“Before you decide what you’re wishing for, I think you should consider the situation. You see, my aunt is desperate to come to London, but not for her daughter’s first season. No, she is afraid I will marry before she has a chance to convince me otherwise.”
“You must have misunderstood her. I can’t think she wants to convince you not to marry. I think she wants to be a part of your marriage, as the only living relative you have.”
Devlin gave her an odd smile. It was filled with warmth and something that strangely enough seemed to be pride.
“You have a kind heart, Lady Francesca.”
“Thank you, Your Grace. But I still think you are acting selfishly.”
“She is afraid I will find someone to marry before she has a chance to get here and force me into marrying her daughter Amelia.”
“Not as long as I’m alive.”
Fanny winced as she realized she had snorted the words aloud. Horrified, she closed her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath.
What was wrong with her? Why on earth had she said those mean-hearted words straight out, and why had she said them to him?
She felt embarrassed, so utterly devastated, and wished she were anywhere but here. She wished she had courage enough to look up at him, to meet his eyes to see what he thought about her outrageous remark.
Why had she said it?
Bloody why?
Chapter 9
Devlin looked down on the top of Fanny’s head, which was all she let him see after blurting out her wonderful remark.
Oh, how he adored her.
He wished she would look up at him, but as her whole body screamed how embarrassed she felt, he didn’t force it. If he’d had any doubts earlier about her being the right choice as the wife for him, they were all gone now.
He admired her immensely. Her honesty, her rightfulness, and her kind heart were everything he ever could wish in the woman who would raise his children.
He had left Pendragon with anger and refused to read any of the letters his aunt showered him with, all because of a young girl he didn’t want.
Then, by some strange twist of fate, he found himself longing for the company of another young girl, and without hesitation he had thrown himself into the society swirl he loathed and even gone to a picnic.
A picnic, for goodness’ sake.
And, worst of all, he, who found peace in his solitude, was now surrounded by her family, all fifty, hundred, or thousand of them. They, of course, were all pretending to ignore him, but he could feel their probing eyes whenever he looked another way.
Fanny let go of his arm and, still without meeting his eyes, mumbled something inaudible before leaving his side for the table where the food was placed.
Caroline Darling, the lovely Marchioness of Newbury, approached him with a sweet smile. She invited him to join their company for luncheon, and he thanked her courteously, grateful for a reason to stay close to Fanny.
But before he had a chance to move toward his desired wife-to-be, he was surrounded by some of the younger Darling men and dragged away to a set of chairs, where he was forced to sit down in a not-too-gentle way.
“Having a nice afternoon?” Sin asked, deceitfully polite.
Before Devlin had a chance to answer, Jamie and Sebastian sat down facing him, giving him their best fake smiles. He glared at them, refusing to back down.
Another man sat down beside him, and by the look of him he also was a Darling family member. The same dark brown hair and light gray eyes as most of his relatives, and just as tall and muscular. As he was about Rake’s age, this probably was one of the younger brothers, Edward or William.
He could feel more men silently standing behind him, but he refused to turn around. That might show weakness. It wasn’t very hard to understand what it was all about.
They were trying to intimidate him, and he would rather die than let them know they succeeded all too well. Instead, he kept up his assumption of indifference, a skill he’d polished during his time in France, and to his satisfaction, that seemed to make the men rather frustrated. They couldn’t know he had learned the hard way to keep his face blank, to not give away any emotions.
They were, in Devlin’s mind, too innocent to be aware of all the malice in the world. They had grown up surrounded by an overprotective family, and probably not more than one or two of them had been anywhere outside England.
“So the lost heir has returned to society,” Sin said, a little less politely.
Sebastian wasn’t as polite. “We all thought you would return to claim your place in society last season, but you were nowhere to be seen. One would think a son would honor his father by at least being present at his deathbed.”
Devlin could tell the thought of not standing by one’s father’s side as life slipped away was something they had a hard time understanding. Their ignorance came from always being loved and cherished, and the unexpected jealousy he felt made him a bit incautious with his reply.
“As he never thought it was important to be a part of my life, I saw no importance in rushing home to be a part of his, especially not to honor him by standing at his side during his last breaths.”
That baffled them.
“How can you not honor your father?” Edward-or-William asked, astonished.
“Yes, I was thoroughly enjoying my afternoon,” Devlin said to Sin, responding to his first question and ignoring the rest of them.
Rake, who had always had a good feeling for when Devlin needed to be rescued, stepped through the wall of relatives and looked at the group with feigned surprise.
“How come you’re gathered here, when our lovely ladies stand over at the sandwich table all by themselves and without protection? Well, except for George and Harry, but they are too old to be able to fight off the persistent suitors.”
Sin didn’t take his gaze from Devlin’s face.
“We are a little busy here. Why don’t you go and protect the ladies instead of interrupting this very interesting conversation.”
Rake lifted one perfectly arched eyebrow at his nephew but didn’t do as he was asked. Instead he turned to Sebastian, and with a wicked smile he continued, “And here I thought you all detested the young Mr. Pembroke because he was a leech and a fortune hunter, but instead you let him walk away with Fanny without even a blink.”
