A Scandalous Countess: A Novel of the Malloren World Read online

  Praise for the Novels

  of Jo Beverley

  An Unlikely Countess

  “A fantastically entertaining historical romance.”

  —Night Owl Romance

  “Great read!”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “A delightful, deftly plotted exploration of social class, gender roles, and romance…charming.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  The Secret Duke

  “Known for her marvelous storytelling, Beverley sets the finale of her rakish trilogy in Georgian England. Amongst danger, secrets, and retribution, she ably places her protagonists into the era. With a sharp eye for detail, dialogue, and touches of humor, she incorporates a few characters from previous novels into the mix and keeps the reader well entertained in this captivating gem.”

  —Romantic Times

  The Secret Wedding

  “Beverley proves again that she can be counted on to come up with clever and creative ways of mixing passion and intrigue to create a beguiling love story.”

  —Booklist

  “A fabulous, intelligent tale starring two lead characters masquerading as others in order to conceal their true identity while falling in love with their spouse. [In this] comedy of manners, misconceptions, and mistakes, Jo Beverley provides an amusing historical with a touch of suspense and a hint of scandal as you like it.”

  —Genre Go Round Reviews

  A Lady’s Secret

  “Extraordinary storyteller Beverley mixes witty repartee, danger, and simmering sensuality with her strong and engaging characters, including a fetching Papillon, in this delightful, delicious gem of a book.”

  —Romantic Times (top pick)

  “With wit and humor, Jo Beverley provides a wonderful eighteenth-century romance starring two amiable lead characters whose first encounter is one of the best in recent memory. The tale is filled with nonstop action.”

  —The Best Reviews

  Lady Beware

  “Jo Beverley carries off a remarkable achievement in Lady Beware, the latest and possibly last in her Company of Rogues novels…. It is the unusual combination of familial comfort and risqué pleasure that makes this book a winner…. No doubt about it, Lady Beware is yet another jewel in Beverley’s heavily decorated crown.”

  —The Romance Reader

  “[E]nchanting…a delightful blend of wit (with banter between Thea and Darien), intrigue (as evil lurks throughout), and emotional victories (as love prevails in the end)…. Watching Thea and Darien spar is entertaining, and watching them succumb to the simmering love and passion is satisfying.”

  —The State (Columbia, SC)

  To Rescue a Rogue

  “Beverley brings the Regency period to life in this highly romantic story [with] vividly portrayed characters. [Readers] will be engrossed by this emotionally packed story of great love, tremendous courage, and the return of those attractive and dangerous men known as the Rogues. Her Company of Rogues series is well crafted, delicious, and wickedly captivating.”

  —Joan Hammond

  “With her usual beautifully nuanced characters and lyrical writing, RITA Award winner Beverley brings her popular Company of Rogues Regency historical series to a triumphant conclusion…[a] quietly powerful romance.”

  —Booklist

  The Rogue’s Return

  “Beverley beautifully blends complex characters, an exquisitely sensual love story, and a refreshingly different Regency setting into one sublime romance.”

  —Booklist

  “Jo Beverley has written an excellent character study. One of the best books I’ve read this season.”

  —Affaire de Coeur

  A Most Unsuitable Man

  “Beverley turns a rejected ‘other woman’ into a fiery, outspoken, sympathetic heroine; pairs her with a dashing but penniless, scandal-ridden hero; and lets the fun—and the danger—begin. Once again readers are treated to a delightful, intricately plotted, and sexy romp set in the slightly bawdy Georgian world of Beverley’s beloved Malloren Chronicles.”

  —Library Journal

  “I found myself enjoying every minute of the relationship in this story of love, hope, and increments of witty humor. As usual, a Malloren novel is a keeper.”

  —Rendezvous

  More Praise for Novels by New York Times

  Bestselling Author Jo Beverley

  “A well-crafted story and an ultimately very satisfying romance.”

  —The Romance Reader

  “Jo [Beverley] has truly brought to life a fascinating, glittering, and sometimes dangerous world.”

