Her Counterfeit Husband (16 page)

She
closed her eyes and picked up from where she left off.  She managed to finally slip into the world where only her imagination could take her.  The swell of the music embraced her soul, and she gave herself to the experience of feeling.  No more thinking. 
No more wondering if she was right or wrong.

For the moment, she was lost in her solitary world where she sat in a gazebo with nothing but fog surrounding her.  Snow fell around her but the gazebo remained untouched, and in her mind, there was no bitter chill.  There was just the peace of being alone in a place where no one could find her.  But then someone emerged through her protective barrier, and it took her a moment to realize who i
t was as the fog dissipated around
him.  Jason.

Gritting her teeth, she banged the keys in frustration.  No.  He wasn’t Jason!  He was Watkins.

“Your G
race?”

Startled, her eyes flew open and she saw a concerned Appleton standing next to an amused Lord Mason.  Biting back a groan, she turned to Appleton.  “Yes?”

“Lord Mason is here to see His G
race,” he replied.

As if she didn’t have a care in the world, she resumed playing the
melody.  “Well, he can’t.  His G
race is out with his horse.”

“I haven’t known you
to be so dismissive of me
,” Lord Maso
n spoke, a slight warning
in his voice.

“My husband is no longer ill, Lord Mason,” she replied with more bravado than she felt.  “While I appreciate the concern you’ve shown him during that time, you may go back to seeing him a couple times a year.”

She realized the more she talked, the harder her fingers hit the keys, but something about Lord Mason’s visit struck her the wrong way.  Not that his visits were ever welcome, but today, it seemed unnecessary.  Why couldn’t the scoundrel leave them alone?

“In light of my brother’s lack of memory, I thought I’d do him a favor and tell him about his past.  You weren’t there when he was growing up.  It’s to his benefit he knows everything, don’t you agree?”

Her fingers paused on the keys and forced her gaze in his direction.  “I suppose you’ll insist on it no matter what I say.”

Appleton’s eyebrows furrowed, and she knew what he was thinking.  Never, in all the time that insufferable oaf of a husband had been alive had sh
e dared to talk to Lord Mason
this
way, but she was tired
.  Tired of who she used to be.  Tired of trying to maintain an appearance of her old life.  Tired of Lord Mason scanning her up and down as if she were nothing better than a prostitute who was there to service him.  Tired of tolerating the hars
h way Lord Mason and her husband
had treated her.  She wanted nothing more than to be free.  Free to be who she truly was and free to love who she wanted to. 
She wanted to love
Jason.  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  No.  It was Watkins.

“Is Her G
race feeling well?” Lord Mason asked Appleton.

“She’s fine, my lord,” Appleton replied, placing his arm around her shoulders and leading her to the settee.  “It’s something common to ladies.  A little rest and some tea, and she’ll be back to her old self.”

Lord Mason’s eyebrows rose in interest.  “Something common to ladies?  Is this good news for my brother?”

Her head
shot up, and she glanced at Appleton who shrugged.
  “It’s not that.  I’m not expecting a child.  I’d explain, but the matter is of a private nature.”

Lord Mason
nodded and
bowed.  “My apologies, Your G
race. 
I had hoped it
w
as good news.”

She highly doubted he’d be happy if she were expecting
a child
since it would mean he’d never secure her husband’s title, but she gave a polite smile as if she believed him.  Let him think her time of month was upon her.  It excused a lot of things, especially her foul mood.
  She sighed.  Once, just once, she’d love to wipe that satisfied smirk off his face.  Often, she imagined giving him a good slap.  She didn’t th
ink he could retaliate since Jason…since
Watkins was alive.

“I’ll take my leave,” Lord Mason began, “but if I happen to see my dear brother, I’ll ha
ve to greet him
.
  It’s onl
y proper
.
”

She let out a weary sigh as Appleton showed him out.  Why wasn’t he leaving her and Watkins alone?  He was never that interested in his brother.  Sure, they attended each other’s dinner parties and spent some time together when they were in London, but Lord Mason hadn’t made it a point to visit on a regular basis.  It seemed that ever since she and her husband returned from London because her husband took ill that his brother paid frequent visits.  At first, she assumed it was because he wished to know if he’d be the next duke, but now—with Watkins’ good health—she suspected another motive.

Standing from the settee, she walked over to the window and searched the grounds. 
She didn’t see Watkins anywhere, but that didn’t mean Lord Mason wouldn’t see him and insist on talking to him.  She took a deep breath and released it.  At some point, she had to trust that Watkins could hold his own against the likes of Lord Mason.

***

As soon as Jason saw
his brother
, he halted in his steps along the grounds.  The horse he was leading brushed his shoulder with its nose, causing him to jerk away from it.  He tightened his grip on the reins and wondered for the millionth time why the beast should give him such unease.  The horse wasn’t difficult.  It followed his commands without a fuss.  But there was something frightening about it.  And it wasn’t just this horse.  All the horses ma
de that cold shiver of
dread crawl up his spine.  The only thing that walking the horse around seemed to do was enable him to be near it without dropping the reins and running for his life.

