Her Counterfeit Husband (19 page)

When he reached the bottom of
the staircase, he noticed that
the footman and steward were in a heated discussion
further down the hall
.
  Their heads were bowed together but their gestures indicated a difference of opinion.
 
Something about it
bothered him
, and in that instant, he knew that he shouldn’t let them see him.  He lifted the cane
and made h
is way down a nearby corridor so they wouldn’t hear him.  He gritted his teeth at the pain that pierced his side, but he was rewarded for his effort when he realized they were arguing over their wages.

Now as he studied the numbers on the sheet his father had written long ago
, he understood their contention
.
He hadn’t been paying them as much as his father had. 
H
e slipped the paper back in its proper location and went to the cord along his wall to summon the steward.  Anna had explained that the ste
ward hand
led the finances, so he
was the right person to talk to.

As he waited for the steward, Anna opened the door adjoining t
heir rooms.  Pleased she chose the
private way to come see him, he smiled.  “I hope you’re not having second thoughts about running off to Gretna Green with me.”

Her cheeks grew pink
and she shook her head.  “No, Your G
race.  I
was ready to head downstairs and wondered if you wanted to join me.”

He
sighed
and brought her into his arms, loving how soft she was against him.  “I
thought we moved beyond this ‘Y
our
G
race’ thing.  You should be calling me Jason.”

“I can call you both,” she insisted.  “Your name is Jason, and your title
allows me to refer to you as ‘Your G
race’.”

“You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”

“It’s the correct one, Your G
race.”

Then she brought her arms around his neck and kissed him.  He pulled her closer to him and deepened the kiss.  Now that he’d got
ten
a taste of what kissing her was like, he didn’t want to stop.  Her lips were warm and inviting, and when her tongue br
ushed his, a jolt of excitement surged through him.  He couldn’t remember what being in bed with her was like, but he couldn’t wait to explore the pleasures waiting for them.

She ended the kiss and drew away from him.  “In private, I can refer to you as Jason, but in public, we have to be more formal.”

Disappointed she was no longer in his arms, he replied, “I won’t call you Anna in public.”

“I know.  I’m just explaining why I won’t when others are around.”

“B
ut you just referred to me as ‘Y
o
ur G
race’ a moment ago, and we’re
alone.”

“But I meant it as a term of endearment.”

Well, there was that.  A knock came at the door, directing his attention to the steward who waited for
his permission to enter
.  He turned to Anna.  “I’ll be down shortly.”

She nodded and left the room.

He motioned for the s
teward to enter before he asked, “Did you bring the ledger?”

“
I do every time you summon me, Your G
race,” he replied, his voice almost hesitant.

“
Good. 
I’d like to know what everyone’s wages are.”
He held his hand out.

The steward
handed it to
him.

Jason opened it and turned to the sunlight coming through the window to get a better look at the columns and rows.  It took him a couple minutes to get a firm grasp on what was happening with the finances.  Turning back to the steward, he said, “It appears that my father paid y
ou and the others more than I do
.”

The steward
furrowed his eyebrows.  “Your G
race?”

“Is that an accurate assessment?”

“Well, yes.”

“When did I make such a decision?”

“Shortly after you acquired the title.”

Jason ran his finger along the page
in the ledger.  “So that is almost seven
years?”

“
Yes, Your G
race
.”

Jason’s gaze returned to the page and settled at the bottom where the balance was.  He couldn’t do the calculation in his head, so he went to the desk in the other room and wrote down the numbers until he came up with the proper back payment
plus raises
due the staff.  When he returned to the steward, he handed him the ledger and the paper.  “I believe I owe you and the others your back wages
and the appropriate raises for your services
.”

His jaw dropped.  “Your G
race?”

“Do you have a problem with accepting the money
rightfully yours
?
”

“No, no I don’t.”

“You can see according to the household balance that I have more than enough.”

“Yes.”

Jason waited for the steward to continue since he opened his mouth to say something, but then he closed his mouth and took another good look at the paper in his hand.  “I must be going
,” Jason said
. 
“
I trust you’ll relay this to the servants.”

The steward’s shock gave w
ay to a hearty chuckle.  “Yes, Your G
race.  Of course.”

“Good.”

Feeling much better to right yet another wrong in his past, Jason
followed the steward out of
his bedchamber
so he could be with Anna
.

W
hen
the inn at
Gretna Green came into view, Jason turned from the carriage window and saw Anna peering out her window.  “It’s too late to change your mind,” he told her in a playful tone.  “We came all the way to Scotland.” He took her hand in his and squeezed it.  “You have to marry me now.”