  —Mary Jo Putney

  “Another triumph.”

  —Affaire de Coeur

  “Wickedly delicious. Jo Beverley weaves a spell of sensual delight with her usual grace and flair.”

  —Teresa Medeiros

  “Delightful…thrilling…with a generous touch of magic…an enchanting read.”

  —Booklist

  “A stunning medieval romance of loss and redemption…sizzling.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “A fast-paced adventure with strong, vividly portrayed characters…wickedly, wonderfully sensual and gloriously romantic.”

  —Mary Balogh

  “Deliciously sinful…. Beverley evokes with devastating precision the decadent splendor of the English country estate in all its hellish debauchery…a crafty tale of sensuality and suspense.”

  —BookPage

  Also by Jo Beverley

  Available from New American Library

  REGENCY

  THE ROGUE’S WORLD

  Lady Beware

  To Rescue a Rogue

  The Rogue’s Return

  Skylark

  St. Raven

  Hazard

  “The Demon’s Mistress” in In Praise of Younger Men

  The Devil’s Heiress

  The Dragon’s Bride

  Three Heroes (Omnibus Edition)

  OTHER

  Forbidden Magic

  Lovers and Ladies (Omnibus Edition)

  Lord Wraybourne’s Betrothed

  The Stanforth Secrets

  The Stolen Bride

  Emily and the Dark Angel

  THE MALLOREN WORLD

  An Unlikely Countess

  The Secret Duke

  The Secret Wedding

  A Lady’s Secret

  A Most Unsuitable Man

  Winter Fire

  Devilish

  Secrets of the Night

  Something Wicked

  My Lady Notorious

  MEDIEVAL ROMANCES

  Lord of Midnight

  Dark Champion

  Lord of My Heart

  ANTHOLOGIES

  “The Raven and the Rose” in

  Chalice of Roses

  “The Dragon and the Virgin Princess” in

  Dragon Lovers

  “The Trouble with Heroes” in

  Irresistible Forces

  A

  Scandalous

  Countess

  Jo Beverley

  SIGNET

  Published by New American Library, a division of

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,

  New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,

  Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

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alia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124,

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  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:

  80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  First published by Signet, an imprint of New American Library,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  First Printing, February 2012

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Copyright © Jo Beverley, 2012

  All rights reserved

  EISBN: 9781101574867

  REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA

  Printed in the United States of America

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Author’s Note

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Many thanks to author Margaret Evans Porter, who shared her knowledge of Georgian gardens and helped me find out when flowering tobacco came to Britain and how it was used.

  Prologue

  June 9, 1764

  London

  “Huhn…?” Even through slitted eyes, Georgia, Countess of Maybury, could detect early-morning light—something she rarely encountered. Especially when she’d not gone to bed until past two in the morning.

  “What?” She moistened her mouth, forcing her eyes fully open, prepared to glower at her lady’s maid. “Mother?”

  She pushed upright, sweeping tendrils of red hair from her face. At nineteen, she was still close enough to the schoolroom to be alarmed.

  Loose hair? Why? No cap?

  Now she remembered!

  Dickon had come to her bed last night.

  That was why she’d returned home so early from Lady Walgrave’s ball. He’d insisted that they leave, eventually muttering, “Dammit, Georgie, I want to bed you.”

  She’d hoped his startling urgency promised a change, but the messy business had been as dull as always.

  Lud!

  Here she was, all disheveled in the bed where she’d lain with her husband.

  No wonder her mother was frowning—her straight-backed, square-shouldered mother, who could make generals quake if she’d a mind to. What on earth was she doing here?

  “Mother? Is this some dream?”

  The Countess of Hernescroft sat down on the bed in a rustle of skirts and took Georgia’s hand. “No, daughter. No dream. Rather, a nightmare. You must be strong. Maybury is dead.”

  “Maybury? Dead?” The words held no meaning.

