To Tempt An Angel (Book 1 Douglas series) (10 page)

“Please call me ‘my lady,’“ Angelica drawled, in a frigid imitation of her aunt.

“I beg your pardon, my lady.”

Angelica inclined her head like a young queen granting a courtier a favor. “I am planning to pauper them at the gaming table.”

That made him smile. “So Graham taught you to gamble?”

“Unlike my father,
I
make my own luck,” Angelica told him. “Honest luck is decidedly overrated, not to mention unreliable.”

“I can gain you access to those men,” the duke said. “Even Charles Emerson.”

Angelica’s smile could have lit the whole mansion. He had redeemed himself.

“You have a charming smile and should use it more often,” the duke told her. “Am I forgiven?”

“Promises are easily broken, Your Grace,” she reminded him.

The Duke of Inverary inclined his head. Then he rose from his chair, signaling an end to their interview.

The door burst open suddenly. “What is so urgent, Father?” asked a familiar voice.

Angelica whirled around in her chair as Robert Roy marched across the study toward them.
Father?
she thought in surprise.
The Duke of Inverary was Robert Roy’s father?

Angelica rose from her chair and closed the distance between them. His expression told her that her presence was as surprising to him as his was to her.

“What are you doing here?” Robert demanded.

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Angelica replied.

“Allow me to introduce my son, the Marquess of Argyll, Robert Roy Campbell,” the Duke of Inverary said with laughter lurking in his voice.

Tinker returned at that moment, asking, “Shall I escort her ladyship to her chamber now?”

Both Angelica and Robert ignored the duke and his majordomo. Angelica recognized the anger in Robert’s gaze but couldn’t understand why he was angry with her. He was the one who had lied, not she.

“Were you thinking to force me into marriage?” Robert demanded, a hard edge to his voice.

Chapter 6

“I wouldn’t marry you to save my soul, “ Angelica said, an expression of contempt etched across her face. Without warning, she slapped him hard and added, “I despise liars.”

Suppressing the urge to touch his smarting cheek, Robert couldn’t credit that the chit had slapped him again. This time she’d done it in front of his father and Tinker. A servant, for God’s sake. The girl’s rough upbringing had made her prone to violence.

“Do cheaters get to heaven before liars?” Robert asked in a sarcastic tone, cocking a dark brow at her.

Angelica gave him a scathing look and turned away. “Mr. Tinker, please escort me to my chamber,” she said. “Come, Jasper.”

Glorious in her fury, Angelica held her head high and followed the majordomo out of the study. Behind her hurried the macaw calling, “Good night.”

“You are an insensitive blockhead,” Duke Magnus said as soon as the door closed.

“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?” Robert snapped, ignoring his father’s insult.

“I’m setting things right,” Duke Magnus said, sitting in the chair behind his desk. “Sit down, and refrain from speaking to me in that disrespectful manner.”

“Did she show up on your doorstep or did you send for her?” Robert asked, sitting across the desk from his father.

“I sent for the Douglas family,” Duke Magnus replied.

“How did you find them?” Robert asked. “Did you have me followed?”

“In her infinite wisdom, Lady Roxanne sent me a message as soon as Graham passed away,” his father told him.

“The aunt is a disreputable charlatan,” Robert said.

“I will not listen to a word against Roxanne or her nieces,” Duke Magnus said. “I owe this to Graham.” His next words nearly toppled Robert out of his chair, “In my younger days, I foolishly let Roxanne get away from me. I won’t let that happen again.”

“What do you mean?” Robert demanded. His father sounded as if—

“Once the Douglas girls are settled,” the duke answered with a smile, as if tickled by the prospect of shocking his son, “I may consider remarrying.”

Robert couldn’t credit what he was hearing. Had his father lost his wits?

“You ruined my plans,” Robert told him.

“What were your plans?” Duke Magnus asked, raising his brows, looking very much like his son.

Robert had the good grace to flush. “I planned to make Angelica my mistress and would have supported her family.”

“Son, money does not make a woman a lady,” Duke Magnus told him. “Some wealthy ladies are born whores, while some penniless paupers are queens and should be treated as such.” His father smiled like an old fox. “That lovely young woman, the Countess of Melrose, is an aristocrat in her heart as well as in fact. If you desire her, you’ll need to court her affections and marry her.”

