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

by Sorcha Mowbray

  Much as with childbirth, it was the woman’s job to shoulder the care and see things through. It was the man’s burden to sit and wait, helpless to affect change or do anything useful. Patience at an end, he was turning to go upstairs and demand news when the doctor came charging through the house and rushed past without even the common courtesies.

  Stone tried to take succor from the knowledge that a medical professional was tending to her now, but it was cold comfort. Needing a distraction—anything—he headed outside to see if Hawksbury had returned with the buggy. He found the pile on a wagon in the courtyard near the stable with a number of men looking it over. The stable master glanced at where the axle snapped and was pointing as he spoke to his employer.

  Stone walked over and caught the last part of his words. “…I’d say ’tis no accident, my lord.”

  “What’s this?” Stone jumped into the conversation, alarm bells ringing in his head. “Did you say this was no accident?”

  “Indeed, my lord. See here?” The stable master pointed to the spot where the axle had sheared in half. “Right there on one side of the break, you can see clean saw marks and then splintered wood. It looks like someone partially cut through the axle so that any serious jostling could have caused it to break, let alone hitting a pit in the road like the one we found the buggy in.”

  “Bloody hell!” Stone cursed and tore back into the house. This was all his fault. He’d been ignoring the multitude of accidents of late, certain they were merely a series of coincidences. A spate of bad luck. Not someone trying to kill him! And now because of his own obtuseness, his wife was injured at best—he refused to consider the worst-case scenario. Once inside, he called for Cooper, the only man he trusted at the moment. His friend ran into the main hall in answer to his bellowing summons. “Cooper, this was no accident. The stable master found a partially severed axle.”

  Surprise colored every feature of his friend’s face. “Who would want to kill Theo?”

  “I was meant to take that buggy for a morning drive.” Stone still found it hard to believe, but the evidence was more than clear. “She suffered an accident intended for me. I need to account for the whereabouts of everyone attending the house party since last night. Could you quietly ask about while I stand guard over my wife? On the off chance I am wrong and we are both the target, I do not wish to leave her alone until this bastard is uncovered.”

  “Agreed. I shall report back as soon as I have a complete list.”

  As Stone headed upstairs, fear for his wife’s safety ate at him in a way he had never before experienced. How could he survive if anything happened to her?

  Chapter 27

  Unsure why she hurt all over, Theo tried cracking her lids a bit more. The bright light from the windows seared into her eyes and pierced her head. She could hear movement around her but refused to open her eyes further to determine who hovered nearby.

  “Doctor, she’s waking.” A familiar female voice. Her mother?

  “Lady Stonemere, can you hear me?” a man asked.

  “My eyes are closed. I am not deaf.” Theo couldn’t control her grumpiness. Never a morning person, this one seemed especially hard. But what was a strange man doing in her room?

  “Is she normally so dyspeptic upon stirring?” The irritating man continued to provoke her, and she still didn’t know why he was there.

  Could she be dreaming? In that case, she could make him leave. “You, sir, are dismissed.” And then she rolled over, which caused more pain to spark to life all along her body. She couldn’t contain the groan.

  “If you will close the drapery, she will be considerably less cross.” Mary’s typically crisp tones, a thankfully familiar voice, cut through the concerned chatter. While her maid looked sweet with her dusting of freckles on her milky skin, the woman could take command of a house like a battle-tried field marshal. “Her ladyship is not at her best just after waking.”

  Well, that was quite diplomatic of her. She was a downright shrew and she knew it, but try as she might, she could never contain the grumpiness of rising.

  There was a momentary rustling of sound, and then the room seemed to grow cooler and darker. Theo decided to try opening her eyes in her dream so she could better see what was happening. As she cracked her lids again, she could make out multiple forms hovering over her like specters from a gothic horror novel. She let out a small scream of fright and dove back under the covers.

