The Devil Who Tamed Her (24 page)

“Y
OUR HUSBAND IS HERE TO
see you,” Sadie announced at the door.

The two girls had joined Ophelia on the bed, and sitting cross-legged, they’d worked out a nice list of possible husbands for both girls. The camaraderie was warm among them, the laughter spontaneous. It had been a long time since Ophelia had enjoyed herself so much.

But with Sadie’s announcement, all three girls were thinking that the word
husband
had a nice ring to it, well, at least two of them were. The reminder that
husband
didn’t exactly mean what it should mean for Ophelia abruptly made her mood plummet. But she tried to put a good face on it as her friends rushed off, neither of them wanting to intrude on her first days of married life.

She took her time dressing, even though Sadie tried to hurry her. Rafe could wait, in her opinion. He could wait all day. He deserved to be kept waiting. God, how easily the anger returned, and she couldn’t seem to help it.

“It’s a good thing your mother went back to bed,” Sadie said as she pushed Ophelia out the door. “I heard she was on the warpath this morning, over this turn of events.”

“What nonsense,” Ophelia scoffed, pausing at the top of the stairs. “My mother never goes on the warpath.”

“She did this time, and your father even backed down, if you can believe it. Jerome was eavesdropping at the door. He swears it’s true.”

Ophelia didn’t believe it. That footman was known to embellish his tales to make them more interesting. But she wasn’t going to argue about it because Rafe was waiting for her in the parlor. She didn’t doubt he was there to collect her. Married, they were expected to live in the same house whether they wanted to or not. She’d make him apologize first for rudely running off on her last night.

She paused in the doorway to the parlor. She was armed for battle, wearing one of her many powder blue gowns that enhanced the color of her eyes, her coiffure in perfect order. Her “husband” stood at the window that looked out on the street. There wasn’t much to see out there. But he looked deep in thought, and she doubted he’d heard her arrive.

He did. Without even turning he said, “Kept an hour waiting. Were you hoping I’d get fed up and leave?”

“Not a’tall,” she purred. “I was merely hoping you’d get fed up.”

He turned about to catch the smirking smile she shot his way as she crossed to a sofa. There were four to choose from, all identical and comfortably upholstered in silk brocade, the colors predominately gold with assorted earth tones that went well with the solid-brown chairs scattered about the rest of the room. The sofas were positioned around a low table that held a few knick-knacks and one of her mother’s flower arrangements, but was mainly used for tea trays.

She spread her skirts wide so Rafe wouldn’t even think about sitting next to her. He came over to join her and sat on the edge of her skirt! She gritted her teeth as she yanked the material out from under his thigh. He didn’t even seem to notice as he turned to face her, resting one arm on the back of the sofa. Perhaps he wasn’t being deliberately rude, but she was as she moved farther away from him.

He did notice that and said, “Be still.”

“Go to the devil.”

He started to reach for her but changed his mind and sighed. “Can we at least have a normal conversation for a few minutes?”

“I doubt it. A few minutes is too long for me to be cordial to you.”

Her anger was seething. Every single word out of her mouth seemed to make it worse, as if it were feeding upon itself. And she had no other outlet for this anger, it would just continue to grow and fester. The one other outlet he’d introduced her to was no longer an option. She wasn’t about to use him to get rid of anger
he
was responsible for.

“I’ve come up with an ideal solution for us.”

He tossed that out as if it were a gold nugget, expecting her to pounce on it and put aside the sarcasm and rancor for the moment. It didn’t work.

“I wasn’t aware we needed a solution, but I suppose you might think so.” The only thing that came to mind was an annulment, but she wasn’t going to let him escape that easily. She was ready with her arguments before she said, “An annulment isn’t an option.”

“I agree,” he surprised her by saying. “We’ve already had our wedding night, albeit a bit early.”

If he thought he could embarrass her by mentioning their lovemaking, it didn’t work. In fact, it just reminded her how gullible she’d been, how she’d believed all his lies, how she’d really thought he’d wanted to help her when all along she’d just been a source of amusement for him and Duncan. That he
had
helped her was completely irrelevant when his motives had been purely self-serving.

