To Tempt An Angel (Book 1 Douglas series) (30 page)

His expression told Angelica he didn’t know what to make of it. “The gift is inside,” she told him.

Robert lifted the lid off the pot, peered inside, and shouted with laughter. “Strawberry jam?”

“I knew how much you liked it,” Angelica said, a high blush staining her cheeks. “My aunt couldn’t understand why I wanted to give you strawberry jam for a wedding gift.”

Rising from her chair, Angelica pulled a sachet out of her pocket and asked, “Where will we sleep?”

“In my bed.”

Crossing the chamber, Angelica drew the bed-curtain aside. She lifted one of the pillows and hid the sachet beneath it.”

“What’s in the sachet?” Robert asked, standing behind her.

“Valerian root is for harmony,” Angelica answered. “Burr is for faithfulness.”

“No wolfbane?”

Angelica shook her head.

“Nothing for love?” he asked.

“Faithfulness covers love,” she answered, staring at his chest.

Robert tilted up her chin and waited until she raised her gaze to his. “Are you telling me or my chest?”

“Love is not a requisite for marriage,” Angelica said, blushing.

“My parents married for love,” he said, his face inching closer to hers.

“So did mine,” she said in a whisper.

“Our children’s parents married for love, too,” Robert told her, his lips hovering above hers.

Angelica stared at him blankly and then realized what he was saying. A smile touched her lips, and she hooked her arms around his neck to draw his face even closer.

“I love you,” she said.

“And I love you,” he told her.

Robert pressed his lips to hers in a slow kiss that seemed to last forever. Angelica returned his kiss in kind.

“Shouldn’t we disrobe?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” he said.

Robert unfastened her robe and pushed it off her shoulders. Next came her chemise. He shrugged out of his own robe, letting it drop to the floor to mingle with her chemise, even as they would mingle their bodies.

His mouth hovered above hers for the merest fraction of a second, and then his lips claimed hers in an earth-shattering kiss. An urgent need to join their bodies overpowered them, and that single, devastating kiss melted into another and then another.

With a groan of mingling emotion and need, Robert dropped to his knees in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her hips and kissed her belly.

Robert slashed his tongue across her moist female’s crevice, and Angelica gasped with pleasure. He cupped her buttocks and held her steady while his exploring tongue made her squirm with hot desire.

Up and down, Robert flicked his tongue in a gentle assault on her womanhood. He kissed and nipped her dewy pearl while his fingers teased her sensitive nipples.

Surrendering to the exquisite sensations, Angelica melted against his tongue. She cried out and clung to him as waves of throbbing pleasure surged through her.

Robert stood then and, lifting her into his arms, placed her on the bed. Then he lay down beside her and poured all his love into a single, stirring kiss.

“The babe?” he asked.

“Will be fine,” she answered.

Robert rose up between her legs and plunged deep inside her. He withdrew slowly and then slid forward, teasing her over and over again until she trembled with rekindled need. Holding her hips steady, Robert rode her hard, again and again grinding himself into her softness.

With mingling cries, Robert and Angelica exploded together and then lay still as they floated back to earth from their shared paradise. He moved to one side, pulling her with him, and cradled her in his arms. Long moments passed in silence.

“The sachet worked,” Angelica said.

“I’ll never doubt your aunt again,” Robert said.

And then they drifted into a deep, sated sleep.

*    *    *

When she awakened the next morning, Angelica was alone in the bed. Two pieces of dry toast and a single red rose lay on a dish on the bedside table.

How kind of her husband to remember her queasiness, Angelica thought. Even more important, he’d professed his love, and she finally belonged somewhere. Her revenge didn’t seem so urgent this morning; her husband would take care of that. All she needed to do was concentrate on her unborn child and foster a loving relationship between Robert and his daughter.

He walked into the chamber while she was eating her toast and sat on the edge of the bed to give her a lingering kiss.

“What a lazy wench you are,” Robert teased her.

“Thank you for the toast,” she said.

“Cook packed us a basket,” he told her. “You can eat something more on the way. The carts are packed, and we leave in an hour.

“What about Daisy and Jasper?”

