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

by Sorcha Mowbray

  “But you felt no compunction about lying to me?” Stone demanded.

  “It was in your best interest. If I hadn’t lied, you never would have taken the title, and the whole purpose of the deceit would have been for naught.” Odey locked gazes with him and pleaded with his eyes the way he once had as a boy.

  And damn it all to hell, Stone couldn’t ignore that look any more now than he could when he was young. “You’re probably right. But it still smarts that you left me in the dark.” He drew a steadying breath. “What news do you two bring?”

  “Not so much news as a plan.” Cooper leaned forward and explained everything. “So, you need to visit your wife and let her know you will be away for a few days while we lure the culprit out into the open.”

  “I’ve not told Theo about the accidents or the would-be killer. I’d prefer to leave her ignorant until all is resolved, for fear she will rush in and try to help. I’d kill the bastard, whoever he is, if he harmed my wife.” Stone tried to tamp down the ferocity rumbling beneath the surface, but his emotions rode high with all that had happened. He was a far cry from the man who had married Lady Theodora Lawton a few months earlier. The woman had wormed her way past all his defenses and burrowed into his heart. As a result, he felt things now he’d once had buried deep within, but it was more than acceptable in exchange for feeling her love as well.

  Odey shrugged. “Then ask Mother to keep her there for a few days. You can have someone pack her a few things and send them over.”

  “Fine. I suppose it’s the only way to keep her safe. I should head over to Mother’s town house and ensure her cooperation. If you two will gather the others, we can head out at first light.” Stone stood and nodded to both before heading off to tackle two of the most formidable women he knew.

  * * *

  Stone entered his mother’s sitting room and was almost relieved to find her alone. He needed to speak with her privately, but he was desperate to see his wife as well. “Mother.”

  “Achilles. You really shot into the brown on this one.” His mother shook her head.

  “I am well aware of the situation, and I am here to see my wife as soon as I have a word with you.” He watched her stiffen up as though she might fight him on seeing Theo.

  “Your wife does not wish to see you at the moment. The poor child showed up on my doorstep a mess, and barely coherent. I don’t know exactly what you’ve done, but you hurt that child to the core. I was so worried, I sent for Doctor Sullivan to look her over.”

  Stone wanted to kick himself all over again. “I know I’ve made a mess of things. And I shall make things right with her, but I need you to keep her here for a few days.”

  “Theo is welcome here for as long as she deems necessary. Once you have made things right with her, I am sure she will return home. But in the meantime, you should have Mary come over with whatever she needs.”

  “I’ve already made the arrangements, and if she is sleeping, I shall check in on her before I go. But first, you will need to explain how it is my brother is, in fact, alive and well. Perhaps you’d like to elaborate on why you’ve lied to me for two years?” He quirked a brow, as his mother was fond of doing, to drive his point home.

  She had the grace to look abashed at being caught out. “I see. Is your brother finally come home?”

  “Mother, do not think to avoid the question. Why the lies?” Stone wanted to throttle her, but he also knew the urge would pass, as it often did.

  “I’m sure he told you why we thought you should be left in the dark,” she huffed, as though he asked a silly question.

  “He did explain, but you bloody well owe me an explanation.” He had been working to control his fury since Odey had told him the truth, but now he was close to boiling over. The struggle continued even as his mother rose and calmly walked over to the secretary.

  There, she sat down, bent to the last drawer on the left, and unlocked it. “Odey never wanted to be earl, but your father wouldn’t listen. Not until the only son he still had at home had run off. The real trouble was that your father was determined to make your brother the earl, when he should have requested a special remainder. Stubborn old goat.”

  “Why?” Stone knew something big was coming, and he had a niggling of fear at what he might learn.

  “You see, if he had insisted on making Odey the earl, it was very likely the truth of his birth would come out. His illegitimate birth.” She handed a stack of papers over to Stone.

  “A bastard, you say?” Shock had him by the short hairs as he opened the top document. He read through it and realized it was Odey’s birth certificate, making him born just over a year before his parents’ marriage.

  His mother looked off into nothing as she smiled. “Odey was my love child, my secret shame, until your father rescued both of us. And you, Achilles, you were the confirmation of my love story. I met your father at a house party not unlike the Hawksburys’ and fell in love instantly. And then into his bed right after. I was desperate and in love. My parents were going to make me marry a parson’s son who was so cold and pinch-faced. I cringed when he called, let alone if he touched me. As I expected, I managed to avoid an unwanted marriage. But instead of winning the man I wanted, I was banished to a convent in France for unwed girls.”

  Stone dropped into the nearest seat, shocked to his very core by his parents’ unknown love story even as most of his fury drained away.

  “It took your father almost two years to discover where my parents had hidden me. But once he found me, he rode up to the convent, rescued me from its walls, and whisked me off to Gretna Green, where we were married. We retreated to the abbey for a number of years, where fewer questions were asked. By the time we reentered Society, we had both of you boys and most people didn’t bother to do the arithmetic.”

  Stone still couldn’t believe it. He looked at the next sheet he held and found it to be a special remainder that was signed shortly before his father had died.

