The Devil Rogue (9 page)

ANGELA LEFT THE
study in a haze of
confused emotions
.
Had she really agreed to bathe him every night
?
Of course, he hadn’t actually asked her
.
It was to be her punishment
.
Punishment, indeed
!
What sort of example had he been attempting to achieve with that dictate
?
She supposed it could be looked upon as a lesson in humility, a sort of humbling experience, if one were to look at it that way.

But she didn’t see it that way – no, not at all
.
Obviously, there’d been some impish little devil l
urking
inside her all along, just waiting to be released
. T
he idea of inspecting every inch of
Blackridge’s
bare skin was an extremely fascinating prospect
.
Never in her life would she have suspected her curiosity about a man
could
reach such monumental proportions.

She’d had her share of attention from handsome men
, but none of them had been a golden-eyed, devilish rogue with a wicked reputation
.
Blackridge was a man who knew what he wanted and took it
without bothering to ask
.
Angela wasn’t sure if she should be frightened or thrilled.

A commotion coming from the front of the house drew her attention.

“I demand to see Miss Hopkins at once!”

Angela immediately recognized her father’s
loud
voice, its familiar
tone
of superiority making her cringe
.
She would not allow
him
to
intimidate her
.
She was no longer under his guardianship
. H
e held
no power over her
.
Standing tall, or as tall as her diminutive stature would allow,
she inhaled
a deep, fortifying breath
. C
almly
, she walked
toward the front entrance
.

“It
’s
all right, Phillips,” she said
.
“
He’
s my father.”

She waited until
Phillips
had
retreated
.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, father?”
Her
voice was cool, her
hands clasped lightly in front of her.

“Can’t a father visit his own daughter, see how she’s doing
?
I’ve come to deliver your belongings personally, as well as your maid’s
.
”

When Angela made no response, he said, “
You could at least invite me in for refreshments.”

He’s here to pester me about the money
,
she thought
.
There would be no other reason why he’d show the remotest interest in her welfare
.
“Your fatherly concern warms my heart, especially since you were so eager to sell me to the h
ighest bidder.”

“Oh, get off your high ho
rse.
”
He
dismiss
ed
her comment with a quick wave of his hand
.
“You’re no worse for wear as far as I can tell
.
Besides, you have one of the best studs in
London
to keep you warm at night.”

Angela’s face
heated
at her father’s coarse statement, but she maintained her air of indifference
.
He’s been drinking
, she thought
bitterly
,
or he wouldn’t have said that out loud
.
“Come with me, then,” she said with a resigned sigh.

She preceded him into a small parlor
that
looked out the
front of the house
.
It had two floor-to-ceiling, paned windows covered with delicate
,
lacy curtains
. It
afford
ed
a fuzzy view of an occasional pedestrian passing by on the brick-paved walkway
.
The room was decorated in pale blue, complimented by soft cream accents
.
The silk-upholstered furniture was also done in blue, with delicate, cream flowers, and seemed more suited for looks,
rather
than comfort
.
Still, Angela liked this room
.
It was light and cheery and reminded her of her mother
.

“What is it you want, father
?
I’m not the lady of the house, here, so I don’t believe I’m at liberty to entertain guests
.
In fact, I
distinctly
re
call
Blackridge
specifically stating that I’m not to receive visitors.”

“Well, I’m not a visitor, I’m your father
.
It’s not the same.”

Angela felt her patience slipping.
“Just tell me why you’re here
.
”
She watched him warily, noticing the way he scanned the room’s many objects
with a covetous eye. A majority
of th
ose items
were
most likely valuable
.
He had better not even think about filching anything from this room.

His gaze moved back to her
.
“Has Blackridge mentioned anything about my debts
?
He’s promised to pay them off,
you know,
now that he
’s got
you.”

“
W
hy would
Blackridge
speak to me of finances
–
most
specifically, yours
?
I’ve
been here for less than twenty four hours
.
There
ha
ven’t
been many opportunities for
business
discussions.”
Angela hoped the heat she felt in her face didn’t show, as she remembered her encounter with
Blackridge
a short time ago.

