Debra Mullins (21 page)

She had become someone she didn’t know.

Was it dishonorable to give herself to the man she loved, especially since she was about to marry someone else? And what about Rome? What would happen to him if the secret got out? The scandal would destroy him.

She couldn’t let Rome lose all chance of a future because of her.

Somehow she would convince him to leave Haverford Park. What had he said—that Anthony’s note would draw the society to her?

Well, then, she would just give Rome the note. Perhaps if he thought the danger was past, he would go back to London and end this torment for both of them.

At one time, she would have protected that last link with her brother like a mother tiger with her cubs, but now she realized that Rome would do that for her. She could trust him to uncover the truth about Anthony’s death and bring the Black Rose Society to justice.

She took one last look at him, then turned away from the bed. She’d best get back to her own room before someone discovered her missing.

She made it all the way back to her room unseen and had just laid her hand on the door latch when Lavinia came out of nowhere.

“What are you doing?” she hissed. Clad in her nightdress and wrapper with her hair a tangled mass of curls down her back, her face was pale and etched with fatigue. “Are you mad? Are you trying to
ruin
my brother?”

“Hush, before someone hears you.” Anna glanced up and down the hall. No one was there. She opened the door and grabbed Lavinia by the arm, pulling her into the room. The instant the door clicked closed, Lavinia folded her arms and glared.

“Well? Would you like to tell me why I just saw you coming out of my brother’s room at this hour of the morning?”

“I will tell you all, but if you don’t keep your voice down, you will cause the very scandal you so wish to avoid.”

“Fine.” Lavinia lowered her tone to a whisper.
“Now explain what I just saw, if you please.”

Anna’s face heated. “I’m sure you can fathom the details for yourself.”

“You spent the night with my brother? Here, beneath Haverford’s roof?”

Anna folded her arms around her middle. “We love each other, Lavinia.”

“This cannot happen again.” Lavinia swept a hand over her mouth. “History cannot repeat itself.”

“We have no intention of its happening again.”

Lavinia pushed a hank of hair out of her face. “A Devereaux cannot steal the bride of the earl a second time. It would absolutely destroy this family.”

“He has no intention of stealing me.” Anna sat down on the edge of the bed and gestured for Lavinia to take the chair in front of her vanity table. “We love each other, Lavinia, but we understand the situation. Neither one of us intends to cause any sort of scandal.”

“How long has this been going on?” Vin asked quietly.

“Just last night.” Anna sighed, accepting Lavinia’s disappointment. After all, Rome’s sister wasn’t making false accusations, and her concern came from love for her brother. “He received news that Peter Brantley died, and he was grieving. The rest…” She shrugged. “The rest just happened.”

“Sweet heavens.” If possible, Lavinia paled even more. “This is a very volatile situation,
Anna. If it had been anyone but me in the hallway just now, you and Rome would have both been ruined.”

“I know.” Anna dropped her eyes, twisting her fingers. “It was not something we planned. I tried to do what you said, to stay away from him. I couldn’t know that he would follow us out here.”

“I will speak to him today and ask him to go back to London. If he doesn’t, Anna—” Lavinia waited until Anna met her gaze. “You will have to make certain you are chaperoned at all times. Next time it might be someone else who sees you in the hallway. Like Haverford. Or your parents.”

“I will.”

Lavinia stood, her expression troubled. “I am appalled at your conduct. I know you love my brother, but you are promised to my cousin. Only my love for Roman is preventing me from taking this tale to Haverford.”

Shame flooded her. “I know. If it helps at all, I’ve rather shocked myself.”

“No, it doesn’t. See that you stay away from my brother, Anna. This is your only warning.”

Lavinia swept out of the room, leaving Anna stunned and shaking behind her.

R
ome slept late into the day. When he finally rose, he discovered the rest of the household had already left for the picnic.

Just as well, he thought as he made his way to the breakfast room. He could go into Anna’s room, find the note, and leave Haverford Park without even seeing her. Callous it might seem after the night they’d spent together, but he didn’t trust himself around her. There was no way he’d be able to hide his feelings in front of the others, not after he’d made love to her.

