Once Upon an Accident 01 - The Accidental Countess (15 page)

He shifted in his chair and returned his attention to the stage, mumbling something under his breath.

“What?”

He leaned over, not looking at her again and said, “You are damned beautiful, and you know it.”

Her breath caught, her blood pounding in her ears. The backs of her eyes burned. No one had ever told her she was beautiful, other than her parents. But Sebastian had said it as if it was an accepted fact. She knew she felt pretty tonight. The clothes, the jewels, the hairstyle… She felt transformed. But, in her heart she hadn’t believed she truly looked much different.

From the instant they had arrived, Sebastian had focused on her. Despite the flirtation of more than one widow, he had attended her and avoided any other women. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so special before. She studied his profile as he watched the musicians settle in their seats. Handsome, arrogant, difficult, seductive. And he thought her beautiful.

At that precise moment, Colleen stopped running and slipped headfirst into love.

*

Douglas, Duke of Ethingham, continued to watch Penwyth and his new bride. He stood at the back of the room, not wanting to seat himself and get stuck at the end of the show. There was a certain widow he was planning on visiting later that evening. Matchmaking mamas were probably already planning how to corner him.

When he first approached the group, he’d thought to gain an introduction, do the pretty and then slip out the door. It was expected of him. As he neared the gathering, Lady Anna’s voice had risen in excitement about some frippery she’d seen. He glanced at the mousy cousin, noting she avoided any type of eye contact with him. The moment his attention turned to Lady Colleen, something had nudged at his memory. There was something instantly familiar about her, although he knew they had never met.

“You are setting your standards too high, my friend.”

He glanced to his left and saw that Bridgerton had joined him. Deceptively affable, the earl was Penwyth’s constant companion, at least during the season.

As the musicians began a piece from Bach, he turned his attention back to the earl and his countess.

“Why would you say that?”

“I have a feeling that this is a love match.”

Douglas had to agree. If it wasn’t, from the smile the countess was bestowing upon Penwyth, the marriage was well on its way. He’d approached out of curiosity, knowing—as much of London did—that Sebastian claimed he would never marry again. After the man’s first marriage, Douglas could see why. When he’d seen the spectacles, he’d been amused, but when he’d drawn closer, he’d been more than interested. He’d been charmed.

But when he looked down at her laughing up at him, he was struck by something familiar, something that slid down his spine, chilling him to the bone. He couldn’t figure out what, but he would.

Bridgerton shifted next to him, and Douglas glanced at him. “Don’t worry, old man. I have no designs on the countess.”

The older man studied him for a moment, then nodded and casually walked away. Douglas returned his attention to the couple. Where had he seen her before, and why did he get the strange sensation that he knew her?

Colleen grimaced when she saw Prudence sitting on the chair in front of the fire in the parlor room. She’d avoided the woman for two weeks, since her debut into the ton. Although they shared a carriage to the events, Prudence showed her and everyone else that she wanted nothing to do with the new Lady Penwyth. Colleen was relieved Prudence had kept her distance. Not only did she think the woman a snob, but she was mean to her daughter. Constantly snapping at the young woman, Prudence was good at tearing down Cicely’s self-confidence. Years of being criticized by her mother probably left Cicely with none. Each time she harped on the way Cicely dressed or the way she was always reading novels or attending history lectures, Colleen could see Cicely flinch. It was almost imperceptible, but it was there, and it made Colleen’s heart ache.

Before she could turn around and sneak away, Prudence noticed her. Knowing there was no graceful way out of it, she entered, smiling at the frowning woman.

“I see that you are keeping yourself busy while your husband dallies all over town.” The note of pity in the woman’s voice angered Colleen. Since they had arrived, they had seen James exactly three times. Anna had whispered that James had a horrible reputation and kept a mistress.

“He is at Tattersall’s today, looking for a new mare for me.”

The woman pursed her lips, appearing as if she had sucked on a lemon. She stood, and not for the first time Colleen noticed how tiny the woman was. Her age did not show on her face, but the ugliness of her personality did.

Prudence approached her with small, mincing steps. When she finally stood in front of Colleen, she tilted her head up and somehow still found a way to look down her nose at Colleen. Cold and piercing, her eyes sent a wave of uneasiness shifting through Colleen.

“They have stories for their wives.”

With that comment, she swept out of the room and hopefully out of Colleen’s company for some time to come.

*

A cool breeze whipped through the trees lining Curzon Street as Sebastian walked to his club. He could have taken his phaeton or gotten the coach out, but there were moments when a man needed time to think. For the past six weeks, his home had been overrun with matrons, all begging attendance with his wife. He scowled, ignoring the startled look from a couple of maids he passed. The dandies hadn’t wasted any time either. They claimed to be there for his sister and Cicely, but they paid more attention to his wife.

His frown deepened as he stopped at the corner and allowed a few carriages to go by.

