An Unlikely Countess Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  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

  Chapter 37

  Author’s Note

  Teaser chapter

  Praise for the Novels of Jo Beverley

  The Secret Duke

  “Lies, deception, and hidden identities ramp up the intrigue as a fascinating pair of protagonists join a familiar cast and provide another enchanting trip into Beverley’s beautifully rendered, delightfully licentious Malloren world.”

  —Library Journal

  “With its seductive mix of danger, deception, and desire, the latest addition to this RITA Award winner’s Georgian-set Malloren series is classic Beverley.”

  —Booklist

  “The detail is fabulous and the restrained passion is stellar. A great read!”—Fresh Fiction

  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 brings back some of the characters from Winter Fire as she takes her readers into the dangerous, intriguing, and opulent world of Georgian England. Her strong characters and finely honed dialogue, combined with a captivating love story, are a pleasure to read.”

  —Romantic Times

  “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

  Praise for Other Novels by

  New York Times Bestselling Author Jo Beverley

  “A delightful, intricately plotted, and sexy romp.”

  —Library Journal

  “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

  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

  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,

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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, March

  Copyright © Jo Beverley, 2011 All rights reserved

  REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA

  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.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-47733-5

  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.

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  Chapter 1

  Northallerton, Yorkshire

  March 1765

  He was drunk, but could still see well enough in the dimly lit street. Well enough to detect ruffians at work. And that the victim was a woman.

  Catesby Burgoyne grinned, drew his sword, and charged. At his battle cry the ruffians whirled toward him, eyes white rimmed, mouths agape. And then they fled.

  Cate staggered to a halt, flailing his sword. “Come back!” he roared. “Come back, you scum, and meet my blade!”

  Only their fleeing footsteps answered.

  “Damn your blasted eyes,” he muttered. “A bit of slaughter’s just what I need.”

  A breathy sound made him turn, sword rising again, but it was only the woman, leaning against a house wall, staring at him.

  The narrow street was lit only by two feeble householder lamps, so all he could see was pallor and shadows. Pale face surrounded by loose, pale hair. A dark gown that covered her neck to toe. Gown was respectable. Hair wasn’t. Couldn’t be respectable, could she, out alone at night?

  He shoved his sword back into its scabbard. “You must be new to the trade, sweetheart, to dress so dully.” Damnation, where were his manners? No need to be crass because she was a whore and he was at odds with the world.

  He bowed. “Catesby Burgoyne, ma’am, at your service. May I escort you to your destination?”

  She shook her head, mute.

  He walked closer to see her better. She tried to shrink back, but the wall was relentless.

  “Please . . .” she whispered. A thin hand clutched a shawl at her chest as if it could be a breastplate.

  Cate was trying to come up with reassurance when a door opened nearby and a flat Yorkshire voice asked, “Wot’s going on ’ere, then?”

  The stocky man carried a candle that illuminated his face and straggling hair more than them. Even so, the woman turned away as if to hide her face.

  She had a reputation to lose?

  “The lady was attacked, sir,” Cate said, striving to hide all trace of gin from his voice. “The villains have fled and I’ll see her safely home.”

  The man peered, but like all sane people, he didn’t go looking for trouble. Probably Cate’s aristocratic tone helped him along that path. “Good night to ye, then,” he said, and shut his door.

  Cate turned back to the woman. She still stared at him, but the intervention of someone from the ordinary world seemed to have restored her voice.

  “I must thank you, Mr. Burgoyne,” she said on uneven breaths. “But, please, there’s no need to delay you longer.”

  A well-bred voice. Her left hand bore no ring. Where was her father or brother to permit this?

  “I may not be the most perfect of gentlemen, ma’am, but I cannot leave a lady to walk the night streets alone.”

  “I live very close by. . . .”

  “Then this will delay me little.”

  He gestured her onward. He’d commanded men in battle. Surely he could command one ordinary woman. She did move forward, stiff with wariness.

  Or anger?

  Now, that was interesting. He assessed her as best he could in the gloom. Hard to judge her looks, but her features seemed set in . . . resentment. Yes, that was it. Resentment. She might have reason to be wary of him, but why in Hades should she resent him? She was also dawdling, but he would not be put off.

  “Your direction, ma’am?”

  She quickened her steps as if she might outpace him—a thin, sour thing, all sharp angles and antipathy.

  He kept up without effort. “Unwise to venture out alone so late, ma’am.”

  “I merely wished to walk.”

  “I have no pressing engagements. If you desire a stroll, I could escort you for miles.”

  Her angles became harder, which vaguely amused him. A blessing that, on such a dismal day.

  They’d arrived at the main street of the town. He saw no one else on foot, but this was also the Great North Road, lined with inns, all still open, hoping for late trade. A coach rattled by and turned through the arch to the Golden Lion, the best inn in town.

  To the left lay the Queen’s Head, a mangy, ill-run place where he’d failed to drown his sorrows. He’d escaped into fresh air, but fresh March air was cold up here in Yorkshire, and the next London coach didn’t pass by until early morning. He’d need a bed for the night somewhere, but could only afford to share a room with others.

  The woman was simply standing there.

  “Forgotten where you live, ma’am?” he drawled.

  She turned sharply to face him. “Why are you walking the streets at night?”

  “A man is allowed to, ma’am. Especially one with a sword, who knows how to use it.”

  “Men are allowed anything, whilst we poor women have no rights at a
ll.”

  Ah. “What man in particular has offended you? I have a sword and know how to use it.”

  She gave a short laugh. “You’ll not call out my brother.”

  “He wouldn’t fight?”

  “Only in court. He’s a lawyer.”

  “The lowest form of scum.”

  He meant it as the general, common gibe, but she said, “He is indeed.”

  What had the fraternal scum done to her? Something he could avenge? He was done with war, but at this moment bloody violence would be immensely satisfying.

  “His name and location?” he demanded.

  “You’re ridiculous.”

  “Perhaps he has an excuse for scumminess if you flail him with such a razor tongue.”

  “You’d be sharp if . . . Oh!” It was pure exasperation. “I suppose, being a man, you’ll insist on having your way. Very well.”

  She marched across the street and into a lane lined by rows of small cottages, where she stopped by the fourth door. “Good night, sir.”

  The breathy hiss was angry, but cautious. So, she didn’t want to alert the neighbors to her improper behavior. The only light here escaped from a couple of shuttered windows, but Cate could tell her small house probably had only two rooms on each floor. From her bearing and speech, she’d come down in the world.

  “Is your brother inside?” he asked quietly.

  “No, thank God.”

  “Will he be back soon?”

  “Live here? Aaron?” She laughed, but quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

  Something was wrong here, and he found lame ducks so hard to ignore. It was the bane of his life.

  “If you were to invite me in, ma’am, perhaps I could advise you.”