  “Your husband is dead, killed in a duel fought not two hours ago.”

  “Duel? Why would Dickon fight a duel?” Before her mother could answer, Georgia said, “Dead? He can’t be dead. He was here last night!” She pulled back the covers as if Dickon might be hiding under them.

  Her mother seized her hands, dragging back her attention. “Death can come in a moment, Georgia. You know that. Maybury is dead and you must rise and do what’s necessary.”

  Georgia obeyed the pull of her mother’s hands and climbed out of the big, high bed. But then she broke free.

  “Dead? How can he be dead? A duel? No, no. He’s the most easygoing man in the world!”

  “Maybury met Sir Charnley Vance this morning and died of a sword to the heart.”

  “To the heart?” Georgia whispered, clutching her chest as if she too might be wounded there. Her mind felt blank. She shook her head. “No, no, no. It must be some mistake. A tease. He likes to tease.”

  “Would I be party to such a tease? The proof is at hand. They are laying out his body downstairs. You must dress and go down.” The countess spoke to one side. “Something sober.”

  “I’m not sure there is any such, milady,” Georgia’s maid replied, her voice seeming far away.

  “Then as pale and plain as possible.”

  “I need to use the chamber pot,” Georgia said, grasping onto that natural need. See, life was as normal.

  “Assist her,” her mother commanded Jane.

  “I don’t need assistance.” Georgia hurried into her dressing room and behind the screen.

  Dickon dead?

  He was only twenty-three. No one died at twenty-three.

  Except in wars. Or sometimes of sickness. Or from falling off a horse, or drowning at sea.

  Or in a duel.

  A sword through the heart…

  She sat on the closestool, hugging herself and rocking. Dickon. Her Dickon. Her husband, her friend…

  “Milady,” Jane called, “come on out now. Your lady mother awaits.”

  “Go away.”

  “Your mother—”

  “Send her away.”

  “Oh, milady, do please come out. You can’t—”

  The screen was pulled aside. “Georgia, stop this.” Her mother grabbed her arm and dragged her into the room. “Dress!”

  Jane took over more gently. “There, there, milady. Let’s have your nightgown off. I’ve your ivory lustring—”

  Georgia twitched free. “Stop it, stop it, stop it! You’re both wrong. You have to be wrong!” She escaped clutching hands and ran back through her bedchamber and into her husband’s. “Dickon! Dickon, where are you? You won’t believe what they say.…”

  The bed was disordered. See, he’d just risen.

  She ran toward his dressing room. “Dickon!”
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  His valet appeared in the doorway, a shirt over his arm.

  “He’s in there?” Georgia stepped forward, but tears ran down Pritchard’s pale cheeks and he shook his head.

  She mirrored him, shaking her head. “It isn’t true.”

  “It is, milady. His lordship’s…gone. I’m taking down a fresh shirt. The other one…”

  Georgia kept shaking her head, but the truth was battering its way in.

  Her husband, her friend, her Dickon, was dead.

  “No!” She staggered over to clutch one carved bedpost, to stare at his bed, at the dip in the pillow made by his sleeping head, willing him back.

  But he’d never be back.

  She flung herself on the bed, weeping.

  “Leave her for a moment,” the Countess of Hernescroft said, grasping the maid’s arm but looking at her daughter.

  Such a radiant beauty, the countess thought, such a blithe spirit, and now this tragedy when she was not yet twenty.

  Perhaps it had been a mistake to promote a marriage between Georgia and Maybury when the girl was but sixteen, but she’d been mature beyond her years and already driving men mad. It had seemed simpler to settle her early to a good-natured neighbor only three years older.

  Georgia had been delighted to wed the new Earl of Maybury, whom she knew well. She’d been cock-a-hoop to leave the schoolroom and become mistress of her own properties ahead of her older sister. Maybury had never been able to manage her, however. They should have foreseen that and tied her to someone older.

  “Shall I get a sleeping draught for her, your ladyship?” whispered the maid.