Her Counterfeit Husband

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  She tried to scream and struggled to get away from him, but he succeeded in pulling her to the window where a blast of cool air hit her face. Appleton called out her name as he pounded on Jason’s bedchamber door.

  “Tell him to go away,” Lord Mason ordered.

  He lifted his hand from her mouth, and she gasped for air.

  “Do it,” he hissed, jabbing the pistol to the side of her head. “Tell him to go away.”

  “Go—” Her voice cracked so she inhaled and tried again. “Go away!”

  “Good.” When Appleton pounded the door hard enough that it cracked, Lord Mason added, “Tell him to stop at once.”

  “S-stop!” she forced out. “I’m…I’m fine. Stop hitting the door.”

  He let go of her but kept the gun pointed at her. “Go to the door, open it, and tell him you’re fine.”

  She glanced at the gun and gave a slow nod, praying he wouldn’t hurt her if she complied. He was desperate, that much was certain, but he didn’t want to jeopardize his future with Lady Templeton so maybe if she gave him what he wanted, he’d leave and never come back. Maybe this was going to be the end of it. Her eyes met his, searching for the assurance she needed. He stood by the window, so she couldn’t make out his expression. All she could make out was his silhouette. But then a hand rose up from behind him and clasped onto the windowsill. Scared, she let out a terrified scream.

  The silhouette of a gentleman rose behind him and grabbed him. Lord Mason fired a shot into the air. Something in her snapped, and she ran to the bedchamber door as the two gentlemen struggled at the window.

  Before she could unlock it, Appleton and the gardener broke down the door. Lord Mason and the other gentleman fell to the floor. Through the moonlight, it took her a moment to realize Jason had attacked Lord Mason. Another shot fired into the air, and everyone ducked. Jason struggled to get the gun away from Lord Mason, but Lord Mason tripped on Jason’s foot and fell out the window.

  For a moment, everyone stood still, shocked. Then all at once, they headed for the window. Appleton was the first one to join Jason at the window, followed by the gardener and Anna. They peered down at the ground where Lord Mason was on the ground, his neck and legs twisted at an angle that could only mean he was dead. As awful as it was to know he wasn’t alive, she couldn’t deny the relief she felt at knowing he was no longer going to be a threat to anyone.

  She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. Was she a horrible person for being glad another gentleman was dead? First her husband and now Lord Mason…

  Someone wrapped her in a protective hug, and his arms were so wonderfully familiar to her that she didn’t need to look at him to know he was Jason. He’d returned home to her.

  “Appleton told me you were in trouble,” Jason whispered, rubbing her back in comforting, circular motions. “Since the doors up here were locked and I saw the ladder leading up to the window, I decided to climb up here.”

  She took a moment to settle her nerves before looking at Appleton who was still peering down at Lord Mason. He shook his head. “The only place he’s going is in the ground.”

  “I’ll get his body,” the gardener said and hurried out of the room.

  “What did he want?” Jason asked, pulling away from her so he could see her face. “Did he hurt you?”

  “No, he didn’t hurt me,” she quickly assured him, still shaking. “He wanted money. He thought there was something in the desk in that room he could use.” She gestured to the small room. “He wanted a key so he could open the box.”

  Appleton went to the desk and lit the candlestick while Jason let go of her and went to the cabinet. Curious, she followed Jason and watched as he retrieved a key from the bottom shelf. So she was right. The key had been in there. She joined Jason as he strode into the small room and placed the box on top of the desk.

  “There isn’t money in here,” Jason began as he unlocked it, “but it does contain something important. It wouldn’t have done Mason any good, but it proves I have the right to the title.”

  Surprised, Anna glanced at Appleton whose eyebrows rose in interest. Turning back to Jason, she asked, “The right to the title?”

  He opened the box and dug out a couple of papers. “Your first husband had a twin brother, an older twin brother. But the twin was sickly, and they didn’t expect him to survive so the parents and doctor decided to quietly get rid of the twin and claim there was only one child born at the time.” He handed her the papers so she could read through them. “That sickly twin was me. I had to confirm it with someone at the circus, but he remembered me and he was the one who left me in the forest the night you found me.”