“I’ve decided to buy a house. There’s one for sale not too far from here, so you’ll be able to easily visit your parents whenever you like.”

“What’s wrong with your house?”

“Nothing. My house is perfect—for me. I’m sure you won’t be surprised if I want to keep it that way. What I’m talking about is a house just for you.”

That was
not
what she had assumed she’d be hearing, but she managed a tight smile for him. “You actually expect me to wreck your house, don’t you?”

“The thought did occur to me. You are an unpredictable woman, Phelia, probably the most unpredictable one I’ve ever met. I’d as soon not take the chance with a home I’m fond of.”

“So your brilliant idea is that we won’t just be having separate bedrooms, we’ll have separate houses? And what if I don’t like that idea?”

“I’m not doing this to please you, m’dear. For all I care, you can stay right here. But that will eventually cause you some embarrassment that might whiplash on my family. But keep in mind that you forced this situation on us when I could have extricated us easily enough.”

“I forced nothing! You brought this on yourself when you decided to place wagers on my life!”

He ignored her heated tone and shrugged. “Be that as it may, you will accept what I’m offering. Or perhaps you haven’t realized yet that the decisions are now mine to make?”

He sounded entirely too smug in saying that. “I wouldn’t count on it.”

He stood up, wearing that same angry countenance he’d worn in Summers Glade when he’d given her that verbal setdown. “Don’t push me, Ophelia. You’ve done quite enough of that already. I can and will put a leash on you if I have to. I’d rather not assume that much control over your every action—again—but I will if you get out of hand.”

He left her with that warning and the clear indication that he’d deposit her back at Alder’s Nest, alone this time, and she’d be just as much a prisoner there as she’d been before. That
was
what he’d implied when he’d stressed the word
again
. But she wasn’t going to let him get away with this, and she knew just how to make sure he couldn’t.

“T
HIS IS A BAD IDEA
,”
Sadie grumbled as she tucked the lap robe more tightly about her lap and continued to stare worriedly out the coach window.

“This is a wonderful idea,” Ophelia disagreed.

“You don’t just barge in on people like this, and especially not these people.”

“He may be a duke,” Ophelia said with a shrug, “but he’s also my father-in-law. Do you really think he won’t give me a warm welcome?”

“That’s hardly the point. What if he’s already heard that you’re estranged from his son?”

“No one knows that yet.
Rafe
doesn’t even know that yet. He
thinks
keeping us apart is his idea.”

“You should be moving into that house that he bought you, instead of barging in on his family.”

Ophelia sighed. Sadie was in top form today as grumbles went. Ophelia was nervous enough as it was about meeting the duke for the first time. Her maid was just making that worse.

“One, I don’t barge,” Ophelia said. “Two, I have no intention of occupying that house he bought.”

“But he bought it just for you.”

“Yes, and I’m delighted that he wasted the money. I intend to waste even more of his money when we get back to London. I’m going to go on an extravagant shopping spree and have all of the bills sent to him.”

“Denting a man’s purse when you aren’t on good terms with that man is an even worse idea than hieing off to Norford Hall,” Sadie warned.

“Everything is a bad idea to you these days.”

“Because you’ve reverted to the old you. I was just getting used to the new you, and—”

“That’s not true and you know it,” Ophelia cut in, her tone a little hurt. “I’ve only regressed where
he’s
concerned.”

Sadie sighed now and admitted, “That’s true. I’m sorry. I just had such high hopes for your marriage, some peace for you away from your father finally, some love from a good man, having babies I could adore…are you sure you’re not enceinte?”

Ophelia wasn’t sure at all, but she said, “Yes, quite, but have the driver pull over, I think I’m going to be sick again.”

“You
are
enceinte, aren’t you?”

“I’m not, really, and never mind, we don’t need to stop. It’s passed. It’s just all this anger that keeps churning in my gut, and this bouncy ride isn’t helping.”

“It’s all right if you are, you know. You’re married.”

“I am not having a baby!”

“Fine. But being angry never made you sick to your stomach before.”

“I’ve never been
this
angry before.”