He came into the breakfast room, hoping to find some remnant of food left over, and stopped dead in the doorway. Lavinia sat at the table, a cup of tea in front of her.

“Good morning, Rome,” she said, unsmiling. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Vin, what are you doing here?” Fruit and cheese had been left on the sideboard. Rome grabbed a plate and began piling it with food. “I thought you were supposed to go on a picnic today.”

“I was. I told Henry I didn’t feel well.”

“Again?” Plate in one hand and coffee in the other, Rome sat down across from his sister. “Perhaps the house party is too much for you, Vin. Maybe you’d best go home and rest for a few days.”

“I’m going nowhere, Roman Oliver Devereaux. I am staying right here, no matter how sick this babe makes me, to keep an eye on you and Miss Rosewood.”

Rome choked on the coffee he had just sipped. Wiping his mouth with his napkin, he glanced around, noting there were no servants to be seen. Haverford had given them all the day off, he remembered.

Which meant that Vin didn’t have to mince words.

“I met dear Anna in the hallway this morning,” she continued, idly stirring her tea. “She had just left
your
room and gone back to her own.”

“I’m sure she was just lost.”

Vin dropped the spoon on her saucer with a loud clank. “Don’t even try and lie to me, Roman.
I know what happened. Just be glad it was I who saw her and not Haverford.”

“She was gone when I awoke.” He reached out and touched his sister’s hand. “It was a mistake, Vin. One we have no intention of making again.”

“It is not just a mistake,” she whispered, pulling her hand from beneath his. “It is a potential disaster. Roman, after the way we grew up, I would expect you to have more control.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” He fisted his hand where it rested on the table. “Damn it, Vin, I love her.”

His raw words echoed in the silence.

“I suspected as much,” she finally said, her tone sad. She reached for him now and placed her hand over his clenched one. “Rome, you are so close to achieving your dream. I just don’t want something like this to destroy you.”

“I’m not our father, Vin.” He turned his hand so their fingers entwined. “I have no intention of making the same mistakes he did.”

“I’m glad of that.”

“But I must admit, feeling the way I do about Anna, I begin to wonder if I haven’t judged him too harshly all these years.”

She snatched her hand back. “I can’t agree.”

“I accept that.” He curled both palms around his coffee cup. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, Vin. I’ve tried to do the honorable thing, but my heart keeps leading me back to her.”

Her face softened. “You love her that much?
Enough to risk hurting your family and ruining your future?”

“I do.” He let out a long sigh. “If things were different, I could have courted her openly. Why did she have to be Haverford’s intended?”

“They’re not engaged yet,” Vin pointed out. “They just have an understanding.”

“And as to that—why is he hesitating? Why doesn’t he just offer for her and do away with all of this uncertainty?”

“I don’t know.” Vin sipped her tea. “Perhaps he had the ring reset and is waiting for the jeweler. Or perhaps there is something in the marriage settlement that needs to be addressed.”

“Or maybe he has no intention of asking her.”

Vin put down her teacup with a sharp click. “I know that look, Roman. What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that Marc has not asked Anna to marry him. Maybe he never will.”

“Roman…”

“Should I stand by as my love grows cold while Marc dithers? Or should I act now, while Anna is still unattached, and offer for her myself?”

“You promised you would not follow in our father’s footsteps!”

“I’m not. Father ran off with the old earl’s affianced bride. That was the scandal; they were already betrothed, and of course, Father was already married. What if I declare myself to Marc? Tell him how I feel about Anna? Perhaps we can yet be together.”

“Dear Lord.” Lavinia buried her face in her hand. “You will ruin us all, brother.”

“I won’t. I promise you, Vin, I won’t. But I have to follow my heart.”

“I know you do.” She lowered her hand and met his gaze head on. “I was going to ask you to go back to London, to forget this thing with Anna. But I can see now that you will never do that.”

“I can’t. Not if there’s a chance we can be together.”

“Then I ask this one thing of you: please do this with honor. Don’t tear apart our family again.”

