Loving a Lost Lord by Mary Jo Putney Read Free Book Online Page A

doing?”
    â€œFairly well, all considering. Go to the kitchen and make more tea while Mr. Hayes and I get the nightshirt onto your patient,” Julia replied. “I’ll talk to you there.”
    Mariah nodded agreement and headed downstairs. The sky was lightening and soon Mrs. Beckett and the kitchen maid would be rising. Smothering a yawn, Mariah added coal to the fire and hung a kettle to heat. She also found a loaf of bread and sliced several pieces to toast. By the time Julia arrived, there was tea, toast, and marmalade waiting. As Mariah poured for them, she asked, “What happened to Tom Hayes?”
    â€œHe decided he would rather have another hour of sleep than an early breakfast.” Julia spread marmalade on her toast and bit in with enthusiasm. After swallowing and taking a sip of tea, she continued, “I don’t like to talk about patients within earshot, even if they seem to be asleep. They may hear and understand more than we think.”
    Mariah set her cup down, her heartbeat accelerating. “Is Adam in danger?”
    â€œHe’s young and strong and I think he’ll recover well,” Julia assured her. “But I’m no physician, and I’ve had no experience with serious head wounds.”
    â€œShould I send to Carlisle for a surgeon or physician?”
    â€œYou could, but to be honest, I don’t know if they would be able to do much more than I have. Head injuries are mysterious. All one can do is wait and see how they heal.”
    Mariah was inclined to agree. Julia had already cleaned the wound and put salve on it. A surgeon would probably do the same, and charge more for the privilege. “I suppose you’re wondering why I never mentioned having a husband.”
    â€œI must admit I’m curious. But secrets are something of a specialty of mine.” She smiled wryly as she took another piece of toast. “I have enough of my own.”
    In other words, Julia would not gossip about the strange man and his relationship to the heiress of Hartley Manor. Yet Mariah found that she had a powerful urge to unburden herself. “May I tell you the whole story?”
    After Julia nodded, Mariah tersely described the pressure she’d been feeling from George Burke, her impulsive claim of a husband, and the fortuitous arrival of the man from the sea. “I hope that he regains his memory quickly. And that when he does, he’ll cooperate in helping me get rid of Burke once and for all.”
    â€œBut he might not regain his memory, and he is already most attached to you,” Julia pointed out. “I think his belief that you are his wife is his anchor in a frightening time. What will you do if he doesn’t remember his old life, and he wants to claim his marital rights? Men do tend to want to do that.”
    Marital rights. The toast suddenly tasted like ashes. “I…hadn’t thought that far ahead.” She imagined those green eyes close to hers, that well-muscled body holding her close, and shivered. But not with revulsion. “If we like each other, I’ll whisk him off to Gretna Green and make it official. From what I’ve seen of my man from the sea, I’d rather have him than George Burke!”
    â€œA total stranger, of unknown family and parentage?” Julia’s brows arched. “One who might have a wife and children elsewhere?”
    Mariah choked on her tea. “I didn’t think of that! How awful for them, believing him dead!”
    â€œWe don’t know that he has a family, any more than we know that he doesn’t. But my guess is that somewhere, people are missing him. It’s a rare man who can disappear without anyone being concerned.” Julia smiled encouragingly. “There’s a good chance this situation will resolve itself within a day or two as your Adam recovers from the shock of his injuries and near drowning. I don’t think he could speak so sensibly if