Married to the Viscount Read Free Page B

his game. Too late to undo the damage, judging from the shrewd gleam in Lady Brumley’s eye.
    “You seem to know a great deal about Miss Mercer,” the gossip said. “Perhaps she wasn’t as dark and plain as your brother claims. What did you think of her looks, Ravenswood?”
    Thankfully, he was spared answering when the door to the dining room opened to admit his butler. When McFee approached the table and bent close enough to reveal an unnatural pallor beneath his ruddy Scottish skin, Spencer knew something was wrong.
    “What is it?” Spencer asked in a low tone.
    “I must speak to you privately, my lord.”
    McFee probably had news of Nat. Spencer rose and faced his guests. “I beg your indulgence, but I must step into the hall a moment.”
    Amid murmurs of polite assent, Spencer strode out of the dining room with McFee at his heels, only waiting until he’d shut the door to ask, “What’s happened?”
    “There is a female waiting to see you.”
    Spencer scowled. McFee only used the term “female” with certain sorts of women. By God, if Nat had sent some tart with a message…“What does she want?”
    “To speak to you.”
    “About my brother?”
    “No, my lord.”
    Relief flooded Spencer. “Then tell her to return tomorrow. I have no time for this tonight.”
    “She was most insistent. And I believe you should probably speak to her.”
    Spencer raised one eyebrow at his butler’s presumption. “Why? Who is she?”
    “You see…well…that is…”
    “For God’s sake, spit it out,” Spencer said impatiently. “I don’t have all night.”
    McFee drew himself up with wounded dignity. “She claims to be Lady Ravenswood. Your wife.”
     
    “My what?!”
    The cry echoed down the hall to the magnificent high-ceilinged foyer where Abigail Mercer waited with her servant, Mrs. Graham. Abby pricked up her ears. “I think his lordship has been informed of our arrival.”

    “Thank the good Lord.” Mrs. Graham scowled. “That Mr. La-Di-Da of a butler was acting so strange I wondered if he would even announce us.”
    Abby bit back a smile. Mrs. Graham had been with the Mercer family for an eternity, first as Abby’s nursemaid and later as general family servant. Though the aging widow could be a grouse at times, Abby couldn’t imagine doing without her. “Well, I feared we had the wrong house, especially with all the carriages in front. His lordship must be having guests for dinner, though why he’d do that on the night of our arrival—”
    “I just want to know why he didn’t have nobody at the docks to fetch us. Didn’t you tell him what ship we was coming on, milady?”
    “I certainly did. And how odd that his lordship wasn’t more solicitous of our comfort. I thought we should never find a hired coach to carry us here.”
    A commotion at the other end of the hall, doors opening and closing and the murmur of various voices, drew Abby’s attention. Lord Ravenswood was probably explaining to his guests why he was being called away.
    Mrs. Graham frowned. “His lordship sure sounded surprised to hear of our arrival. But I think, milady—”
    Abby burst into laughter. “Heavens, would you stop calling me that? Bad enough that you insisted I wear this ridiculous corset. But the ‘milady’ you drop into every sentence is really overdoing it. I keep looking around to see whom you mean.”
    Mrs. Graham sniffed. “Better get used to it. You’re a viscountess now.”
    “I don’t feel like a viscountess. I can hardly even think of Lord Ravenswood as a viscount. In America, he was more like a country gentleman. He always made me feel at ease.”
    “I say it’s about time some man treated you like the finelass you are. But I didn’t like that proxy wedding business, and poor Mr. Nathaniel Law having to stand in for his brother—”
    “I didn’t mind it so much. This isn’t a love match, you know. I can hardly expect romantic behavior from his lordship.”
    Then again, the way he’d