To Catch a Countess Read online

  “I’m sorry,” Victoria apologized, feeling self-conscious. “I did warn you I needed my spectacles.”

  Play resumed.

  Samantha played the two of spades. Alexander followed her with the four of spades, giving the first trick to Rudolf and Samantha.

  Next, Rudolf played a red eight. Hoping to choose the correct suit, Victoria picked a nine and tossed it down. Samantha threw a red three and Alexander the red two.

  Rudolf reached to gather the cards. “I won that trick,” Victoria said.

  “Eight beats six,” Rudolf told her.

  “I played the nine.”

  “You played a six,” Alexander told her, sounding more irritated than before. “Let me see your cards.”

  With her frustration growing, Victoria passed him her cards. Again, she knew from his expression that she’d made an error.

  “Why did you play the six when you are holding the ten?”

  “I thought it was a nine.”

  “How could you possibly think that?” Alexander asked. “Sixes and nines are completely different numbers.”

  “I’m sorry,” Victoria apologized, her voice no louder than a whisper, her complexion a vibrant scarlet. “I must have been holding the card upside down.”

  Rudolf started the third round with a red ten. Victoria knew she needed a red picture card to beat it. Was the knave the correct suit?

  “Play your card,” the earl said.

  Victoria worried her bottom lip with her small white teeth. Then she tossed the knave on the table.

  “Good God, Victoria,” Alexander said. “You can’t play a trump unless you have nothing in the suit thrown. Are you trying to lose the game, or are you just stupid?”

  The word stupid echoed in her mind. The earl had no idea how difficult life was for stupid people. Like her.

  “Don’t call me that,” Victoria cried, fighting back tears. “Find yourself another partner.” And then she swept the cards off the table.

  Everyone in the drawing room turned to watch the scene unfolding. Victoria wanted to bolt out the door. Her uncle would certainly give her a dressing-down now.

  Alexander relaxed back in his chair and studied her. “Pick the cards up.”

  “No.” The word fell like a gauntlet between them.

  Samantha leaned down to get the cards, but the earl’s voice stopped her, “Leave the cards on the floor.” When she looked at her husband, Rudolf nodded at her to do as the earl said.

  Victoria felt her anger growing. The earl had upset her to the point of losing control, and now he sat there looking as if he had not a care in the world.

  “Pick the cards up,” Alexander ordered, a sterner edge to his voice.

  “You are not my lord or my guardian,” Victoria informed him. Unable to keep her bitter disappointment from surfacing, she added, “If you want to be obeyed, give your betrothed orders, whoever the unfortunate lady is.”

  Victoria knew she sounded like a scorned lover and wished she could recall the words. She flicked a glance at their audience. Their smiles surprised her.

  “Apologize to the earl,” Aunt Roxie said.

  “Let Alex handle her,” Duke Magnus said. “He will be dealing with her fits for a long time and should start now.”

  Victoria stared at the duke, his words confusing her. And then she knew—her uncle was giving her to the earl for his mistress.

  Victoria began to tremble. She turned a troubled expression on the earl.

  “I should give my betrothed orders?” Alexander said, amusement lighting his gaze on her.

  “That is your business.”

  “When I give these orders, should my betrothed obey them without question?”

  Victoria shrugged.

  “Does that mean yes or no?”

  “That means I don’t give a fig.” Victoria lifted her nose into the air and turned to leave.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” Alexander rose from his chair and walked around the card table to tower over her. “Pick up the cards, my sweet betrothed.”

  Victoria couldn’t credit what she had heard. The earl was already engaged. He couldn’t marry two women.

  “Are you implying that I am your betrothed?” Victoria stared into his hazel eyes.

  “I am saying it, not implying,” Alexander told her. “Pick the damn cards up.”

  Victoria stared at him blankly. She would know if she was betrothed, wouldn’t she? “You never asked me to marry you.”

  “Your guardians proposed the match.”

