Page 26 of The Widow’s Christmas Surprise

“Jane!” Maria stared at her cousin, a chill running down her arms. “You don’t think Lord Kersey brought me back to live at the Hall so I could dally with his son, do you?”

“That would be a touch Machiavellian, wouldn’t it?”

“What?”

“Never mind.” Jane sighed and shook her head. “The point is, if you did choose to dally with Wetherby, and you began to increase, he would have to marry you, or the scandal would ruin the whole family. You are here under the protection of Lord and Lady Kersey.”

“I have no plans to dally with anyone, including Lord Wetherby.” That was not strictly true, of course. If the occasion arose, she might indulge in a dalliance with Mr. Granger. But Lord Wetherby was out of the question.

“It would answer the question of what is to become of you.” Abruptly, Jane slid to the floor. “Married to the heir, you would eventually become Lady Kersey once more.”

“I am Lady Kersey now.” Much good the title had ever done her.

“You know what I mean.”

“I do, and I mean it when I tell you I will not marry again unless I am in love with the gentleman.” Gathering her nightgown around her, Maria stood on the stool close to the bed and marched down the two steps. “I look at the love matches Charlotte and Elizabeth and Fanny have made, how happy they are, and I can’t help wanting that for myself.” She stared at Jane, her heart sinking. Perhaps her cousin didn’t believe in marriage for love. “Don’t you want that with Lord Kinellan?”

Wrapping herself with her silk shawl, as if girding herself for battle, Jane fixed her with a defiant stare. “I am not in love with Lord Kinellan. I have a fondness for him, that is true. And he is an excellent lover, but we are not in love.”

Stunned, Maria’s brows rose sharply. She’d often wondered about the extent of her cousin’s liaison with the handsome Scottish lord. Now she knew. Not that she blamed Jane. Maria had met him the once, when he had escorted Jane to Kersey Hall after Alan’s death. Even in her shock and grief, Maria had admitted Kinellan was a splendid figure of a man.

Of course, she was a naïve young woman, who didn’t know much at all about love and passion. That was how Alan had managed to seduce her. He’d convinced her that he loved her and had then used that in turn to further convince her, as he had wanted all along, that she loved him. Had she not believed that, she would never have gone to his bed. Well, not after the first time. That had been for the sheer excitement of having an attractive man be attracted to her. Perhaps for some people, that thrill was enough. But she didn’t think that was true of her. “I’m sorry, Jane. I should not have asked you that.”

Her cousin sighed and held out her arms. “Think nothing of it, my dear.”

Maria hurried into Jane’s embrace. Lord, she would miss her when she left, but if her cousin was to be happy, she needed to go. “When will you leave?”

“I had thought tomorrow, but I would not be able to travel on Sunday.” Jane released her and walked toward the door. “That means I would be detained at some inn to the north of us for an entire day, when I could just as easily set off on Monday morning and travel straight through the week.”

“And thereby remain here with me another two days.” How sweet of Jane. Her cousin understood how much her departure would affect Maria’s spirits and was trying to ease her into the acceptance of it.

“As you say.” Jane’s smile trembled. “I will miss you as well, Cousin.”

It was on the tip of Maria’s tongue to beg Jane to stay, but she kept silent. Her cousin deserved her happiness, in whatever form it came. “We shall write to one another every day.”

“The expense of franking my letters will likely pauper Kinellan’s purse.”

They laughed together and Jane left on a happy note. Maria would simply have to make the best of the situation. Without Jane to confide in, she would need to foster a closer relationship with Margery. That idea was fraught with dangers, especially if the lady continued to make overtures toward Maria regarding her younger son. Not that she abhorred Mr. Garrett. Far from it. Still, she could not think of developing an attachment to him when her heart seemed firmly fixed on Mr. Granger.

Perhaps she simply needed more information about the man. If she could glean that he did indeed have prospects, no matter how slight, might that not prove reason enough to consider him eligible? Such information might well be obtained from his sister. So tomorrow she would seek out Mr. Granger and beg the introduction to Miss Granger that he had promised. Who knew where such a meeting might lead?

* * *

“Margery?” Lord Kersey slipped into his wife’s darkened bedchamber well after two o’clock in the morning, clad only in his banyan and swaying in an effort to remain upright. The fire had burned low and nothing stirred behind the drawn bed hangings. His lady was likely asleep by now.

He’d spent more time than usual after dinner drinking with Anthony and James, trying to ascertain what his younger son had been talking so avidly about to the young widow while simultaneously attempting to keep his elder son from blurting out the scheme for Anthony to marry the Dowager Lady Kersey. Not that he thought James would try to stand in his brother’s way, but any man faced with the prospect of marrying an heiress or letting another man do so would most likely elect to wed her himself.

He crept to the bed and pulled the curtains aside, then slid his hand over the covers until he hit a large lump. “Margery?” God, he hoped so. He hadn’t stumbled into the wrong room, had he? He’d put away several bottles of wine and several more glasses of brandy. He gave the lump a hard poke. “Margery!”

“What?” The lump sat up in the bed, and shrank away from him. “Who is that?”

“’S me, Margery. Your husband. William, Earl of Kersey.” His complete name sounded so impressive. Too bad he couldn’t be called that all the time.

“Good lord, William.” There was the rasp of the curtain rings being pulled, then the room flared into brightness.

Kersey blinked at the sudden light. His wife sat up, her hand on the lamp, her nightgown pulled askew, revealing one plump, enticing breast. Usually such a prospect would incite his cock to leap into action. Tonight, however, it remained soft and uninterested. Too much drink for sure. “I wanted to speak to you about James and young Maria.” He leaned heavily against the bed. “Were you able to find out what she and James were talking about so avidly at dinner?”

“Is that why you’ve woken me up in the middle of the night?”