  She shot Appleton a worried look.

  “Do we need to be concerned about this person?” Appleton asked.

  “No,” Jason softly replied. “As long as Iron Jim believes I’m dead, there’s nothing to worry about.”

  Her gaze went back to the papers and she read through them.

  “So what does this mean?” Appleton pressed.

  “It means that Alastair is no longer alive and Jason never died. The only person who figured out I’m not Jason just fell out the window. I see no reason why anyone else should know.”

  She set the papers back in the box and looked at Jason. “So there was no wife or children?”

  “No,” Jason softly replied and smiled. “Thankfully, there wasn’t.”

  “I’ll see to it that the proper funeral arrangements are made for Lord Mason,” Appleton said before he left the room.

  Relieved, she collapsed against Jason who wrapped her in a protective hug. Finally, her heartbeat was slowing down and she had stopped shaking. The stress of the past month slipped away. She closed her eyes and relaxed. It was over. Now they could leave the past behind and move on to the future without the secrets and shadows hovering nearby.

  “I love you, Anna,” he whispered and kissed the top of her head. “I can’t imagine my life with anyone but you.”

  “I love you, too. And it’s not just you and me anymore.”

  “What?”

  Noting the confusion in his voice, she smiled. “Shortly after you left, I discovered that I’m expecting a child.”

  He slipped his finger under her chin and lifted it so he could make eye contact with her. His lips curled up into a grin. “When I set my mind to it, I can get things done.”

  With a chuckle, she asked, “When you set your mind to it? You think you can just will something like a child and make it happen?”

  He playfully shrugged. “If memory serves, it’s imperative that a duke has an heir. But we should be diligent. Even if this child is a boy, we should aim for another boy or two or three or so… I don’t think there can be too many. You never know what will happen.”

  “You’re planning on having many children?”

  “Well, we’re bound to have a girl or two. With any luck, they’ll be as pretty as their mother.” He tapped her nose before kissing it. “And if we don’t have a lot of children, trying will be a very enjoyable process.”

  She laughed and hugged him. “You won’t hear me complain.”

  He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, his lips lingering on hers until she felt weak in the knees. And the best thing about it was that this was the first of many kisses to come.

  ***

  A year later

  Anna placed her cup on the tray and turned to Candace who was seated next to her on the settee in the drawing room of Anna’s London townhouse. “Would it be wrong for me to congratulate you?”

  Candace took a sip of her tea and shook her head. “No. I realize on the outside I need to wear my mourning clothes and act the part of the bereaved widow, but there’s no denying my relief in knowing I’m no longer chained to Ian.”

  Anna recalled her relief when her first husband died and nodded. “I understand.” And truly she did understand, much more than Candace would ever know. “What happened to Ian’s title?”

&nbs
p; “It went to his cousin who is a much nicer sort than he was.”

  “And you will live very well off the money left to you.”

  “Yes.”

  Anna studied her friend and saw the happiness on her face. She thought perhaps it might be wonderful if Candace could find someone as wonderful as Jason, but she knew mentioning that right now wouldn’t be appropriate. Candace needed time to be her own lady without the constraints of a husband. She was still young at twenty. There was time for her to remarry later.

  Jason came into the drawing room with their five-month-old son, and Anna stood up.

  “Wasn’t he taking a nap?” she asked.

  “I heard him playing in his room so I decided to bring him down here,” he replied.

  Smiling, Anna glanced at Candace who rose to her feet. “I don’t know why we have a nursemaid when he does so much with Caleb.”

  “There’s going to be a balloon launch, and I don’t want Caleb to miss it,” Jason replied. “Besides, he’ll like all the colors.”

  Anna went over to them and took Caleb in her arms. She adjusted the hat over his golden hair. “He’s too young to remember a balloon launch.”

  “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that we get to spend the day together.”

  “I think it’s a lovely idea,” Candace said and touched Anna’s arm. “I’ll come by for a visit in a few days.”

  “I look forward to it,” Anna told her.

