The Cursed Countess (The Daring Drake Sisters 1)

“So I did and Jones came around.” He touched an old scar on his jaw from childhood. “That is how I received this.”

“Oh my lord, I cannot believe this.” Tessa rose and walked to the window. As she stared out at the street, she whispered, “I never would have expected this from Stanhope. I’d thought only Langley was cruel, not Stanhope.”

A part of him hated destroying Stanhope’s reputation falsely but he needed to do whatever it took to get this case completed. With that thought, he slowly walked up behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. Nuzzling her neck, he whispered, “I am sorry. I had no wish to ruin his memory for you.”

She twisted out of his arms. “I am still not quite certain I believe you. Based on what you are telling me, I still do not see a reason you would be in my study at four in the morning.”

Damn all logical women to hell. “I wanted to be certain he hadn’t left anything regarding the affair in your study.”

“Why would he?” she asked with a scowl.

“How the bloody hell should I know?” he said, frustration making him prickly. “All I know is a year ago he paid a call on me and told me that I was now working for him. And no, this was not a paying position. I was to pay with my honor.”

“Why you?”

“He knew I was a pugilist and he wanted Jones frightened...and hurt if necessary.”

She bit down on her lower lip. “I’m sorry. I don’t know you very well and perhaps I am feeling a bit uneasy after last night. I don’t normally take men to my bed unless they are married to me.”

He took a step closer to her. “I didn’t believe you did. But why would anything we did last night make you feel uneasy?” he asked softly.

“At first, you were so angry with me for going with the duke to the opera, that for a moment, I feared you were like...”

Oh hell, which one? “I would never hurt you, Tessa. Not like that.”

She nodded.

“Who? Langley?” There had been rumors but most people had thought his penchant for young women nothing terribly odd. Many men had the same taste. But for a few, a young woman meant a malleable girl that a man could treat in any manner he pleased, even abuse if he had the desire for that type of stuff.

She nodded her affirmation.

“Did he rape you or just abuse you?” Jack’s hands tightened into fists.

“He hit me a few times,” she whispered. “No place it would show for that would ruin the appearance of his beautiful wife.”

If Langley weren’t already dead, Jack knew he would kill him on the spot. And could he blame her if she’d done the same? No. But the case at hand was Stanhope, and as much as Jack knew about the man, abuse was not something whispered about with his name. Nor Dereham.

“Both Dereham and Stanhope were very kind men and made up for Langley’s lack of honor,” she said quietly. “Stanhope spoiled me dreadfully during our courtship and short marriage.”

But was it enough for her? Could Stanhope have made an attempt to hit her and she panicked? He glanced down at the bedraggled plant and knew it was time to test his grandmother’s theory. He strolled over to the plant and smiled. “I brought you a little something for your garden. My grandmother loves gardening and insisted I bring this to you.”

“Thank you,” she muttered, staring down at it. “What is it? I am not familiar with this species.”

He certainly couldn’t tell her the truth. “I don’t recall. She was muttering about this plant and that before finally deciding on this one. It looked far better when it was in the ground. The poor plant looks a little sad now. Grandmamma swears it has a beautiful flower in summer.”

She looked up at him with a large smile. “How did you know I enjoy working in the garden? It’s supposed to be very unladylike, or so my mother always told me.”

“Honestly, I didn’t know.” Jack shook his head with a short laugh. “My grandmother said you and she were very much alike. Perhaps that’s how she knew.”

“You said she could read futures. Maybe she saw me working in the garden,” Tessa said unable to contain a laugh.

“Shall we put aside all this sad talk and plant this out in the garden before it dies?”

She blinked in surprise. “You wish to help me?”

“Let us just say, I will oversee the planting.”

She laughed softly. “As you wish but I must change into something a bit more serviceable.”