To Tempt An Angel (Book 1 Douglas series) (32 page)

“Oh, don’t do that,” she said. “I have no wish to become a widow.”

“When I tire, I’ll save my arms by throwing you over my shoulder like a sack of barley,” Robert teased. “Like this.” He turned her in his arms, placed her gently over his shoulder, and began running down the woodland path.

 The sound of Angelica’s laughter mingled with the song of the turtledoves.

Chapter 18

Sacred sevens
, Angelica thought, staring at herself in the mirror. Her breasts had grown and were almost too swollen for her low-cut petal-pink silk gown. Her husband would certainly enjoy a grand view of her cleavage at dinner.

 “Come in,” she called, at a knock on the bedchamber door.

Angelica smiled when Daisy walked into the room. The little girl also wore a petal-pink dress that perfectly complemented her dark hair and eyes.

“Hello,” the macaw shrieked.

“Hello, Jasper,” Daisy said.

The little girl looked at Angelica and giggled, her enormous black eyes gleaming with excitement. “Our dresses are the same color.”

“That is correct,” Angelica said. “If you’re hungry, let’s eat.”

“Eat,” Jasper called, making the girl giggle again.

“Jasper, your food is in your cage,” Angelica said, leading the macaw across the chamber. She opened the door for the bird and then closed it behind him.

“Your father, you, and I will eat dinner like a real family tonight,” Angelica told Daisy. “Jasper is not invited.”

“Won’t he be sad and lonely?” the girl asked.

“Jasper will be fine for one night,” Angelica assured her, holding out her hand. “Perhaps tomorrow, we’ll take him on our picnic.”

Daisy clapped her hands in excitement. Then she grabbed Angelica’s hand and kissed it, saying, “I love you, Lady Angelica.”

“Good night,” the macaw called.

“Good night, Jasper,” both called over their shoulders as they headed for the door.

Hand in hand, Angelica and Daisy walked the length of the corridor to the stairs. Reaching the foyer, Angelica looked toward the footman for directions.

“Please follow me, my lady,” the man said.

Angelica and Daisy walked into an enormous dining room. The chamber was a hundred feet long and a forty-foot dining table stood in the center of the room. Above the table hung three gigantic crystal chandeliers.

“
Sacred sevens
, I never saw such a big room,” Daisy exclaimed.

Speaking with Webster near the sideboard, Robert turned at the sound of his daughter’s voice. With a welcoming smile, he crossed the room and escorted them to the table, saying, “I never saw such two perfect roses.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Angelica said.

“Thank you, my lord,” Daisy imitated her.

The three of them sat at one end of the long mahogany table. Robert sat at the head, with Angelica and Daisy on either side of him.

Under the majordomo’s supervision, two footmen served them from the sideboard. The main dish was roast beef and potatoes, accompanied by a tomato and bean salad with a vinaigrette dressing.

Silence descended upon them as they began to eat. Angelica watched Robert who, in turn, watched his daughter. Angelica couldn’t contain her happiness at the heartwarming sight of the father and daughter enjoying their first meal together.

Eating her roast beef with her fingers, Daisy looked up and caught her father watching her. She smiled at him and popped a piece of beef into her mouth.

“Do you like the beef?” Robert asked.

Daisy nodded. “I’m lucky I have teeth to chew.” She leaned forward, as if divulging a secret, whispering loudly, her mouth filled with beef, “Sweeting has problems with chewing.”

“Is that so?” Robert said with a smile. “I don’t see you eating your vegetables.”

In reply, Daisy tossed several pieces of tomato into her mouth, saying in a garbled voice, “Mmmmm . . . good tomato.”

“Don’t put too much food into your mouth,” Angelica said. “Ladies take small bites.”

Daisy did exactly what Angelica thought she would: The little girl spit the glob of chewed beef and tomato into her hand. She stared at the glob and then looked at her father for help.

Angelica watched Robert hold out his hand, and Daisy passed him the glob. He dropped it in his napkin handed the cloth to Webster, who gave him a fresh one.

“Use your fork to eat those vegetables,” Robert ordered.

“Are those beans?” Daisy asked.

“Yes.”