  A moment later, a loud thump like wood banging against a solid surface rang through the room, and then Stone was there. The reassuring warmth of his body wrapped around hers calmed her racing heart and banished the ghosts. It might also have helped that someone lit a lamp, casting a soft glow over the room. All around her were her mother, Stone’s mother, Mary, and a man she did not recognize.

  As she took in everyone, the morning’s anguish came rushing back in like a tidal wave. Stone, his treachery, her mad dash from the Grange. And then nothing. A big black hole where her memory should be. And why was she back in bed when she clearly remembered rising and dressing hours ago? “Stone, you will remove yourself from my person this instant.”

  He stiffened and then slowly retreated, though he refused to leave her side. Regardless, she was still angry with him, and whatever had occurred did not forgive his transgression.

  “My lady, you’ve had an accident, and you bumped your head rather viciously when you were tossed from the buggy.” The man hovered over her and Stone as though he wanted to shoo the latter out of his way. “I am Dr. Thompson, the local physician.”

  “Well, that explains why you are in my room and I am back in bed. I assure you, Doctor, other than a rather horrid headache, I am otherwise unharmed.” Theo really wanted everyone out of her room so she could be alone with her shattered heart.

  “If your rather protective husband will step aside, I shall do a complete examination and fully assess your condition now that you are awake.” The doctor looked pointedly at Stone, who had yet to budge.

  “Stonemere, if you could leave, I would appreciate the privacy to get this examination over with. Please take our mothers with you on your way out. Mary may chaperone the doctor while we get this bit of silliness over with. I can see from the stubborn set of his jaw the doctor will not leave without a fight, and I do not have the reserves to address him just now.” Theo waved her hand listlessly as she urged them all from the room.

  After much shuffling and grumbling, Mary managed to usher the three disgruntled peers out of her bedroom so she could deal with the doctor.

  “Excellent, my lady. If you would please sit up, I can begin my examination.” The doctor turned toward his bag, rooted about, and pulled out some instrument that he then shoved in his ears. A portion of it dangled down his front and looked remarkably similar to her Great Aunt Matilda’s ear trumpet.

  As he came toward her with the trumpet part in one hand, Theo had had enough. “Stop right there, sir.”

  The man cringed and ripped the ear parts from his head. “My lady, you could make a man deaf yelling while he has a stethoscope on. Please, madam. I would like to conduct my examination and be gone.”

  Despite the fact all she wanted was to be alone, her head ached, and again she was feeling nauseated, so she realized allowing the doctor to continue might be in her best interest. She had become increasingly grumpy these past few weeks, as waking up with a headache and weak stomach every morning was wont to do to a body. “Very well, Doctor. Please do be brief. I am not feeling just the thing at the moment.” Not to mention she couldn’t lick her wounds in peace until she was alone.

  After what could easily have been an eon later, with far too many questions to count, the white-haired old man stuffed all his instruments back in his case and nodded at her. “That was a nasty bump on your head. And considering you are with child, I would think you’d be taking better care of yourself. I should have a word with your husband—”

  “With child?” Surprise had her head spinning again. �
�Doctor, did you just say I am pregnant?”

  “I take it you were unaware, though how that could be with the stomach sickness and headaches you complained of, I do not understand. But yes, my lady, you are in fact bearing a child. As a result, I am going to strongly urge you to refrain from high-speed buggy races and horseback riding, among other more strenuous pursuits. Though a nice walk in the afternoon and leaving your corset off should allow for a healthier baby. Rest for the next few days, until you are feeling better. And, of course, send for me if anything out of the ordinary occurs—particularly if you have any cramping or bleeding. You and your baby are not out of the woods yet, but a few days’ rest and more care with your person is wise.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Despair nearly pulled her under a wave of exhaustion, but she managed to hang on a bit longer. “Sir, my husband does not know. I’d like to tell him myself.”

  The doctor nodded. “Of course, my lady.”