  Candace said good-bye to Jason and followed the footman out of the drawing room.

  “This poor little boy has no time to rest,” Anna playfully admonished Jason. “Ever since we’ve been to London, you’ve been taking us all over the place.”

  “Well, there’s a lot to do and see. Besides, I don’t take him everywhere. He stays here when we go to the theatre or the balls, and tonight we’ll attend another ball. He’s growing up so fast. I have to enjoy the time while it lasts, especially since I can look back and remember it.” He grinned at the boy and shook his hand. “Maybe when you have a brother or sister, I won’t be so demanding of your time, Caleb.”

  Her heart warmed. “It’s wonderful that you want to spend so much time with him, Jason. Really, it is.”

  He kissed her. “And when we come back, you can play one of your songs for him.”

  “You mean I can play a song for you?”

  “He happens to like the same songs I do. What can I say except that he has excellent taste in music?”

  She laughed and kissed him. “I love you, Jason. All right. Let’s see a balloon launch.”

  “And maybe we can get something sweet to eat on the way back. I’d like for him to try iced cream. Maybe tomorrow we’ll find another sweet for him to try.”

  “Our son is one fortunate boy to get so much.”

  “There’s an entire world out there to learn about and who better than his parents to teach him?” Jason tickled the boy under his chin, and the boy squirmed against her, laughing. “We’re building memories. Good ones.”

  Tears filled her eyes, but these were tears of joy and that being the case, she didn’t mind them. Jason never did recover the memories of his past, and while she suspected it was for the best, she was glad for the memories they were creating together with their son and would share with their other children in the future.

  “May I see you out?” Appleton asked, stepping into the drawing room.

  “Yes. I think we’re ready.” Jason glanced at her, and she nodded. “We won’t be more than two hours.”

  She followed Jason, and as they passed through the front door which Appleton held for them, she caught the expression on Appleton’s face and knew he couldn’t be happier for her.

  “Have a good time, Your Grace,” he told her.

  “I will,” she replied, grateful for all he’d done for her. Had it not been for him, she wouldn’t be here today. “Thank you.”

  He bowed and softly shut the door behind them.

  Jason patted the small of her back. “Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be up in the air in a balloon?”

  She laughed. “Of course not.”

  “No? Really?” They headed down the side of the street, and he pointed to the sky. “Imagine how fun it would be if we were all the way up there, looking down at all the people and houses.”

  “Being up at that height is exactly why I wouldn’t like it. There is a possibility of falling.”

  “A slim one. But sometimes you have to take risks to truly enjoy life.”

  “I can enjoy life with my feet on the ground as much as I can up there.”

  “I highly doubt that.”

  “It’s true.”

  While they continued their good-natured debate on the way to the balloon launch, Caleb rested his head on Anna’s shoulder, and Anna smiled, anticipating the many adventures that were to come…though none would involve her going up in the air in a balloon.

  Coming Soon in the Regency Collection:

  A Most Unsuitable Husband

  Ethan Silverton, the Lord of Edon, has been called many things. Scoundrel, rake, reprobate, unbelievably lucky, deceitful… But he’s never been called a husband…until now.

  Ethan is very content with his life. He’s carefully sculpted it so that everyone thinks he’s a notorious rake. For years, he’s worked hard to build his reputation to secure his place as the most undesirable bachelor in London. And it’s worked. No decent lady will have him.

  But one simple error in judgment has just sealed his fate. His intention was to dissuade a horrid mother from matching him up with her equally horrid daughter. Seeing no one but Lady Catherine without a dance partner, he tells a lie. He approaches Lady Catherine as if they are betrothed, and the ploy works. The horrid mother and her daughter abandon their pursuit of him.

  Except Ethan’s mother figures out his ploy and is so relieved that she’s found a way to marry him to a reputable young lady that she tells everyone of their engagement. To his horror, word spreads and it’s his duty to see the lie through. This is the worst thing that can happen, and no one but his mother is happy about it. Not Lady Catherine. Not her doting father. Not even Ethan. But his mother is sure it’ll all work out…eventually.