Page 42 of Their Brazen Countess
“I’m afraid you are mistaken about the circumstances,LadyWhitestone.”
She was coming to detest the way he said her title, with far too much emphasis on the lady. As though she were not worthy of the moniker.
But Bernard wasn’t finished. “As I am the one who holds the financial purse strings of this house and this family, you will, in fact, do as I say—if you care to continue to eat, have a roof over your head, and clothes on yours and your brat’s back.”
Jo blanched, her face draining of all warmth as confusion colored her every thought. She struggled to understand what he was suggesting. As far as she knew, her finances were in her hands. She had been present at the reading of her husband’s last will and testament, after all. “This is an outrage. I shall speak to my husband’s man of affairs at once and sort this out. My inheritance from your brother is mine—outright. What is not mine belongs to my son, the Marquess of Whitestone. Since I am his mother and legal guardian, you have control neither over my finances nor his.”
Bernard laughed, low and sinister. “Sincemy nephewis not yet of age and my brother’s man of affairs won’t do business with a woman, it will be up to me to manage your finances. So whether or not you like it, I quite literally have all the control I require over your finances.”
Jo’s stomach turned as she imagined what the next few years might be like under his thumb.
“Now, if you’ll do as I say, I suggest you go have a lie down. You seem a bit overwrought, my lady.”
Furious, she stormed out of the salon and upstairs to her bedchamber. This simply would not stand. Perhaps she could enlist Arthur and Linc’s assistance to deal with her former husband’s man of affairs, if the man wouldn’t do business with a woman.
Regardless, this was certainly not going to be the end of things, not by a longshot. She’d had enough of overbearing men and their poor decisions where she was concerned. The question was, what could she do, short of marrying another man? Her gut twisted. Even the thought of marrying Arthur—not that he had asked formally, mind you—made her nervous. They’d only just reconnected. Could she trust him with her future—and what of her heart?
Chapter Twenty-One
The Next Day
JoarrivedonArthur’sdoorstep much earlier than she’d intended, but Bernard had appeared in her dining room along with breakfast. Unable to stomach a meal while pretending to be civil to the man, she had finished her cup of tea and announced she had somewhere to be. She stood and hurried upstairs to change her morning gown for a walking one before she gathered Matthew.
With her son in tow, she had walked toward Hyde Park before she hailed a hansom cab and directed the driver to Arthur’s home. Once there, her nerves expanded in her stomach as she considered that neither man might wish to entangle themselves in her mess.
Unable to stand on the front stoop all morning, Jo finally knocked.
The door opened, and a butler appeared. “Good morning. How may I be of service, my lady?”
Her tongue felt thick in her mouth as she struggled for words. Any words. “Good morning, Harris. Lady Whitestone, to see Lord Dunmere.”
The man opened the door wide and stepped back. “Please come in and I shall let Lord Dunmere know you are here.”
Surprised by the alacrity with which he admitted her, she walked through the door, tugging Matthew behind her. “How is your family, Harris?”
Her question must have caught him off guard because his smooth, elegant step stuttered. “They are well, my lady. My father is just recovering from a cold. Thank you for asking.”
“I’m glad to hear he is doing better. Family is very important.”Well, as long as one can stand to be around them.
She kept that last part to herself. Not everyone married into an insufferable family, nor were they born with parents such as hers. At least she had Becca.
He led her toward an open door off the foyer. “Please take a seat in the salon. Would you like tea or perhaps something to nibble on?”
Jo’s stomach rumbled loudly, causing Matthew to gasp.
“Mummy!”
Cheeks heating, she looked at the placid man and offered a slight smile. “Tea and sandwiches would be lovely, thank you. We were a tad rushed at breakfast.”
“Very good, my lady.” Harris bowed and left her and Matthew in the sun-drenched room.
A few moments later she heard heavy footsteps. The door burst open, admitting Arthur and Linc. She had obviously disturbed them at breakfast, or some other morning ritual because both men were in their shirtsleeves, no waistcoats or coats to be seen. And Linc was here? In Arthur’s home? Were they living together so openly?
“Jo! How delightful to see you,” Arthur greeted her warmly as he crossed to where she’d risen. “I see you’ve brought your son with you.” He pulled her into a hug before she could say or do anything. He then spoke low and urgent in her ear. “Are you well? We were terribly worried when we left you yesterday.”
Joy and a sense of warmth seeped through her at his concern. “I am well, but couldn’t abide the company I would have had to keep at breakfast this morning.” She whispered her response, hoping to protect her son from her adult concerns.
As soon as Arthur stepped back, Linc swept in for a hug. “You look lovely this morning.”
