Devils Bride c-1 Read online

  "Until she's twenty-five, she's in my care."

  "In that case," Devil said, "I have a plan."

  By the time they cantered into the stable yard, Michael was entirely comfortable with his brother-in-law to be. It appeared that his sister, usually an irresistible force, had finally met a sufficiently immovable object. He matched his stride to Devil's as they headed for the house.

  "Tell me," Devil said, his gaze roving the house, checking for impending interruptions. "Has she always been frightened of storms?"

  He glanced at Michael in rime to see him wince.

  "They still make her twitch?"

  Devil frowned. "Rather more than that."

  Michael sighed. "Hardly surprising, I suppose-I still get edgy myself."

  "Why?"

  Michael met his eyes. "She told you our parents were killed in a carriage accident?"

  Devil searched his memory. "That they were killed in an accident."

  "There was rather more to it than that." Michael drew a deep breath. "Neither Honoria nor I are frightened of storms-at least, we weren't. On that day, our parents took the other two for a drive."

  "Other two?" Devil slowed his pace.

  Michael looked up. "Meg and Jemmy. Our brother and sister." Devil halted, his expression blank. Michael stopped and faced him. "She didn't tell you about them?"

  Devil shook his head; abruptly, he focused on Michael. "Tell me exactly what happened."

  Michael looked away, across the lawns toward the house. "The pater wanted to take Mama for a drive-it started as a lovely day. Mama had been ill-she was going through one of her better patches-Papa wanted her to get some air. The little ones went with them. Honoria and I stayed home-we couldn't fit and we both had studies to attend to. Then the storm blew up-raced in out of nowhere. Honoria and I loved watching the clouds roll in. We ran up to the schoolroom to watch."

  He paused, his gaze distant, fixed in the past. "The schoolroom was in the attics, overlooking the drive. We stood at the window and looked out. We never dreamed…" He swallowed. "We were laughing and joking, listening for the thunder, trying to spot the flashes. Then there was a massive crash overhead. In the same instant, we saw the curricle come racing up the drive. The children were frantic, clinging to Mama. The horses had panicked-Papa had his hands full managing them." He paused. "I can see them so clearly, even now. Then the lightning struck."

  When he said nothing more, Devil prompted: "The carriage?"

  Michael shook his head. "The bolt hit a huge elm beside the drive. It fell." Again he paused, then, drawing a deep breath, went on: "We watched it fall. The others didn't see it at first-then they did." He shuddered. "I closed my eyes, but I don't think Honoria did. She saw it all."

  Devil gave him a moment, then asked: "They were killed?"

  "Instantly." Michael drew a shaky breath. "I can still hear the horses screaming. We had to put them down."

  Very gently, Devil said: "Go back-what happened to Honoria?"

  Michael blinked. "Honoria? When I opened my eyes, she was standing, absolutely still, before the window. Then she stretched out her hands and stepped forward. I grabbed her and pulled her away. She clung to me then." He shivered. "That's the one thing I remember most vividly-how she cried. She made no sound-the tears just rolled down her cheeks, as if her sorrow was so deep she couldn't even sob." After a pause, he added: "I don't think I'll ever forget how helpless her crying made me feel."

  Devil didn't think he'd ever forget either.

  Shoulders lifting on a deep breath, Michael glanced fully at Devil. "That's the sum of it-we sorted things out and got on with our lives. Of course, the loss was worse for Honoria." He fell in beside Devil as they continued toward the house. "As Mama had been so ill, Honoria had become more mother than sister to the younger two. Losing them was like losing her own children, I think."

  Devil was silent as they crossed the last of the lawn; he glanced up as they neared the portico, briefly studying the inscription on its facade. Then he glanced at Michael. "You need a drink." He needed one, too. Then he needed to think.

  Honoria was descending the main staircase, a frown puckering her brows, when the front door opened and her brother walked in.

  "Michael!" Face clearing, she hurried down. "I've been expecting you for hours." Hugging him, she returned his affectionate buss. "I saw a carriage arrive and thought it must be you, but no one came in. I was wondering-" She broke off as a large shadow darkened the doorway.

