Courting the Countess by Barbara Pierce

Author:Barbara Pierce [Pierce, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Historical Romance, Fiction
ISBN: 9780312986223
Publisher: St. Martin's
Published: 2003-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Mallory leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. His position effectively cut off any opportunity for the countess to escape. He did not know what had fouled her temper, but her distraction had allowed him to follow her through the various passages of the theater house undetected. Had the woman no sense? Wandering about dim passages only invited mischief. He had been contemplating instigating a little of his own when she stumbled upon Amara and Bedegrayne.

“I am so happy you have returned,” his sister was saying; her high spirits were genuine. “You look wonderful. Do you not agree, Brock?”

“Aye, dove,” Bedegrayne readily agreed, meeting Mallory’s gaze with a silent question.

He might have fooled his sister, but his subtle possessive stance was recognizable to another possessive male. Mallory shrugged, not disputing the other man’s conjecture.

“What about you, Brother?” Amara asked, searching for anything to alleviate the tension in the room.

Mallory leveled his gaze on the countess. “The clouds disperse in the brilliance of her beauty.” As she had discarded the dull hues of her widow weeds, the comeliness she had often tried to conceal was wholly displayed. If they had been alone, he would have demonstrated how pleased he was by her transformation.

His sister’s censorious scowl informed him that she believed he was insincere in his praise. Women were truly puzzling. Wondering if he had insulted his sister by excluding her, he added, “Puss, you are rather fetching, too.”

It was the countess’s turn to give him an unreadable glance. He was already regretting bringing them together if all they were going to do was glare at him.

Shaking her head in disgust, she said to Amara, “I heard that you married Mr. Bedegrayne.” Brook pointedly did not reveal that Mallory was most likely her source. “And a babe arriving at the end of summer. It appears double congratulations are in order.”

“I wish you could have been present for the wedding. I had tried to send word out to you. However, no one seemed to know your whereabouts.”

Brook glanced away guiltily. It appeared Mallory’s sister could not resist extracting a little revenge for what she perceived as a betrayal of friendship when the countess disappeared.

Since he was responsible for maneuvering her into this prickly situation, he felt determined to assist her whether she welcomed his intervention or not. “When faced with loss, we all deal with grief in our own way. It is not like you to judge so harshly, Amara.”

“I am not,” his sister denied, her lower lip jutting out at his scolding. “I just have so many questions—”

“And this is not the place to conduct an interrogation,” Bedegrayne teased, coming to Mallory’s aid. “Why do we not adjourn to our box before we miss the opera ballet you were so adamant to attend?”

“I must go, too,” the countess said regretfully, and rose.

Amara jumped up with a grace that belied her growing abdomen. “Join us. I insist.” Now that she had found her old friend she had no intention of allowing Brook to escape.

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