Page 79 of Their Brazen Countess
She whimpered softly, “I’m not ready to let go of him just yet.”
Linc leaned over and pressed his fingers against her side where her injury was. “Just for a few moments, love. Then you can hold him all night if you wish it. We’re both here. No one is going to harm him.”
Her heart cried out its objection, though Jo did as they asked. She was wildly afraid that if she let him go, she would never hold him again. It was an absolutely irrational fear yet having lost him once tonight, it was too hard to wrestle it into submission. Taking a harried breath, Jo acknowledged the pain of releasing him, and did it anyway.
Arthur quickly helped Matthew to his feet. “Are you well, my boy? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Matthew shook his head. “No, I’m not hurt like Mummy. The mean lady just pulled on my arm very hard when I tried to run away from her.”
“Good boy, good lad,” Arthur murmured as he ran his hands down each of his arms. Matthew winced a little when he touched the upper part of his right arm, but he seemed otherwise uninjured. “We’ll have a doctor check you out just to be safe, but I think a brave boy like you will be just fine.”
Jo released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
Linc tugged off his tie and pressed the white silk to her side. “You, on the other hand, shall likely require a surgeon and stitches, my lady.”
She gritted her teeth, but refused to cry out for fear she’d worry her son. He had been through enough today, she was not going to add to his terror.
That was when a clatter of stomping feet sounded up the very same stairs they had ascended. Arthur stood up and faced the door as though he might launch himself at whoever was coming through that door—but instead of a new threat it was Stone, Cooper, and Wolf. A few moments later Flint, Lucifer, Ros, and Amelia all barreled into the room as well.
“We had to take the front entrance, since the obstinate ladies wouldn’t fit up the servants' stairs,” Lucifer drawled.
They were all crammed into what Jo assumed was the master bedchamber. “Did anyone see any staff about?”
“Not a one.” Wolf looked about the room. “Which is quite odd in itself. The boy is fine?”
“Matthew is quite well,” Arthur said in a low, calm voice with a pointed look at Jo. “We are all doing our best to remain calm.”
“The servants must all be at the other townhouse.” Jo looked over toward Agnes, who sat there looking furious.
“Is anyone injured?” Ros asked as she stepped farther into the room.
“Jo was shot.” Linc spoke in a low voice, and Jo smiled to see how careful he was not to frighten their son. They both looked down at where he held his neck tie over her wound.
“Right, we should move Jo to another room where I can look at her wound.” Ros took control, as she often did. The woman could put a field marshal to shame. “Has anyone sent for the magistrate?”
“I’ll go fetch him now,” Flint offered and quickly departed the room. “We’ve had dealings before.”
Linc helped Jo to her feet, causing Amelia to chuckle.
“Oh, I do approve of your choice of attire for this event!”
Jo looked down at her drawers. “Well, as you yourself discovered, there was no way I was getting up those stairs in all those skirts, not to mention all the noise they would have made as we snuck in here.”
“Imminently practical.” Ros nodded approval as they left the room.
“This is all your bloody fault,” Bernard hissed at his wife. Jo started. She had almost forgotten him.
“Oh, shut your gob! I should have been the bloody marchioness, not that scheming shrew.” Agnes sneered back. “And I would have been if you hadn’t interfered and seduced me.”
Jo stopped and turned. Now that was an interesting remark to make. “What on earth do you mean by that?”
Agnes snorted. “During my come out I tried to make George jealous by paying more attention to Bernard—but George was bloody ignorant. Bernard wouldn’t take no for an answer until he got under my skirts when he got me tipsy one night, and then…well. I had to marry the younger brother. He ruined everything.” The woman sniffed and looked away from her husband.
Jo rolled her eyes heavenward and walked out of the room. Those two were a match made in heaven: both of them scheming for a title which did not belong to them.
“Come along Matthew, let’s go have Aunty Ros look at your arm as well.” Arthur urged him to stand and follow his mother out.
Jo was glad to keep the boy near for now, possibly even forever.
