Page 29 of The Accidental Countess (Accidentally in Love #1)

“L ady Whitmore,” a steely voice interrupted. It was the marquess. Merciful heaven, but she had no desire to cross swords with him now.

The marquess stepped in front of her, a general poised for battle. Emily glanced around, hoping for a glimpse of Stephen, but he was nowhere to be seen. “Good evening. Is there something you wanted?”

“You know what I want. And yet you keep insinuating yourself into places you don’t belong.”

Years of denigration and unworthiness solidified into a wave of anger. Emily snapped her fan open, trying to cool her temper before she did something rash. Calm down. He is nothing but an old curmudgeon.

“Lord Rothburne, I have no wish to be your enemy. I married your son, and I’ve every right to be here.”

“You bring shame upon him.”

“No,” she said softly, no longer caring about those around her. “You bring shame upon yourself. Perhaps it is you who should leave.”

The dance had ended, and her words echoed above the noise of the crowd. Lady Thistlewaite looked both aghast and delighted at the scene Emily was inadvertently causing.

“You mean nothing to him,” the marquess said, “and you are a fool if you believe otherwise.”

“My wife is not a fool,” her husband responded. She saw Stephen coming toward her, and at the sight of him, she took comfort in his presence.

“Since you plan to make a spectacle of yourself, Father, let me make one thing quite clear. Anyone who humiliates my wife in public must answer to me.” Stephen took her hand in his and the magnitude of what he’d done struck her. He’d abandoned pride and duty, forcing the marquess to accept her. She blinked back the tears, grateful for his interference.

“Now, if you will excuse me, I am escorting Lady Whitmore home.” He led her toward the door, lowering his voice. “Nigel has already left. We must go now.”

She did not look back at the ballroom but joined Stephen as they hurried toward the carriage. Within minutes, they were inside.

Seated across from one another, she watched him, wondering what to say. At last, she said, “Thank you for defending me tonight.”

He gave a nod, his attention focused outside. “I don’t know where Nigel has gone, but—”

Emily leaned forward and kissed him. She took him by surprise, and he did not react at first. But she needed him to understand how much it meant to her. A moment later, he took her face in his hands, his thumb grazing her temple. “That was far too short to be a kiss.”

Her pulse quickened as he drew closer. She could feel the hidden strength in his arms. Leaning in, he took her lips. Gently, he caressed her shoulders as his mouth captured hers. The carriage rumbled through the streets, and the rhythmic motion made it difficult to catch her breath. When at last he released her, her hands poised on his forearms.

“I’ll find him, Emily,” he swore.

“The children,” she reminded him. “We have to protect them.”

As the carriage moved closer to Nigel’s town house, Stephen’s apprehension heightened. If Nigel had somehow been involved in the deaths of Carstairs and Hollingford, he did not doubt the man would use the children as leverage.

“I meant to show you these earlier,” Emily said, reaching inside her bodice. He raised an eyebrow as she handed him several torn pages. As soon as he saw them, he knew what they were: the missing list of investors.

“Where did you get these?”

“Daniel hid them inside Royce’s fairytale book,” she said. “In the story of 'The Steadfast Tin Soldier.' I didn’t see them until I picked it up.”

Though it was difficult to see in the moonlight, the columns of numbers triggered a flood of memories. Visions unfolded, strange illuminations that made little sense. He recalled removing the pages with a blade, giving them to Hollingford for safekeeping.

“What is it?”

“I made this list. Months ago.” He’d recorded every ship that had not earned a profit in the past four years, along with the names of their investors. “They’re the missing pages from the ledger we found at your brother’s estate.”

Like a door opening, the memories returned. “I noticed that several shipments appeared to have less cargo than they should. And when The Lady Valiant ’s cargo was sold, all of the funds disappeared. I thought your brother was responsible, at first.”

Stephen folded up the paper. “He swore he had nothing to do with the loss. Then he confided in me what had happened to him in India, when he was branded with the tattoo. He suspected the real thief was trying to frighten him. Or set him up to take the blame.” Stephen reached out and took her hands. “He was more afraid for you and the children than he was for himself. He begged me to go after you, to ensure your safety. I promised him I would, and that’s when I gave him the records for safekeeping.”