“Married less than two months and you already wear the face of a man run from his home.”

Sebastian looked back over his shoulder at his friend. “If you had been there, you would have agreed.”

Daniel smiled. “I just stopped by and was told you were heading this way on foot.”

Sebastian studied a passing hack. “You saw what I was running from. You wouldn’t have been able to take it, either. It would be so much better to just retire to the country.”

Daniel chuckled. “I am sure you think so, and your wife might have thought so at one time, but that was before she took the ton by storm. Hell, even Lady Jersey likes her.”

Silently, Sebastian agreed. While he hadn’t wanted her to fail, he hadn’t wanted her to be quite so…successful. Within days of their first appearance they’d been descended upon, and her appointment book had filled with meetings and outings. The only time he had her undivided attention was at night. Memories of the night before and this morning had him shifting his feet to ease the tightness in his trousers. And that unnerved him as nothing else did. He seemed to have lost all control of his reaction to her. Found himself wanting to spend more time with her, talking to her, just…being with her. He desired her, there was no doubt, but he also just wanted her attention.

He noticed the traffic had cleared and started across the street, Daniel by his side.

“What are you doing here?”

“I thought I would save you this afternoon. But I guess you saved yourself.” Daniel paused then said, “Have you heard anything else from that runner?”

“Yes, we talked yesterday, but every lead has resulted in a dead end. James has airtight alibis for all three incidents. And maybe, just maybe, it was all a coincidence.”

A flash of movement to his right caught his eye, and Sebastian realized that a carriage was heading toward them at breakneck speed. At first, every muscle, every thought froze. He pulled himself out of that state and pushed Daniel, who went flying forward to the ground, Sebastian jumping after him. He missed landing on Daniel by a few inches.

“Jesus, Sebastian. What the bloody hell was that?” Daniel said, struggling to sit up.

Sebastian’s heart was lodged somewhere between his chest and throat. He swallowed and sat up slowly, knowing the fall would leave some heavy bruising. Looking down the street, he watched the departing carriage clatter around the corner. The buzz of conversation from onlookers swelled. “I think the theory that the incidents were a coincidence was just proven incorrect.”

He glanced at Daniel and noticed the flush of anger on his cheeks. “Do you mean—?”

“I think we should summon Jenkins.” Sebastian stood and offered his hand to help Daniel up.

As they surveyed their injuries, they discovered other than a few bruises here and there, they’d both escaped serious damage. The excitement over, the crowd began to thin.

“Thank goodness it is just a block back to your home.”

Sebastian knew that showing up in this condition and then having a runner arrive at the house would tip off whoever was after him. Colleen would also know something was going on. The woman would decipher the root of the problem in no time. Soon she would ask questions he did not yet have answers to. She was too clever.

It chilled him to the bone to think of Colleen discovering what was going on. She might be somewhat helpful with that keen mind of hers, but knowing her, she would do something foolish. She might put herself in the path of trouble. Or…she might leave him. She hadn’t wanted to marry him in the first place. With a killer on the loose, she might just abandon him. His chest tightened.

“We need to go to your home.”

Daniel’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “Why? Yours is closer.”

“But it would raise suspicion, would it not?”

“If you are referring to the person who is attempting to kill all the Earls of Penwyth, I would say they will soon know you aren’t dead,” Daniel said dryly.

“Yes, but they would know I suspected something if a runner shows up at the house. We need to be discreet about this.”

Comprehension lit Daniel’s eyes and he nodded. “Right you are. Off to Bridgerton house then.”

He turned to walk, and Sebastian stayed him with a hand to the forearm. “I don’t know about you, old man, but I think we should hire a hack. My bones still ache from the fall, and a jaunt to your house probably won’t help.”

Sebastian didn’t want to admit the other reason. At this point, he wanted off the streets. He didn’t know where the next attack would come from, and his brains were too scrambled to pay attention.

*

Colleen sighed as she looked out the window onto Curzon Street. It was midafternoon, and the ton were just beginning their house appointments, sharing tea, flirting. But today, the dreary grey skies, coupled with the north wind blowing through, had kept the crowds on the streets thin.

She knew she should be downstairs, awaiting the bevy of admirers and matrons, but she didn’t have the strength at the moment. She’d awakened with a sour stomach and in an empty bed. Sebastian, she was told, decided to head out early this morning. Frowning, she left the window and walked to her vanity. A knock sounded at the door. “Come in.”

Sally walked in and curtsied. Colleen fought the urge to look behind her and see what peer was in the room. She was still not accustomed to her new position.

“Begging your pardon, my lady, but Lady Victoria would like to know if you will be joining them in the drawing room soon.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to yell “No!” and then run in the other direction. Knowing that would look a bit odd to the young woman standing in front of her, Colleen decided maybe that wasn’t the best idea.

