The Accidental Countess (The Aristocrat Diaries 3)

“I really don’t want to talk about your grandma right now.”

He nodded, sliding his shirt off over his shoulders and tossing it in the laundry basket. “Understood. Well, given the circumstances, I thought it was best that I was here tonight and not dealing with a hangover tomorrow.”

Smart.

“Oh, by the way, I had Geraint put a new handle with a lock on your bathroom door. The key is in the bedside table.” He nodded to the cabinet next to me. “And I had a word about snooping in rooms we have no business being in.”

“Thank you,” I said softly. I knew Ffion meant no harm, but it was still unpleasant knowing she’d searched my bathroom from top to bottom. “Who’s Geraint?”

Matthew chuckled. “The local handyman. He was here anyway doing someone in one of the cottages we rent out on the property, so he popped over for me when he was done.” He stepped out of his trousers and pulled on some comfortable shorts.

He wasn’t bothering with a t-shirt, I noted.

That was fine.

It wasn’t like I was in any position to talk as I sat here braless, wearing a vest top that my boobs would be staging an escape from within minutes of me lying down.

“Oh. I appreciate you doing that.”

He smiled, and it did things to my already uncomfortable stomach.

Things I was going to continue to ignore, thank you.

“Of course. How was dinner with Adelaide?”

The food? Fantastic.

The conversation? Could have been better, honestly.

“It was good to get out,” I settled on as my answer. “The food was really good there, too.”

Matthew joined me on the bed, sitting down on his side. “I thought you’d like it there. It’s good, homemade food.”

“Definitely.”

“Did you talk about the wedding?”

I blinked at him. “The what? Oh, sorry. It’s been a long day. I’m not focusing.”

He chuckled.

“Uh, a little. We talk about that all the time, though, so there’s not much we haven’t covered. Plus, I think she wants to take a break from it all. Between our mum and Elizabeth, I think she’s about had enough for a few days.”

“I can imagine. Ours was bad enough, and we didn’t really care.”

“Exactly. Imagine if you were actually trying to earnestly plan a wedding with them around. It’d be hell.”

He nodded slowly. “I do not doubt that for a second.” He got up and quickly shut off the overhead light, and I turned on the lamp on the bedside table, then grabbed my phone.

ME: Are you okay? Do you need anything?

“Everything all right?” Matthew asked, getting under the covers.

“Just checking in with Addy.”

ADELAIDE: Yes… although Ffion did leave me a present outside my room.

“Oh, no,” I said right as the words flashed across my mind.

“What?”

I looked at Matthew. “Your nan left her a present outside the door.”

The colour drained from his face. “Please don’t tell me it’s a pregnancy test.”

ME: Was it a pregnancy test?

ADELAIDE: Two.

“Okay, I won’t,” I mumbled.

“Jesus.” He threw his arm across his eyes. “I need to harass her into getting her knitting group meeting again. It was much easier than having to deal with this.”

ME: Matthew will talk to her.

ADELAIDE: It’s like living with Elizabeth… but thirty years older.

ME: She was rapping Eminem when we came home yesterday.

ADELAIDE: Elizabeth has been slipping me ovulation checkers since Christmas. She even put folic acid in my stocking.

ME: That’s alarming.

ADELAIDE: Really, the pregnancy test is rather welcome. Saves me a trip to buy one to put my mind at ease.

“She’s not bothered.” I turned my phone towards him, and he tilted it down to read the messages.

He sighed, rocking his head side to side. “Nan’s really gotten under your skin, hasn’t she? The both of you.”

“Of course she has!” I locked my phone and put it down, then rolled over to look at him. “Have you not heard her? The woman is persistent. I can’t move without her insisting one of us is pregnant. She accosted us over paracetamol this morning.”

“I know, I know. Mum told me everything. That’s why I spoke to her.” Matthew turned onto his side and looked at me. “Can you get into bed now? If you’re sleeping in here, I want to make the most of it.”

“I think not.” I shuffled until the covers were free, then buried myself under my duvet. “I have cramps.”

“Can I at least touch your arse?”

“You want to go to sleep touching my arse? What is it? A teddy bear?”

He shrugged. “I find it pretty comforting.”

“Fine. Keep above the thighs, though. It can get messy this time of the month.”

Matthew reached over and cupped my arse cheek. “Such a wonderful, polite wife.”

“Shut up, or your wife will be a widow,” I muttered.

He laughed. “Night, Eva.”

“Mmph.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

MATTHEW

I had to get my grandmother under control.

Not only was her surety that someone was pregnant upsetting Eva, I was almost entirely sure it was doing the same thing to Adelaide, no matter how much she insisted otherwise.