The Devil's Match (4 page)

“But, Aunt Di!” Vesta protested.

“She’s right, my love,” said Hew, squeezing
Vesta’s hand. “What are a few days when we have our entire lives to
look forward to together?”

“May we at least have a moment alone?” Vesta
pleaded. “Just a few minutes in the garden? Please, Aunt Di.”

“What harm can there be?” Ludovic asked,
glancing from the couple to Diana, who visibly bristled at him. He
knew she didn’t wish to concede for that would also place
her
alone with
him.
“Given my brother’s eagerness to see the
knot tied, I daresay any damage has already been done.”

The younger couple colored and exchanged guilty
glances.

“Five minutes,” Diana said tersely. “Not a
moment longer.”

Vesta nodded and seemed to glow when Hew offered
his arm.

“Edward will not like this at all,” Diana
remarked after the couple had departed out the terrace door.

“But he will accept it nonetheless,” DeVere
countered.

“I never could have pictured Hew and Vesta,” she
said. “But I daresay they seem to have grown fond of one another,
which I suppose gives them as good a chance as any of making a go
of it.”

“So cynical, Diana?”

“I have reason, as you well know, but isn’t the
pot calling the kettle black?”

He laughed. “Mayhap so, for I have little faith
in the institution of marriage. Had I my choice, I would abolish it
altogether.”

“And pray, what would that accomplish other than
creating a country teeming with illegitimate children?”

“At least there would be no stigma to bastardy,”
he said blandly. “All would equally fall under the bar
sinister.”

“And who do you suppose would take
responsibility for all these unnamed children?”

“Were we to adopt the ways of the East, as in
the sultan’s harem, they would be raised all together. It’s rather
a hedonistic ideal, is it not?”

“You do not believe a man should provide for his
own offspring?” she asked with disdain.

“Certainly he should...” Ludovic retrieved an
enameled snuffbox from his pocket, a memento from his days in
Paris, and studied the bawdy picture on the lid. “...if he can be
certain they are truly his. In this country, the law covers a
multitude of sins, for a man has no choice but to claim another’s
bastard if he and the woman are wed at the time. In Constantinople,
the law protects a man from the injustice of raising another’s
bastard.” He took a pinch of his favorite custom blend, replaced
the box in his pocket, and shook out his lace cuffs.

“And how is that contrived?” she asked.

“A sultan is permitted to take four wives to
provide his heirs and then numerous concubines to provide his
pleasure. He is required to provide for the material wants of all
the women and children under his care. In return, they are kept
segregated from any other males, save eunuchs. To even speak to any
of these women can merit a penalty of death.”

Her lips thinned. “A hundred women enslaved to
one man? And kept confined for life? You speak as if you condone
this barbaric practice.”

He laughed. “It is highly effective to ensure
fidelity, for it ensures that the sultan’s sexual needs are met
within his own home. Thus, he has no reason to stray outside of
it.”

“What of the women’s needs and desires?” she
asked.

He shrugged. “It is a man’s world, Diana. They
may not have the freedom that English women enjoy, but they are
well cared for.”

“Do you honestly believe this is the only way to
ensure faithfulness?”

“Yes, in my experience,” he said. “I do not
believe in lasting fidelity. When passion fades, lovers, even
married ones, inevitably stray. What then is left?”

“Affection? Companionship?” she offered.

He waved a bejeweled hand. “Readily supplied by
a pack of spaniels.”

“If you have such antipathy toward marriage, why
would you encourage your brother to wed?” Diana stood and walked
toward the window, presumably to check on her charge.

“Because I have a responsibility to ensure the
propagation of little DeVeres, the continuation of the line, so to
speak. Since Hew and I are all that remains, and I have no
inclination whatsoever to reproduce, my brother shall do so in my
stead.”

She glanced outside and then remarked over
her shoulder, “An altogether convenient
arrangement...
for
you
.”