  Victoria stood there, frozen, as disturbing thoughts swirled around inside her. Her aunt and uncle had proposed the match. Alexander hadn’t even wanted her.

  “How long have we been betrothed?” Victoria asked, her voice an aching whisper.

  “I’m sorry.” Alexander recognized the pain in her eyes, regretted telling her that her guardians had proposed the match.

  “How long?”

  “Almost a year.”

  “A year?”

  In the next instant, Victoria marched across the drawing room to confront her guardians. “How could you?” Her tone mirrored her anguish. “You promised me in marriage but never asked what I wanted. You didn’t even bother to tell me.”

  “We thought it for the best,” Aunt Roxie said.

  “Stop the theatrics, Victoria,” Duke Magnus ordered. “The match is good.”

  “I’m questioning your treatment of me, not the match.” Victoria turned to her aunt. “When is the wedding?”

  “June the twenty-fourth,” her aunt answered, obviously flustered. “The invitations will be sent next week.”

  “Were you planning to send me an invitation?” Victoria asked, her voice dripping sarcasm. “Is that how you planned to tell me?”

  Without waiting for a reply, Victoria advanced on the card table. “And my sisters,” she said, her gaze on them. “When I think of your play-acting yesterday . . .” Then she mimicked them, “Practice your flirting on Alexander. Drop your gaze shyly. Look at him as if he had just placed the world at your feet.”

  This last statement earned muffled chuckles from her brothers-in-law, nor did they escape her tirade. Victoria cast a murderous glare on Robert and then looked at Rudolf. “If my sisters knew, then you knew, too.”

  “I asked everyone to remain silent,” Alexander said in a quiet voice. “I wanted to give you a chance to grow up.”

  “I despise you most of all,” Victoria said, rounding on him. Without warning, she slapped him, eliciting shocked gasps from the gathering.

  Catching her around the waist, Alexander lifted her off her feet. Surprise kept Victoria from reacting.

  “Don’t touch those cards,” Alexander ordered, tucking her under his arm. He marched toward the doorway. “My sweet betrothed will pick them up.”

  Victoria had never seen anyone as angry as Alexander Emerson. She didn’t dare struggle, nor did she give him the satisfaction of crying for help that would not come.

  “Open that door,” Alexander growled at a footman when they reached the duke’s study.

  Hanging from beneath his arm, Victoria kept her head down and closed her eyes against the humiliation of being carried like a recalcitrant child. She couldn’t imagine what he intended, but he seemed too angry to talk things through.

  Marching into the duke’s study, Alexander set her down and closed the door. “Sit in that chair.” When she did, he leaned against the desk and stared at her. “Your actions were childish. You will pick those cards off the floor. Are you listening to me?”

  Victoria nodded but remained silent. She refused to look at the triumph in his eyes. He was bigger than she. He would win when strength was the deciding factor, not that she expected him to strike her.

  “Do you have anything to say?”

  “You called me stupid,” Victoria said, raising her gaze to his. “I told you I’d misplaced my spectacles.”

  “You are correct,” Alexander said, surprising her. “After throwing t
he mallet at me, I mistakenly believed you were losing on purpose.”

  “You don’t know me very well if you believed that.”

  “We need to become acquainted,” Alexander agreed. “We will return to the drawing room, apologize to each other, and pick the cards up together. Then you will rusticate in your chamber and consider the ways that horrendous scene between us could have played out.”

  Alexander offered her his hand, and Victoria did what he least expected. She gave him a tentative smile and placed her hand in his.

  Everyone watched in silence when they returned to the drawing room. Victoria saw their surprised expressions at the change in her demeanor and then dropped her gaze.

  Reaching the card table, Victoria knelt on the floor and collected the discarded cards. She didn’t utter a word, nor did anyone speak to her.

  Alexander helped her and then set the cards on the table. He looked at her and nodded.

  “I would apologize to Alex for losing my temper,” Victoria said. “I also apologize for making everyone uncomfortable.”

