He withdrew and pulled her close, tucking her head beneath his chin. “As soon as I’ve found Hollingford, I’ll come back.”
“Don’t forget about me, while you’re in London,” she teased, bringing his hand to her heart.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
As they fell asleep with their limbs intertwined, Emily didn’t allow herself to worry about the future ahead or what his family would say when they learned about her. She had the man of her dreams, lying in her arms.
And it was even better than she’d imagined it would be.
Read on to find out what happened to Stephen after he returned to Emily in the full-length book,The Accidental Countess.
The Accidental Countess
Chapter One
Falkirk House, England—1850
Cool hands sponged his forehead. Stephen Chesterfield fought against the darkness that threatened to pull him into oblivion once more. Pain lashed his skull, ripping through him in violent waves. His mouth felt lined with cotton wool, and his body ached with vicious pain.
“Drink,” a woman said, lifting a cup of warm tea to his mouth. It tasted bitter, but he swallowed. “You’re very lucky, you know.”
Lucky? He felt as though someone had cracked his skull in two. He hadn’t even the strength to open his eyes to see who was tending him.
“How am I lucky?” he managed to whisper. Lucky to be alive, she’d probably say.
“You’re lucky I haven’t got any arsenic for this tea,” she remarked. “Or another poison, for that matter. Otherwise, you’d be dead by now.” A warm poultice dropped across his forehead, scented with herbs.
“I beg your pardon?” His knuckles clenched around the bedcovers, and he forced his eyes open. The room blurred, and he tried to grasp his surroundings. Where was he? And who was this woman?
The creature intending to murder him had the face of an angel. Her hair, the color of warm honey, was pulled back into a loose chignon. Long strands framed a face with tired amber eyes. Despite the hideous serge mourning gown, she was rather pretty, though her cheeks were thin.
She was familiar, but her name hovered on the outskirts of memory. Like a childhood acquaintance, or someone he’d known long ago.
“You broke your promise. If it weren’t for you, my brother would still be alive.” Anguish lined her voice, eroding the waspish anger. Her eyes glistened, but she kept her chin up.
She blamed him for her brother’s death? There had to be a mistake. He didn’t even know whoshewas, much less her brother.
He pulled off the poultice and glared at her. “Who are you?”
She blanched. “You don’t remember me?” The question held sardonic disbelief. “And here I thought this day could not get any worse.” With a clatter, she set the saucer down.
He had little patience for her frustration. Damn it all, he was the one who’d been wounded. And each time he tried to reach back and seize the memories, it was as if they faded into smoke. What had happened to him?
“You didn’t answer my question,” he responded. “What is your name?”
“My name is Emily.” She leaned in, her gaze penetrating. Almost as if she were waiting for him to say something.
Hazy bits of the past shifted together. Emily Barrow. Baron Hollingford’s daughter. My God. He hadn’t seen her in nearly ten years. He stared hard at her, unable to believe it was true. Though her rigid posture proclaimed her as a modest woman of virtue, he remembered her throwing rocks at his carriage. And climbing trees to spy on him.
And kissing him when he’d been an awkward, adolescent boy.
He shook the thought away, thankful that at least some of his memories remained. “What are you doing here?”
“I live here.” With an overbright smile, she added, “Don’t you remember your wife?”
Her revelation stunned him into silence. His wife? What was she talking about? He wasn’t married.
“You must be joking.” He wasn’t an impulsive man. He planned every moment of every day. Getting married to a woman he hadn’t seen in years wasn’t at all something he would do. Unless he’d gotten extremely deep in his cups one night, she had to be lying. And by God, if Emily Barrow thought to take advantage of him, she would be sorry for it.
