The Devil Rogue (38 page)

“Yes, and then what?”

“
Then you send her flowers
. . .
l
ots and lots of flowers.”

Ian sat up, b
olstered by his mother’s encouragement
.
“Flowers you say
?
Is that the way to a woman’s heart, then?”

“No, dear, but it’s a start
.
Why don’t you u
se that
legendary charm
of yours to your advantage
?
I’m sure it
would go a long way.
”

“I don’t think
she’ll be so susceptible to my charms in her current state of mind.”

“You’d be surprised by what a woman in lov
e would be willing to forgive.”

“You
believe she’s in love with me?”

“What I can’t believe is that you haven’t already figured it out.”

“Then why hasn’t she contacted me
?
” Feeling contrary, he said, “
After all, she’s the one who walked out that doo
r, not I.”

“That is exactly the attitude that will get you nowhere, my dear,”
his mother
admonished
.
“It is up to you to go after her, let her know how you feel.”

“What shall I do, then, beside
s
send her a mountain of flowers?”

“
I happen to know her father is giving a ball in her honor
next week
.
He’s personally issued us an invitation, which leads me to believe he approves of a match between you two
.
It would be a good opportunity for you to see her, if you were to attend.
”

For the first time in days, Ian felt hope leap into his chest
.
“Indeed,”
he
said, rising from his chair
.
He stumbled a bit, almost knocking over the decanter on the floor
.
It reminded him of his unsteady condition
.
“I shall immediately order every type of flower I can get my hands on
.
Thank you,
mother
, for your advice
.”

“Uh, Ian?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“It’s the middle of the night
.
I don’t think any of the flower shops will
yet
be open.”

For the first time, he n
otic
ed
she was wearing a robe over her bedclothes
.
“Oh
.
Quite right
.
I’ll go to bed, then, and do it in the morning
.
By tomorrow afternoon, Angela won’t know what hit her.”

“Just remember, dear, you didn’t earn t
he moniker,
The
Devil Rogue
,
for nothing,
”
she
said, and then
squealed when he embraced her tightly, kissing her forehead.

Ian released her, saying with a lopsided smile, “I just needed the reminding, is all
.
Good night, lady mother.”

Isabella shook her head, smiling as her son left the room happier than she’d seen him
in
days
.
It warmed her
heart
when
he called her
lady mother
,
as he had when he was a boy
.
It was an endearment he’d used to express his affection, and still used on occasion
.
Perhaps a little of the idealistic boy had returned
.
Ian had grown so cynical over the years that she’d often despaired over the path he’d chosen.

“
WHERE EVER DID
all these come from?” Rosemary asked in amazement
.
Almost every corner of Angela’s rooms were filled with flowers
.
They were of every color imaginable, every variety known to the free world, and were arranged in pots, urns
,
and vases of varying sizes and shapes.

“They’re from Ian.”
Smiling weakly,
Angela stood like a pale pearl amongst the vibrant colors and heady fragrances
that
battled for control over her sense of smell
.
It was becoming rather sickening, causing her stomach to
churn
in protest
.
She’d already lost her light breakfast this morning, without a doubt,
due
to her pregnancy
.
Now, the sweet stench of this multitude
of blossoms had her running for the chamber pot once more.

“Oh, my poor, dear
Miss
Angela!”
Rosemary was at her side in an instant, holding her hair away from
her
face, rubbing her back
.
“How long has this been going on?”

“Only for a few days, now,” Angela
said
, her voice echoing within the pot her head was
currently
hanging in
.
“Once I cast up my accounts, I’m fine.”
She sat back onto her heels
.
“It was incredibly sweet and romantic
of him
, but I think it would be best to move these to another location.”

Angela sat in a comfortable chair by the bed
, Sprinkles purring in her lap,
while Rosemary went to get
h
elp in removing the flowers
.
As soon as the request was made, an army of servants cleared the room in less than ten minutes
.
They removed
them all
except
for
a few choice arrangements
.
Angela couldn’t bear to get rid of them all
.
So, obviously he hadn’t forgotten about her, she thought to herself, smiling.

“I know that smile,” Rosemary
said
, breaking in on Angela’s musings
.
“You’re thinking of
him
, aren’t you?”