“I’ll just bet there hasn’t,” her father said with a smirk.

“If you’re going to continue with your insults, you can leave
.
”

“
A
pologies, my dear, I’m just feeling the pinch of my creditors
.
If you could find it your heart to give me
any encouraging news
,
anything
at all
—
”

“I’ve already told you, I know nothing
.
”
Oh, how she hated this man
. She could
barely stomach
being
in the same room with him
.

Why had her mother married him
?
What had she seen in him, to bind herself body and soul to such a man
?
Perhaps he hadn’t always been this way
.
But then, p
erhaps it had always been there, lurking just under the surface, and
when
Anna Hopkins
died
,
something hideous had been freed.

“I’ve always thought you were an ungrateful
chit
.
I tried my best to bring you up without the benefit of a mother.”

“You think me ungrateful?”
Angela
’s
voice r
ose
in disbelief
.
“You’ve given me nothing but grief
.
What would I have to be grateful to you for? A
nd now that I’m no longer under your care, I have no reason to stand here and take your abuse.”
She paused for a moment to catch her breath and
to
regain her composure.

“Well, if that’s the way you feel,” he said sulkily.

“
I suggest
that
you leave – now.”
She pointed toward the open door, only to find Blackridge standing there,
looming
large and handsome and angry.

“Did I interrupt something?”
he
asked, his voice cool.
He turned
his attention to Angela
.
“I believe you’ve forgotten a very important rule
, my dear
.”

“He was just leaving,” Angela said
.
“My father arrived with the trunks, and
only
thought to have a brief word with me.”

“I’ll be on my way, then,” the baron said, subdued by Blackridge’s cold stare
.
“Goodbye, daughter
.
I’m sure the contents of your trunk will bring you enjoyment.”
He snickered softly as he left the room.

Angela stared after
her father
, puzzled by that last statement
.
He never did anything unless he received some kind of satisfaction from the
exchange
,
be it
either financially, or to feed his cruel tendencies
.
It saddened her that he
never regarded her with
even the smallest bit of affection
.

She scanned the room quickly to make sure he
r conniving parent
hadn’t made off with anything of value
.
She didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him.

Ian
had been
about to berate Miss Hopkin
s for
having unauthorized visitors, but
the look in her eyes
had
halted him from speaking the words
.

H
e’d
been
walk
ing
down the hall
when the sound of voices caught his attention
.
Curious, h
e’d
halted just outside the open door.
What had th
ose two
been talking about
?
The baron, once again, appeared to be pleading with h
is daughter
over something, and she, as
she had
the night before, seemed
completely
immune to it
.

She looked upset, her blue eyes sparkling with unshed tears
.
Then suddenly, the look was gone, wiped from her face as though it w
ere
never there.
She straightened her spine, and turned toward him, her expression as sober as a prisoner facing the gallows.

Ian almost smiled.

She was such a strange mixture of softness and defiance, virtuousness and wantonness
. W
ith a touch of naiveté thrown in for good measure.
She was beautiful, alluring, sensual
,
and yet she could also be partly responsible for a terrible crime.
Was she really a murderess or at least an accomplice?
She was
either
very good at portraying her innocence
in a well-practiced act
,
or it was pa
rt of her nature.

D
espite his suspicions,
Ian found himself drawn to her
.
She was such a contradiction – soft and pliable in his arms one minute,
courageous
and stubborn
the next
.
He could hardly wait until he had her in his bed.

When he’d confronted her about her
condition
, he’d seen
her fear.
She
’d been
genuinely concerned for the servants’ welfare.
Her determination to protect them
was a little disconcerting
, and
not at all what he
’
d expected of her.
And h
e’d
experienced an unwelcome feeling of satisfaction for being the one to give her
such a
small pleasure
as sending for her things
.
The way she’d reacted
, Ian would have thought she’d just been given an expensive piece of jewelry.