Robert refused to allow his father to trap him into an unwanted marriage. He’d done that to him once, when he was still young enough to be intimidated by a father who was a duke, an important peer of the realm. The end result was Louisa’s suicide. She hadn’t wanted the marriage either and certainly hadn’t wanted to bear his children.

“Father, your ploy won’t work,” Robert informed him. “I have no wish to marry again.”

Duke Magnus shrugged his shoulders, as if the matter was of no importance. Then he changed the subject, saying, “One of our ships was pirated.”

That startled Robert. “Which one?”

 “The Tempest.”

“I suppose all the commodities were lost,” Robert said.

“On the contrary,
The Tempest
was nearly at home port,” his father answered. “The cargo had been delivered, but we did lose all the money.”

“Did you speak to Captain Taylor?” Robert asked.

Duke Magnus nodded. “Taylor reported the theft this morning as soon as they’d docked.”

“I have a few questions for him, too,” Robert said.

A knock on the door drew their attention, and then Tinker entered. “Lady Roxanne is on her way down, Your Grace,” the majordomo informed him.

“Thank you, Tinker.”

“I’ll leave you,” Robert said, starting to rise.

“Stay where you are,” the duke ordered, motioning him to sit down.

A moment later, Aunt Roxie breezed into the study. Both father and son stood when she entered.

“Hello, darlings,” Aunt Roxie called, giving them a dimpled smile.

She sat in the vacant chair in front of the duke’s desk. The men sat when she did.

“Have you suffered an accident?” Roxie asked Robert.

Her question confused him. “I beg your pardon?”

“One side of your face is quite red,” she said.

“I bumped into Angelica’s hand,” Robert told her, making his father chuckle.

“Angelica does possess a fiercely passionate nature,” Aunt Roxie remarked. She gave him a dimpled smile and said, “I knew who you were almost from the moment I saw you.”

Robert’s lips quirked as he struggled against a smile. “How did you know?”

Roxie cast the duke a flirtatious look and drawled, “Why, darling, you are almost as handsome as your father.”

“Thank you, I think.”

“Angelica will
not
become your mistress,” Aunt Roxie informed him, speaking in a hushed tone.

“If you think to entrap me, my lady,” Robert informed her, “I must tell you I have no intention of marrying Angelica. Or anyone else, for that matter.”

Aunt Roxie waved her hand, dismissing his announcement as unimportant. “Angelica will marry someone else. All my lovely nieces will make good matches.”

Robert sat up straighter and stared at her. Budding jealousy bloomed inside his chest. “‘Whom did you have in mind for Angelica?”

“No one in particular,” Aunt Roxie answered with a shrug. “I’m positive that once Angelica is out and about, she will be popular with the opposite sex and besieged by dozens of offers for her hand in marriage.” She glanced at the duke, asking, “Don’t you agree, Your Grace?”

Duke Magnus nodded. “With their beauty and intelligence and my new wardrobes and dowries, I plan to secure the best matches possible for your nieces.”

“The Douglas sisters are not your responsibility,” Robert said, irritated that his own father would thwart his desire to make Angelica Douglas his mistress.

“I plan to become their legal guardian,” Duke Magnus announced. “Even now my solicitor is drafting the document.”

“That is unnecessary,” Robert said, surprised.

“Sponsoring his beautiful daughters is the least I can do for Graham,” his father replied.

“You haven’t forgotten your promise to help with Angelica’s plans for those men?” Aunt Roxie asked, turning to Robert.

“I doubt that Angelica wants my assistance,” he answered, rubbing his cheek.

“Darling, do not be absurd,” Aunt Roxie replied with a throaty chuckle. “Angelica needs you as much as you need her.”

Robert would have argued the point of his needing anyone, but the lady turned to his father asking, “Your Grace, how shall we explain our unexpected arrival to society?”

“Call me Magnus,” his father said, and winked at her.

Aunt Roxie gave him a feline smile and blushed as if on cue. His father dropped his gaze to her ample bosom, and she dropped her gaze demurely.

Robert nearly burst out laughing. He couldn’t credit their byplay. His father seemed completely smitten.

