The Other Countess Read Online Free PDF

be good medicine for Her Arrogance.
    Tugging her coif back to reveal the blonde curls on her forehead, Nell knocked on Sir Henry’s door.
    ‘Come!’
    She entered and dipped a curtsy. ‘My lady is ready, my lord.’
    Henry lounged on his bed and beckoned her nearer. Sandy-haired and stocky, he had the fighting spirit of a rough wild bear. ‘Is that so, sweetheart?’ He hooked his arm around her thighs and buried his face in her bodice. ‘Ah, you smell so good, Nell. Rose water?’
    ‘Yes, sir.’ Nell glanced over her shoulder to check she’d closed the door.
    ‘Because you know I like it?’
    ‘It may have crossed my mind, sir.’ She ran her fingers through his hair coyly. Here was another exception that broke down the barriers between the likes of her and her betters. It made her feel powerful to have a man such as Henry lusting after her.
    He nuzzled her midriff. ‘Do you know what’s crossing my mind now, Nell?’
    She giggled. ‘I can guess, my lord.’
    He tugged her down on top of him and ran his hand up under her skirt. ‘But we’ll have to be quick. We shouldn’t keep my sister waiting.’
    Nell squealed as he slapped her bared skin. ‘Oh no, sir, we couldn’t have that. I’ve work to do.’
    ‘Then let us have no further delays.’
    Jane paced the chamber, irritated that her brother did not immediately come on her summons. Henry was always like that, stubbornly keeping to his own time without regard to the wishes of others. Four years older and fresh from Ireland, where he and Ralegh had participated in the ruthless quashing of the Desmond Rebellion, he paid no heed to the views of his younger sister.
    The door opened to reveal Henry lounging in the entrance. His hair looked mussed and his clothes askew.
    ‘At last,’ huffed Jane. Pretending to be the innocent, she had to act as if she did not know the signs of copulation, but doubtless he’d been at it with that little hussy, Nell.
    ‘I got diverted, Janie. I apologize for keeping you.’ He mockingly offered her his arm. ‘You look splendid.’
    ‘You look a mess.’ Thinking of her family honour, she tugged his doublet straight and settled his gold chain across his chest. ‘Have many arrived yet?’
    ‘Yes, there’s been a rush today. Ralegh’s here. Cecil. Sidney’s around the place somewhere. The Mountjoys.’
    Jane smiled despite herself. ‘Good, I rather like Charles.’
    ‘Charles Blount’s a good fellow but not enough coin for you, Janie. His father’s wasting it all on some foolish alchemist. Or perhaps he has his eye on the man’s luscious little daughter. I wouldn’t mind learning alchemy from her.’
    Jane twitched the folds of her skirt straight. ‘Don’t be crude, Henry.’
    Her brother smirked. ‘Oh, and the big news is the arrival of the Earl of Dorset. He’s not had the funds to come to court before, but someone has provided him with the necessary. He’s arrived with several gentlemen and twenty retainers in silk livery.’
    Jane rapidly calculated the cost of fitting out such a household. ‘How old is he?’
    ‘Dorset? Eighteen. You should take a look at him, Janie. Perhaps his lack of coin will be made up by his handsome appearance. He’ll be seeking a girl with a dowry like yours.’
    Jane dismissed the young earl as being far too likely to outlive her. She needed someone infirm and gullible. ‘And when does the Queen arrive?’
    ‘Tomorrow. That’s when the celebrations really begin.’ He rubbed his hands. ‘I can’t wait.’
    Ellie sat at the end of the table occupied by Mountjoy’s household. The banqueting hall was rapidly filling up, and the servers were having a difficult time keeping pace with the healthy appetites of the young lords and ladies gathered for the feast. Ellie did not think anyone was watching her so she enjoyed herself spying on the others as she cut her capon into tiny mouthfuls to prolong the savoury taste, a marked improvement on her usual fare. The flavouring was