With an amused smile, she said, “I don’t recall suggesting we turn
around and go back home.”

“I just wanted to make sure you didn’t consider that an option.”

“I wouldn’t think of it.”

“Good.” He pressed his lips to her cheek.  “I promise I’ll be good to you.”

“I know you’ll be,” she whispered and squeezed his hand.

The carriage came to a stop at
the inn
,
and t
hey wen
t in to secure their room.  T
hough his stomach growled and it was the dinner hour, he didn’t feel like waiting to get married.

He turned to Anna as she laid her belongings on the small vanity
in their room
.
“I’ll see what I can
do
about getting a priest
.”

She placed her brush by the mirror and glanced at him.  “You don’t want to eat first?”

“The priest might be busy.  I want to make sure we get married tonight.”

“Once you set your mind to something, there’s no stopping you.”

“With a lady like you, can you blame me for being impatient?”

Though she sighed, a smile hinted at her lips. 
“
You’re far too charming for my
own good.”

S
ecretly pleased
, he said, “
I’ll be back as soon as I secure an appointment.”

“I imagine you won’t rest until you do.”

“Of course not.” He went over to her a
nd kissed her.  “I’ve been looking forward to this for a very long time.”

Before she could comme
nt, he hurried out of the room. 
After he went to the innkeeper and found out where one of the priests lived, he left the inn.
  On his way down a path
, someone called out the name Alastair.  He didn’t think anything of it until the person got more insistent.  Wondering
who was calling out the name
, he stopped and turned to the person.  To his surprise, the gentleman was heading straight for him.

Jason waited for him to catch up to him.  “Is there something I can help you with, sir?”

“Sir?” The gentleman laughed and patted him on the shoulder.  “You
and I were friends since we were children
, and you a
ddress me so
formally?”

“I’m afraid I don’t
know what you’re talking about.
”

He laughed again.  “Oh, Alastair, you always did have a sense of humor.  Good thing, too, considering the lot you were given in this life.  But never mind all that.  You look good.  I take it they
were gracious enough to
let you go.
  Or did you escape?
”

Jason didn’t know what to make of the gentleman’s strange ramblings, but he knew they were meant for someone else.  “I’m not Alastair.  I’m Jason Merrill, the Duke of Watkins.”

The gentleman stopped laughing and studied him.  “But the resemblance…” He motioned to his face and then the rest of him.
  “You don’t recognize me?  I’m
Don.  You know, the ‘fire eater’?”

Jason shifted uneasily from one foot to another, not sure what to make of
the nonsense the gentleman was saying
.  “I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t know what else to tell you.  Perhaps Alastair is at home.”

“No, Alastair doesn’t live here.
” He scratched his head and examined him again.
 
“You’re really not Alastair?
”

He shook his head.  No, he wasn’t Alastair, and the fact that this stranger assumed he was
perplexed him
.  “Maybe you’ll see him again.
  At least, I hope you will.
”
Obviously, it was important to this gentleman that he did.  “I must be on my way.”

His face fallen, he nodded. 
“I’m sorry, Your G
race.”

“Think nothing of it.”

He turned to take a step away from the gentleman when the gentleman said, “It’s ironic.  That’s something Alastair used to say.”

Unsure of how to respond
, Jason shrugged and continued on his way to the priest’s residence.  He
didn’t know
what to think
of
the strange encounter except that there was someone out there who looked just like him.  Whatever the situation, it didn’t concern him.
  His thoughts returned to Anna, and he forgot all about the gentleman.

***

Anna stood by Jason an hour later.  When she’d married the first time, there had been a lar
ge group of people who watched.  T
he unmarried ladies
were
envious
that
she managed to snag a duke.  Even she had been in awe that she would be a duchess as soon as the wedding was done.  Back then the title was so important to her and her family and friends.  What a silly thing a title was.  It didn’t lend itself to happiness or safety.  It was meaningless when one woke up trapped like an animal in a cage, when one day passed slowly into the next, when death
was the only means of escape.

But
her second marriage wouldn’t be like that
.
Jason, who’d come out of nowhere
, had something more important to offer her than a title.  With him there would be love and security.  She had no doubt about that.  So it was with gratitude she promised herself to him.  This would be the first day of the rest of her life.  What was once lost had been found.  She’d been given a reason to enjoy life again, and she decided that she would embrace all of it.
  Appleton was right.  There was so much sorrow in life; it was foolish to deny a chance to be happy when the chance came along.