“Both are ready to go.” Robert smiled, adding, “That bird has more cages than the king has coaches. He rose from the edge of the bed, saying, “An hour, my lady.”

After he’d gone, Angelica returned to her chamber. She hadn’t felt this happy since before her father had lost his fortune. She felt young again.

Angelica dressed in a white muslin morning gown. She paused for a moment to gaze at her wedding band, its diamond winking at her, and sighed. How could Louisa Emerson have committed suicide? What incited her to do it? Not Robert, certainly.

Grabbing a shawl, Angelica left the chamber. She started down the stairs to the foyer.

When she reached the second-floor landing, Angelica passed her predecessor’s portrait and said, “Good morning, Louisa.”

Good morning.
The words sounded like a sigh on the breeze.

Angelica stopped short and stared at the portrait. Chills ran down her spine, and the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Had she heard someone whisper? Or had she imagined it?

“Angelica!” The voice belonged to her husband.

“I’m on my way.” Angelica stared at the portrait for a moment longer and then turned away.

Chapter 17

“Angelica.”

She heard her husband calling her name again and, with one last look back at Louisa’s picture, continued down the stairs.

“There you are,” Robert said, his booted foot on the bottom stair as if he’d been about to come after her.

“I was just—” Angelica broke off and glanced over her shoulder. Her husband wouldn’t appreciate his first wife speaking to her. “Never mind.”

“Angelica Campbell, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” Robert said, lifting both of her hands to his lips.

Angelica blushed, but his words pleased her. “Are we ready to leave?” she asked.

“The coaches are parked in the alley,” Robert answered, reminding her that his life was in danger.

Hurrying her along, Robert grasped her arm and escorted her down the corridor to the rear of the house and then outside to the garden. Angelica hesitated as they passed the gazebo.

“Do not tell me you see ghosts,” Robert said, as if he knew her thoughts.

“I see an empty gazebo,” she assured him.

Angelica stopped short in surprise when they reached the alley. She saw two coaches with the Campbells’ boar’s head insignia, ten carts filled with their belongings, and twenty-five armed guards.

“How did I ever travel around London with nothing but myself?” Angelica asked, making her husband smile.

“We do resemble a parade,” Robert said, leading her to the first coach. “The damned bodyguards and bird are ruining our anonymity. Jasper’s cages and toys fill two of those carts.”

“What a spoiled bird,” Angelica said.

Robert opened the coach’s door and started to help her up. She pulled out of his grasp, asking, “Where is Daisy?”

“She prefers riding with Sweeting, Webster, and Jasper,” he told her.

“I think not.” Angelica gave him an irritated look and marched back to the second coach. When she opened its door, the macaw shrieked, “Hello.”

“Hello, Jasper.” Angelica smiled and said a good morning to all. She held out her hand. “Come, Daisy.”

“Lady Allegra wants to ride with Jasper,” Daisy refused, shaking her head.

Angelica felt relieved that her husband had spoken truthfully. “Lady Allegra may ride with Jasper if she wishes, but you must ride with me.”

She watched the girl glance at Robert, who stood behind her, and realized the child was frightened. If only her husband had passed a few hours with his daughter.

“I want to tell you a story,” Angelica said, trying to coax the girl out of the coach.

“Come, Daisy,” Robert ordered in a voice that brooked no disobedience, holding out his arms for her. “We’re wasting time.”

Though she appeared close to swooning, Daisy obeyed in an instant. Still clutching the doll, she let her father lift her out and carry her to the other coach.

“Sit over there,” Robert said, and then turned to assist Angelica, who was smiling at him. “What do you find so amusing?”

“Thank you, my lord,” Angelica said, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Robert inclined his head and helped her climb into the coach. Angelica sat beside Daisy and put a comforting arm around her. She knew her husband wanted to be alone with her, but this was a good opportunity for him to become acquainted with his daughter. Someday he would thank her for doing this.

Once their entourage left London behind, full-bodied summer landscaped the scenery. Rich, robust scents wafted through the air, and lush greenery colored the land. In the fields and along the roadsides goldenrod was beginning to appear, splashes of yellow that would blaze in the coming days.

Angelica stole a glance at Daisy. The girl’s enormous dark eyes were fixed on her father, who seemed oblivious to her presence.