“I suggest we say that Graham recouped his financial losses while abroad but refused to return to England because of his bad experiences at the gaming tables,” Duke Magnus said. “The Douglas family passed the last ten years traveling between Italy and France.”

“Magnus, darling, we have arrived without gowns, furs, and jewels,” Aunt Roxie reminded him.

“I intend to remedy that situation,” the duke replied.

“I know you will,” Aunt Roxie said, “but how will we explain arriving in England in our paupered condition?”

“You were traveling to England on board our ship,
The Tempest,
” Robert suggested.

“What an outstanding idea,” Duke Magnus said with a broad smile.

Seeing the lady’s confused expression, Robert explained, “
The Tempest
was recently pirated on its way to port.”

“What wonderful news,” Aunt Roxie exclaimed. Her expression changed faster than an eye can blink. “l mean—I’m so terribly sorry.”

“Don’t worry,” Duke Magnus said.

“If you will excuse me,” Robert said, standing, “I’d like to speak with Captain Taylor.”

“You will return for tea?” his father asked. “Or dinner, perhaps?”

“I’ve already made other plans,” Robert lied, a feeling of being trapped sweeping through him. What his father had in mind was a date for tea today, dinner tomorrow, and the altar the day after that. If he wasn’t careful, he’d find himself married before Parliament broke for autumn’s grouse-hunting.

Robert left his father’s study and hurried down the stairs, anxious to be away. When he reached the bottom step, though, Tinker was just opening the front door for Venetia, who was returning from a ride in Hyde Park.

“Robert,” Venetia called, her expression brightening as soon as she saw him. “What a wonderful—”

“I haven’t the time,” Robert growled, brushing past her. But he felt no relief when he’d escaped his father’s mansion. Robert mounted his horse. He planned to ride east to the docks and speak with Captain Taylor; instead, he rode west in the direction of Primrose Hill.

Twenty minutes later, Robert halted his horse outside the now-familiar pink stucco cottage. He stared at the cottage but thought of Louisa and her suicide. Perhaps if he’d been more attentive, she would still be alive. Neither of them actually wanted the union, but he’d had no idea that doing his father’s bidding by marrying her would cause her untimely end. She must have been unspeakably unhappy but masked it well.

Robert became fully aware of his surroundings. He dismounted and walked toward the cottage. The wolfsbane, intended to keep him away, still hung overhead. Reaching the door, he lifted the latch and walked inside.

The cottage seemed eerily quiet and empty without Angelica. Robert lifted a parchment off the table and read:
Robert: I am staying at the Duke of Inverary’s on Park Lane. Come for me there.

Angelica hadn’t known who he was, Robert realized. She hadn’t been trying to trap him into marriage at all. If he hadn’t been so angered by the sight of her sitting in his father’s study, he would have realized her innocence from her expression of surprise.

What had he done? Robert thought, feeling a twinge of remorse. He’d lashed out at her in anger and humiliated her. His father was correct; he was a blockhead.

How could he make this up to her? Of course he would assist her in her plans for revenge. He also owed her an apology for his bad behavior and an explanation of why he’d lied, if he could think of a reasonable excuse for it. Then he would court her and see where their relationship went.

With his mind settled, Robert turned to leave. He opened the door, only to find his path blocked by a beautiful, ebony-haired woman.

“You’re here,” Lucille Dubois exclaimed. “I thought the potion hadn’t worked.”

“What are you doing here?” Robert demanded. Were his former mistresses now following him around London? How would he explain that to Angelica?

“I want to see Madame Roxanne for another reading,” Lucille answered.

“Reading?” Robert had no idea what she meant.

“A reading of my future,” Lucille said. “I see that her first reading was correct, though. Are you here for a reading, too?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Robert snapped, and tried to brush past her.

Lucille stayed him with a gloved hand. “When are you coming back to me?” she asked, her voice a mere whisper. “No woman could ever please you as I do.”

Robert dropped his black gaze to her cleavage. Memories of shared pleasure hit him like an avalanche. His former mistress had a perfect body and exquisite breasts. He recalled the moments he’d enjoyed burying his face between those perfect mounds of flesh, the unexpected pleasure of suckling upon her dusky nipples when she’d carried his child deep within her body.