Nina sat beside the sick bed of a virtual stranger. He no longer resembled the handsome young man she’d met seven years earlier. The strong, athletic man with sandy brown hair and clear blue eyes was now bloated and pale.

Their ritual, monthly letters had gone from ideas of young love and marriage to the staid motions of remembrances of important occasions; he never forgot her birthday, nor she his. At the time they met, she’d been just eighteen, thrilled that her father approved of their engagement. They’d met five times socially before Wallace Arret asked for her hand.

It was agreed at the time he’d finish his schooling first in order to provide for Nina and their family. She should have known there were faults with the contract, but she’d been brought up to see the positive in all situations and forced a calm front when asked about her missing fiancé and impending marriage.

Never once did Nina let on that she felt imprisoned by the marriage contract, for she was allowed little time to socialize after its completion. She was off the market and was supposed to wait until the wedding before having a social life again, even though they hadn’t set a date nor did she wear his ring. While the balls and endless dances during the season used to annoy her, Nina found herself longing for the thrill of a new dress and a dance at one of the many socials.

In the first years, Wallace made a point of coming back to London for the Christmas season. By the third year, he’d been too busy to travel. After that, he’d only come back once more, after five years, when he promised his education was almost complete. Although most men finished in four, he apparently needed another year and still another. In all those years, she’d been stagnating at home, waiting for the man she hoped he’d be.

In the first years, he’d sent her fans and handkerchiefs as tokens of love. No painted miniatures or jewelry set with gems ever arrived for her. After the third year, he’d stopped sending her anything but the quarterly letter that updated her on his studies. Of course, she was a mere woman and wouldn’t understand the complexities of his work, so he didn’t bother to share it with her.

Her letters became jaded, musing over the weather and hoping his health continued so he could finish his courses and return to her. In actuality, none of this happened. With time, she became relieved by the distance.

When the letter from Viscount Jacob Mansley arrived, explaining that Mr. Arret had fallen from a scaffolding while working on a renovation, her father had flown into a panic. He insisted, after a subtle whisper from his new wife, that Nina must journey from London to Southampton to care for her injured fiancé.

At twenty five, Nina Harbin found herself in a stranger’s home with no real prospect for a fruitful future. While Dartmoor, Lord Mansley’s country estate seemed lovely from the glimpse she was allowed upon arriving, her intuition told her this was not going to be the loving reunion she’d once longed for.

Wallace lay comfortably sleeping in a laudanum haze. His right leg was splinted and wrapped, carefully placed so the bones would heal properly aligned.

Tea was brought to her on a tray, for which she was grateful. Sitting before the fire, she indulged her appetite for the small sandwiches and sweets offered. Nina knew she was supposed to eat sparingly to keep her figure slim but in reality, she was hungry almost all the time. Her five-foot-seven-inch frame craved sustenance, though her corset reminded her not to over-indulge.

She wandered around the guest room, feeling the texture of the finely woven cloth used for draperies and bedding. The deep purple was offset by intricate patterns of dark blue swirls. White trim softened the room’s overall appearance. It would have been a cheerful room if not for the depressing smell of sickness that clung to it. The footman who had taken her bags when she arrived showed her directly to Wallace’s room, not giving her a chance to freshen from her journey.

As darkness approached, Nina watched from the second story window as several men on horseback arrived at the main entrance. While she couldn’t hear their words, she saw the humor they shared over something she’d never know. Two of the men left as the third entered the house. From the distance, Nina could only see a dark-haired man, tall with wide shoulders.

Something inside her melted. A feeling she’d never experienced before, the sensation was oddly appealing. She wondered what Lady Mansley was like. At first thought, Nina decided the lady of the house was very lucky. With a pause she thought longer, wondering if Lord Mansley had become a disappointment to his bride.

She ate the superbly prepared meal brought to her later in the evening and longed for the maid to talk to her. She knew nothing about Wallace’s convalescence and wondered how long she was meant to stay. Nina fell asleep in the armchair near the fireplace, waiting for Wallace to wake up.

*****

She was rudely awakened long after nightfall. The fire was still burning, but Wallace was groaning in his stupor of lucidity.

“Wallace, it’s Nina. I’ve come to take care of you,” she told him over and over while using a soft cloth to blot his sweating brow.

“Nina who?” he asked, taking the cloth from her hand and throwing it against the door. “I need my medicine, now. Go and get it.” He dropped back on the pillows, exhausted from his short tirade.

Nina stood to the side, uncomfortable with the entire incident. Not recognizing her was understandable, and his attitude could be brought on by pain, but the tone of his temper made her leery. She saw no medications and decided someone in the household would know when it was time to administer them. But after several more similar outbursts, she pulled the cord to summon the butler. He would be the person to ask about the medicine.

Daylen, as he introduced himself, arrived shortly with a small tray and a glass upon it. It was half full with liquid.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but he’s woken several times complaining of pain. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“I’ll take care of him, Miss.”

Nina watched the older man bend at the waist and hoist Wallace up on the pillows, repeatedly trying to get the liquid down his throat. When he finally woke, he drank the mixture without question, all but pleading for another dose.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Arret, we have strict orders about your medications. Let me settle you more comfortably, and then you can speak with your fiancée.”

“My what? Don’t tell me some twit sent for that bland girl to come and nurse me? Whose stupid idea was that? I’ll never get any peace with her hovering over me.”