“I don’t eat beans.”

Robert looked surprised. “Beans are good for you.”

“I don’t like them.”

“I promise you’ll like my beans,” he coaxed her.

“Lucille said don’t eat beans,” Daisy refused, shaking her head for emphasis. “I make vulgar noises and foul odors when I eat beans.”

Angelica burst out laughing, and Robert joined her. Daisy laughed because they did.

“I give you permission to make vulgar noises and foul odors,” Robert said, lifting a bean out of her salad. “Close your eyes and open your mouth.”

When she obeyed, Robert put the bean into her mouth and then asked, “Do you like it?”

Daisy nodded.

“Eat as many beans as you like,” Robert told her.

“You’ll be sorry,” the little girl warned.

Angelica succumbed to a fit of giggles, and Daisy laughed, too. Never had Angelica seen the child so happy. The bruises on her arms had begun to fade, and her sweet expression had lost its pinched look.

The remainder of their dinner was uneventful, a relaxed feeling swirled around them like a magic spell. Daisy yawned as dessert was served, and Angelica signaled Webster to fetch Mrs. Sweeting.

“Daisy, go upstairs with Sweeting,” Angelica said when the woman appeared. “I’ll be along shortly to tell you a story.”

Daisy went without argument, weary from her exciting day. When she reached the door, the girl turned around and called, “Lady Angelica!” She blew Angelica a kiss, and then looked at her father, saying, “This is for you.” She blew him a kiss, too.

When the footman opened the door for her, Daisy said, “Thank you, my lord.”

Once the child had gone, Angelica turned to her husband and said, “We should adopt her legally in the event Lucille comes around again.”

“I’ll speak to my solicitor,” Robert replied.

His easy acquiescence surprised her. “No argument?”

“Do you want one?”

Angelica smiled. “No, my lord.”

“Have you considered how difficult gaining her acceptance into society will be?” Robert asked.

“A thousand scandals will have occurred by the time Daisy reaches that age,” Angelica said. “No one will remember this one.”

“Don’t count on that,” he told her.

“Would you care to make a small wager?”

“My lady, I have already experienced your cheating,” Robert said.

“That really is too bad of you,” Angelica replied. “Speaking of wagers, when will you ruin Emerson?”

“I haven’t given that any consideration,” Robert answered, “but I will concentrate on it tomorrow. Would you care to walk outside?”

Angelica shook her head. “I promised Daisy a story before she goes to sleep.”

Robert rose from his chair and offered her his hand. “I’m going to step outside for some air while you tend to your maternal duties.”

Hand in hand, Robert and Angelica walked down the corridor to the foyer. Angelica paused before going upstairs, saying, “Thank you for being kind to her.”

“Being kind to Daisy is easy,” Robert said. “She’s a charming sprite. I only regret—”

Silencing him, Angelica placed a finger across his lips and said, “No regrets.” Then she hurried upstairs and stepped inside the little girl’s chamber.

“I told you Lady Angelica would come,” Daisy told the nanny. “She never breaks her promises.”

Angelica smiled at the older woman and sat on the edge of the bed. “Mrs. Sweeting, why don’t you go downstairs and have yourself a cup of tea?”

“Thank you, my lady.”

Angelica lifted the nightcap off the little girl’s head as soon as the woman left. She tossed it on the floor, saying, “No nightcap tonight.”

Daisy clapped her hands in approval. “Will you tell me a story now?”

Angelica leaned back against the headboard and put her arm around Daisy. “Once upon a time a poor girl lived with her aunt and two sisters. This girl had a special talent for gambling and went to the fair one day to win money for her family’s supper.”

“They had no food?” Daisy asked.

Angelica shook her head. “Not even a single bean.”

“What happened?”

“A handsome but poorly dressed man stepped out of the crowd and challenged the girl to a game of dice,” Angelica continued.

“What’s dice?”

“Dice is a game of chance,” Angelica told her. “I can teach you how to win every time. Anyway, this handsome man let the poor girl win lots and lots of money. At the end of their game, the man insisted on escorting the girl home. When they arrived at her cottage, the girl kissed the man, and he turned into a handsome prince. They married and lived happily ever after.”