  “I would apologize to Tory for baiting her during the card game,” Alexander said. “I also apologize for failing to court her properly.”

  Alexander put his arm around her and guided her toward the doorway. “Remain in your chamber until I send for you.” He tilted her chin up and waited for her to meet his gaze. “I apologize for embarrassing you.”

  “I forgive you.” Victoria walked out the door.

  Chapter 4

  “Congratulations on your accomplishment,” Prince Stepan said.

  Alexander slanted an amused glance at the youngest prince. “To what accomplishment do you refer?” he asked, lining up his next shot on the billiard table.

  “Taming Lady Victoria, of course.”

  Alexander and the other men laughed at the prince. “I haven’t tamed Victoria; merely won the first skirmish,” he said. “She will do my bidding, but gentling her will take time.”

  He couldn’t predict how long that would take. The chit had hammered a croquet ball at him. Fortunately, she hadn’t thought of using the mallet.

  “Life with Tory will never bore you,” Robert said.

  “She’ll make you fight for every gain,” Rudolf agreed.

  “Nothing worth having is easily won,” Alexander said. With that fiery red hair and the passion he had glimpsed the previous evening, Victoria would be well worth the fight. “Struggling to win her obedience is one thing. Being bowled over by her is quite another.”

  “What do you mean?” Prince Stepan asked.

  “We know you agreed to escort Victoria to Drury Lane,” Alexander said.

  “She threatened to ask someone else to take her,” Stepan defended himself. “Another man might not have protected her.”

  “Stepan, did you ever consider that Tory did not know any other gentleman to take her there?” Rudolf asked his brother.

  Prince Stepan flushed. “I never considered that.”

  If he had taken Victoria to Drury Lane, Alexander thought, he would be enjoying her body by now instead of fighting her. How could he have known the little virgin would be so passionate?

  “Stepan, you had better stick with the debutantes being put in your way,” Prince Viktor said, entering the conversation.

  “Controlling a spirited woman might be beyond your capability,” said Prince Mikhail.

  Tinker, the duke’s majordomo, walked into the game room. Alexander watched the man heading straight for him.

  “Lord Emerson.”

  “Yes?”

  “Lady Victoria demands to be released from prison,” Tinker announced in a voice that brooked no refusal.

  Alexander cocked a brow at the older man. He couldn’t credit the retainer’s insolence.

  “Do not be offended,” Rudolf said. “Tinker told me once to fetch my own coffee.”

  Tinker turned to the prince and looked down his nose at him. “As I recall, you deserved that set down for making Lady Samantha weep.” The majordomo looked at the earl. “This matter is entirely different. Lady Victoria instructed me to repeat her words with emotion.”

  All the men laughed, including Alexander. Tinker’s lips twitched with amusement.

  “Gentlemen, place your bets,” Alexander said, smiling. “Skirmish two is about to begin.” He turned to the majordomo. “Tell Lady Victoria my answer is no.”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  “Who would you bet on if you were a gambling man?” Alexander asked.

  Tinker gave the earl a long look and then reached into his trouser pocket. He produced a one pound note. “Who is holding the bets?”

  Rudolf lifted the note out of the older man’s hand. “I will hold all bets.”

  Tinker glanced at the earl and then told the prince, “I’ll wager one pound on Lady Victoria.”

  The men howled with laughter and began reaching for money. Alexander felt better when the other gentlemen wagered on him.

  “I thank all of you for contributing to my retirement fund,” Tinker drawled, leaving the game room.

  Billiards play resumed.

  The majordomo returned five minutes later, calling, “Lord Emerson?”

  “Could you possibly wait until my shot is complete before you call my name,” Alexander said.

  “I’m terribly sorry,” Tinker apologized, wearing an unrepentant expression. “Lady Victoria wants to know if you are planning to starve her into submission.”

  “That sounds like an interesting idea,” Alexander said, making the men smile. “Tell Lady Victoria she will be eating with the children until she grows up.”

