Rogue Countess (10 page)

Anna stared at her sister, stunned by the abrupt turnabout in Olivia’s reactions. But even her surprise could not distract from the black swelling fist of outrage that pushed up through her throat.

“Selfish?” she asked with an incredulous gasp. “It is selfish for me to claim my own innocence?”

“Of course it is,” Olivia answered with an impatient snap, “selfish and wicked when claiming your innocence damns others.”

“Others who are guilty!” Anna shouted in frustration. “I am supposed to just carry the stigma and shame of something I never did? It was you and Father who devised the plan to force Jude into breaking his betrothal so you could be free to enjoy Clavering’s courtship. It was you who brought the warmed milk up that night and drugged me so I could be left in his bed. I was a child, Olivia!”

Olivia waved away Anna’s impassioned words.

“Don’t be so dramatic, Anna. You were sixteen, hardly a child,” she replied in a dismissive tone. “And as I pointed out earlier, you have not ended up any worse for wear, have you? You have what you want. You are content with your lot, are you not?” Her light brown eyes flashed with sly intelligence and malice. Her smile was frigid and she continued. “Just how badly do you wish to keep this lovely little life, my dear?”

Anna’s heart froze and the black pressure expanded to nearly close off her throat.

“What do you mean, Olivia? There is no point in being coy.”

“No, I suppose there isn’t,” the other woman sighed. “I came here today to let you know I am prepared to go to whatever lengths are necessary to ensure you keep the details of the past where they belong. Clavering is a highly respected member of society. His word carries quite a lot of weight amongst the ton.” She paused to ensure she had Anna’s full attention. “Your little business venture relies on keeping a wealthy clientele, doesn’t it? A clientele that happens to move in the same social circles as the duke and myself. If word were to get around that you conducted your business in a dishonorable or an unlawful manner, it could be rather detrimental, couldn’t it?”

Anna shook with the fury that swept through her as Olivia finally got to the point of her visit. She clenched her teeth against the growling scream of outrage that threatened to escape. After several deep breaths, she responded in deadened tone, devoid of emotion or hope.

“You would ruin me.”

“Just as word of what happened eight years ago would ruin me.” Olivia smiled. “See. It is clearly in both of our best interests to let the past lie dormant.”

“Clearly,” Anna muttered through clenched teeth, knowing Olivia expected some acknowledgement of agreement. She had no choice now. Olivia had effectively blocked the truth of the past from ever coming to light. Anna would never risk what she had worked so hard to build.

“Excellent,” Olivia stated, pleased with the outcome of her visit. She turned and walked around Anna’s stiff form. When she reached the door, she paused to give one final warning.

“Only three people know the truth of what happened. Father is dead.” A cold little laugh flew from her lips. “And I obviously have every reason to keep the past buried. So, if even the slightest whisper on the subject caresses my ear, I will know that you have betrayed me and the life you now enjoy will be forfeit.”

Chapter Nine

The visit from Olivia left Anna feeling deeply disturbed. She almost cancelled her plans to go out with Leif that night, but then realized a night with her old friend might be the perfect thing to put her thoughts back into perspective. It had been a while since he had been available to play escort to her. Whatever woman happened to be his lady love of the moment typically kept him pretty busy most of the time.

As children, Anna and Leif had been inseparable.

Anna’s mother had died giving birth to her, and she always suspected that fact contributed to her father’s and sister’s animosity toward her, though it didn’t explain everything. Leif had been her confidant and safe harbor when she needed to escape from her family’s harsh treatment. And when she’d developed tender feelings for her Olivia’s betrothed, Leif had immediately recognized the stars in her eyes for what they were. He had teased her mercilessly but had been the only person she wanted to reach out to when her father kept her locked in her room those days preceding her wedding.

