The Devil Rogue (37 page)

Yet another prophetic
speech from the eccentric old woman
, Angela mused.

The king turned to a tall
stranger standing at his side. He was
a
serious
-
faced man dressed in black
, and
wore a long, tiered cape
that gave
him the
aura
of some spectral character from a dark poem
.
“Take
Eberly
back to his house,” her father said to the man
.
“Keep him there under watch
. A
nd see what’s become of Ivan.”

The dark man clicked his heels together
and bowed his head
.
He
jerked his gaze toward
two large men
who seemed to have
materialized from nowhere,
and nodded
.
The men
escort
ed
Eberly
, one on either side,
out of the library, the tall stranger following silently in their wake
.

“Shall we depart, my dear?” the king said to Angela.

Angela t
urn
ed
to Rosemary, g
iving
her an affectionat
e hug
.
“I will send for you as soon as I’m able
, dear friend,” she whispered
.
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”
Mutely,
and without so much as a glance at Ian,
she walked with
her
father out the door and into his elegant coach.

Ian
watched as the only woman he’d ever loved walk
ed
out of his home, and his life.
He
wondered what force
s
would be able to move him from
the spot he was presently rooted in
.
The room had cleared, leaving him alone in his bewilderment
, or so it felt
.
What had just happened
?
She hadn’t even given him the opportunity to defend himself.

When h
e’d heard th
e sound of the pistol going off, p
anic had seized his chest
. His
thoughts
had
centered on Angela and the possibility that she’d been shot, maybe even killed.
The relief he’d felt when he
’d seen
her standing there – alive –
had been
indescribable.

Lord knew how thankful he was for having such loyal and diligent servants.

His mother’s voice broke the silence
.
“Ian, darling, why don’t you sit down
and
think this through
.
She’s had more than one shock today, what with her step-father trying to shoot her, learning the truth about what you –
well, you know,
and seeing her
real father for the first time
.
”

Ian
finally
realized
that
s
tanding
t
here like a
stupefied
idiot wouldn’t accomplish anything, so he stumbled backward, sinking into
a chair by the cold fireplace
.
“I could use a drink, mother.”

“Absolutely, I agree
,”
she said, opening the liquor cabinet
.
“
Your father always
recommended
strong spirits as a good remedy for many an ailment
.
I’ve been known to imbibe myself
,
in time
s of need.
”
When Ian darted a look of surprise her way, she said, “Don’t look so shocked, dear
.
Just because I’m your mother doesn’t make me a prude.”

“Of course not, mother,” Ian
huffed, not in the mood for humor
.
“By all means, pour yourself a glass while you’re at it.”

Isabella handed the filled glass to her son, taking a seat in the chair opposite him
.
She sip
ped
from her own glass before speaking
.
“We will figure this all out somehow
.
Give her the time she needs with her father
.
In the meantime, you need to formulate a course of action.”

“
Course
of action?”

“Why, a courtship, dear,” Isabella said, in a matter-of-fact tone.

“I’m in love with her, you know.”

“Yes, I do know, or rather, I suspected.”

Ian raised a brow at his mother
.
“Is it that obvious?”

“Indeed, it is
.
Your eyes reveal what’s in your heart when you look at her
. Y
our actions show your high regard for her
. Y
our voice, when you speak to her, softens
.”

He expelled a long sigh
.
“Will she ever forgive me?”

“That I do not know.”

5

Villarreal / The Devil Rogue
                                     

Chapter
2
2

“
I’VE BROUGHT YOU
tea, your highness.”

Angela could
n’t
have cared less about tea, but she didn’t have the heart to refuse the dark-haired, petite servant with the
exotic eyes and
strange accent
.
Everyone here spoke with that same accent, including her father
.
She was having difficulty acclimating to the unfamiliar people and surroundings, not that she should complain
.
There were at least a hundred servants in the palatial mansion who were more than happy to cater to her every whim.