He took a deep breath to steady his nerves as Mason approached, riding his horse as if he didn’t have a care in the world.  How Jason envied him that level of comfort on the animal.  But now wasn’t the time for petty jealousies.  It wouldn’t do well to show any sign of weakness in front of him.  Jas
on didn’t have to remember him
to understand he was a dangerous gentleman.  In
an effort to appear brave, he
headed in Mason’s direction, glad the hor
se willingly changed their
course.

“Ah
, it’s a fine day for a ride, isn’t it?” Mason called out as soon as he was within hearing distance.

Jason waited until
he
slowed to a trot before he spoke.  “I thought I’d take a break from riding and walk for a while.”

“Walk?  You?” Mason threw his head back and laughed.  “Since when do you walk?”

“Since I had a near miss with death.  Walking is good exercise.”

Mason pulled the reins so tha
t the horse stopped
.  “So is bedding a lady who likes it rough and running before her husband shows up to her bedchamber, but I only do that in moderation.”

Jason was too shocked by his brother’s bluntness to respond right away, and when he did, he laughed.  “You’re telling a joke.”

“If you say so.” He shrugged and examined his gloves.  “These were a gift. 
Like them?”

Glad for the change in topic, Jason nodded.  “They’re nice.”

“They’re from British India.  It’s fine craftsmanship like this that makes me glad I went there.  It’s a shame you missed such a marvelous opportunity, but perhaps we’ll get a chance to go together in the future.”

“Perhaps,” Jason said, though h
e had no intention of it
.

“I didn’t come out here to talk of exercise or gloves.  I thought you might find it profitable to learn about your past, and while your wife can fill you in on some parts of it, I can tell you everything.  Why don’t
you get on that fine animal, and we’ll go for a ride?”

Struggling not to give away
his apprehension, he said, “I need to take him back to the stable.” He turned to lead the horse toward the stable, hoping that would be the end of this part of the discussion.

Unfortunately, Mason urged his horse forward so he could keep pace with Jason.  “You can ride the horse back to the s
table.”

“I know.  I just don’t want to.  I want to walk.”

“
You are nothing like the gentleman you once were.  The Jason I knew would never degrade himself by walking a horse.”

Ignoring the taunting from his brother, Jason decided he wouldn’t give him the satisfaction
of making him get on the horse.  If he did, then his brother would know h
e could twist thin
gs around so he did his bidding
.

“Very well,” Mason said, sounding bored.  “I’ll go at a very slow pace to keep up with you.”

Jason refused to look in his brother’s direction.  He decided to slip around the other side of his horse so he wouldn’t be trapped between both horses.  As it was, the one he owned was hard enough to manage without panicking.
  Without bothering to glance in Mason’s direction, he asked, “You wanted to tell me about my past?”

“I figured it’d be the right thing
to do
, given I’m your brother and all.”

“All right.” Jason doubted he could stop him from telling him about his past if th
at’s what he wanted to do, so the sooner
he went along with it, the soon
er Mason would leave.  “Where do you want to start?”

“Now this is something I do remember about you.  You were always one to get right to the point.”

Surprised since nothing else
he did
seemed to be the same
as how he’d once done things
, he peered around his horse to see the amused look on Mason’s face.  “I was?”

“Yes.  With you, it was either say it or stop wasting your time.”

Jason nodded.  He’d have to take Mason’s word for it, but he had a feeling that given Mason’s tendency to draw things out, he most likely lost patience with him long ago.

“You needn’t worry.  I’ll get on with it,
” Mason said, not disturbed by the
silence on Jason’s end.  “Has Anna told you when you were born and where?”

“September 2, 1784
,
right
here at Camden.”

“Yes.  I hear that our parents were
very protective of you and refused to let anyone—not even our
relatives
—see y
ou until a week after you were
born.  Such was not the case when I was
born three years later.  They
invited
everyone to see me almos
t as soon as I took my first breath
, and it’s reported that
you worshipped me immediately.”

Jason resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his brother’s joke.

“
Apparently, you lost your sense of humor
when you lost
your memory.” Mason shrugged.  “Mother had another child, a girl, but she was stillborn.  After that, she bore Father no more children.  You and I grew up side by side, making friends at
the boarding house.  We met the gentlemen who attended my dinner party
there
.”

“All of them?”

“Yes.  Some sooner than others, and we ended up attending Eton together.”

“What were my interests?”

“You loved riding horses,” Mason pointedly stated.

He sighed.  Granted that was the case, and Anna had already made that clear.  He didn’t know why he had such an aversion to them now, and when he asked Anna about it, she couldn’t give him an answer.  Maybe Mason would.  “
Did I fall off a horse?”

“No.  You were always good
on one
.”

Jason sighed in disappointment.  So much for finding out why horses bothered him as much as they did.

“
The good news is
that
you took a fall down the staircase and survived,” Mason commented.  “Considering your injuries and how long that staircase is, I’m surprised it didn’t kill you.”

Frowning, he peered around t
he horse again and noticed the dark expression on Mason’s face.  Mason glanced his way, and he quickly turned his attention back to the stable, which was close up ahead.  The sooner he could get to the stable, the better.

“But you asked about your interests, so I’ll tell you,” Mason conti
nued, his tone now pleasant.  “Besides horses, you love the theater, music, dan
cing, chess, gambling, drinking, White
’s…  You like things other gentlemen enjoy. 
What we need to do is go through the desk in your bedchamber.  You keep important papers there.”