  “Once Odey left, your father knew he had to let go of the need to make things right for his firstborn. He still felt guilty it took him so long to find us. The problem was, by the time he had the special remainder signed and passed through Lords, we got word of the massacre at Cawnpore. The first missives through stated no survivors. He couldn’t bear the stress of failing his sons in his mind.”

  “Damn it all to hell, it’s my fault he died. Why let me stay in India? Why didn’t you call me back from service?” Stone looked at the document that officially made him Earl of Stonemere, regardless of Odey’s existence.

  His mother fidgeted with the rings on her fingers. “He wanted to, but I begged him not to. I convinced him to let you have a little adventure before you had to come home and settle into the staid life of a peer. It was my fault you were still in service when the massacre happened. My fault your father is dead.” Tears pooled in her hazel eyes as she groped for her handkerchief.

  Stone rose and pulled his mother into his embrace. “It was fate that I was there. You cannot blame yourself for that, nor for Father’s death.”

  She held him close and cried all over his coat and vest. “You are a good son, Achilles.” She sniffled a few times and pulled herself together. “I daresay we should have a proper welcome home for Odey. I would like to see my other son.”

  Stone’s necktie suddenly felt overtight. “I need to request that you hold off on any fêtes for Odey. There is some strangeness afoot, and his relative nonexistence here in London works in our favor as we try to sort the business out. If you could give us a few days, I promise you will have ample time to show him off and celebrate.”

  His mother looked mutinous.

  “Our very lives could depend on it.” He’d not wanted to make it sound so dire, but she had a mulish expression, which meant she would insist on having her way.

  She paled considerably. “What in heaven’s name?”

  “As I said, odd things are afoot, and I need you to remain silent with regard to Odey’s
return for the moment.”

  “Of course, I would never intentionally put my sons in harm’s way. I shall remain silent. But you will explain why you believe your lives depend upon it.”

  “There has been a series of what I thought were accidents. As it turns out, they are not.” Stone continued on to explain some of his mishaps, as well as the one that had hurt Theo.

  “I hope you have a plan to catch this dastardly man.” His mother looked fierce enough that he worried for a moment she might adopt his wife’s methods and charge into the breach.

  “All will be well. My friends and I have a plan, and we will sort this mess out soon.” He kissed his mother on the cheek. “Now, is my wife sleeping in the blue room over the garden?”

  “She is, but I beg you, Achilles, leave her be.” His mother grabbed his arm and looked at him with earnest concern.

  He let a bit of his guard down so his mother would know how important a mere glimpse of his wife was to him. “Just a moment, Mother. I must see she is well before I head off to deal with whoever is hunting me.”

  “Very well. Go, my son, but do not wake her.” His mother shooed him off, and he went eagerly.

  Years ago, as a young man, when he’d first seen a woman submit sexually to a man, he’d had no idea the power that could come with the submission of the right woman. His wife showed him the depth of that power, the heights of ecstasy, and the lows of despair that came with such control.

  He found the door he sought and opened it with nary a squeak thanks to well-oiled hinges. There on the bed, curled on her side as though protecting something she held against her belly, his wife slept. Her hair, loose and spread over the pillows, drew him. Made him want to touch her to feel its silken skeins slide through his fingers as he sank into her once more.

  But for now, he would content himself with seeing that she was cared for in his absence while he carried memories of making love to her with him into the fray that awaited him. But unlike his time in the army, he had too many reasons to live, and all of them lived within the woman lying on the bed. All his hopes and dreams, his love, and his future were contained in her. And he fully intended to come back and lay claim to all of it. Right after he ended the threat looming on the horizon.

  Chapter 32

  Theo sat up in the twilight-soaked room and peered into the dusky shadows. Momentary disorientation gnawed at her until a familiar voice whispered past the heavy oak door.

  “I am quite capable of carrying a dinner tray to my daughter-in-law, Mary. There is no need for you to dart about me like a bee.”

  The dowager countess’s strident but muffled tones relieved her moment of panic while raising her curiosity. Why was Mary here? Feet firmly planted on the floor, Theo rose from the bed and stood as the door swung open.

  “What in the devil do you think you are doing, child?”

  “Standing.” Theo stated the obvious in lieu of wading into battle outright.

  “The doctor ordered rest for you, at least for a day or two.” Lady Stonemere cut to the chase as she set her burden down on a nearby table.

  “I feel quite recovered. There is no reason to act as though I have been stricken with some disease.” Theo huffed and determinedly moved farther away from the bed.

  “Well, here is beef tea and some bread crusts for you. It should be a nice restorative after your episode. If you won’t lie down, then at least sit down while you partake.” Her mother-in-law ushered her over to the table and sat her down as though she were a young girl and not a countess.

  “What time is it?” Theo ignored the pang in her heart at the notion that night was falling and yet her husband had not appeared to at least attempt to convince her to return home.

  “It is half past seven. Dinner was served an hour ago, since I prefer to eat early.”

  “I see.” Theo’s stomach dropped, and had she not already heaved up its entire contents earlier, she would have done so. She stared at her dinner and blinked rapidly in hopes of holding back the tears that seemed determined to make an appearance.

