The Widowed Countess by Linda Rae Sande Read Free Book Online

tears began dripping down her cheeks. Before long, Dorothea’s cheeks were just as wet.

    Later that night, after a casual dinner with her mother-in-law and an evening in the parlor reviewing plans for David’s funeral service, Clarinda dismissed her maid and climbed into bed. Settling herself into one of the pillows, she was struck by the scent of David that suddenly wafted over her. She closed her eyes and breathed in the familiar fragrances; sandalwood and citrus, and the musk he gave off when they had just finished making love.
    “I always wondered if you liked that particular scent,” David said in a whisper. “I still can’t decide if I do.”
    Smiling, Clarinda reached up as if to cup her hand along his jaw, sure she could feel the rough texture of his unshaven face. “I do like it, David. I always have,” she answered in a whisper. “In fact, I’m thinking of forbidding the maid to ever wash these pillow coverings,” she said with a grin.
    “Ewww,” David replied with a frown. “There’s a bottle of cologne in my room. If you like it that much, simply sprinkle it on your linens ...”
    “I like it on you , silly man,” Clarinda interrupted him. They shared several moments of silence. “I saw you in the park today,” she said then, her voice quieter. The hand against his face moved up so her fingers could slide through his dark, silken hair.
    “Hmm. It was a nice day for a ride,” he said, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead. Clarinda closed her eyes and relished the sensation.
    “Your mother is here.”
    David nodded. “I saw.” After a time, he said, “She lacks subtlety, but she means well, Clare. If Daniel is stubborn, as I expect he may be, you may have to apply some ... feminine encouragement.”
    Clarinda blinked, her brows furrowing. “What? What do you mean?”
    David leaned over and kissed her on the nose. “I love you, Clare,” he said in a whisper.
    Clarinda’s eyes closed as his lips took purchase on hers, the kiss so gentle it was almost ethereal. When her eyes opened again, David was gone.

Chapter 6
    Impending Fatherhood Makes for a Fool in Love
    Milton Grandby, Earl of Torrington, entered White’s at precisely seven o’clock. His arrival each night was so precisely timed, other gentlemen set their chronometers based on when he stepped into the men’s club. One of the club’s butlers was even spied resetting a mantle clock above a fireplace a moment after the earl took his usual seat.
    Grandby’s visits, usually finished in forty-five minutes so that he might arrive home at precisely eight o’clock for dinner with his wife, afforded him an opportunity to enjoy a pre-dinner drink and a cheroot. He spent the time conferring with other members of the peerage, taking a peek at the betting books, and listening to the day’s gossip. Ensconced in his favorite overstuffed chair, he sipped a brandy as he surreptitiously listened to the conversation of some gentlemen at a card table. Although Grandby wasn’t a gossip monger, he still rather enjoyed hearing it whenever he had the chance.
    “I have rather momentous news to share this evening,” Viscount Barrings was saying proudly as he finished shuffling a new deck of cards.
    “Did your horse finally win a race?” Jeffrey Althorpe, Baron Sommers asked, his elevated eyebrow suggesting his comment was made in jest. Lord Barrings frowned. He dealt the cards as if he’d been doing it since he was in leading strings.

Lord Everly leaned in to pick up his cards, his lit cheroot sending tendrils of smoke in its wake. “Now, now, Jeffrey. Don’t be making fun of Barrings’ bay. That nag came in second last week,” the earl scolded. The adventurer had been in London only a fortnight, his most recent trip having been to the southernmost tip of Africa in search of tropical fish. His avocation – the study of natural sciences – had him traveling around the globe more often than he was home in London. The man could be