The Countess Intrigue by Wendy May Andrews

minutes had gone by. It felt as though she had aged several years in the last two days. Elizabeth wondered if he would allow her to be served a drink containing spirits. She thought rather wildly for the first time in her life that she might need the fortification. She actually laughed at her own thoughts. When she felt the earl’s questioning gaze resting upon her she realized she had laughed out loud. Elizabeth could feel the heat creeping into her cheeks with mortification. She really was in danger of losing her mind.
    They had arrived at an establishment called The Ball and Castle. It looked to be a respectable enough place. Her mouth had grown dry and she looked forward to some sort of fortification. She doubted the earl would order her any sort of spirits, but even a lemonade would do at this point. Elizabeth was shocked to feel the familiar shiver of awareness trickle up her spine as the earl lifted her down from his curricle despite her feelings of anger and outrage toward him. Her life was getting murkier by the moment. She wished she had someone she could discuss everything with, but her dearest friend was unavailable to her. She would have to deal with this on her own. Elizabeth determined to make idle conversation with the earl until he returned her home. She reassured herself that she was safe with him at least until after they were wed. And the man would most likely want his heir at some point as he had told her that was his reason for seeking another countess. No doubt he would keep her alive for at least a little while after the marriage. She would have to keep her wits about her and learn as much as possible about him in the meantime.
    The delighted landlord quickly showed them to a private dining room and left them to a strained silence that was only broken when he returned with two glasses of lemonade and a plate of biscuits that were far more delicious than they appeared. Elizabeth sighed silently with reluctance but then strove for conversation.
    “Tell me about Heath, my lord.”
    She knew her question surprised him, but she was discomfited to see that it also looked as though he was delighted over it. He launched into an enthusiastic speech about all the aspects and merits of his ancestral estate. Despite herself she grew interested and questioned him on many details.
    “Do you have other properties in addition to Heath, my lord?” She could tell by his raised eyebrow that he was remembering his request that she call him by his Christian name, but she was nowhere near comfortable enough to do that at this juncture. She ignored the look and awaited his answer.
    “I do, actually. I shall be happy to settle them on our younger sons if we should be blessed with many children.” His answer made her blush to her roots and wonder if perhaps he was considering not killing her. She would have to find out as much as possible about his first countess in order to determine why she had died. There was no way she could condone the killing, but perhaps he had some sort of a reason that made sense to him. She rather liked the thought of remaining upon this earth. Even though the inn was comfortable and remarkably well appointed, Elizabeth had no wish to linger and was relieved when the earl suggested they return to Town as soon as they had finished off their collation.
    She tried to keep up a steady stream of chatter as they returned to the carriage. She had so many conflicting feelings to deal with and hoped fervently he didn’t notice or at least wouldn’t ask about them. Elizabeth sucked in her breath as he hoisted her up onto her seat, but was relieved when he didn’t comment even though the light dancing in his eyes made her think he had noticed. Ignoring her reaction, she asked him another question about Heath.
    They continued to discuss his estate, tenants, and crops as they drove back to Mayfair. As he was dropping her off at her home Elizabeth thought with amazement, if it was not for the fact that she