Midnight Kisses (Midnight Series) (4 page)

Even though Devlin wasn’t convinced that he would be more successful the next day, he nonetheless decided to pay the
widow in black
another visit. It would be inconvenient having to return to London without so much as a clue about the
Venus
.

Before Devlin closed his eyes, he pondered which of the two was more likely: snow falling in a desert, or a smile on Lady Langston’s face?

If Danielle had known that the man causing her a restless night was just thinking about her, she would not have found it reassuring. She was seriously considering following Sally’s advice and accepting one of the offers she’d received. Perhaps it would help.

She had no idea why she was feeling so ill at ease. After all, she had not behaved in any unfitting way. And she was an inexperienced child back then. No, if anyone should feel ashamed, it was that awful man who had embarrassed her so. And had mocked her with that forbidden kiss!

But that this very person had the nerve to pay her a visit, to enter her house, without even so much as remembering her: it was outrageous! Fortunately, she would never again have to face him. She would never again have to look into his hungry eyes and, most importantly, never again feel his eager, demanding lips on hers. Never again feel his tongue fill her mouth, and she would never again have to wonder what it would be like if he kissed her breast as he had that other woman’s. She would never again feel his breath on her cheek while he went on exploring her mouth, and never again feel his hands that had cupped her face and were gently holding it like something very precious
 . . . 

Danielle moaned.

Heavens, why couldn’t she find it reassuring that she would never see him again? Why did the mere thought make her even more restless? She cursed the man who, in a single moment, had torn down the walls she had spent so much time and effort building and maintaining for the past ten years.

The next morning brought a bit of a surprise, for it had snowed more than a foot overnight. Devlin quickly realized that he needed to forget about his timely return to London. But when he made his way to Langston’s house after taking a prolonged breakfast, he suddenly didn’t mind the thought of having to stick around for an extra few days.

Again the door was promptly opened following his knock, and as the day before, he was politely asked to enter.

“Lord Weston, how nice to see you again,” Joseph greeted him. “I shall go and announce your visit.”

But before the butler could put his words into action, the door to the study opened, and Danielle’s voice drifted out into the foyer. She was wearing her black mourning dress and was barely visible against the dark doorframe.

“Thank you, Joseph, but that won’t be necessary. I have been watching Lord Weston shuffle through knee-deep snow for a good few minutes, obviously intent on troubling us again even though I was quite clear that he is wasting his time. I therefore assume that there is a good reason for his second unannounced visit.”

As she was saying this, she stared sullenly at the puddle of melting snow that was forming around Devlin’s feet. Finally, she gave a discontented snort.

“Sally will prepare a pot of hot tea, and we might even have a few scones left. We wouldn’t want Lord Weston to catch a cold, now would we.” With that, she turned directly to Devlin for the first time.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to receive you in my study, for I’ve been working on something important which I would rather not interrupt.”

Devlin, who found himself at a loss for words, looked after her and her slender back as she disappeared back through the doorway. Shrugging his shoulders, he followed her.
Interesting
, he thought. This woman is actually
interesting
.

This thought only gained traction once he entered the study, which was a complete mess. Countless stacks of paper covered every available inch on the rug. The smell of old books and many a cigar that had been smoked in this very room created a fitting atmosphere for this woman who stood amidst the dust twirling and sparkling in the early morning sun. She looked ready to tear her hair out.

Contrasted with the day before, her hair was falling down loosely, framing her face, and pouring down over her back in a long, caramel-colored waterfall.

Her black dress accentuated her flawless skin and only enhanced the effect of her big, doe-like eyes.

She took Devlin’s breath away. Like Venus rising from the sea, she appeared to have ascended from ancient manuscripts, every bit as beautiful and mysterious as the goddess of love he himself was chasing.

And then it hit him. It had bewitched him once before, this golden hair. Many years ago, he had set it free from an overly rigid hair creation and, faint as his memories of that time had become, he clearly remembered touching her silken hair with his fingers. Could it really be she? Lady Langston was so different from the nervous, inexperienced child he had kissed. Kissed? Had they kissed, or was his memory playing tricks on him? With her lips tightly pressed together, her mouth did not exactly look inviting, and still Devlin felt drawn to her as if pulled in by an invisible force. Giving in to that force, he stepped closer, and a hot flash of excitement sent shivers down his spine.

“Lord Weston, as you can see I’m trying to get a handle on my husband’s affairs, but since I took an interest in only a very few of his experiments and research studies, I find the sheer weight of his legacy overwhelming. Please, if you can find a chair somewhere in here that isn’t completely covered in books and papers, do take a seat.”

In a helpless gesture that encompassed the entire room, she raised her hands before she herself pushed aside a stack of books and took a seat on the armrest of a fireside chair.

“Thank you, Lady Langston. That’s very kind of you, but if you don’t mind, I prefer to stand. I have to say, I am impressed by this collection of ancient texts, even though I also have to confess that I don’t immediately follow your late husband’s method of organization.”

Danielle laughed, and the entire room seemed to flood with her tender warmth.