  Michael looked over his shoulder. "St. Ives was good enough to meet me. He's explained the situation."

  "He has? I mean-" Her gaze trapped in crystal green, Honoria fought the urge to gnash her teeth. "How very helpful." She noted Devil's expression of guileless innocence-it sat very ill on his piratical features.

  "You're looking well." Michael scanned her amethyst morning gown. "Not browbeaten at all."

  Even with her gaze firmly fixed on her brother's teasing face, Honoria was aware of Devil's raised brow-and of the color that seeped into her cheeks. Tilting her chin, she linked her arm in Michael's. "Come and meet the Dowager." She steered him toward the drawing room. "Then we'll go for a walk in the grounds." So she could set the record straight.

  To her chagrin, Devil strolled after them.

  The Dowager looked up as they entered. With a brilliant smile, she laid aside her embroidery and held out her hand. "Mr. Anstruther-Wetherby-it is good to meet you at last. I trust your journey was without mishap?"

  "Entirely, ma'am." Michael bowed over her hand. "It's indeed a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

  "Bon!" The Dowager beamed at him. "And now we can be comfortable and talk, can we not?" Indicating the chaise beside her, she glanced at Devil, "Ring for tea, Sylvester. Now, Mr. Anstruther-Wetherby, you are with Carlisle, is that right? And how is the good Marguerite?"

  Subsiding into an armchair, Honoria watched as her brother, who she could have sworn was impervious to all forms of flattery, fell under the Dowager's fire. Even more disturbing, time and again, she saw Michael exchange a glance with Devil; by the time Webster brought in the tea, it was clear that, somehow, Devil had succeeded in securing her brother's approval. Honoria bit into a cucumber sandwich and tried not to glower.

  She dragged her brother from mother and son's seductive influence as soon as she possibly could.

  "Let's go down by the lake." Tightening her hold on Michael's arm, she steered him along the terrace. "There's a seat, near the shore-it's peaceful and private there."

  "It's a truly magnificent house," was Michael's only comment as they strolled down the lawn. They reached the seat, and she settled herself upon it; Michael hesitated, looking down at her, then sat beside her. "You could be very comfortable here, you know."

  Honoria met his gaze levelly. "Just what has that devil told you?"

  Michael grinned. "Not all that much-just the bare facts."

  Honoria drew a relieved breath. "In that case, it should be clear that there's no need for any talk of marriage between myself and St. Ives."

  Michael's brows rose. "Actually, that's not the impression I received."

  "Oh?" Honoria made the syllable a challenge.

  Michael tugged at his earlobe. "Perhaps we'd better retread events."

  She was very ready to do so. While she recited her well-rehearsed version of events, Michael listened intently. "And then he left me with the Dowager," she concluded.

  Michael met her eye. "That's what he told me."

  Honoria had a premonition she'd just taken a wrong step.

  Michael straightened, one hand clasping hers. "Honoria, you're an unmarried lady of twenty-four, of impeccable lineage and unblemished reputation. In this instance, I must agree with St. Ives-there's really no course open to you other than to accept his offer. He's behaved precisely as he should-no one could hold either of you to blame, yet the circumstances remain and require the prescribed response."

  "No." Honoria made the word a statement. "You can't serio
usly imagine me happily married to Devil Cynster."

  Michael raised his brows. "Actually, I find that easier to imagine than any other outcome."

  "Michael! He's a tyrant! An unmitigatingly arrogant despot."

  Michael shrugged. "You can't have everything, as Mama was wont to tell you."

  Honoria narrowed her eyes; she let a pregnant moment pass before stating, categorically: "Michael, I do not wish to marry Devil Cynster."

  Letting go of her hand, Michael leaned back against the seat. "So what do you see as an alternative?"

  Honoria knew relief-at least they were discussing alternatives. "I'd thought to return to Hampshire-it's too late to get another post this year."

  "You'll never get another post, not once this gets out. And it will. St. Ives is right about that-if you marry him, the only whispers will be jealous ones; without his ring on your finger, they'll be malicious. Destructively so."

  Honoria shrugged. "That's hardly a disaster. As you know, I care little for society."