“I promise.” He grinned, eager as a lad on holiday. “I will talk to Marc before I do anything. Perhaps I am right, and he has no intention of offering for Anna.”

“I have been waiting for the right moment,” Lord Haverford said as he walked with Anna along the path through the woods. On the other side of the trees, they could hear the rest of their picnic party screeching with laughter as they competed to see who could skip a stone the farthest. “It never seemed to come, so I will have to make my own.”

“The moment for what, my lord?”

Haverford stopped right in the middle of the path and took her hand. “I have spoken to your father, Anna, and he has given me his consent to ask you to be my wife.”

Though she’d expected it, hearing the words still stunned her.

Haverford reached into his pocket and withdrew a small velvet pouch. He tugged it open and poured the contents into his hand. The Haverford family engagement ring sat nestled in his palm, the deep blue sapphire surrounded with diamonds glittering in the sun.

“I’ve been carrying this with me for several days,” he said, as she stared mutely at the ring. “It belonged to my mother and my grandmother before her.”

“It’s beautiful,” she managed.

“You haven’t yet given me your answer, Anna. Will you marry me and be my countess?”

She raised her gaze to his, words jamming in her throat. Finally, she squeezed out a reply. “I would be honored, my lord.”

He grinned. “Thank goodness. For a moment, I thought you were going to refuse me.” He slipped the empty pouch into his pocket, then took her hand and slid the heavy sapphire onto her finger. “It fits well. I’m glad. Shall we tell the others?”

She nodded, still unable to speak. Her conflicting emotions had tangled up her insides and stolen her voice. As he led her back to the rest of the party, she glanced down at the glittering heirloom ring adorning her finger.

Never had she seen so beautiful a key to a prison.

She had accepted Haverford’s suit.

Dressed for dinner, Rome slowly made his way down the hall. His plans to search Anna’s room spiked by Lavinia’s presence, he had instead spent the afternoon preparing to approach Anna about their future. He’d even girded himself to speak to Marc, hoping he could find the words to explain the situation without reopening the wounds left by his father’s ill-conceived actions.

But it was too late. She was betrothed, and nothing would stay Haverford from his course.

“Rome.” Anna stepped out from behind a statue of Zeus throwing a thunderbolt.

“Anna, what are you doing here?” He took in her pure white dress and the flowers in her hair. “You look beautiful.” His gaze dropped to the Devereaux sapphire adorning her hand.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I have accepted an offer from Lord Haverford.” She traced the ring of diamonds around the sapphire. “I wanted to tell you myself.”

“I had heard. Congratulations.” He forced a smile.

“You don’t have to pretend.” Her dark eyes searched his face. “I know you’re not happy about this.”

“What I feel doesn’t matter here.” Somehow he managed to keep the words from choking him. “We knew it was going to happen.”

“Yes.” She bit her lower lip, then dug into her
reticule. “Here. I believe this is what you need.” She pulled out a much-folded piece of paper and handed it to him.

He took it, barely believing that she had so readily handed it over. He unfolded it and found himself looking at the symbol of the Black Rose Society. “I thought you would have wanted to keep this. In memory of your brother.”

“I did want to keep it, but I also know that as long as I am in danger, you are bound here by your stubborn pride.” She sniffed, her eyes misting. “Take it and go back to London, Rome. Bring the Black Rose Society to its knees so I know my brother’s murderers have been brought to justice.”

“Anna.” He reached for her, but she flinched away.

“Just leave here so that I don’t die a little bit every time I look into your eyes,” she whispered, then turned away with a sob and hurried down the hall, late for her betrothal celebration.

Somehow she made it through dinner, though every time she glanced down the table and saw Rome, a shard of pain pierced her heart. When the ladies finally retired to the drawing room, she got a brief respite.

“Congratulations on your betrothal, Anna,” Charlotte said. She glanced down at the engagement ring, and some fierce emotion flashed across her face too quickly for Anna to identify it.

“Thank you, Charlotte.”

“Yes, congratulations,” Lavinia said. She looked weary, and leaned back in her comfortable chair as if she would fall asleep right there.