“Tell Lady Victoria that I will be down in a few moments.”

Sally nodded and scurried out the door, closing it behind her. After checking her image in the mirror, Colleen shook off her melancholy and resolved to do her duty as the countess.

As she walked down the hall, she tried to push away the sense of unease that had held her in a stranglehold the last few days. At times, she felt as if someone was watching her, following her every movement. It could be all of the events she was required to attend. Sometimes, every now and then, she fought the urge to run away and hide. From everything. The people, the balls, the theater, it was almost too much. And then there was Sebastian. She hadn’t been quite right for the last few weeks, knowing she was in love with a man who would probably never return her affection.

A flush of heat warmed her face as she remembered the night before. Sebastian had been very…demanding since their marriage, so she thought he might hold some kind of affection for her. But that affection stopped short of being love. It shamed her that she would take that, accept physical pleasure to be close to him.

A man who had been hurt as he had by his first wife would not fall in love so easily a second time. He had not spoken of his first marriage, other than the fever-induced ramblings in her cottage. Victoria had told her a few things, as had Anna, who had probably been too young at the time to realize just what was going on. Colleen didn’t need an explanation for what went wrong. He’d given his precious love to this woman, and she had crushed it.

Since Sebastian and Colleen had returned to London, she’d cursed the woman an untold amount of times. What would it have been like to meet Sebastian unhurt, fully willing to give his love, share it with her? Colleen saw glimpses of that man. With his sister he was the typical older brother, teasing. Still, when she saw Anna and Sebastian together, she couldn’t help but feel envy. And it shamed her to envy the love between a brother and sister. She’d never shared that with Deidre. Through the years, she had thought it was their difference in ages, her being almost five years older, and their personalities. But there was a greater age difference between Sebastian and Anna. Maybe she was just not the sort of person who inspired fondness.

Yes, her parents had seemed fond of her, but they were her parents. It was their duty. She fought back the rising tears. In the last week or so, she’d noticed her insane lack of decorum. For some unknown reason, she’d been a bit emotional and teared up at the most embarrassing moments. Colleen had decided the stress of her new station in life was causing her erratic emotions. That and being in love with a man who didn’t return the feeling.

She had reached the top of the stairs that led to the first floor, not remembering most of the trip there. Straightening her spine, she took a deep breath. She did not want to socialize today, but she would do her duty. She owed it to Victoria and Anna for welcoming her as one of their own. And her friendship with Cicely, although still in the first stages, was something she had come to appreciate. And Sebastian…

The winding staircase was abandoned, and as she neared the bottom, the noise of the people gathered in the drawing room rose in volume. She fought down the rising nausea. She could do this. She
would
do this.

Strange, she thought, that there were no footman at the bottom as usual. Before she could register that fact, she felt a hand in the center of her back. Then, she was falling, almost flying through the air. She landed on her side on the thick Persian carpet. Sharp pain radiated from the side of her head as the light grew dim. There was a shadow off to her left. She opened her mouth and tried to raise her head to see who it was, to call for help. Her head throbbed and every bone in her body ached. The moment she moved, the nausea returned. She thought she heard someone calling her name, then her vision dimmed and she thought nothing at all.

*

Sebastian downed the brandy, some of the best that could be bought, and sighed with satisfaction. Before both he and Daniel had gone to clean up, Daniel had summoned Jenkins. After a quick washing, he borrowed some clothes from Daniel. They’d regrouped in his library.

Daniel swirled the amber liquid in his snifter. “Now, explain why you do not want to tell Colleen.”

Sebastian sighed and looked over the rim of his glass at his best friend. He didn’t know how to explain to him, his oldest friend in the world, the fierce protectiveness he felt for a woman he barely even knew. Daniel had watched the whole horrid incident with Elizabeth. He’d warned Sebastian not to rush into the marriage. He’d not liked Elizabeth, and she had returned the feeling. If he told Daniel now, Sebastian worried he’d get much the same speech about the foolishness of his actions. And explaining it might… Well, Sebastian didn’t want to face that just yet. He didn’t want to face the feelings that had been almost overwhelming him the last few weeks.

“I do not want her to worry. Her trip here has been so stressful, then the late nights and the galas. I’m not certain her strength has fully returned yet. Besides, she has grown very close to my mother and sister. I cannot be sure she wouldn’t tell them.”

“I think if you explain the situation, she would heed your wishes.”

Daniel’s defense of Colleen surprised him more than his own feelings of protectiveness. “But she is a woman, and women do tend to gossip.”

He didn’t expect the sharp bark of laughter from Daniel and winced when it bounced off the walls.

“You are talking about your wife, Colleen, correct?”

His irritation pushed the edge of anger. “Yes, you know I am.”

“Colleen is probably one of the most levelheaded women—people—I know. I have a feeling if you went to her, explained the situation—”