Her Counterfeit Husband (24 page)

T
wo
week
s
later,
Anna sat in the drawing room of her London townhouse.  She’
d never been more grateful for the calming presence Appleton provided.  While Jason changed into new clothes
so they could go to the museum
,
she drank
tea
, grateful she had a chance to talk to
her friend
.
She looked over at Appleton
as he dusted off the piano.

“You do
n’t think anyone will suspect Jason
’s not the duke, do you?” she quietly asked, mindful to listen for footsteps in case someone
was on their way to the drawing room.

“I doubt it, Your G
race.” Appleton turned his caring eyes in her direction but wiped off the keys.  “He looks just like the duke, and now he can read and write fluently. 
He can
play chess and knows everything the duke did. 
He’s prepared for this
.”

S
he nodded and took a sip of
tea.  It’d been quite the process to teach him everythi
ng he needed to know
, but since they found him in the forest, they’d dutifully tended to the task and now they would see if their efforts had been
in vain or not.  She prayed their efforts
hadn’t been in vain.  It was one thing for Lord Mason to
be suspicious, but if others were as well
, then what would stop Lord Mason from investigating further?  Whatever might be said of Lord Mason, she wouldn’t accuse him of being a fool.

“You should enjoy yourself while you’r
e here,” Appleton finally said.

“Yes, I know,” she whispered.

She wished she could follow his advice.  She really did.  For once in her life as a duchess, she was happy.  Truly and completely happy.  It was too good to be true.  Nothing this good could last forever, could it?  She placed her empty cup down and rose to her feet.  Taking a deep breath, she smoothed her dress and put her hat on.  She studied her reflection in the mirror.  No one would suspect how anxious she was, which was good.  As long as she kept her fee
lings beneath the surface,
no one should question things.

She tied the ribbon under her chin and adjusted the hat so it was comfortable.  “I suppose the only way to get over my fear is to go outside and face
the
people my first husband knew.”

He paused and straightened up, and she caught s
ight of his concerned expression
.  “
The
only way you’re going to feel better is if you do the same things you always did while in London.”

“Wish me luck?”

He offered her a tender smile. 
“All the luck to you and your husband.”

She could do this.  Jason could do this.  Appleton was right.  They couldn’t have
done
anything else to prepare Jason for London.  He knew all the etiquette rules.  All she could do now was hope
other people would believe he was her first husband.  She
gave Appleton a tentative smile before she
left the drawing room.  She was ready to head up the staircase leading to the
ir bedchambers when she saw Jason
bounding down the steps.

“It’s a lovely day to go out, isn’t it?” Jason asked when he reached her.

“Yes, it is.
It reminds me of the days we
walk
ed
to the fountain,” she replied.

He kissed her on the cheek and grinned.  “We’ll take more walks when we get back.  In the meantime, we’ll enjoy everything London has to offer.  The museum is first, correct?”

They turned to the door, and she nodded.  “Yes.  It’ll be a good way for you to see the portrai
ts of royalty so you can match their
name
s with their
face
s
.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

As the footman opened the door, she
left the townhouse
first and descended the
steps.  She waited for him to catch up to her
before she accepted the footman
’s help into the carriage.  Once Jason s
ettled next to her, the footman
closed the door.  She
waited until the coachman urged the horses forward before she
took Jason’s hand in hers and squeezed it.  “You amaze me.  I’ve never seen anyone embrace life the way you do.”

“With you as my wife, I have a good reason to.  I’ll never give you a reason to regret giving me a second chance.”

He kissed
her
,
and
his lips linger
ed
on hers.  If only it could be just the two of them
forever,
secluded from the rest of the world
.  T
hen her life would
be complete.

The kiss ended all too soon, and sh
e was, once again, aware of the other carriages that passed them by. 
If nothing else could be said for London,
she had to admit that it was full of excitement
.  There was something to do for everyone.  But she decided they would do what Jason wanted. 
As long as she was with him, it didn’t matter what the activity was, but she suspected their calendar would soon be full since she’d left the necessary
calling cards
at their friends’ and acquaintances’ residences.

“This evening we’ll go to Hyde Park?” he asked, putting his arm around her shoulders and drawing her closer to him.  “From
five to six
, is it?”

“Yes.
”

“Will we see anyone we know there?”

“I’m sure we will,” she replied.  “
Are you nervous about meeting them?”

“No.  Should I be?”

She sighed.  How she envied his ease with new situations.  “I wish I could be more like you.”

“I like you just the way you are.”

The carriage came to a stop, so he put his arm back at his side and looked out the window.
  “The museum is bigger than I thought.”

“
London has a rich history to celebrate.”

“Indeed, it does.”

The coachman opened the door, and
they stepped out of it
.

He led her to the steps and winked.  “I believe I’ll follow you since I wouldn’t want to see your ankles.”

Recalling the night she first presented him with the book on etiquette, her face warmed.  Despite her slight embarrassment,
she proceeded up the steps.
  He chuckled from behind her, but she decided it was best to ignore him.
  When she reached the top of the stairs, she waited for him to catch up to her.