“Well, don’t you think it was a grand gesture
?
I mean, did you see all those flowers he sent me?”

“Yes, I saw them
.
I was here, remember?”

“There’s a note, too.”
Angela handed the folded piece of paper to Rosemary
.
“Here, read what it says.”

“
I miss you more than you know
,” Rosemary read aloud
.
“
When we meet again, you’ll n
ever
doubt it
.
That’s it?”

Angela snatched the note from her friend’s hand
.
“Yes, that’s it
.
What do you think he should have said?”

“That he loves you
,
that his life means nothing without you
,
that he’d drag himself over hot coals to be at your side.”

“Ian wouldn’t talk like that,” Angela said in his defense
.
“He’s too proud, and—
”

“Dense?”

“No
!
It just doesn’t sound like something he’d say, is all.”
At least she didn’t think so
.
If he would only tell her he loved her
.

“Are you ready to forgive him, then?” Rosemary asked quietly.

“I don’t know
.
But
I’ve had time to consider it, and
I think I should at least let him tell me his side of it.
”

“I really do believe he loves you
.
He was very upset when
Eberly
beat you
.
I think that’s when he realized you had nothing to do with
that man’s
schemes.”

“Perhaps you’re right, but I’m still confused
about it all.”

“
No
w you have the baby to consider.
Let us hope you both can work it out
.
”

“Not to mention that I’m now a princess with an obligation to my reputation
,” Angela said solemnly
, stroking the soft fur behind Sprinkle’s ears
.
“
It’s not like before, when I could just disappear into the countryside
.
I feel I owe it to my fathe
r to make some kind of effort.”

“What did happen all those years ago?” Rosemary asked.

Angela repeated the story of how her father, then a prince, had met her mother at a ball
.
They’d fallen in love almost instantly, he’d told
Angela
.
H
e was
n’
t a citizen of this country,
so
there was a longer waiting period
to marry by special license
.
He could have taken her to his own country and married her, but before they could make travel plans, he was called home.

His father had been killed, his country in serious turmoil
.
Anna was pregnant by that time, and it would have been too dangerous for her to go with
him
.
So, she stayed behind
.
Angela’s
father had gotten a little vague about why her mother had married
Eberly
, however
.
He
told
Angela
of his imprisonment, how he’d eventually escaped to retake the throne and restore his country
.
Many years passed before he was able to send letters to Angela
.
That’s when she learned
Eberly
had kept those letters from her.

“That bastard!” Rosemary interjected
, her outburst sending Sprinkles sprinting off Angela’s lap
.
“To think, all those years your real father was trying to contact you, and you had no idea.”

Angela had wanted to scream in frustrated anger when her father
had
told her about the letters
.
Eberly
had sorely misused her in every possible way
.
All Ian had done was
provide
the
means
to escape
T
he
B
aron’s home, not by force, but by her
c
hoice
alone
.

“Well, it’s over now
, and I intend to
try and
make the best of
things
,” Angela said
.
“When Ian is ready to come to me, I will
at least
listen.”

Each day, for a week following, Angela received flowers, chocolates, and quaint little trinkets from Ian
.
The only thing she hadn’t received, and which she wished for most ardently, was a visit from him.

She missed him dreadfully.

When she closed her eyes at night, she could see his wicked smile, his perfectly sculpted body, his
golden
eyes, bright with passion for her
.
Even though in the beginning he seemed to despise her,
he hadn’t actually been cruel to her
.
He’d been kind enough to offer his assistance in finding her real father
.
He’d been considerate, giving
,
and gentle in his lovemaking
.
S
he
now
realized that
his actions
had been
triggered
by
the pain of his friend’s death.

Angela knew what it felt like to lose a loved one
,
t
he denial
,
the anger, and the overwhelming feeling of helplessness
for not being able to stop it.

She did
n’t
need an explanation from him t
o know that she still loved him
and could forgive him
.
But the
days
away from Ian’s distracting presence allowed her the time she needed to get to know her father
.
A
fter he
’d
explained what had happened before she was born,
how could
she blame him for th
ose fateful
events
beyond his control?