She was a princess, after all
.
Everyone looked at her as though she were an angel d
escended
from the heavens
.
Ryani, her dark-haired, dark-eyed personal servant had explained to her that everyone
in their country
knew about her
, knew of her father’s anguish in losing his only love and daughter
.
To them, it was like a tragic fairy tale, with a
n unexpected
ly
happy ending
.
Too bad s
he didn’t feel like it was a happy ending.

She missed Ian.

As much as she wanted to hate him, to stay angry with him
,
she couldn’t
.
A week had passed with not one word from him since leaving his house with her father
.
Could she blame him
?
She hadn’t even given him a chance to explain
.
But
at the time,
her feelings
had been
too raw
.
S
he
’d felt
hurt, used
,
and betrayed.

Since her arrival
here
, she’d been pampered as only a royal princess could be
.
A dressmaker
had
arrived to sew one-of-a-kind gowns in every hue of the rainbow
.
It
had been
made clear by the king himself that silence would be kept about the scars on her back
.
When he’d declared a new wardrobe was in order
, as was fitting for one of her station, she’d had to explain the scars
.
She recalled how he’d listened quietly, nodding his head, all the while a storm brewing in his soulful eyes.

She now had mountains of
dresses, cloaks
,
and
underclothes made with expensive silk, lace
, buttery-soft wool, and
fine
cotton
.
Every gown was complimented with matching gloves, hats, shoes, and bows
.
Her father had presented her with a fortune in beautifully handcrafted jewelry consisting of every precious gem she’d ever heard of, and some she hadn’t
.
It was her legacy, he’d told her
,
part of her inheritance as a royal princess.

So how could she feel so
gloomy
?
It
was
not that she was
ungrateful;
she just missed Ian, and the rest of them
.
She missed Rosemary’s buoyancy, Mrs. Olsen’s warmth, Mrs. Brown’s motherly presence, and Phillips’ youthful charm
.
She missed everyone she’d left behind at Blackridge House, but most especially, she missed Ian.

Yesterday, Angela had sent a note to Rosemary asking that she join her here at her father’s
residence
. In her loneliness, Angela
keenly
wished for the company of her dearest friend. And as if just thinking of her had the power to conjure her presence, Rosemary
burst through the door to Angela’s apartments in a rush. The sight of her most trusted companion caused Angela’s eyes to imm
ediately fill with tears of joy
.

“Oh, honey, it’s so good to see you!” Rosemary cried
.
She approached Angela with outstretched arms
.
Seeing Angela’s tears, she
quickly
pulled her into an affectionate embrace
.
“Don’t cry, my friend, all will be well.”

“I’m just so happy you’re here, Rosemary,” Angela sniffled
.
“Even with all these people around, I’ve been so lonely.”

Rosemary pulled away, her hands on Angela’s upper arms
.
“Let me get a good look at you
.
What’s this you’re wearing
?
I
t’s magnificent!”

“Oh, it’s just some old gown I just threw on,” Angela teased
.
The
long-sleeved
gown
was copper in color, with
a daringly low-cut bodice
,
and
it
shimmered in different shades as she moved
.
It was cut to accentuate her small waist and full bosom.

“God’s nose, i
t’s gorgeous!” Rosemary shrieked.

“I know
!
By my word
I have a hundred more just as beautiful
.
Would you like to see?”

“Why, yes, your highness
,”
Rosema
ry answered, her tone obsequious, take me to your closet.”

“You don’t have to call me that, you know
,” Angela said over her shoulder
.
“
Since I’m so bloody rich now, I’ve decided I no longer need your services.”

Rosemary stopped dead in her tracks, her face stricken
.
“What did you say?”

“I said I don’t need your services as a maid any longer
.
”
Angela grinn
ed
.
“
However,
my friend,
I do hope you’ll remain as my handsomely compensated and spoiled companion
.”

“Do you mean it!”

“Of course, you ninny
.”
They clasped hands, jumping up and down, giggling like schoolgirls
.
“You know you’re like a sister to me
.
If only I could make you one in truth.”

“Then I would be a princess, too!”