“I know why gentleman follow the ladies up the stairs,” he whispered.  “You have a lovely backside.”

Her jaw dropped at his boldness.  Sure, he kept his voice low, but they were in public!  Just as she opened her mouth to reprimand him, someone called out to them.  Startled, she turned around in time to see Lord Mason.  She narrowed her eyes at him.  There was no way he’d follow them…was there?

“What a surprising coincidence,” Lord Mason greeted.  “I didn’t know you
were in
London.
” Glancing her way, he added, “
It was rather rude of you to not leave me a
calling card
.”

“I did,” she lied.  “I suppose it got misplaced once your
butler took
it.”

His smile stiffened.  “I must have a word with him so he’ll be more careful in the future.”

“Yes, you must,” she replied, turning her attention to her gloves and acting as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

“What brings you t
o the museum?” Jason asked his brother
.  “I didn’t think portraits interested you.”

“And how would you remember that?” Mason
’s
gaze went to Anna.  “Did she tell you I’m not a cultured gentleman?”

“No, it’s not that,” Jason replied.  “I gathered from our talk
s that you preferred travel abroad to being stuck in a museum
.”

“I’ve been known to
be in museums
from time to time.” Giving Jason a wink, he added, “You
, however, had other places you went to on a frequent basis
.”

Ja
son’s eyebrows furrowed.  “I did
?”

Anna cleared her throat.  “My lord, I insist you recall that you’re in the presence of a lady.” Of all things Jason had learned about her first husband, she had no desire
to expose him to his
indiscretions
.

Lord Mason’s lips curled up into a smile that reminded her of a cat that was stalking a mouse.  “Anna, I can’t recall a time when you’ve been so…
outspoken.”

“That only proves you don’t know everything about me,” she said, mustering th
e kindest smile she could.

“Apparently not,” Lord Mason replied.  “I gather there’s some other things I don’t know
as well
.” His gaze went to Jason, and he scanned him up and down.  “There’s certainly much to learn about my brother who seems like a different person ever since he lost his memory.”

“A better person, I hope,” Jason said
.

Before he could answer, Lady Templeton came up to him, followed by an older gentleman.  “Lord Mason, you’re much too fast for us.” She giggled and turned to Anna and Jason.  “What a pleasure it is to
make your acquaintance again.” She turned to the older gentleman and motioned to Jason.  “Father, this is the gentleman who performed that fantastic feat while riding a horse.”

“Yes, he is,” Lord Mason added.  “My brother jumped off of it while it was still running so he could swing up on a tree branch.  The whole thing really was quite marvelous.  I’ve
never
known him to do someth
ing like it.  I invited him to one of my dinner parties
so he could regale us with how he did it, but due to his second wedding to his wife, he wished to spend more time alone with her, keeping her all to himself.”

“A second wedding?” Lady Templeton glanced at Anna.  “I don’t recall hearing about it.”

“We ran off to Gretna Green,” Anna explained.  “We wished for a private affair.”

“Private indeed,” she replied wi
th a chuckle.

“Yes, usually one wedding is enough,” Lord Mason added and then looked in Anna’s direction.  “That is if you marry the same person.  However, if it was someone else…”

Anna’s polite smile froze on her face as she glanced at Lady Templeton and her father.  Would they suspect the truth now?  Would they wonder if Jason was someone other than her first husband?

“Our situation is unique,” Jason began, directing his gaze to Lady Templeton’s father.  “I became ill, and in a state of
confusion
, I left my bedchamber and fell down the stairs.  The fall resulted in
a loss of memory.  I insisted Her G
race marry me again so I could have a memory of our wedding.  Granted, it wasn’t the same, but I’m still delighted that I can recall her promising herself to me for the rest of her life.” He turned his gaze to Anna and smiled in that charming way of his that made her
knees grow weak.

“That’s very romantic,” Lady Templeton’s father said.

“Yes, it was,” Anna softly replied, thinking it was so like Jason to make it clear that he cared for her, even in front of others.

“It isn’t often a person comes across a love match,” Lady Templeton said, “especially when money’s involved.”

“Yes,” Lord Mason agreed.  “And both my brother and his wife came into the marriage with a good amount of it.”

Anna sensed a double meaning in his words.  If she guessed right, he
was suggesting that his brother gave her money when she married him, and she gave Jason money when he married her
.  She clasped her hands together and squeezed them to calm her nerves.  The last thing she needed was to give him an indication that he was right.  At this point, he was only suspicious and digging to see if she’d give herself away.  Fortunately, Jason couldn’t fall for it.  She’d never been more relieved she and Appleton hadn’t told Jason their secret.

“I take it since you two are
in London that you’re accepting invitations?” Lady Templeton’s father asked Jason.

Jason glanced at Anna who gave a slight nod, hoping Lord Mason wouldn’t pick up on it since Jason was seeking her input on the matter.  She understood why Jason sought her opinion.  He knew how she felt about being near Lord Mas
on and wished to spare her
any discomfort.  But she also knew it would look suspicious to
everyone else if they didn’t accept an invitation.