He ignored her sarcasm with a smile. “I believe
it so. But I have also made it well worth my brother’s while. He
will receive properties and a more than generous settlement when he
and Vesta are wed. Indeed, I am thinking of settling Woodcote Park
upon them as a bridal gift.”

She stared at him with surprise. “Woodcote Park?
Your estate at Epsom?”

He inclined his head. “The same.”

“But you only bought it four years ago. I
thought you were quite enamored of the place.”

“Yet I have never returned to it. I only
maintain my stables there.”

Diana frowned. “Never? You just closed it up
and—”

“Yes. There was some unpleasantness there that I
have had no wish to dwell upon.” He allowed a meaningful pause.
“But I think Hew and Vesta would enjoy it well. Do you agree?”

“Given their mutual love of riding and its
proximity to the down, I could hardly disagree.” She studied him
intently. “You surprise me, Ludovic.”

“In what way?” he asked, noting with
satisfaction her lapse in the use of his Christian name.

“I did not think you a man of the least
sensibility.”

Ludovic rose as Vesta and Hew returned through
the terrace door, noting the high color spotting Hew’s cheeks and
the deep rose of Vesta’s swollen lips with a twitch of his own.
“Then perhaps, my dear, you don’t know me quite as well as you
thought.”

Chapter Four

King’s Place Brothel, St James,
Westminster

“Ah, my Lord DeVere!” Madam Hayes rushed forth
to greet her noble guest with a sweeping curtsey that displayed an
indecent amount of her bosom. “What an honor that you once more
grace us with your presence! You have been away so long that I
feared to have lost your custom altogether.” She clasped his
sleeve; her brightly painted lips formed a coquettish moue.

“I have been much occupied of late, my dear. But
pray, have no fear, I have been well-satisfied with our arrangement
to date.”

“I am gratified to hear that, my lord. Now, what
is your pleasure this evening? I have several delicious, young
nymphs on offer, new and certifiably unsullied.”

DeVere smirked. “You mean your physician is a
magician in making what is well-worn brand new again.”

“You know I only offer premium goods,” she
protested.

“I might better say you offer your goods at a
premium.” DeVere chuckled. “Besides, you know I haven’t a penchant
for virgins. I prefer a willing and knowledgeable partner.”

“But tastes are subject to change,” she
said with a smile, “especially in those so jaded as you. And you
know I endeavor to please every appetite. Gentlemen of all tastes
are welcome in my establishment.
Anything
you desire can be procured...for the
right price, of course.”

“My own preference is easy enough to fill this
night,” he replied. “I should like Salime.”

“Salime?” Her painted brows reached toward her
bewigged hairline. “The Jewel of the East has become exceedingly
popular. I fear her price has gone up considerably since you were
here last.”

“Come now, Mrs. Hayes, when has price ever been
an obstacle?”

“La!” She laughed, a shrill sound. “My
apologies, my lord. I am a woman of business, after all, and not
all my patrons are as free with their purses. Thus, I must be up
front to ensure the satisfaction of all my guests.”

DeVere reached into his pocket and retrieved a
coin purse, which he dropped wordlessly into the bawd’s hand. She
weighed the gold with a wink and an effusive smile that displayed
yellowing teeth. “I daresay this should more than suffice.”

***

The raven-haired siren reclined on a silk
upholstered
lit à la turque
in a chamber littered with colorful tasseled pillows and
brass lanterns, appointed in the same Oriental style as DeVere’s
own private drawing room. She rose at once, losing all affectation
of indolence, the moment he entered the chamber.

“Effendi!
My
lord! My heart is joyous!” She gushed and knelt at his
feet.

He took her hand, assisting her to rise, and
kissed it. “How are you, my dear Salime?”

“I have been well enough...but much better
now to see
you
again.” She
gave him a shy smile with her eyes demurely downcast. “I wondered
if you had found another more to your liking—perhaps the fiery one
who came during our last evening together?” She glanced up to meet
his amused gaze.