This time he got a reaction.
In a second, all five men were up on their feet and on a new mission, to rescue Fanny from the leech. Rake sat down beside Devlin, stretching his long muscular legs in front of him.
They sat quietly for a while as Rake watched his relatives walk all over poor Mr. Pembroke, and Devlin tried to decide how to answer Rake’s questions.
He knew there would be questions.
Their friendship was too good for Rake not to ask him about his intentions. But was Devlin ready to admit openly he wanted to court Fanny?
Last night he had decided he would marry her, that she was the perfect bride for him. And, more importantly, she would be a wonderful and loving mother to their children. Her family would never let her down, and she and the children would always be protected and cherished, as they well deserved.
This morning he had been a little unsure whether his feeling from the night before had been nothing more than an extension of the delight of meeting her and her family again.
But all bewilderment had disappeared like butter in sunshine when he met her today.
She was perfect in every way.
As if she could feel him looking at her, Fanny raised her head and met his gaze for the first time since she’d blurted out her wonderful outrageous words. To his pleasure, it seemed her earlier embarrassment was gone, and she gave him a slow, sweet smile that made him ache.
He wanted to kiss those lush lips and make her whimper with the need for him. Something must have shown on his face, because suddenly she blushed and looked away, and all he could think about was kissing the sensitive spot beneath her ear.
“You have to stop looking at her like she is a piece of cake. One could easily make the assumption you have thoughts about her you’re not supposed to have toward a young debutante, especially one belonging to your best friend’s family.”
Devlin groaned silently.
Of course Rake would have seen him drooling all over Fanny. To be honest, he had not been very subtle about it, as even Fanny had noticed, and she was standing several feet away.
He looked at Rake, but the friend still had his eyes locked on the men who now were dragging poor Mr. Pembroke away from the Darling family. Fanny looked a little frustrated, and he guessed she wasn’t too pleased with how her family was behaving toward her suitor.
“I would never do anything to endanger our friendship,” he pointed out firmly, forcing Rake to look at him.
“No?”
“Of course not. You know me, Rake. I would never do anything to someone who means something to me.”
Rake was quiet for a while, pondering what Devlin had said.
“I haven’t seen you in more than five years. Why should I believe nothing has changed between us, and believe that you still are the man you were when we last met?”
“Why would I be here if I had anything but honest intentions toward Fanny?”
Rake suddenly sat straight up, staring at Devlin with disbelief. “You want her.”
Devlin rolled his eyes. “I thought this whole conversation was about the fact that I want Fanny.”
Rake shook his head and stood up, forcing Devlin to look up at him. “No, this conversation was all about you lusting for her, and me letting you know I’m aware of it. But now we are discussing you marrying her—and that, my friend, is a completely different matter.”
Devlin could see the thought of courtship and marriage rattled his friend, because Rake couldn’t stay still. Instead he paced to and fro in front of the chairs, obviously brooding about what he’d just heard.
As the other Darling men now had Mr. Pembroke chased away far enough, they were heading back toward their original victim, and Devlin knew he hadn’t much time before they would be all over him again.
He rose and forced Rake to stop pacing by standing in his way.
“Do you think I have a chance?” he asked in a low, serious voice. Rake looked at Fanny, who now was whispering with her friends again. Now and then they would steal glances toward them, obviously talking about Devlin.
He snorted. “Of course you do, you bloody fool. She is completely awed by you, and would probably throw herself over a puddle of mud just so you wouldn’t get your pretty feet dirty.” He sighed deeply before he continued, “It’s not that I would mind if you became a family member by marriage and not only in spirit. The thing that makes this whole affair feel strange and awkward is who we are talking about: my Fanny.”
“So what do you want from me?”
Devlin could see there was something on Rake’s mind, but his friend had trouble getting the words out, and before he had a chance to say more, Sin and Sebastian reached them.
Fanny’s brothers immediately started to brag about how they had extracted Nicholas Pembroke from Fanny’s presence. Jamie, Raleigh, and the two men who were probably Edward and William also joined them, and before he knew how it happened, he too was somehow extracted from the gathering of Darlings and away from Fanny’s vicinity.
He looked at Rake, and his friend mouthed “White’s,” and Devlin nodded. He would have to wait a couple of hours, but then he would meet with Rake in peace and quiet, and they could talk about the situation.
His thoughts were interrupted by Lady Charmaine de Vere, who all too obviously was trying to charm him into courting her, and he sighed quietly before he put on an interested face.
No one ever won anything by being uncivil.
Chapter 10
“Don’t you think they make a striking couple?”
Fanny ripped her eyes from Devlin and Charmaine to glare at Emma Archer, who had joined her where she stood at the food table, pretending to ponder what to eat while watching the too-gorgeous couple.
Of course she thought they were a perfect match, as she was one of Charmaine’s worshippers. She was supposed to think well of her friend. It wasn’t Emma’s fault Charmaine was an ogre.