  “Thank you. Mary, please see him out, and I do not wish to be disturbed for a while.” Theo lay back on the mattress to contemplate what to do, and to sleep. In whichever order inspiration struck.

  “Your maid should not leave you alone, my lady. She needs to wake you every hour or so for the next twelve hours. After such a period, if all is normal, then you should be fine. If at any time you feel worse, you must send for me immediately.” He stood by the door and waited for assent before finally departing.

  Alone, Theo lay there and pondered what she should do. Her husband seemed devoted by all accounts, except for that kiss she’d intruded upon. Had he truly given up his profligate ways? What she needed was a little time to sort things out, but if he found out about the baby, she would have no chance to be certain he loved her, and her alone. And while she knew she would never divorce him, her heart ached with the kernel of doubt that had wedged itself within.

  * * *

  Stone stood outside of what had become his wife’s chamber at Hawksbury. It had been theirs at the start, and it would be again, just as soon as he had a word with his little hellion. He’d allowed her to claim illness for two miserable days. He’d paced the hallway outside her door waiting to be let in to see her until the rug was worn through to the wood planks. And still she refused him entrance. He was quite done asking her permission.

  A fortifying breath to steel his nerves, and then he swung open the door with nary a knock. “Theo, you will see me this very moment. I do not care what you are doing, how you feel, or if you are stark naked. We must speak.”

  He stopped in the middle of the room to find his wife taking tea by the window in a dressing gown. She looked terribly fetching in her morning dishabille. She grew a bit pale at his entrance, but typical of his headstrong wife, she neither flinched nor backed down at his blustering entrance. “Indeed, we do, Stonemere.” She pointed to the empty seat across the tea service. “Sit.”

  The pit in his stomach hardened. She had taken to calling him Stone, reserving Stonemere for more formal occasions or in company. He had yet to have a chance to fully inform her of the moment she had walked in on, but he fully intended to correct that deficiency. He took the seat she indicated, sitting on the front edge with both feet firmly planted on the floor. There was little point in pretending indifference. He had easily sorted through his jumbled emotions as he’d paced her hallway, and had come to a rather inconvenient truth.

  He loved his wife.

  The problem now lay in convincing her of that fact. “Theo, I know what you think—”

  “Stonemere, I know what I saw. That trollop, someone you once cavorted with, I presume, was wrapped around you like a left-handed wife.” The animated, passionate woman he once knew had been replaced by an automaton, her words cold and lifeless.

  “Theo, at least give me a chance to explain. I had just told her that whatever there had once been between us would not be renewed. I am married and content with that arrangement. I have no need of a piece on the side.” He sighed and hoped for a flicker of life. Anything to indicate his words had gotten through. “She must have known you walked in, and took the opportunity to cause trouble. By the time I peeled her off my person and came after you, you were hieing off in the buggy.”

  “A convenient story. How am I to believe such a tale? To tru—” Her voice cracked, the first sign of emotion since he’d walked in. “Trust you?”

  “Stop and consider, Theo. When have I ever lied to you? Even when you have not cared for the truth, I have been honest with you. I admitted when I visited your solicitor. I revealed myself to you at The Market, revealed a part of myself I believed would remain hidden from my wife. And only the other night, I shared with you the horrors of my military service. I have laid myself bare to you, and yet you doubt me on this?” The pit in his stomach had morphed yet again, now resembling more of a gut-shot wound—a gaping, seeping mortal wound.

  He waited for one heartbeat, then another. She had yet to move, to acknowledge his words, and it seemed the battle was lost. Despite all he had shared with her, it wouldn’t be enough. Numb all over, he stood on legs that resembled aspic more than flesh and bone and strode toward the door. With one hand on the knob, he couldn’t look back for fear the pain in his chest might leak from his eyes. “If you’ll let me know when you are ready to return to London, I shall have the carriages made ready.”

  “Stone!” His name, short and sweet, rang out across the room, followed by the rustle of her dressing gown.

