Page 3 of Their Brazen Countess
Thank heavens for Robert Cooper, Earl of Brougham’s, timely intervention.
Linc stopped walking and examined him with a close eye. “Do you think yourself likely to repeat your mistakes?”
“Not at all. I should like to think I could never be so self-absorbed again.” He hoped. No, he would never be that way.
His companion turned and resumed walking. “Then there you are. You’ve learned from the experience.”
The dogs bounded ahead of them, periodically turning their heads back as though wondering what was taking so long. Despite the less than subtle prodding by the hounds, he and Linc continued at their leisurely pace.
As they arrived at the manor house, a gentle snow had begun to fall just as Linc had predicted. By the time they had cleaned up, donned clean clothes, and settled in by the fire, the snow was coming down in a thick snowstorm which promised to leave a blanket of white.
The flames of the fire danced in the grate as Arthur eased back into his seat and stretched his legs out. “Assuming we aren’t snowed in, we can try stalking some pheasant along my eastern boundary. My neighbors along there have been there for decades and have no concerns if we crossover in our roamings.”
Linc swirled a snifter of brandy. “That sounds excellent.” The fire crackled, the only noise breaking the silence. “So. Tell me. How are you doing, with all the changes you’ve gone through recently?”
“Do you mean letting my old pals go?” Arthur asked, knowing that was what the blighter was asking, but stalling for time to sort out his thoughts.
“Certainly. You’ve given up your circle of friends, curtailed your past pursuits in a rather dramatic fashion, and in all honest, sobered up significantly,” Linc said carefully. “It’s no small feat. Add to all of that the loss of your parents and the more recent marriage of your sister…much has changed for you. You’ve done well.”
Arthur chuckled, his cheeks heating slightly at the praise. “I suppose it’s not a few small changes. But once I understood what was happening with Emily it was all quite easy to change. I’m ashamed to say…well, I was so busy wallowing in my own despair and loss over my parents—not to mention my gambling problem—I quite forgot about my sister. In truth, I was overwhelmed by all of it. My father had tried to show me how to run the estate but he was no deft hand himself—as we discovered, he already had the family halfway to the poorhouse. What little advice he had bothered to gift me was entirely unsound, as you all saw.”
Linc nodded. “I’m sure it was a lot to bear. I’m just glad Cooper found Emily, and by virtue of their connection, found you in time to save you both.”
“I too. It has been an…enlightening journey in many ways.” Arthur couldn’t help but think back to their last night at The Market once again. His cock stirred, and once more he wondered about the feelings he found stirring within when it came to one particular Lustful Lord.
Feelings he absolutely had to ignore. His family had endured enough scandal already. The last thing Emily needed was for him to suddenly find other men attractive. Not to mention, such a thing would not aid his already sparse marriage prospects.
No, he could not afford to think of Linc in such a manner, not anymore. Well, not after tonight. Perhaps just a few more thoughts.
Chapter Three
The Next Day
JosephineMarieFulton—orJo,to her friends—drew in a deep breath, welcoming the sharp pain of the cold crisp air that came with the pristine blanket of snow that covered the ground. Hidden in the folds of her cloak she clutched a most titillating book she had discovered in her deceased husband’s collection: Pleasant Polly and the One Thousand and One Naughty Nights. At first, she had thought it was simply a retelling of the familiar stories. When she started reading, she discovered the first story recounted how a serving woman was detained and pleasured orally by two men until the sun rose.
It was most definitely not the same book. This one was far more intriguing.
She had tucked it away safely as she doled out her husband’s estate according to his wishes. The settlement he’d left JO allowed her to return to her parents with a hefty bank account to live off on…or so she’d thought. It appeared her father had very different ideas about her future. Ideas that included marriage—again.
She was thankfully now alone after another tedious breakfast featuring another lecture on why she must remarry. Jo was four and twenty, and a widow to boot! Certainly she was not of age yet, but it was dreadfully unfair that her father still had control over her finances.
Jo sighed and relished finding a quiet spot to devour another stirring story from her naughty book. As she tromped through the wooded countryside, she luxuriated in the solitude and peace that came with the fresh snow. Her father would never deign to follow her out into the frigid temperatures, so she was assured of plenty of uninterrupted reading time. But first she had to find the old gamekeeper’s hut she had maintained diligently until her marriage to the now late Mr. Fulton, five years earlier. Hopefully it wasn’t in too terrible a state.
In the distance she heard a rustling. A bird? A small animal?
No, it was too loud for that. Nerves jangling at what she might meet, she found a thicket of bushes to hide behind until she could assure herself it was nothing dangerous. Twigs snapped, snow crunched, and then—voices.
“Would you bloody well watch where you are going?” a man’s voice snapped.
“It’s not my fault you’re so blasted tall. I didn’t know that branch would snap back and hit you in the damn face,” the shorter and darker of the two grumbled as he stepped forward. “Where is the fucking path? Or a deer trail? Anything to make this nightmare easier.”
Jo snickered, unable to help herself—and the men stopped.
“Did you hear that?” the dark-haired one asked.
“Hear what?”
“I swore I heard someone laughing at us.”