  "True." Michael hesitated, then added: "You might, however, have a care for our name, and our parents' memory."

  Slowly, Honoria turned to face him, her eyes very narrow. "That was uncalled for."

  His expression stern, Michael shook his head. "No-it had to be said. You cannot simply walk away from who you are and the fact that you have family connections together with the responsibility that entails."

  Honoria felt chilled inside, like a general informed he'd just lost his last ally. "So," she said, haughtily tilting her chin, "you would have me marry for the sake of the family-for the sake of a name I've never claimed?"

  "I would see you wed first and foremost for your own sake. There's no future for you in Hampshire, or anywhere else for that matter. Look about you." He gestured to the sprawling bulk of the Place, displayed like a jewel in the grounds before them. "Here you could be what you were supposed to be. You could be what Papa and Mama always intended you to be."

  Honoria pressed her lips tightly together. "I cannot live my life according to the precepts of ghosts."

  "No-but you should consider the reasons behind their precepts. They may be dead, but the reasons remain."

  When she said no more but sat mulishly looking down at her clasped hands, Michael continued, his tone more gentle: "I daresay this may sound pompous, but I've seen more of our world than you-that's why I'm so sure the course I urge you to is right."

  Honoria shot him an irate glance. "I am not a child-"

  "No." Michael grinned. "If you were, this situation wouldn't exist. But-!" he insisted, as she opened her mouth to retort, "just hold on to your temper and listen to what I have to say before you set your mind in stone." Honoria met his eyes. "I only have to listen?" Michael nodded. "To the proposition St. Ives put to me-and the reasons why I think you should agree to it." Honoria's jaw fell. "You discussed me with him?" Michael closed his eyes for an instant, then fixed her with a distinctly male look. "Honoria, it was necessary he and I talked. We've both lived in society much longer than you-you've never done more than stick a toe in society's sea. That's a point St. Ives, thank heavens, is aware of-it's that that's behind his proposition."

  Honoria glared. "Proposition? I thought it was a proposal."

  Michael closed his eyes tight. "His proposal's on the table and will remain there until you make your decision!" He opened his eyes. "His proposition concerns how we should go on until you do."

  "Oh." Faced with his exasperation, Honoria shifted, then looked across the lake. "So what is this proposition?"

  Michael drew a deep breath. "Because of his cousin's death, a wedding could not be held inside three months-the Dowager will be in full mourning for six weeks, then half-mourning for another six. As you have no suitable family with whom to reside, what would normally occur is that you would remain with the Dowager and she would introduce you to the ton as her son's fiancee."

  "But I haven't agreed to marry him."

  "No-so in this case, you'll simply remain under the Dowager's wing. She intends going to London in a few weeks-you'll go with her and she'll introduce you to the ton. That will give you a chance to see society from a perspective you've never had-if, after that, you still wish to refuse St. Ives's offer, he and I will accept your decision and try to come up with some acceptable alternative."

  His emphasis made it clear he did not expect to find one. Honoria frowned. "What explanation will be given for my presence with the Dowager?"

  "None-Cynsters don't need to tender explanations any more than Anstruther-Wetherbys."

  Honoria looked skeptical. "Surely people will wonder?"

  "People will know, of that you may be sure. However, given the Dowager's involvement, they'll imagine an announcement is in the offing and comport themselves appropriately." Michael grimaced. "I should warn you, the Dowager is something of a force to be reckoned with."

  Honoria raised a questioning brow.

  Michael waved at the house. "You saw her just now. She's a consummate manipulator."

  Honoria's lips twitched. "I had wondered whether you'd noticed."

  "I noticed, but there's precious little point trying to resist. You called St. Ives a tyrant-I don't doubt he is, but that's probably just as well. Within the ton, his mother's considered a holy terror-of inestimable help if her sympathies lie with you, an enemy to be feared if they don't. No one's going to invite her ire by circulating possibly groundless rumors concerning her son and the lady who might be his duchess. There's no safer place for you than under the Dowager's wing."