  He turned, and then she was in his arms, back where she belonged. Tears rolled down her face as she hugged him tight. “I was so devastated. I couldn’t understand why you might choose her over me. I didn’t trust in us. Please forgive me.”

  “Pet, you must stop. I am the one who needs forgiving. I should never have let her close enough that there would ever be a kernel of doubt in your mind.” He wasn’t sure if he could let her go again. Perhaps they should delay their departure another day?

  “I am yours, Master. Yours to do with as you wish,” she offered so prettily.

  “Very well, how soon can you be ready, pet?” He stepped back from her and produced his handkerchief for her to dry her eyes. Somehow he would find the strength to assemble their party and return home without touching her. She was emotionally overwrought after a grievous physical injury.

  Only on very rare occasions had he seen his wife cry, and other than her tears for him a few nights earlier, most of them had come when she truly felt remorse for some wayward thing she had done. While he would argue that one’s feelings could never be wayward, his wife’s strong emotions had led her into a precarious situation, and she remained unaware.

  He’d prefer her to stay ignorant of what had happened until he could see it taken care of, but at the moment, he had no notion who might be behind his accidents. Despite his lack of information, he believed he’d have a better chance of sorting it all out in London. “I shall see to the rest of our things. Do not rush yourself. If you are feeling at all unwell, we will wait or find an inn along the way.”

  Damn, he’d hoped they might reconcile completely before the long trek home. Should he have demanded her submission? Demanded she give herself to him? Could he have misread the moment?

  Chapter 28

  “Master?” Confusion swirled around her as Stone removed himself from her proximity. Determined to set things right between them before she took one step more, she shed her dressing gown, revealing her womanly curves to his gaze, and sank to her knees before him. “Please, Master. Remind me who I belong to. Help me to never forget again.” She had doubted him, and in her mind, it might be the greatest transgression of her entire trouble-pocked existence.

  As she knelt at his feet, naked and exposed, she realized exactly how strong her feelings for her husband ran. Fear of his rejection warred with her desire to feel his hands on her body. To be reminded that he was the one person she could rely upon no matter how awful things seemed.

  “I fear I misunderstood your previous request, pet.” He knelt dow
n in front of her, tipped her chin up so their gazes met. “Exactly how should I best remind you who you belong to?”

  Theo trembled with excitement and need. He was not lost to her. Together, they would forge ahead anew. “Twenty spanks. Please, Master.”

  “And then, pet?” He raised one brow in punctuation.

  Dismayed at his question, she thought about what should come after her discipline. “Whatever pleases you, Master.”

  He hesitated and then nodded. “If that is what you wish, pet.”

  “Thank you, Master.” She returned her gaze to the floor as he rose to loom over her.

  “Then we shall begin with your discipline. I want you to be clear that this is discipline at your request to remind you who you belong to. This is not punishment, for you have done nothing wrong. Are we clear, pet?”

  “Yes, Master.” She waited, desperate to feel his palm warming her bottom, reminding her that she was his, and in truth he was hers. Perhaps that was more of what she had forgotten in her despair—that as much as he was her master and she his pet, he was also her husband. Her lover. Simply hers.

  “Come with me.” He motioned for her to rise with the curl of his finger, and she answered his call. He led her toward the bed she had lain in for the last few days. “Bend over the edge of the bed, like a good girl.” He helped her assume the position. “If we were home, I would strap you to our bench and use a flogger to remind you of our bond. Instead, I have but my hand to help you remember to whom you belong, and that I belong to you as well.”

  Theo bent over the mattress, her feet on the floor as she waited for him to commence the spanking. His hand smoothed over her bare bottom, rubbing and warming the cool skin. Then his touch disappeared, only to return with a sudden crack of sound.

  “One, Master.” She counted the way he’d taught her. Thought about all they had shared and explored and knew herself to be a fool for having believed what that woman had wanted her to see.