The Devil Rogue (28 page)

“I just might at that
. . .
beginning
with the parlor,”
she
teased
,
walking away with a saucy sw
ing to
her hips
that did nothing to dispel the ach in his groin
.

He
lingered in the hall, waiting for his erection to subside
.
It wouldn’t be a good idea to greet his mother in his condition
, r
ais
ing
all kinds of questions he, quite frankly, refused to discuss with his own mother.

T
he urge to flee the house, thereby avoiding her
entirely
,
nearly overwhelmed him,
but
Ian
knew he would have to face her eventually
.
Instead, he walked into the parlor.
“Hello, mother,” He embraced her, kissing her cheek lightly
.
“To what do we owe the honor of your visit?”

“As if you didn’t know, my dear,” she responded amiably
.
“I’ve heard things
,
and
well
. . .
what exactly is going on
?
You may be a disreputable rogue, but there’s more to this than appears on the surface
.
I feel it in my bones.
”

Ian wanted his mother on his side, and knew
the only way
to accomplish that, he
would have
to tell her the truth
, and the only way to do
that
was to begin at the beginning
.
“I suggest you make yourself comfortable, mother,
while
I’ll ring for tea
.
I have a story to tell
that just
might take awhile.
”

Once the teacart arrived and
his mother
was suitably settled, Ian spoke
, preferring to remain standing
.
“It all started when
my good friend,
John Winston – do you remember him?”

“Yes, I remember him
. H
e was quite a pleasant fellow
.
Wasn’t he killed in some kind of tragic accident
?
I
do
recall reading something about it in the paper.
”

“
Yes, well
. . .
h
is death was certainly tragic, but I believe it was no accident that killed him
.
I am quite sure he was murdered.”

“Murdered
!
But why would you think so?”

He began to pace
.
“I became suspicious when I discovered certain facts of a particularly unscrupulous nature – dealings involving blackmail, perpetrated against my friend
.
There were two other gentlem
e
n who had
also
been blackmailed
.
I traced
the crime back to one family.”

“Who?”

He stopped in front of his mother, facing her
.
“
Eberly
and his daughter.”

“The baron and his – you mean
—
”

“Yes, Miss
Hopkins
.
But I was wrong
,
at least about her
.
I still believe her father was involved somehow in John’s murder.”

“And what has changed your opinion of Miss Hopkins, barring your current
relationship
with her
?
I’m not ignorant of your renowned e
scapades
with women, so I doubt you’re being ruled by your
—
”

“He almost killed her
.
” Ian
had no
wish to discuss his
amorous experiences with his mother
.
“
W
e attended a ball together
recently
.
She’d been upset over the cruel treatment she’d received
, and also discovered for the first time that her father had refused several offers of marriage
.
When she went to take some air,
I
followed and
saw her leave with an unknown gentleman.
”

He resumed his restless pacing
.
It was
difficult
to relive that night, his guilt over allowing her to leave with her father still fresh
.
“I was angry
.
I
waited here for her to return, and when she did, I told her to pack her things, that she was to leave first thing in the morning
.
It was too dark to see her clearly
,
so I didn’t realize
–
didn’t know
that
she’d been beaten severely
, until she collapsed
.
It was her father – he was the gentleman I saw her leave the ball with that night.
”

“My God!” Isabella gasped
.
“Her own father beat her?”

“I assume she confronted him about the marriage offers, they argued, and it turne
d
violent
.
Later, I learned from her maid
he has treated her thusly most of her life
.
She still bears the scars from one particularly nasty beating which took place when she was a child.”

“
How horrible
!
Is this why you now believe she wasn’t involved in your friend’s murder?”

He nodded
.
“I originally thought she was working with her father to snare young, rich men from social-climbing families in order to blackmail them
.
Her shock at hearing about those marriage proposals w
as too realistic to be feigned.”

“You sought revenge
. . . y
ou sought to ruin her,” Isabella said, disapproval coloring her voice
.
“Which you have, haven’t you?”

