Her Counterfeit Husband (3 page)

Taking a tentative step toward Appleton, she whispered,
“You said he looks
like my husband?”

“He’s been beaten, but there’s no denying the resemblance.”

The gentleman groaned but didn’t move.

Curious,
she approached him
.
H
is eyes
were
closed and
his
mouth
was
open as he strug
gled for breath.  It was
alarming
to see him covered in blood, a
nasty
cut on his forehead
and
bruises lining the side of his face.  His clothes spoke of a commoner, but his face was hor
ri
bly reminiscent of the husband
she’d just buried.

She glanced at Appleton before she proceeded forward.  While Appleton held the lantern for her to
get a better look at the stranger, she bent over him.  “Sir
?”

He gave no response.  Uncertain, she looked back at Appleton.

“He might
be the answer to our prayers, Your G
race,” Appleton softly told her.

Could he be?
  She turned her atten
tion to the stranger and examined
his blond hair.  It was hard to tell in the dim light, bu
t it seemed to be the same shade
as her husband’s.  She inspected the rest of him, sizing up his height and build.  If she wasn’t seeing it with her own eyes, she would never have believed it.  This stranger…this gentleman who was in no way of noble birth…could pass for her husband.

The stranger let out a slight moan of pain, and something in her snapped.  “We have
to help him.”

“I’ll get him
, Your G
race,” Appleton said,
handing
her the lantern.  She stepped back
and held it for him as he gently
lifted the stranger
.  “He needs help.  If we’re not careful, we’re going to lose him.”

It took her a moment to realize he meant that this stranger could die if they didn’t tend to his wounds.  “But…  Who can we get to help him?  No one will believe my husband got beat up like this.”

“I have a friend
who won’t ask questions.”

Surprised, she asked, “You do?”

“An old friend.  I haven’t seen him in years.
He went to study medicine while I went to work for your husband’s father.”

“Will he be upset that we went
to
him at this late hour
?” she asked as he gingerly carried the stranger to the carriage.

“No.  I believe he’ll be too concerned about this gentleman
’s wounds
.”

“But what will we say?  We can’t tell him we buried my husband and found this stranger on the road.”

“I’ll tell him this is your husban
d and he got into a nasty brawl.  I don’t think he’ll ask anything beyond that.”

“Then what?”

“Then we as
k this stranger if he’ll
pretend he’s your husband.”

She halted in her tracks for a moment until she could comprehend what he was saying.  She quickly started walking again so she could open the carriage door for him.  After she removed her cloak and set it on the seat so it wouldn’t
stain with
the stranger’s
blood
, Appleton
settled him
along the length of the seat
.

Appleton turned to face her.  “Do you want to sit with him?”

She studied the stranger.  His head was tilte
d to the side and his eyes were
closed.  She doubted he would wake up before they reached their destination.  “I’ll sit in here,” she decided.  And if nothing else, perhaps she could make sure he didn’t slide off the seat.

“If you change your mind, tap on the roof and I’ll stop,” Appleton replied.

With a nod, she let him help
her into the carriage and sat across from
the stranger, close enough to help him remain in place if needed but far enough so she wouldn’t have to touch him
if she didn’t have to
.  As Appleton shut the door, she dared a
nother
good look at the stranger.
 
She couldn’t see anything but his silhouette, but even so, the likeness between him and her husband sent a chill up her s
pine.  Oh God, let him
be a kind gentleman, she prayed.
  If they could just work out an agreement and get along amiably enough, it would solve all her problems.

The carriage moved forward
.  She rubbed her eyes and thought of what an exhausting day it’d been.  So much had happened and was still happening.  She knew her li
fe would never be the same
, but the question
lingering in her mind
was
whether it would
be bet
ter or worse
?  She turned her gaze to the stranger who remained unconscious.  Only time would tell if she and Appleton had made a wise move or a tragic mistake.

“W
hat do you think?  Will he live?” A
ppleton asked his friend, Dr.
Grant, after he
tended to the stranger’s wounds.

Anna stood up from where she waited in the drawing room with Appleton.  Dawn was still a ways off, but she hoped to make it back to Camden while it was still dark so they could sneak back in undetected.  Any kind of light might be their undoing.  Forcing her attention off the wi
ndow, she turned to the doctor
.  She
hadn’t understood how close the stranger had
been to death when they arrived at the doctor’s residence, b
ut now that she did, it was a wonder he survived the carriage ride.

Dr.
Grant wiped his hands on a clean towel.  “Yes, he’ll live, but if you hadn’t brought him here when you did, he’d probably be dead.” He looked at Anna a
nd smiled.  “I hate to say it, Your G
race, but your husband knows how to get himself into trouble.”