Sadie offered a few more grumbles, but Ophelia stopped listening. She wasn’t sure what she was going to accomplish with this visit. She hadn’t really thought that far ahead. She didn’t want to cause a rift between Rafe and his family. But the threat he’d hung over her head worried her. She’d like at least someone on his side to look favorably on her and be there to talk reason into Rafe if he really did try to curtail her freedom and stick her somewhere like Alder’s Nest again—alone this time.

It only took a good portion of a day to reach Norford Hall. It was definitely the largest estate Ophelia had ever seen, aside from the royal palace. The size wasn’t just intimidating, it was disheartening to have it made so clear that a duke lived there. A real duke. You couldn’t get much higher up the proverbial ladder outside of the royal family.

Sadie was even more intimidated as they stepped out of the coach and she stared at the mansion with her mouth hanging open. She only had one final thing to say, and she said it in a whisper: “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Ophelia didn’t answer. Liveried footmen were showing up en masse, to usher them inside, to take care of the coach, to unload their trunks. She
had
dressed rather grandly for the occasion, which was probably why she was being given admittance without having to identify herself or what she was doing there.

Of course she changed her mind about that when she came up against the solid wall of the Norford Hall butler.
He
wasn’t going to let her go any farther without finding out who she was. But Sadie was at her best when dealing with the servant class, wasn’t the least bit in awe of servants higher up the ladder than she was, and circumvented any extensive questioning by getting right to the point.

“We’ll need two rooms,” Sadie told the butler. “One of them quite large, so don’t even think about giving my lady a mere guest room for her stay here. She’s your lord’s new daughter-in-law come to meet her husband’s family. And considering how big this place is, I’ll take a room near hers, thank you.”

That easily they were whisked upstairs. If that butler worked for her, Ophelia would have insisted he get a little more proof than a maid’s high manner, but perhaps they were more relaxed out here in the country. And the room she was shown to was so large, a good four times the size of her bedroom at home, she felt positively dwarfed by it. The furnishings were exquisite though, in jade and gold mostly, expensive. But she was used to expensive things, so she wasn’t hesitant to use what was there. However, it was no wonder Norford Hall spread out so widely like a city block, with rooms this size.

After being on the road most of the day, she should have rested up, at least until dinner, but she was too nervous even to consider it. If she could get her first meeting with the duke out of the way, then she could relax—if it went well—and maybe even enjoy her stay. So she did no more than change out of her traveling clothes and into her least wrinkled day dress and went back downstairs to “meet” her new family.

I
T WAS EASY TO GET
lost in Norford Hall, Ophelia found as she wandered around on the lower floor, trying to get her bearings. There wasn’t just one main hall with rooms off it, there were quite a few. She finally gave up trying to figure out where the main rooms were and requested an audience with the duke. That at least was easy enough to do since there were footmen everywhere it seemed. She’d already discovered that there was more than one parlor. She was shown to what they referred to as the blue room and hoped she wouldn’t have to wait long.

The blue parlor, so named because the walls, the floors, the windows, were all covered in pale shades of that color, wasn’t empty. A middle-aged woman was lying down on one of the sofas. She actually appeared to be napping there, one arm draped over her eyes to block out the light streaming in through a long bank of windows. But at the sound of footsteps she sat up immediately, took one look at Ophelia, and scowled.

“Who are you? Never mind. This won’t do a’tall. Do go away before my son comes downstairs.”

Not a normal greeting by any means, Ophelia didn’t know whether to laugh or get annoyed. Rafe’s mother? She could have sworn she’d heard that his mother had died long ago. Then who? She was a striking woman, with blond hair and blue eyes, and she bore a definite resemblance to Rafe. But she was so gruff and bossy, her manner could almost be called masculine.

“I beg your pardon?” Ophelia said.

“My son, Rupert, is too impressed with beautiful women,” the woman took a moment to explain. “
You
are too bloody pretty. He’ll be slobbering at your feet if he claps eyes on you. You must go.”

Ophelia chose to ignore those remarks entirely and made an effort to start afresh. “Might you be one of my husband’s many aunts? I’m Ophelia.”