“You are all too astute, my dear.” Ludovic
chuckled. “It has much to do with the
fiery one
as you so aptly name her. But pray,
let us not talk of it, for I have dire need of distraction of the
kind only you can provide.”

“I exult to be the one chosen.”

“Your continued exuberance is enchanting,” he
said. “I thought it may have diminished by now.”

“But it is only for you. The rest...” She
gave a blithe half shrug and sauntered with a seductive sway of her
hips to the carafe of wine standing at the ready beside the divan
upon which she had reposed. She filled an ornate goblet and brought
it to him, raising it to his lips. “I only delight in serving
you,
Effendi
.”

“You flatter me,” he said and took a sip before
accepting the goblet from her bejeweled hands.

She helped him out of coat, waistcoat, and
cravat. “What is your pleasure this night, my lord?” She slowly
licked her lush lips while moving her hand to the front of his
breeches to gently cup his bollocks and tease his dormant shaft. He
stayed her hand. “Not this time, my dear.”

She regarded him with befuddlement. “But it has
been many days and you are a man of remarkable virility.”

Divested of his more restrictive outer garments,
Ludovic lowered himself to recline on the large cushions scattered
on the floor. He patted the space beside him, indicating she should
join him. She sat cross-legged and drew his head onto her lap. He
closed his eyes with a sigh as she massaged his temples and riffled
her fingers through his hair.

At length, she asked, “Have you taken her as
your mistress? Has the fiery one succeeded where all others
failed?”

He cracked one eye open. “What the devil is that
supposed to mean?”

“You know the secrets of women, my lord, how to
touch and stroke and awaken the passions of the soul as well as the
body, yet you, yourself, remain always unmoved. Has a woman finally
touched you? Has one at last stirred your soul to waking?”

He groaned. “Is that what this damnably
unpleasant sensation is? My soul awakening?”

“Then it is true.” Salime regarded him
wistfully. “She is the most fortunate of women.”

He gave her a twisted smile. “She would hardly
agree. She wants none of me.”

“Then she is a fool, my lord. Yet you still want
no other?” She eyed his groin suggestively.

“That’s the bloody sad truth of it. I seem
unable to summon any desire for any other.”

“Shall I try to rouse you?” she asked. “I know
many ways. You need only close your eyes and picture her.”

“No,” he replied. “An exceedingly generous
offer, but I would not use you that way, my dear. There is,
however, another means by which you and only you could give me
immense satisfaction.”

“And how is that, my lord?” Her black eyes
glittered with unveiled eagerness.

“Dance for me, Salime.”

She looked almost disappointed. “You only wish
for me to dance?”

“Yes,” he said. “I would very much like for you
to dance.”

Chapter Five

Upper Grosvenor Street, three days
later

“Vesta, I just can’t condone the suddenness of
your decision. It is far too impetuous. You are too young! I sent
you to London to get a taste of the sophisticated world, to meet
people, to dance, to attend the operas and plays. To mix and
mingle, not to latch on to the first eligible, young man to come
your way! You have so little experience of the world. How can you
know that Hew is the one who will make you happy?”

“Because I love him, Papa, and he loves me!”
Vesta wailed. “Why should we wait? Just so that I am a year
older?”

“Frankly, yes,” said Sir Edward. “Much can
change with time and maturity, including your feelings for
Hew.”

“But, Papa! You don’t understand. He is
already mine, and I am his.
Forever.
”

“Already?
” He
seemed to latch on to the significance of that one word. His eyes
narrowed ominously. His mouth formed a grim line. “What do you mean
by
already,
Vesta?”

She lowered her gaze and bit her lip. “I’m sorry
to disappoint you, but it just happened. It was fated, you
see.”

“Fated, my arse!” His voice boomed. “You mean
the blackguard seduced you—my only child!”

“Never!” Vesta cried with passion. “Hew could
not have seduced me, for he was unconscious—at least the first
night. After that...well...I think perhaps it was I who seduced
him.”

Her father stared at her with an astounded
expression. “How can you even
know
of such things?”