Nina managed to hold back her stunned cry. Instantly, she understood that, to Wallace, she was nothing more than a name and bank account. And he’d kept her life hanging for seven years. Sadness encompassed her being for all her lost youth.

Daylen cleared his throat several times, before finally say, “Mr. Arret, Miss Harbin is here.” His words filtered to Wallace, who finally stopped complaining.

Scanning the room, he spotted her near the fireplace. Nina watched as he schooled his expression.

“Miss Harbin, it was good of you to come to visit me after this terrible accident.” His voice had softened until Daylen scoffed quietly at his words. “Get out, you old fool,” he added. The butler moved quietly from the room, acknowledging Nina with a slight bow.

“Nina, forgive me, I’m in so much pain I’m half out of my mind most of the time. It was good of you to come.”

His smile was forced, more of a sneer, she decided, and she wanted to say she had no choice but instead nodded her head. Moving closer, she hesitated, bringing her chair beside the bed but beyond Wallace’s reach.

“How did this happen, Wallace? Lord Mansley’s letter didn’t describe your accident in detail, only that you were injured.”

“It was a ghastly accident; I’ll never forget the boards giving way beneath me, and the feeling of falling until I hit the ground. My leg, Nina, it will never be the same.” He turned his head away, but she saw his lips twist into a grin in the low light of the oil lamp.

“How long will it take to recover? Have the doctors told you?”

“Doctors, they’re all alike. They have no real idea of how truly it hurts, and would rather spout their platitudes about recuperation with exercise. Can you imagine, they want me to try and sit in a chair during the day, they want me to try and bear my weight on this mangled leg?”

“How long ago was your fall?” From the letter, she’d assumed it had been days. His answer surprised her.

“It’s been three months, and already they want me to try and move. They’re all crazy, the lot of them. They even seek to limit my medications.” His voice lowered, and his finger beckoned her closer. “Nina, you could get it for me. The butler keeps it. All you’d have to do is tell him you’ll take care of it.”

“Wallace, I’ve no medical training. I’m sure Mr. Daylen is following the doctor’s orders.”

Nina had been unhappy about the trip, but now she became wary of the man before her. He seemed sinister and snide rather than the polite charming man she’d danced with.

She wasn’t prepared for the tirade he loosed on her. “You whore, you’re more baggage than you’re worth. Bloody tart.” He coughed several times and let out a heavy sigh.

Nina backed away, unable to believe he would utter such foul words in her presence.

Muttering to himself more than to her, he continued, “Just my bad luck the mousey strumpet has a bank account.”

Nina didn’t stifle her gasp at his tone.

“If you’re going to hover than be of some use, you lousy titmouse, get me my medicine!”

This was a side of Wallace she’d never experienced and hoped to never see again.

She froze in place when he took the water carafe from the bedside table and threw it in her direction. The short scream left her throat before she could stop it, the glass shattering all around the bedside, the water seeping into the fine carpet.

The door swung inward seconds later. It was the first time Nina saw the man she assumed was Viscount Mansley in person. She found her mind went blank, and she wasn’t able to utter any comprehensible words.

“Arret, I’ve told you before, stop harassing my staff or I’ll throw you in the barn.” He glanced toward her and paused, realizing she wasn’t one of his staff.

“Then get me my medicine!”

“You’ve had your evening dose. Just calm yourself and go to sleep.” Reaching his hand toward Nina, Lord Mansley added, “My lady, why not leave him to rest? Tomorrow he will be in a better humor.”

She took his outstretched hand to help her around the broken glass. “Thank you,” she managed, surprised by his calloused fingers.

“It was just too much to have visitors all day” he said, escorting her from the room.

In the hallway, Nina stopped dead. Her patience was long gone, and she couldn’t hold her tongue. “I would gladly have left him to rest, except my meals were brought to me in there and no one told me where I might freshen and sleep.”

She knew talking to any man in this fashion was unacceptable, but couldn’t stop herself. His laughing aloud wasn’t what she expected.

“I see an oversight on our part.”

“Please don’t misunderstand. I don’t mind sitting with him. I just didn’t know where else to go, and it seemed rude to start wandering the halls.” She drew a breath while staring at him, something a lady never did. “When it’s possible, I’d like to talk with his doctor or whoever knows about his situation.”

“I’ll show you to your room, I’m sure you’ve had a long journey. Tomorrow at breakfast we can discuss his…injuries.”

Nina walked beside the tall stranger, trying not to study him too overtly. He stopped beside a door next to Wallace’s and pushed it open. “Just ring if you need anything. Will you need a maid’s help this evening?”

She managed to whisper, “No.”

“I’ll see you for breakfast. Good night, Miss Harbin.”

“Good night, my lord. And thank you for taking care of him.”

He turned and walked away, muttering, “As if I had a choice.”

She shut the door and let out the sigh she’d been holding since he entered Wallace’s room.

The same warming pulsed through her. Now it was established he was the lord of the manor, she’d have to be very careful to think before she spoke. Just because her pulse quickened, and she forgot her words and manners at the sight of him couldn’t distract her.

Her hardened nipples ached under the confines of her corset, and her private area pulsed warm and slick. She fanned her face with her hand at the overbearing heat filtering through her body.

Never before had she reacted to meeting any man in such a wanton, unladylike fashion. And heaven help her, she didn’t know what to make of any of this.