“Yes, I think even Matt didn’t quite follow his own method of organization,” she admitted freely, and Devlin found it hard to listen to her speak. Her smile transformed her entire face. It brought a sparkle to her eyes, which in turn made the pit of his stomach tingle. He had not anticipated her having such an effect on him. But on the other hand, he didn’t find it particularly surprising either, for—if he recalled correctly—even ten years ago he had noticed something special about this shy and nervous girl. Only he couldn’t quite put his finger on it—not then and not now.

Suddenly feeling hot under the collar, Devlin loosened his neckerchief. Getting to the bottom of this should prove interesting.

“Lord Weston, may I ask what has brought you here in this kind of weather?”

“Well, to be honest, I was hoping you might tell me about your husband’s work, but as you mentioned before you didn’t take much pleasure in these things.”

“No, I did not. That notwithstanding, it was often quite hard to dissuade Matt from talking about his work.”

Devlin was smitten. She pulled one of the books closer to her, as if in passing, carelessly leafed through it, and put it down on another stack of books before looking him in the eye again. She was bashful, but her comportment did not show it; only her eyes gave it away. And Devlin suddenly knew why she was afraid of him. She too had remembered that night from ten years ago. How he would have loved to refresh his and her memory, what with her lips glistening in the sunlight like sweet, shiny honey. In fact, her mouth was so tempting that he preferred to sit down after all, for fear of forgetting himself and taking advantage of the situation.

“Did he ever mention a painting to you with the title of
Venus de Lavinium
?” Devlin desperately tried to remind himself of the actual reason for his visit.

Danielle winced as if he’d slapped her.

“The
Venus
? What do you know about her? Were you speaking with Matt when you were visiting London?”

“I’m not sure I follow. Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of meeting your husband in person, but his reputation in the art world preceded him. May I assume from your reaction that he mentioned the
Venus
to you?”

Danielle gave a disapproving snort.

“Mentioned? In the weeks leading up to his death, he spoke of nothing else!”

“Really. Well, are you able to tell me why he was so obsessed with it?”

“In actual fact, his fascination with this painting started many years ago when he purchased a considerable number of very old scrolls from Central Italy. As it turned out, one of the scrolls was apparently written by Aeneas himself, son of Venus, the Roman goddess. It was the first time ever that Matt found a clue regarding the painting. Aeneas wrote that he had taken the portrait of his beautiful and influential mother with him to Lavinium, for the painting possessed almost the same powers as the goddess herself. He also wrote that he saw himself forced to disguise the painting so it wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

“Fantastic! Do you happen to have the scrolls here with you?”

Once again, Danielle laughed.

“No, unfortunately not. Most of the documents you see here are of recent date. We sold the Lavinium scrolls a long time ago. You have to understand. Matt hardly ever bought anything in order to own it. He just wanted to study these things.”

“Did he take any notes on his research?” Devlin asked.

“Of course! Please, take a look around. All of these documents are either notes, descriptions of experiments, works on his theories, and essays. Also books, periodicals, letters, and other papers he used for gathering information.”

“Astonishing.” Devlin picked up a large sheet of paper from the floor and unfolded it. What he saw was the depiction of a model flying machine. Raising his eyebrows, he placed the drawing back on the floor.

“If you see anything of interest, please feel free to take it.”

Devlin looked her in the eye.

“There is in fact something here that has piqued my interest, but I’m not sure you would like it if I just went and took it.”

“Oh, go ahead. I don’t know what to do with all this stuff anyway. I feel as if it’s crushing me.”

Devlin got up. He knew he was about to make a mistake, but Heavens! some mistakes were worth making. He reached Danielle with only a few steps and pulled her into his arms.

“I wasn’t talking about all this stuff!”

With that, he lowered his head and closed her desperately seductive lips with a kiss. His mouth covered hers, hot and demanding, and he dug his hands deeper into the waves of shiny, honey-colored hair so he could pull her closer. Good lord, she kissed like a virgin! Her chaste bashfulness almost drove him insane, and it took all he had to pull away and let her go.

Oh yes, a mistake he had made! The painful handprint on his cheek proved it, and the ravenous hunger he felt for this woman would be a clear reminder over the next few hours.

“How dare you!” she cried out, shaking all over while pressing her hand against her swollen lips. “Get out!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t want
 . . . 
”

“I don’t care what you want or you don’t want! Who do you take me for? One of your sluts?!”

Devlin’s eyes darkened, even if her accusations were perfectly justified, given what he had done. But he wasn’t used to women reacting to his kisses in such a way. His pride had just taken a sobering hit.

“Of course I don’t think that of you, far from it, but a woman your age should not become hysterical on account of a single, thoughtless kiss! I already said I was sorry!”

“Hysterical? You dare to call my reaction hysterical, sir? You of all people? Why don’t you learn to keep your carnal desires in check before insulting me. It is unbefitting for a man of your stature and title to be running around and kissing unwilling victims!”

“Unwilling victims? Trust me, my dear, most women actually welcome my kisses!”

“Oh yes? Why don’t you leave, then, and find yourself one of those women!”