“Don’t care who you are, gel, you need to make yourself scarce and quickly—oh, never mind. We’ll leave. We can visit my brother another time.”

She stood up to do just that, but then made a low growl in her throat because she was too late. The young man under discussion, her son, sauntered casually into the room. His eyes went immediately to Ophelia, which stopped him in his tracks. He stared, hard. Nothing she wasn’t used to, but he wasn’t rendered speechless as most were.

“My God,” he said. “My God, when did angels come down to earth?”

With black hair with flyaway curls and pale blue eyes, he was incredibly handsome, but in an effeminate way. His skin was too smooth, his nose too thin. He wore lace at his cuffs, an excessive amount in his cravat, and a bright lime green satin waistcoat. She was surprised he wasn’t wearing dandyish knee breeches. He definitely had a girlish air about him, which was almost funny, because his mother seemed rather mannish.

“You can close your mouth, Rupert,” his mother snapped in disgust. “She’s married to your cousin Rafe.”

“Ah, that would explain it.” He didn’t sound too disappointed that she was married. “The incomparable Ophelia, no doubt. I knew I should have sought her out when I heard about her, but frankly, I didn’t believe a jot of it. No one could be as beautiful as they were claiming she is. Bloody hell, for once I wish I hadn’t played know-it-all. But no matter.” He gave Ophelia a truly magnificent smile. “Forget about my cousin. You must run away with me. I’ll make you deliriously happy.”

“Rupert, I raised a fool,” his mother admonished.

Rupert wasn’t paying the least bit of attention to his mother now. He’d leapt forward and was bending over to kiss Ophelia’s hand, nor would he release her fingers, continuing to hold them to his mouth while his blue eyes remained locked to hers. She feared he’d start sucking them in a minute.

They were joined by another man, one of such stature, dignity, and noble bearing, even though he was casually dressed in a rumpled frock coat, there was no doubt he was the Duke of Norford. He was also, undeniably, an older version of Rafe, the same height, the same blond hair and blue eyes, just stockier in girth.

He glanced at the scowling woman and said, “Julie, go home. You’ve overstayed your welcome.”

“I just got here!”

“Exactly.”

But he moved farther into the room to hug her, and she snorted before she hugged him back. He was teasing her? A duke was teasing his sister?

Then he turned to Ophelia. “I don’t believe I need to ask who you are. The rumors of your beauty don’t do you justice. Come along. We’ll find somewhere to get acquainted where my nephews aren’t drooling over you.”

“Oh, I say, I really don’t drool,” Rupert protested vehemently.

But the Duke of Norford had already left the room, and Ophelia was sure he didn’t doubt for a moment that she would follow. She still had to tug her hand away from Rupert first, who didn’t want to let go. Finally succeeding, she rushed out of the room.

“Don’t be long, love. I’ll be waiting right here,” Rupert called after her. Then she heard him howl. His mother must have hit him with something.

Ophelia just caught sight of Preston Locke’s back disappearing into a room down the hall. She picked up her skirt to run after him, slid a few inches on the marble floor as she stopped, and took a few seconds to compose herself before she entered. She wasn’t sure if she was in a library or a study. It was a large room. Filled bookshelves lined nearly every wall. But there was also a desk, twice the size of any she’d ever seen before, placed in front of some windows in a corner. The room was filled with small groupings of comfortable-looking chairs.

“This is a nice—study,” she remarked as she joined him by seating herself in one of those comfortable chairs. A tray of tea had been placed on the low table between them.

“My study is utilitarian and a few doors further down this hall,” he corrected. “This is where I come to relax and not deal with estate business. Would you like to pour us tea? It was just served.”

“Certainly.”

His tone gave no indication of his mood. She couldn’t tell if he was pleased to meet her or annoyed by her presence in his home. She was amazed the teacups didn’t rattle in their china saucers, she was so nervous. She could feel his eyes on her face accessing her.

He finally said, “You really are too beautiful for words, aren’t you? I honestly thought people were exaggerating as they tend to do, but not in this case.”

“I wish it were otherwise, Your Grace.”