He kissed her fingers. “I didn’t intend to marry you, at first. And perhaps it was wrong of me to lead you on. But I wanted to rescue you, as well as escape my parents' scheming.”

Emily gripped his hand, sadness creasing her face. “Do you remember what happened to my brother on the night he died? Why did you leave him behind?”

“I tried to save him, but I arrived too late. And there were more of them that night. If I had stayed, they would have killed me, too.”

“Did Nigel kill Daniel?”

Stephen relived the events but did not recall Nigel among the attackers. Most of the men had worn hoods to obscure their faces and were not Nigel’s size. “No. These were hired men, but that was the night I got this scar.” He touched the healed wound upon his rib. “I have no doubt the stolen money went into Nigel’s pockets.”

“Where were you those three months?” Emily asked. “Do you remember?”

He thought back and answered, “I stumbled aboard a steamship. The crew tended me after that, I suppose.” He thought back and remembered the ship had been bound for India. He’d endured weeks of endless rocking with the waves and the taint of a sickly-sweet aroma. Opium, he now realized.

“When we arrived in India, the Chinese officials were waiting. They recognized the ship and confiscated it. They tattooed me, sending me back to England on another vessel that docked at Portsmouth. I was beaten upon arrival, as further punishment. Afterwards, I managed to drag myself to a hired coach. Falkirk was the closest estate.”

She looked stricken. “I’m so sorry about the way I treated you. I was angry and hurt that you'd abandoned me.” She stared outside at the night sky. “And worst of all, you didn’t remember me.”

He could say nothing to take away her pain and fear. But he would atone for them, somehow. “I remember now.”

When they arrived at Nigel’s town house, Stephen lifted her down. Emily did not look at him, keeping her gaze focused on the residence. He could see the wariness in her demeanor, mingled with the hope that they were wrong and the children were fine.

She opened the door softly, but no footmen came to greet her. Inside, a strange silence seemed to hover. The servants were in their quarters with only the distant sounds of scullery maids cleaning the kitchen.

Emily rushed up the stairs, two at a time, while Stephen followed. The door to Anna’s room was closed, but in his gut, he predicted what Emily would find in the children’s bedchambers. As he’d feared, Victoria’s crib was empty, along with Royce’s bed.

Emily picked up Victoria’s blanket, and the devastation upon her face struck him like a physical blow. “He took them.” Her eyes shimmered with tears, her fingers clutching the soft wool.

Stephen knew there were no words to comfort her, but he said them just the same. “I’ll get them back. I promise you.”

“What does he want?” Her words were lined with a sob as she clenched the baby's blanket. "They're only children."

“I don’t know.” Stephen studied the room and spied a folded paper with his name upon it. As he read the contents, he relayed the information to Emily. “The children were taken to Nigel’s country estate. I am to come alone, with all records of the shipment, if we want them back alive.”

Stephen handed her the note to read, but her face clouded with doubt. “If you go alone, he’ll kill you,” she whispered.

“Nigel can’t have gone far, Emily. I’ll get to him before anything happens.”

She shook her head. “Nigel didn’t take them. Look.”

At the bottom of the page, a small marking of ink had escaped his notice, the initials A. P.

“Anant.” Emily emitted the name like a curse. “He was with our family for so many years. I thought he was loyal to us.”

Stephen wanted to reassure her that everything would be all right, but the truth was, he didn’t know. “Stay here until my return.”

He cupped her chin, but she turned her face aside so his kiss brushed her cheek. “You are not leaving me behind. The children are my responsibility.”

“They are our responsibility,” he corrected. “And I am going to finish this.”

“And what of me? You expect me to wait at home while you go off again? The last time it happened, Daniel died, and you were injured, too.”

His own anger rose up, that she refused to trust him. He distanced himself from the emotions coiling inside of him. He would do what was necessary to protect his family. “I won’t return until I’ve brought them back to you.”

He did not try to kiss her again, knowing she would refuse him. As he left her in the shadow of her uncle’s house, he pushed all thoughts away until only the icy mindset of retribution remained.

He would not stop until he had redeemed himself in the eyes of his wife.