  “Yes, well, you have been asleep for a few hours. I’m surprised you slept right through your husband’s rather boisterous arrival earlier as he demanded word of his missing wife.”

  Theo’s gaze snapped up to the dowager’s knowing smile. “He came?”

  “Of course he did, my girl. The man is so besotted with you, I couldn’t have kept him away had I tried. He insisted on seeing that you were resting comfortably before he would leave.”

  Hope bloomed warm and bright in her chest. “And where has he gone?”

  “He is off dealing with some pressing matters associated with Odey’s return. Once those are settled, he will return to sort out whatever it is that stands between you two, and he has requested you stay with me until then. He even sent Mary over with some of your things, though I daresay his request has nothing to do with the child you carry.” She looked pointedly at Theo’s stomach.

  Firmly ignoring her mother-in-law’s probing for the moment, she eyed her beef tea and crusty bread with listless interest. What could be more important to Stone than addressing their marriage? She couldn’t begin to consider the ramifications on their relationship if they could not resolve his high-handed behavior.

  And what of their child?

  Her hand flattened over the barest hint of a bump in an instinctively protective move. A fierce need to defend the life nestled within her swelled at the notion of anyone or anything threatening her babe. No, regardless of what might come, she would protect her child with her last breath. Even from her husband’s overbearing ways.

  On that note, she resolutely lifted her spoon and filled the bowl with broth. She would eat for her child and ensure they had every advantage she could provide. But as her husband was surely well aware, her patience would last only so long.

  She let the silence stretch a bit longer before replying. “He does not yet know about the child, and I do not wish to keep that knowledge from him. But I shall not tell him until we resolve this issue between us, which means I shall only allow him so much time to attend to his business before I expect him to address my grievance.”

  The dowager sighed. “I beg of you, do not be rash.”

  “I shall take care of myself and my child. But as my husband has learned, I shall not be ignored.” Determination welled up within her as she shored up her spirit. “A day, two at the most, and then I shall see him.”

  “Very well, my dear.” The dowager countess nodded and turned to leave, but stopped midway. “But I caution you not to allow either your head or your heart to rule absolutely. A balance of both is required in a successful marriage.”

  And then she disappeared through the door, leaving Theo alone to consider her words and what the next few days might bring. She considered it more than odd that Stone would ask that she remain with his mother, but at the moment, she was far more concerned about her evening meal and then her sleep. It had been a horrible day, and she firmly hoped that with Mary’s assistance, in the morning she would feel well enough to tackle the future of her marriage.

  * * *

  By the next afternoon, Stone, Odey, and Cooper were ensconced in Cooper’s hunting box just across the county from Stonemere Abbey in Southampton. The rest of the Lustful Lords—Linc, Flint, and Wolf—camped around them to keep watch for the would-be killer. Exhausted after spending the evening planning their trap. They had set the lure by carousing at their various clubs and putting the word out of their imminent departure, and the absolute last thing Stone wanted to do now was tramp about the countryside looking for stags. But if the trap were to work, then the bait must be dangled, so the three of them headed out for an afternoon foray.

  “I do hope this little ruse works,” Stone grumbled as he stalked through a trickling stream.

  “Well, it certainly won’t if you continue to discuss it, ’Chilles.” Odey sounded as exasperated as Stone felt, but likely for different reasons.

  “Yes, well, you don’
t have an unhappy wife at home. I have made such a mess of things with Theo, I fear I shall never hear the end of it once she learns the truth of it all.” Stone ducked to avoid a low-hanging oak branch.

  Odey grunted. “Brother, do not think that because I am unmarried, I do not have my own trials of the feminine form. The fair daughter of the winemaker Seignior Tedesco, the beautiful Mariella, still leads me a merry chase.” Odey sighed and stepped up on a small boulder. “But I declare here and now, I shall return to Sardinia and lay claim to my woman.”

  Cooper and Stone chuckled. Odey had declared many things in just such a manner growing up. Most of them never came to pass and were quickly forgotten.

  Cooper winked at Stone and Odey. “Lads, what you need is a woman like my Sarah. Soft in all the right places, sweet of disposition, and a widow with no desire to marry. She’s always happy to see me, but never at my doorstep. It’s the perfect arrangement.”

  “With the exception that if you fail to marry, then you will fail to produce an heir. Which means that wastrel brother of yours will replace you when you die and leave the family fortunes on the Faro tables in some gambling hell. But please, do go on about dearest Sarah.” Stone cast a gimlet eye at his friend. How Cooper could still be in denial of his responsibilities boggled Stone’s mind.

  Cooper sighed. “I’m still looking for a way around it, but should I remain stuck, I shall simply marry some chit who has been conditioned to look the other way once the heir and a spare have been produced.”

  Stone and Odey both laughed. “Times are changing, my friend,” Stone pointed out. “Girls are holding out for love, and even if they aren’t, I should stand as your cautionary tale. I married for the requisite heir and have found myself unequivocally, irretrievably, ridiculously in love. I promise you I had no intention of doing such a thing, and if I had, I would have imagined it a far simpler affair. The truth is, love is messy.”