Ian stopped his pacing and slumped into a nearby chair
.
Resting his elbows on his knees, he ran his fingers through his hair
.
Looking up, he met his mother’s steady gaze, his
heart
filled with pain and remorse at what he’d done
.
“Yes, I’ve ruined her, but I intend
to re
verse the damage.”

“I doubt that’s possible
.
The damage is done, it cannot be erased.”

“I can at least take action to remedy her situation.”

“Tell me, how did this situation come about
in the first place
?
How did you convince a respectable, unmarried woman to become your mistress?”

“I agreed to pay her twenty thousand pounds for three months with me, as well as pay off her father’s debts.
”
His mother raised an elegant
eye
brow, but made no comment
.
“
It was a desperate act
on her part
, I suspect, to free herself from her father’s household.”

“
And
your
remedy
for her situation?”

“I
’
m going to marry her.”
How many more times must he repeat that line before he was able to make it a reality?

“That
is entirely impossible,
my dear
.
As much as you’re responsible for her predicament, it would be completely unacceptable to marry her.”

“Regardless of how
unacceptable
you find it, mother, it is my ultimate goal
.
I had
thought to enlist
you
r
help
in order to
achieve it.”

“Your
goal
?
You haven’t asked her
,
then?”

“I asked
and she refused.”

“Intelligent girl
.
At least
she
is aware this is not just a matter of being compromised
.
She’s your mistress, and gentlemen do not marry their mistresses, dear
.
She obviously knows this, just as you should know, if you were to marry her, it would cause a scandal
.
Even though you and scandal are great acquaintances, this one would be the coup de grace, and I absolutely forbid it.”

So much for gaining his mother’s assistance
.
“It wouldn’t be that big of a scandal
.
Besides, everyone expects me to embroil myself in the occasional
over-the-top
endeavor
.
My escapades are a much anticipated am
usement
. S
ociety
would be quite dull without them
.
”

Isabella
made
a noise suspiciously resembling a snort
.
“What reason did she give for refusing your offer
?
”
she
asked
with a touch of motherly offense.
“
You’re rich as croes
e
us,
ridiculously
handsome and
,
well, charming when you want to be, and you’re a viscount
.
I would think any woman would jump throug
h
fire to have you at the altar.”

“She said she didn’t want to be under a man’s control again
.
I believe she’s afraid I will mistreat her
like her father did.”

“Why that’s ludicrous
!
The very idea you would behave so abominably is beyond comprehension!”

Ian smiled at his mother’s display of righteous anger, encouraged by her defense of him
.
She might have been initially against his plan
to marry
Angela
, and it w
ould
still take some work to win her complete support, but her indignation that someone would actually refuse his offer of marriage worked in his favor
,
bring
ing
him closer to his objective
.
“I need only convince her it would not be the case with me.”

Isabella considered
her son for a moment
.
If he wasn’t in love with the girl at present, he was damn close
.
With grim decisiveness, she said,
“I must speak with her, determine her character.
”
She wasn’t sure if she should encourage her son’s reckless foray into a scandalous marriage, but he appeared frightfully serious about the matter
.
“It doesn’t mean I approve
, mind you.”

“I know
that
, mother,” Ian said, smiling as he bent to kiss her cheek
.
His mother held powerful connections in society
.
If he had her backing him, Angela’s short career as a mistress w
ould
be forgiven that much easier
.
He only prayed
she
w
ould
forgive
him
for be
ing the one responsible for dragging her into this.

5

Villarreal / The Devil Rogue
                                     

Chapter
1
6

ANGELA WAS IN
the larger bedroom Ian had earlier insisted she stay, gathering her few belongings to move back into her small room on the third floor
,
when Rosemary came through the open doorway
.
She
closed the door
briskly
, turning
to speak
.
“My dear, have you heard the news
?
Do you know who’s here?”