In turn, Anna knew how difficult it was for Leif to watch powerless as his father held to family tradition and wasted every penny wrung from the Neville estate on drink and cards. Leif had grown up virtually parentless on the grand ancestral lands that neighbored the Lockes’ property. His mother had run off when he had barely been out of swaddling clothes, and his father stayed in London almost all year round. The servants were indulgent with the tow-headed child, but they had not loved him. Anna had been his only constant.

Leif was in high form as they rode over to Lord Fitzherbert’s soiree in Anna’s carriage. As if sensing her need for an amusing diversion, he filled the duration of the drive with a story of the latest mischief he and his friends had created during a particularly dull musical concert at Vauxhall the night before. The night ended with one of his friends losing his breeches when he fell from a tree, while another ended up with two black eyes from the swinging reticule of his extremely annoyed mistress.

“And how did you fare?” Anna asked in the midst of a fit of laughter that left her breathless and grateful.

Leif leaned back against the cushions and spread his arms to rest them along the top of the carriage bench. He shrugged with nonchalant grace and his smile was devilishly smug as he replied. “Someone had to soothe the poor lady’s ruffled feathers.”

Anna shook her head with a smile of mixed amusement and reluctant admiration for her friend’s perpetual ability to end up with the prize.

“You always did know how to take advantage of a female’s weaker moments.”

Leif feigned insult as he replied, “I prefer to think of it more as transforming a woman’s disgruntled irritation into the soft sighs of satisfaction.”

Anna rolled her eyes at the shameless boasting, while Leif grinned with unwavering confidence.

After a few hours at the modest-sized party, mingling amongst Fitzherbert’s eccentric set of friends, Anna was more relaxed than she had been in several days. Though there were a few very curious glances, no one bothered her with questions of her newly revealed title or recently returned husband.

She was, however, approached by Mr. Donahoe, an older gentleman who was very interested in learning more about what she offered out of her stables. His daughter was becoming an adept young horsewoman and was becoming bored with what his own stables housed. Anna spent a very pleasant hour discussing, or rather debating, what was considered a proper mount for a young lady.

She had been restored to her usual self—a confident self-possessed woman of independent means.

Unfortunately, her gaiety was not destined to last for long.

She and Leif crossed the entry hall from the drawing room to the small parlor where their host had set up a buffet of light refreshment. Anna’s gloved hand was tucked in the crook of Leif’s elbow when she spotted Lord Rutherford stepping through the front door with his characteristic arrogance. Jude followed behind him.

Without a second of hesitation, Anna grasped Leif’s coat sleeves and waltzed them into a dark corner beneath the turn of the stairs. When Leif would have resisted, she hissed through gritted teeth, “Don’t. He’ll see me.”

“Who?” Leif asked as he tried to crane his neck to look back over his shoulder. Anna tightened her fists on his coat sleeves, pulling him to stand more solidly in front of her.

“Don’t draw any attention,” she whispered.

They were in near complete darkness though they were only a few paces from the center of the room. Anna stood with her back pressed into the corner, holding Leif in position in front of her. But it wasn’t enough to shield her from view altogether.

“Say, Sinclair,” Rutherford’s booming voice echoed through the confined space of the walk-through room, “aren’t those your wife’s skirts I see behind Riley’s boots?”

Anna couldn’t suppress the groan that rolled from her throat.

Leif cocked an eyebrow.

“What? Are you hiding from him? After all the trouble you went through to intercept the fellow at the masquerade, I wouldn’t have expected such cowardice out of you now.”

“I’m not hiding from him. I’m avoiding him,” she replied in a hushed grumble. “There’s a difference.” At Leif’s disbelieving expression, she added, “I may have done something he won’t be too happy about, and I would prefer to avoid a confrontation in such a public place.”

“It couldn’t be.” From across the room, Jude answered his friend in an apathetic drawl. “The countess would rather wear trousers than an evening gown and prefers a riding whip to a fan as her choice of accessory.”

His casual observations had the other occupants in the hall chuckling in amusement. News was already spreading through London that Mrs. Locke, the horse breeder, was actually Lady Blackbourne, rogue countess.