Offering a weak smile in return, she said, “He’s a gentleman who isn’t afraid to speak his mind.” At least that was the truth.

“Apparently not.  But luck was with him tonight.  He susta
ined some injuries to his head, ribs, back and shoulder
.  I’ll give you some medicine to help speed his recovery.  With enough care and attention, he should be as good as new in due time.”

“Can we take him home?” she asked, hoping her desperation to get back didn’t show.

Appleton glance
d at her before he added, “His G
rac
e is more comfortable at home
.”

Recalling the old sheets on her husband’s bed, Anna decided she’d change them before they let the stranger sleep in that bed.

“I’ll
help you take him home,” Dr.
Grant said as he led them out of the drawing room.

She shot Appleton a startled look, so Appleton spoke up on her behalf.  “There’s no need to go through all that trouble.  All that we
ask is that you keep tonight’s events to yourself.  We don’t want word to get around abou
t His G
race’s undesirable behavior.
  The last thing we need is a scandal.
”

“You have my word.  I won’t tell a soul.”

Relieved, Anna followed the gentlemen down the hallway and to the room where
the stranger was resting
.
  She still shivered when she looked at him, even though he wasn’t her husband.  If she hadn’t buried her husband, she’d swear this man was him.

To her surprise, the stranger
opened his eyes.  She shot a startled look at Appleton.  All they needed was
for him
to tell Dr.
Grant that he had no idea who they were.

“I see tha
t you’re awake,” the doctor
told him
,
checking the bandage on his forehead
.  “You’re a fortunate gentleman.”

Appleton cle
ared his throat.
“May I have a word with you, in private
, Doctor
?”

“Certainly.”
He
nodded
as he lifted the bed sheet to check
the gauze around his
ribs
.
“Everything looks good.”
W
ith a slight bow
, he
set the sheet back down.
“I’ll be back shortly.  I’m sure you’d like a moment alone with your wife.”

The stranger’s eyes darted to Anna, and she nearly froze on the spot.  If he said she wasn’t his wife, then everything would be ruined.  A very tense moment passed before Anna realized he w
asn’t going to respond to Dr.
Grant’s statement.  Slightly relieved, she finally smiled in an attempt to become friends with him.

Appleton and
the doctor
left the room.  As Appleton turned to shut the door, he looked in her direction, sending her a silent message that wished her luck.  She gave a slight nod and waited for the door to close before she went to the stranger’s bedside.  She pulled up a chair and sat next to him.

She smiled again and was rewarded when he smiled at her in return.  Well, that was good.  He was at least friendlier than her husband had been.  It seemed all he could do was scowl, unless he was having fun at another’s expense.  Shifting in her seat so she could lean forward, she lowered her voice.  “
I can’t begin to imagine what you must be thinking, but if you’ll kindly let me state my case, perhaps we can work out
an arrangement that will benefit us both.”

He held his hand up to stop her from speaking further and cleared his throat.  “You’re my wife?”

Her face flushed.  “Oh, yes.  About that, I—”

“You’re beautiful.”

She paused,
surprised that was
his response.  He should have been asking her what was going on since he’d never laid eyes on her a day in his life.  “Excuse me?”

“I’m afraid I don’t remember you.”

“No, you don’t.”

He winced and rubbed his forehead.  “I’m afraid I don’t remember anything.”

Unsure of what he meant by “
anything
”, she decided to help clarify the situation.  “I think I can help.  I’m a duchess.”

“I’m a duke?”

“Well…yes.  I mean, if you want to be.”

“It’s who I am, isn’t it?  You’re my wife, and if you’re a duchess, then it means I must be a duke.”

Her eyebrows furrowed.  “You don’t remember who you are?”

He shook his head and reached out to hold her hand.  He gave it a gentle squeeze before letting out a low sigh.  “I don’t remember anything.  I can’t remember my name, my age, where I live, what I do, or…” He glanced around the room then lowered his gaze to his body.  “Or how I ended up here.  But you know all of that because you’re my wife, right?”

She studied him, trying to determine if he was being sincere or having fun at her expense.  His green eyes met hers, and she knew he was telling her the truth.  He squeezed her hand again, and she looked down at the way his hand was clasped around hers.  It wa
s a soft touch, not threatening and certainly
not demanding.  She returned her gaze to his.  He seemed like the kind
of gentleman who’d help her
if he understood the situation, but since he didn’t remember his past, then perhaps it wasn’t necessary to divulge everything.

“Will you excuse me for a moment?” she asked him.

“You’ll be coming back?”

“Yes.  I won’t be but a couple minutes.”

He nodded.  “All right.”

Thanking him, she stood up and hurried out o
f the room.  Quietly shutting the door
behind her, she strode down the hall until she came to the drawing room wher
e Appleton was talking to Dr.
Grant
.