“Yes, I’ve heard
,”
Angela said calmly.
“
That’s why I’m moving back to the little room upstairs
.”

“You will do no such thing!”
Rosemary snatched the dress out of
Angela’s
hands, and with determined strides, placed it back in the wardrobe.

Angela
fisted
her hands on her hips
.
“But I must
.
It wouldn’t be proper to be bumping into the viscountess in the halls
.
” She mimicked the imaginary event,
linking her arm with Rosemary’s
. “
Good evening, your ladyship
. O
h, you’re on your way to dinner?
W
hy, so was I
. L
et’s go down together, shall we?”

Still connected, Rosemary led Angela over to the bed, forcing her to sit
.
“Listen, love, you’ve made a place for yourself here whether you choose to believe it or not
.
Everyone loves you, and I suspect
Blackridge
is close behind.”

“I really don’t think
—
”

“Has he told you to move your things?”

“No
.
”

“There, you see
?
He doesn’t wish it, and y
ou have nothing to be ashamed of
.
Besides,
i
n a little over two months, you’ll be gone
from here
, so what does it matter?
”

“I don’t know
.
I just don’t know if I can face her, and not feel
somehow soiled
.
It would be
humiliat
ing
.
” Angela shoulders slump
ed
.

Wrapping her arms around
Angela
, Rosemary crooned, “Oh, love
!
You are the strongest woman I know
.
You’ve stood up to your father your entire life,
and
fought for what was good and right
.
Don’t tell me you haven’t the courage to weather one aging viscountess!”

Sitting up straighter, Angela sniffled
.
“You’re right
. Y
ou’re absolutely right
!
I’m staying in this room, and if I should happen to encounter the viscountess, I shall do so with dignity and courage.
”

“That’s the spirit, dear!”

“
Of course I won’t be seeking her
company on purpose, mind.”

“
I wouldn’t expect you to go out of your way to run into her, but if you should happen to, I have
faith
you w
ould
handle it with grace and decorum
.
” Rosemary
gave her
a proud smile.

A knock at the door interrupted them
.
It was the maid who had cleaned up the mess that morning
.
“Beg pardon, ma’am,” she said, curtsying to Rosemary, who stood in the open doorway.

Rosemary gave an exasperated sigh
.
“Tess, there’s no need
to call me ma’am
.
I’ve told you that before, and I’m definitely not one to give a curtsy.”

“I’m sorry, ma–Miss Rosemary
.
” Tess
shyly
twist
ed
her fingers in front of her.

Angela smiled at the way Tess looked at Rosemary with awe and admiration
.
Apparently her friend ha
d
acquired a fan of sorts.

Rosemary
looked at Tess expectantly, until finally she said, “Well, what is it?”

“Lady Blackridge would see Miss Hopkins downstairs in the parlor
immediately.
”

“Lady Blackridge?” Angela asked, startled.

“Yes, miss
.
” Tess aborted her half executed curtsy and turned, walking quickly back down the hall.

“Lady Blackridge
wishes to see me
?
What shall I do?”
Angela wondered what could possibly have
compelled the viscountess to want to speak with her.

“You will go
to
her
as commanded, love
.
Don’t fret so, you’ll be fine.”

“What
has gotten into Tess
?
Why
wa
s she curtsying to you?”

“I’m afraid Mrs. Brown has been regaling everyone with your exploits
.”

“Only Mrs. Brown?” Angela inquired with a
lift of her eye
brow.

“Well, I’ve put in a bit here and there
.
Like how you’ve always taken your father’s wrath on behalf of the household servants
.”
Rosemary snickered.
“A
lso
how you introduced your dastardly father to the merits of world geography
. I
n case I neglected to mention it
,
that was extremely well done of you.”

Angela groaned aloud
.
“
That
is exactly what I wanted to avoid
.
The best gossip comes from the servants, as you would know.”

“No one here will say anything
.
I told you, they adore you
.
You’re something of a hero
to everyone, you know.”