“What will you do now, angel?” Leif whispered with renewed humor. “Should we pretend we don’t hear them? I may be persuaded to stand here all night—” he paused as his hands slid over Anna’s hips, “—if I had something to occupy my interest.”

“Stop it,” Anna snapped as she swatted his hands away, which elicited a chuckle and proved his lack of concern for her current plight. He was going to be of no help. She pushed at his shoulders and he stepped away.

With a stiff spine, Anna stepped back into the light of the entryway. She kept her eyes trained upon Jude’s face, not wanting to acknowledge any of the other guests who might be witnessing her current humiliation.

She was startled by the glinting fire in her husband’s eyes. He was looking at Leif with a dark expression. It was only a flashing impression because by the time Jude’s gaze shifted to her, the ferocity was gone.

Husband and wife stared at each other. Anna’s pride forced her to stand tall under his scrutiny. She was surprised he didn’t look at her with the malice or anger she expected. Instead, his attractive features appeared relaxed and his eyes gleamed with a sharp kind of interest as he studied her.

Did he not yet know of her act of retribution at his hotel yesterday?

“Ah, it is you,” he exclaimed flatly. His gaze swept over her form, from top to bottom. The gleaming warmth in his eyes seemed to penetrate the thin barrier of her evening gown and caused the fine hairs on the back of her neck to rise in delicate awareness. “You decided to go out without your whip this evening?”

Anna realized then that he was most definitely apprised of what she had done in retaliation for his purchase of the mare. She smiled with extra sweetness and added a note of suggestive coyness to her response.

“It didn’t quite go with tonight’s ensemble.”

The corners of Jude’s lips curved upward in a reluctant smile. “Yes, I can see that.”

Anna turned to Leif. “Would you be so kind as to fetch our cloaks.”

Leif clicked his heels with a jaunty smile. “Of course, darling angel.”

Anna glared at his blatant use of the endearment. He was enjoying her current predicament. It was just the sort of scene that would appeal to his deviant sense of amusement.

When Anna turned to meet Jude’s gaze, his smile twisted into a smirk. “Have you traded in your pack of hounds for a lap dog?”

Before Anna could answer, Leif turned at the words that had been meant as an insult to him. He wasn’t likely to be bothered by Jude’s comment, he had been called much worse, but he interjected with a cocky grin.

“’Tis such a lovely lap. ‘Tis a rare red-blooded man who wouldn’t dream of lying down in such warmth. You have no need to worry, my lord. Though you may not have been in town long enough to be privy to all of the intricate gossip that passes between the lush lips and eager ears of London’s most discerning ladies, I assure you, your wife is in excellent hands.”

Several ladies in the room gasped at the obvious innuendo.

“Insolent pup,” Rutherford muttered under his breath.

Meanwhile, Anna’s face went up in flames of embarrassment. Her dark eyes pinned Leif with a glare of burning fury. He shrugged it off and gave her a little wink as he went to get their cloaks from the footman.

His comments had been enough to incite violence from any husband as a simple matter of honor. But not her husband.

“An interesting choice of companion, Lady Blackbourne.”

Jude’s comment was uttered in a tone devoid of emotion.

Anna’s smile was intentionally suggestive, and she was pleased to see Jude’s eyes narrow in response. There was no point in trying to back paddle now.

“
Interesting
hardly does Lord Riley justice, my lord.”

The ladies who had gasped in shock only moments before twittered behind their fans.

Jude’s eyes darkened by slow degrees as anger set in. In spite of the flashing flame of ire in his gaze, his response was relaxed and confident.

“Enjoy your freedom now, my lady. You are bound to be rather occupied in the coming weeks.”

Not quite understanding his ominous warning, Anna chose to ignore it as she turned at Leif’s approach. She swept her cloak around her shoulders before looking back to address her husband with an airy smile.