“My lord, what do you have in the basket?” Angelica asked, trying to make conversation.

“Cucumber sandwiches,” Robert answered, peering into the basket. “Would you like one?”

“Yes, I would,” she said. “What about you, Daisy?”

Daisy said nothing. She shook her head but kept her gaze fixed on the man sitting opposite her. “What about Lady Allegra?”

Again, Daisy shook her head.

“Do you speak?” Robert asked his daughter. Daisy nodded her head, bringing a smile to her father’s face. She smiled when he did.

“Would you like a drink?” Angelica asked her.

“No drinks,” Robert said. “If she drinks, we’ll need to stop for her.”

“In my condition, we’ll need to stop for me,” Angelica told him.

“What’s a condition?” Daisy asked.

Angelica looked at her husband for help, but he said, “You handle this.”

“I have a baby growing inside me,” Angelica said, putting her arm around the little girl. “In a few months you will have a baby brother or sister.”

“Oh.” That seemed to be the only explanation the girl needed. She looked at her father and asked, “How are your boils?”

Robert looked surprised. “My what?”

“Lady Angelica said you were angry because you suffered from boils,” Daisy told him, “but you smiled, so you must feel better.”

“Thank you, Daisy. I do feel better,” Robert said with a wry smile.

Daisy returned his smile. Hers was filled with love and adoration.

“Thank you for Lady Allegra,” she said, apparently encouraged by his kind words.

Robert gave her a puzzled look.

“Lady Allegra is her doll,” Angelica explained. “You know, the doll you sent her.”

Robert sent Angelica a grateful look and said to his daughter, “You are very welcome.”

“I love Lady Allegra,” Daisy told him, “but I wish you had brought her yourself.” She held up her hand like an adult woman, adding, “I know you are a busy man and very, very important, but I waited such a long time to meet you.”

Through tear-blurred eyes, Angelica watched her husband’s expression change. Was it regret she saw on his face? Only a monster would be unaffected by the little girl.

“Come over here and sit on my lap,” Robert invited his daughter. “I want to tell you a story.”

Daisy didn’t need a second invitation. She climbed onto his lap and gazed up at him through enormous dark eyes.

Angelica felt like weeping. A lump of raw emotion formed in her throat, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Robert asked her.

Angelica shook her head. “Nothing.”

“It’s her condition,” Daisy said, making her father smile.

Robert gave her his attention, asking, “Do you like ponies?”

“I love ponies,” the little girl answered.

“I have ponies at my estate,” Robert told her.

“Do you have monkeys?” she asked. “I love monkeys, too.”

“No monkeys,” Robert said. “Do you want to learn how to ride a pony?”

“Will you teach me?”

Robert nodded and flicked a glance at Angelica, who quickly brushed a tear off her cheek. “Once upon a time there lived a rich boy.”

“What was his name?” Daisy asked.

“His name was Robert Roy,” Robert answered. “In spite of all his money, the boy was very unhappy because nobody loved him. One day he went to a fair and met a girl. She was dressed in rags but wore flowers in her hair.”

“What was her name?” Daisy asked.

“Do you want to hear the story or not?” Robert asked her.

In answer, the little girl pretended to button her lips. Then she gestured for him to continue, which made him smile.

“The boy challenged the girl to a game of dice,” he told her, “and the girl won because she cheated.”

“Cheating is very bad,” Daisy told him.

“That is correct, poppet.” Robert went on, “Anyway, the boy kissed the girl, and she turned into a beautiful princess who fell in love with him.”

“Did the witch put a spell on her?” Daisy asked.

“No, sweetheart, a bad wizard named Emerson had cursed her,” Robert answered, “but the boy’s kiss broke the spell. The boy and his princess lived happily ever after.”

“Oh, I love that story,” Daisy gushed, clapping her hands. “Did the boy punish the bad wizard?

“Yes, he did.”

“I know a story, too,” Daisy told him.

“I would like to hear this story,” Robert said.

“This is the baby,” Daisy said, holding up her thumb. “This is the mommy.” Up went her index finger. “And this big fellow is the father,” she ended, sticking her middle finger into the air.