“Are you feeling ill again?” Anna asked, genuinely concerned.

“I’ve been ill rather constantly for the past few weeks,” Lavinia said. “It keeps me awake, so I haven’t been able to sleep very well.”

“You poor dear,” Henrietta said. “I remember those days. Have you tried weak tea and toast?”

“It is practically all I can eat these days.”

Before she could say anything more, the door opened to admit the men. Anna noticed Charlotte sending one more quick glance at the Devereaux sapphire before the blond woman turned to greet the men with her usual social smile.

Henry Emberly came over to his pale, fading wife. “Lavinia, dear, are you still unwell?”

“If I could only sleep one night through, I’m certain I would feel so much better.”

“My poor dear.”

Rome walked in behind the other men, and Anna found her gaze drawn to him. He glanced at her, a visual caress that made her tingle to her toes. Then he noticed Lavinia and frowned. “You really do not look well at all, Vin. You should probably retire early tonight.”

“For what purpose? All I do is toss and turn.”

Haverford came up to Anna and laid a hand on
her shoulder. She jumped. “What’s happening?” the earl whispered.

“Lavinia is ill,” Anna replied softly. “I believe it is affecting her ability to sleep.”

“Poor thing.” He stepped away, and suddenly she could breathe again. “Lavinia, I have a recipe for a toddy my grandmother swore by. Would you like me to have Cook brew some for you tonight? It’s supposed to put you right to sleep.”

Lavinia looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “I will try anything at this point, Marc.”

“Very well, then. I will see to it.”

Rome rested his hand on Lavinia’s shoulder, then glanced over at Anna. His green-eyed gaze spoke of love and secrets and whispers in the night.

Her heart bumped in her chest, like hatboxes in the boot of the carriage. Her mind touched on images from last night—the memory of his hands and his lips and the wicked surprises he had revealed to her. They had spent the whole night making love, then sleeping, then waking to enjoy each other again.

How in heaven would she be able to sleep in her cold, lonely bed tonight with the memories of last night haunting her?

Marc walked past her to summon a servant, and she touched his sleeve. He stopped. “Yes, my dear?”

“Would you ask the cook to send me one of
those toddies, too?” she asked. “I’m certain I shall not sleep a wink with the excitement today.”

Haverford smiled. “Of course.” He touched her hand, then went to summon the servant.

Anna turned back to the rest of the party, studiously avoiding a pair of knowing green eyes.

Before Haverford even reached the door, Leighton entered the room. “Mr. Edgar Vaughn,” he announced.

Edgar Vaughn entered the room. “Good evening, Lord Haverford.”

“Vaughn.” Clearly puzzled, but ever the charming host, the earl welcomed his unexpected guest. “May I offer you a drink?”

“That would be splendid. It was a long ride from London.”

Haverford glanced at his cousin. “Rome, would you please get Mr. Vaughn a drink while I have a word with Cook?”

“Certainly.” Rome sent an enigmatic glance at Vaughn, then went to the sideboard. “What’s your pleasure, Vaughn?”

“Brandy.”

Rome poured a glass and brought it to the older man. “What are you doing here?” he murmured.

“I followed you.” Vaughn gave him a mocking salute, then sipped from the glass. “Go along with what I say, and by the by, it’s all true.”

The earl came back. “Mr. Vaughn, I must admit surprise. What are you doing here?”

“Business with your cousin, actually.” Vaughn
turned to Rome. “We must discuss that problem with the Russian ambassador, Devereaux. It’s rather urgent.”

Lavinia sat straight up in her chair. “Roman, did you accept the diplomatic position?”

Rome sent a baffled look at Vaughn, who clapped him on the shoulder as if they were close friends. “Of course he did. Didn’t you tell your family, Devereaux?”

“Uh…no.”

“How could you not share such news?” Emberly came over and shook his hand. “Congratulations, Roman.”

“Yes, congratulations!” Haverford clapped him on the back.

Lavinia launched herself out of her chair and into her brother’s arms. “I’m so proud of you!”