“So are you, it seems
, at least
by association
. Well,
I’d better get down to the parlor
.
The quicker this is over with, the better.”

Angela entered the parlor,
shoulders back, spine straight
, approach
ing
the viscountess
with the
determin
ation
to withstand anything the woman would have to say
.
It was immediately obvious
who Ian
had
inherited his coloring from
.
The viscountess’s hair was black as a raven’s wing,
except for
the few silver strands showing at her
temples
like moonlit snow against the darkest winter night
.
It gave her an air of regal beauty, her slender figure
complimented by the softly draping, rose-hued gown she wore
.
In her peripheral vision,
Angela
spotted Ian standing off to the side,
near the window,
his hand resting on the back of a chair.

“Mother,” he said
upon Angela’s arrival
, “may I introduce the Honorable Miss Angela Hopkins
.
Miss Hopkins, my mother, the Viscountess Blackridge.”

Angela curtsied
.
“
It is an honor, Lady Blackridge
.”
Looking up as she rose from the curtsy, eyes so much like Ian’s watched her with intense scrutiny
.
Although h
is mother’s eye color was slightly darker
and
softer
than her son’s, it surprised Angela to realize that
the viscountess’s
assessing appraisal was not intended to insult
.
It was clearly one of puzzled curiosity.

“Miss Hopkins, please have a seat so that we may converse, and you are not standing through the entire interview.”
After Angela was settled, the viscountess asked, “Would you like tea?”

“Yes,
thank you,
my lady,” Angela responded politely, her hands
resting
in her lap
.
She could feel Ian’s presence behind her, causing her skin to prickle on the back of her neck
.
His silence was a little disconcerting, giving the situation the air of an informal trial.

When tea was served, Lady Blackridge turned her head in her son’s direction
.
“I would like to be alone with Miss Hopkins.”

Ian hesitated for a drawn out moment, and then said,
“Of course, mother
.
”
He left
the
room, but not before
Angela caught the sharp look he
direct
ed
at his
mother
.

Angela sat quietly, trying to calm her racing heart.

“You’re an only child, Miss Hopkins
?”

“Yes, mum.”

“Of course, I already knew that
.
I know everyone in society, or know of them, at the very least
.
What of your mother?”

“She died when I was
nine
,” Angela answered
.
“But, you most likely knew that too.
”

The viscountess
smiled
.
“Yes, I did indeed
.
I knew your mother, you know.”

That bit of news startled Angela
.
“Y-you knew her?”

“We came out into society at the same time, and we got to be friends
.
After she married your father, I lost track of her
.
Do you love your father?”

What a strange question
.
Angela decided to answer honestly
.
“No, mum, I do not love him.”

“What do you know of him?”

“Only that he is a bitter and cruel man.”

“My son has explained your
–
predicament
–
about your father, and about your agreement
with Blackridge
.
I can’t say that I approve of your decision to become my son’s mistress, but I do understand.”

Her
frankness
caused Angela’s face to pinken
, but she refused to let her words intimidate
.
“
You have my apologies for any embarrassment this has caused you,
my lady,
but Lord Blackridge and I are adults, and our agreement is between the two of us.”

One of
the viscountess
’s delicately arched
eye
brows
shifted upward
.
“Indeed, it
is
between
the both of you, but
then
society has made it their business, as well
.
What I would like to know is why you have declined my son’s offer of marriage
.
With a few quick maneuvers, and well-placed rumors of true love, I believe it would quite remedy the situation
.
The
ton
does so
love a good romance.
”

“Forgive me, my lady, but my plan was to disappear into the country, so any rumors of my stay here would eventually fade away
.
I see no real need for a forced marriage.”

The viscountess
chuckled softly
.
“You believe my son is being forced?”

“
H
e feel
s
guilty for his part in my situation here
.
I believe he feels pity for me, for what my father did to me
, and
has done to me
in the past
.
”