  Watching the majordomo hurry away, Alexander decided that when Victoria’s emotional maturity caught up with her body, she would be magnificent. And she would belong to him.

  Tinker returned five minutes later. The men chuckled when he walked into the room. The majordomo headed across the room to Prince Rudolf instead of the earl.

  “Your Highness, Lady Victoria has no money but wishes to place a one pound bet on the outcome of this conflict,” Tinker told him. “In the unlikely event that she loses, her exceedingly wealthy fiancé will cover her loss.”

  “The hell I will,” Alexander called out, laughing.

  “Tell the lady we deal only in ready cash,” Prince Rudolf instructed the majordomo.

  “The lady will not be pleased,” Tinker said.

  Next, the majordomo approached the earl. Alexander was already smiling in anticipation of the message from his betrothed. “Lady Victoria said it’s customary for the bride and the groom to sit together at the wedding breakfast,” Tinker said. “She wondered if you will be joining her at the children’s table.”

  Alexander shouted with laughter, as did the other men. His betrothed was proving entertaining and sharp-witted.

  “I may grant her a furlough for that one meal,” he told the majordomo.

  Instead of leaving the game room, Tinker turned to Robert and said, “Lady Victoria asked me to remind you that a marquess outranks an earl. Would you consider granting her permission to leave her chamber?”

  “No.”

  “What a conniving minx,” Alexander said, laughing.

  “A prince outranks a mere marquess and an earl,” Tinker said to Rudolf. “Would you consider—?”

  “Today is my day off,” the prince interrupted. “I never do any considering on my day off.”

  “Your Highnesses?” Tinker asked, turning to Rudolf’s younger brothers.

  All three choked with laughter and ignored him.

  “I will relay your messages,” Tinker said, and left the room.

  Play resumed. Alexander chalked the tip of his cue and lined up his shot.

  “Lord Emerson,” Tinker called, returning to the room.

  “What is it this time?” Alexander asked, irritated at missing his shot

  “Lady Victoria requires your presence upstairs,” Tinker told him. “She wants to apologize again.”

  Alexander raised
his brows at the majordomo and then smirked at his future brothers-in-law. “Tell her I’ll come when I’m free.”

  “Lady Victoria instructed me to tell you that she hasn’t long to live,” Tinker replied. “If you delay, she will have expired.”

  Alexander grinned. “What is her malady?”

  “The lady is bored to death,” Tinker said, unable to suppress his smile.

  “Tell her I’ll mourn her passing.”

  The other men smiled when the majordomo left the room. Prince Rudolf and Robert Campbell, the only married men there, nodded their approval for the earl’s response.

  “Victoria wanting to apologize means you have won,” Prince Stepan said. “Why didn’t you go upstairs to accept her apology?”

  “If I did that, I would be doing her bidding,” Alexander explained, slanting an amused glance at the youngest prince. “Winning means making her wait until I’m ready to listen. Then she is doing my bidding.”

  Prince Rudolf and Robert raised their glasses in a salute to the earl. Alexander inclined his head, accepting their praise.

  Five minutes passed without the majordomo’s return. The minutes stretched to ten, twenty, thirty. And then almost an hour.

  Everyone smiled when Tinker walked into the game room and headed straight for the earl. “When you have a free moment and if it isn’t too much trouble, would you please speak with Lady Victoria?” Tinker asked. “She is beside herself with remorse, desperate to apologize, and anxious to share the lessons she has learned from this experience.”

  “Lady Victoria is a pain in the arse.”

  “Shall I relay that message?”

  Alexander’s lips twitched. “Please do.”

  Miss Victoria Douglas had to realize who was the master in their family. She was a fiery creature of passion, her response to his caresses the previous evening had told him that. A frightened virgin, she had placed herself in his hands, trusted him to keep her safe and pleasure her. Though she hadn’t known they were to be married, some part of her had known she belonged to him. He had seen that in her eyes before he had kissed her into a daze at the stream.