Laughing together, they skipped into the largest closet either one of them had ever seen.

“Oh, my sweet Lord,” Rosemary breathed
.
“I think I
’ve
died and
gone
to heaven!”

“Wondrous, is it not?” Angela sighed with reverence
.
“And I’ve requested the apartment right next to mine for you, with a closet just like this one
,
waiting to be filled with your own beautiful gowns.”

“Oh, but you don’t need to
—
”

“Nonsense
.
I expect my companion to be well-dressed
,”
Angela said with mock effrontery.
“
What would people say?”

“Thank you
,
” Rosemary said, smothering
Angela
with a hug.

“That’s not all.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll have a maid of your own, and I’m setting up a hefty dowry so you can find yourself some handsome, titled gentleman to marry.”

“
It’
s too much
.
You’re going to kill me!
”

“I hope not
!
I expect to be godmother to your
future
children.”
Angela’s face dropped.

“What is it?” Rosemary asked
, h
er forehead creas
ing
with worry
.
“Tell me
what troubles you.
”

“It’s just that I – I
’m pregnant,
I mean
I
think
I am
,
that is, I’m pretty sure that I am
.”

“Holy Mary Mother
!
What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know
.
I haven’t heard from Ian all week
.
I don’t even know if he
—
”

“Oh, he wants you, make no mistake about that,” Rosemary said firmly
.
“He’s been in a drunken stupor since the day you left.”

“He has?” Angela whispered
.
Somehow, the image of Ian drowning his misery in drink lifted her spirits
, although the idea that he suffered tore at her heartstrings
.
She straightened her spine, swiping at her nose
.
“Well, he can just snap out of it, and come crawling here on his hands and knees, begging for my forgiveness.”

“That’s the
attitude
!” Rosemary cheered
.
“Now, show me all your new dresses.”

IAN HAD NO
intention of crawling to Angela on his hands and knees
.
He was too busy feeling sorry for himself
.
He sat in his usual spot in front of the fireplace, a half-full glass of brandy in his hand, the
decanter
on the floor at his feet
.
There was no fire this warm summer
’s
eve, just the cold, black ashes
left behind in memory of past blazes
.
Like his heart, it was lifeless
,
dead
,
burnt to cinders
.
He
sat slouched in the chair,
feet outstretched
,
star
ing
unblinking
at the sooty pile, brooding
over his fate.

Had he really expected her to forgive him
?
He had hoped, at least
.
The house seemed empty and morose since her departure, as though she’d taken a piece of its soul with her
.
As he listened to the soft pattering of rain against the windows, it felt as though she’d taken the sunshine with her, as well
.

The entire household was affected by her absence, evidenced by flaring tempers, somber moods, and
the
most telling of all, undercooked and over-spiced dishes at mealtime
.
Both Mrs. Olsen and Mrs. Haversham
had demonstrated their disapproval by giving him sour looks, and making sure his meals were as unpalatable as possible
.
Not that he had much of an appetite anyway
.
He’d been content enough to drink most of his meals.

Ian ran his fingers through his hair, probably for the hundredth time, making it more unkempt than it already was
.
His shirt was rumpled, the tails hanging out of his breeches, and
a
dark
growth of stubble
shadowed his face from lack of shaving
.
He was a mess, and he knew it, but he didn’t care
.
Not when the light had gone out of his life.

“Don’t you th
ink it’s time to do something?”

Ian
didn’t bother to look up at the sound of
his mother
’s voice coming from the
doorway.
He
took a moment to answer
.
“Like what, mother
?
I’ve heard no word from her since she left
.
Apparently she wants nothing to do with me.
”

“Has it not occurred to you that maybe she’s waiting for you to come to her?”
she
said impatiently
.
“It’s been a week, and you’ve done nothing – nothing at all to get her back.”

“What do you suggest I do, storm the palace walls?” Ian
said
in a snide tone of voice.

“
You can stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something
.
And y
ou can begin by getting sober and cleaning yourself up
.
No woman would have you in your current
state
.
”