  Honoria could see it; slowly, she nodded, then looked frowningly at Michael. "I still think it would be much simpler for me to retire to Hampshire until all this blows over, Even if I don't get another post, as you pointed out, I am twenty-four. It's time I started on my travel plans."

  Michael sighed, and looked away. "You can't stay in Hampshire alone-we'll have to get Aunt Hattie down."

  "Aunt Hattie?" Honoria wrinkled her nose. "She'll drive me distracted inside of a week."

  Michael pursed his lips. "Can't think of anyone else, and you can't live alone, especially once your sojourn in the woods with Devil Cynster becomes public. You'll find your self dealing with all manner of unwanted visitors."

  Honoria shot him a darkling glance, then frowned, very hard, at the lake. Michael preserved a stoic silence.

  Minutes ticked past; eyes narrowed, Honoria reviewed her options. She had, indeed, regretted sending for Michael so precipitously; it was clearly going to take time to track Tolly's murderer down. Devil, initially a large hurdle to her plans, had been overcome; he now behaved as a reluctant but resigned coconspirator. The idea of them, together, unmasking Tolly's killer was attractive-quite aside from the compulsion she felt to see justice done, the situation looked set to provide the excitement she'd craved all her life. Leaving now would see all that lost.

  There was also the small matter of her burgeoning desire to experience-just once-the pleasure Devil had alluded to. His words, his caresses, like Tolly's face, now haunted her. He'd made it clear physical possession and pleasure were independent events-although the thought was guaranteed to bring a blush to her cheek, she was aware of an increasing compulsion to learn what he could teach her. Of pleasure. Possession, in this case, was out of the question, beyond all possibility. Cynsters never let go anything that became theirs-she was far too wise to become his on any level.

  Given she'd determined never to wed, her virtue would never be in question. It seemed wise to gain some experience of the pleasure possible between a man and a woman before she set off on her travels. And there was no denying the pleasure she'd thus far experienced at Devil Cynster's hands had held an excitement all its own.

  With all that on offer, currently on her plate, but for Devil's matrimonial fixation, her present situation suited her admirably. She didn't want to go to Hampshire but with him so set on marriage, it hadn't seemed possible to stay.

  Now, however, with his devilish proposition,
the devil himself had cleared her path. She could remain in his household, in his mother's care, safe from him and any other gentleman, for three full months-surely, by that time, they would have laid Tolly's murderer by the heels? And she would have learned all she'd need to know of pleasure.

  Which left only one quibble-was she strong enough, clever enough, to avoid any traps Devil might set for her?

  Honoria straightened, and summoned a resigned grimace. "Very well." She turned and met Michael's eye. "I'll agree to remain under the Dowager's wing for three months." Michael grinned-Honoria narrowed her eyes. "After that, I'll go to Hampshire."

  With a long-suffering groan, Michael rose and drew her to her feet. Arm in arm, they strolled back to the house.

  Later that evening, Honoria was seated in an armchair in the drawing room, her lap full of embroidery silks, when a shadow fell across her. The Dowager was on the chaise, similarly occupied in sorting brilliant hanks. Michael, pleading tiredness, had retired early; Devil had retreated to the library. The tea trolley had come and gone; the evening had slipped silently into night.

  Stymied in her attempt to discriminate between azure and turquoise, Honoria looked up-all the way up to Devil's face. He stood directly before her, his expression inscrutable. For a long moment, he simply held her gaze, his own shadowed, impossible to read. Then he held out his hand. "Come for a walk, Honoria Prudence."

  From the corner of her eye, Honoria noted that the Dowager had been struck deaf.

  Devil's lips softened fleetingly; his gaze remained intense, focused on her face. "I promise not to bite."

  Honoria considered the pros and cons-she needed to talk to him, to make sure, while Michael was still here, that their bargain-his proposition-was precisely as she thought. She searched his face. "Not to the summerhouse." She might wish to learn more of pleasure, but she wanted the lessons under her control.

  This time, his pirate's smile materialized fully if briefly. "Only on the terrace-I wouldn't want to distract you."

  Honoria quelled an incipient shiver, elicited by the deep purring tones of his voice, and shot him a disbelieving glance.