mistaken about you and that hussy at the house party? You, sir, are a cad and a lout.”

  Beyond reason, she stepped forward, slapped him across the face with a resounding crack of her bare palm, and then fled the masculine confines of the study. Hurt and so very angry, she kept running straight out of the house. Three blocks along, she found herself on the dowager countess’s doorstep, tears streaming down her face.

  Chapter 31

  Stone cursed himself for a fool. He’d utterly forgotten about the payments and reports his solicitor was receiving from Mr. Harrington. He’d meant to cancel the arrangement, but with all the accidents and falling in love with his wife, it had slipped his mind.

  The purchase of her land would be easily explained away, but the reports and fees were by far a harder thing to address. Add to the mess the injured animal and yet another accident meant for him, and he struggled with the overwhelming desire to beat someone bloody. Of course, he was the prime candidate, but that wasn’t likely to happen, so he gathered his wits and went in search of his wife instead.

  In the foyer, he headed upstairs but was stopped about halfway there when Parsons cleared his throat. “Excuse me, my lord.” The poor man looked stupendously uncomfortable. “If you are looking for Lady Stonemere, she left through the front door and made a left on the street, my lord.”

  “I see. Thank you, Parsons.” Stone nodded and then stepped outside, but his wife was long gone in either direction. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Fool. He returned inside and found Parsons waiting for directions. “Please send runners to both the dowager countess’s and Lady Carlisle’s homes and request wo
rd of my wife’s whereabouts.”

  “Yes, my lord.” Parsons bowed and quickly disappeared into the bowels of the house.

  Stone headed back to his library to both lament his oversight and consider how best to keep his wife safe until he discovered who was trying to kill him and Odey.

  Less than an hour later, Stone knew where his wife had hied off to. Under normal circumstances he would have stormed over to his mother’s and collected his wayward wife, but since he still had a target on his back, he grudgingly had to admit she might be safest where she was. And while he was grateful to have her out of harm’s way for the present, he worried about the new rift between them. How would he repair the damage he’d done?

  A knock on the door interrupted his musings and drew his attention back to the issues at hand. Odey walked in, accompanied by Cooper.

  “’Chilles, we’ve got news.” Cooper took a seat at the desk across from him.

  “Good. Odey, we have another issue developing as well. Let me start with the most urgent item: Theo is currently holed up at Mother’s house.” Stone hoped Cooper wouldn’t ask too many questions.

  “Having a row so soon, ’Chilles? I thought you a more dedicated husband than that.” Cooper looked at him pointedly.

  “There was a misunderstanding which I plan to sort out, but the issue is that she is at Mother’s house, which means Mother now likely knows Odey is both alive and home.” Stone stabbed his fingers through his hair, frustrated by the whole situation.

  “All is not lost. You should visit Mother immediately, check on your wife, and then enlist Mother’s support in staying quiet about my return. I fear she will be less surprised than you might expect to learn I am alive.”

  “How’s that?” Stone knew what his brother would say next, but it didn’t hurt any less.

  “She has known for nearly two years that I am not dead. After Father died, I didn’t have the heart to lie to her.” Odey wouldn’t look him in the eye.