“They are really quite handsome, both of them,” Fanny replied diplomatically, trying hard not to reveal how envious she was of her archenemy.
But in vain, as Emma’s small knowing smile told without words. Fanny guessed it wasn’t too hard to figure out, as she had been staring at them with fire in her eyes for several minutes.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if there will be an announcement not too far in the future,” Emma said superciliously. “Charmaine is too beautiful to remain unengaged for too long, now that Hereford has finally returned to England.”
Fanny faced a temptation to blurt out something stupid, like telling Emma how she’d overheard the conversation in the restroom, or saying that Devlin certainly didn’t act like a more-or-less-engaged man when he was with her. Instead, she changed the subject.
“So you are Sebastian’s guest today? I must admit I found it a bit strange when I heard about you two, as I didn’t even think you knew each other.”
Emma blushed, not at all happy with Fanny’s choice of subject. “When your brother heard I was going to miss today’s picnic, he nicely enough asked me to join your family. It was courteous of him, because I like picnics and would have been sad not to attend.”
“Oh, really?” Fanny snorted. “And here I thought it was just because Mother felt sympathy for you and forced him to accompany you without regard for his feelings about it.”
She regretted her harsh words as soon as they left her lips, but it was too late. Emma turned pale with shock, obviously without a clue that Sebastian had been coerced into inviting her.
Fanny started to apologize, but Emma murmured an almost inaudible, “Please, don’t,” before she turned abruptly and left.
“Emma?” Fanny groaned with embarrassment, feeling lower than low. It wasn’t Emma’s fault Charmaine and Devlin could be courting. And it certainly wasn’t Emma’s fault Fanny felt upset over Devlin gazing a bit too admiringly at Charmaine. She had done nothing but be a true friend. It was Fanny who was behaving like a fool. She surprised herself by her own behavior. She had reacted like a woman madly in love, one who wanted to mark her territory, not the well-behaved debutante of good family she was supposed to be. Was this how you knew you were in love?
“What’s the problem, my dear?”
Rake put his arm around her waist as he joined her at the food table, and she welcomed his loving embrace. He kissed the top of her head, and she sighed again, but this time it was a contented sigh. He had always been her favorite uncle and her best friend, ever since she was a little girl.
“I heard Charmaine tell her friends she was being courted by Devlin.”
“What?”
It was amazing how much better she felt, just because of Rake’s obvious surprise.
“Do you think it could be true?” she asked him and almost held her breath, waiting for his answer.
He didn’t answer her at first, his eyes darting from Devlin to Charmaine, as if just looking at them would give him his answer.
“No, I don’t think it’s true. Or, to put it a little more honestly, I know it isn’t.”
“How can you be so sure?” she asked, although she knew the only way he could know was if Devlin himself had told him about it.
But Rake was not interested in retelling his conversation with Devlin, as his head was filled with the delicate problem of the incomparable Charmaine.
“What I would like to know is why Charmaine tells such a lie? She can have anyone she wants, so why go for Devlin? And why entrap herself with a snare of lies? It is quite a big thing to tell your friends you are courted by someone, especially as she has no reason at all to believe it will actually happen.”
“Doesn’t she?” Fanny frowned towa
rd the conversing couple. “I disagree with you there. She has all the reasons in the world, starting with the obvious one. She is the most beautiful young woman of the ton. Men with lesser titles than Devlin’s have married a pretty face to make the family heirlooms look good when she carries them.”
“So young, and yet so full of knowledge of the crudity of the real world.” Rake grinned at her. “I just wish you would use this rare wisdom more randomly and not save it only for Charmaine.”
Fanny ignored the remark about her random intelligence, as her head was filled with the delicate problem of Charmaine and her maybe-suitor Devlin.
“All those proposals she has received from most of the unmarried men of the ton must have gone to her head. Otherwise I can’t think of anything to make her so confident about Devlin wanting her.”
“He can’t have met her much, as he came to London at the end of the last season and didn’t attend any of the official social functions,” Rake said as he pondered Fanny’s words. “And as far as I know, they haven’t met during the off season, as Devlin has not been anywhere near London or Berkshire. I guess I have to agree with you. She must be relying on the fact there is no one who can match her beauty. She must think a proposal is only a couple of days away if she plays it right. I mean, just look at them. She’s practically showering him with attention, and any other man would have been down on his knees already, begging her for mercy.”
“But not Devlin?”
Rake smiled. “No, not Devlin. You see, I know from a really good source that his interest is captured by another woman, one who knocked him off his feet yesterday.”
Fanny blushed, feeling very pleased with her uncle’s answer. So Devlin had told Rake he was interested in her? How nice.
She looked at the gorgeous couple again, and this time she met Devlin’s gaze. He gave her a wink and a smile, and all her doubts disappeared. Rake told the truth, she was certain of it, because Devlin would not be so openly flirtatious with her if he were courting the woman at his arm.
Fanny blushed, and she could tell Devlin found her reaction funny, as she could see his shoulders move as he chuckled.
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