“Come now, no formality amongst family. I suppose you can call me Father if you like, though if you feel uncomfortable doing so, Preston will do. Do you really not like being so pretty?”

Her eyes met his as she handed him a teacup. “It has been a blessing and a bane, more so a bane.”

“Why is that?”

She was given pause. No one had ever asked her that before, and she saw no reason not to be truthful about it. This was her father-in-law after all.

“Mainly, it has caused my father to treat me as a prized bauble good only for showing off, which has set him and me at complete odds. But there’s also the reaction people have to me when they meet me. Your nephew for instance.”

The duke actually laughed. “Rupert isn’t a good example, m’dear. The boy behaves like that around any skirt he crosses paths with. But I understand how you might see that sort of reaction as a problem.”

“It’s not just the men. Women flock to me as well, not because they like me, but just to be associated with me. This face has made me quite popular. It’s also caused me to distrust people for most of my life. They are so rarely sincere when they’re around me. Anyway, that’s been my bane.”

He stared at her oddly for a moment. “You would think that anyone as incredibly beautiful as you are would have led a charmed life. How unusual that it would seem you’ve led just the opposite.”

She shrugged. “I’m not quite so bitter about it anymore, and that’s your son’s doing. He helped me to view things from perspectives other than my own. It’s made an amazing difference, having a little trust in my life again, when I had absolutely none.”

“Yes, he mentioned—working with you.”

His pause indicated that Rafe had told his father far too much about their relationship. He might even have mentioned that they’d been intimate. Father and son could be close enough to discuss things like that.

She felt a blush coming on, but it halted when he added, “By the by, where is the groom? I expected him to bring you here for this first visit.”

She hesitated only a moment before admitting, “He doesn’t know I’ve come here. Rafe and I aren’t talking—or living together.”

That produced an instant frown. “You refuse to live with him?”

“On the contrary. He married me and then promptly returned me to my parents’ home.”

Preston shot immediately to his feet, his face suffused with color. “The devil he did.”

She wasn’t really surprised that he’d be offended on her behalf, or perhaps it was just his son doing something so out of the ordinary that he objected to. But oddly enough, she found herself defending Rafe.

“He didn’t want to marry me. He’s quite angry that he feels he was forced to.”

He digested that for a moment, then sighed as he sat back down. “I’m afraid that’s my doing. I did more or less order him to do right by you. The rumors, you know. Couldn’t have them getting out of hand. They could have been quite detrimental to your reputation if you weren’t engaged to marry the boy. But I certainly didn’t expect it to happen this quickly.”

“Neither did he. In fact, he didn’t expect it to happen at all. His intention was to defuse the rumors and avoid marriage entirely. But my own anger got out of hand and I pretty much goaded him into acting hastily, so, no, it wasn’t your fault a’tall.”

“I could have sworn he said something to the effect that your temper had been tamed.”

Her lips tightened. “Did he? Well, yes, in most regards that’s true. I can even get through a conversation with my father these days without screaming at him. The one exception is Rafe. I can’t seem to control my temper a’tall where he’s concerned.”

“I see,” the duke said thoughtfully.

She wished she did. “At any rate, I’d rather not live alone in the house that he bought me. I’m sure it’s a nice house and I probably won’t mind living there eventually. But just now while my moods are so turbulent, I think it would better if I remained in the company of other people.”

“You’re more than welcome to stay here,” he said, and appeared to mean it.

“Thank you, but that’s not why I’ve come. My maid, Sadie, thinks I’m with child. I dis—”

“Truly?” he cut in with a brilliant smile. “That’s wonderful news! So he didn’t desert you immediately after the wedding after all?”

“Oh, he did. But our time together at Alder’s Nest was—eventful—in a number of ways.” She was glad to see by his expression, mixed with understanding and disapproval, that she didn’t need to elaborate further. “But as I was saying, I disagree with Sadie. It’s rather soon to know for certain. But on the oft chance that she’s correct, I thought this would be a good time to meet Rafe’s family. Frankly, I wanted to make sure you aren’t all as aggravating as he is.”

The Duke of Norford didn’t take offense at that remark. In fact, he burst out laughing.