“What was the man’s name?” Daisy asked.

“Robert Roy Campbell.”

“The same as my father?”

Angelica kissed her forehead. “Your father is the prince.”

“He doesn’t have a crown,” Daisy told her.

“Princes don’t always wear crowns,” Angelica said. “Your father is a prince among men.”

“And are you the poor girl?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I like that story.”

“I’m going to see my prince now,” Angelica said, standing and drawing the coverlet up to Daisy’s chin. “If you need me, I’ll be right down the corridor.”

Angelica turned to leave and saw Robert, standing in the doorway. She crossed the chamber and whispered, “Come to bed, husband.”

Following her out of the room, Robert said, “Please, call me Your Highness . . .”

*    *    *

Long after Angelica had fallen asleep in his arms, Robert lay awake and watched her. His wife considered him a prince, but how wrong she was. If he had been a real prince of a man, Louisa would never have committed suicide, nor would he have hurt his young daughter by ignoring her existence for all those years.

He couldn’t do anything about Louisa, Robert knew, but he could change his ways. He would shower his daughter with belated love and spend all the days and nights of his life making his wife happy.

Robert planted a kiss on Angelica’s head and smiled when she sighed in her sleep. Then he joined her in a deep, dreamless sleep.

 Awakening early the next morning, Robert washed, shaved, and dressed in his oldest clothing. The rosebushes needed pruning, and he wanted to finish the job before Angelica and Daisy awakened. Today was theirs, and he intended to devote every moment to them.

Robert worked outside for several hours, tending his plants with infinite care. With his hands resting on his hips, he stepped back to inspect his work before starting on the next rosebush.

His shadow caught his attention when another, smaller shadow, with hands on hips, stood beside it. Glancing to the left, Robert spied his daughter standing beside him.

“Good morning, Daisy.”

“Good morning, You.”

“What do you think of my roses?” Robert asked, gesturing to the plants.

“I like them,” Daisy answered.

Using his shears, Robert snipped a rose and handed it to her, saying, “For you, my lady. Roses guard against ill humors.”

Daisy sniffed the rose. “It smells good, too.” She looked around and said, “Wait one minute.” Racing across the lawn, the little girl stopped and picked a daisy before running back to him.

“Lean down, you,” she ordered. When he obeyed, she placed the daisy under his chin, exclaiming, “Oh, I see you adore butter, too.”

Robert grinned. “I certainly do. How did you know?”

“Lady Angelica said if the daisy re—re—shows yellow under your chin, then you love butter,” Daisy told him.

“Did Lady Angelica tell you about my flower fairies?” Robert asked.

“You have flower fairies?” Daisy asked in a whisper, her dark eyes gleaming with excitement.

Robert took her hand in his, led her into the main garden, and walked her around to admire his flowers. “Every single flower has a fairy that holds its spirit,” he told her.

“I don’t see any fairies,” Daisy said. “Do you?”

“Flower fairies are difficult to see,” Robert said with a smile, “but they speak to us all the time.”

Daisy looked doubtful. “I don’t hear anything either.”

“Have you ever caught a flower’s fragrance as you were walking by it?” he asked

“Yes,” she answered, lifting the rose to her nose.

“The flower’s fairy is greeting you,” Robert said. “Have you ever thought how lovely a flower is?”

Daisy nodded.

“That means the fairy caught your attention,” he said.

Finished with their tour of the garden, Robert walked her back through the iron gate onto the lawn where the rosebushes grew. “The rose is a special flower, one the angels love,” he told her. “The red rose fairy helps you gain love.”

“How do you know?” she asked.

“Webster told me,” Robert answered. “When you have a favorite flower, its fairy has something special to share with you. Do you have a favorite flower?”

Daisy nodded and held up the rose. “This is my favorite.”

“Why is the rose your favorite?” Robert asked.

“You gave it to me.”

Robert felt a lump of raw emotion form in his throat, and his eyes filled with unshed tears. He nodded his head in understanding, afraid he would lose control if he spoke. Regaining his composure, he asked, “Why did you call me ‘You’?”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to call you,” Daisy answered, looking at him through enormous dark eyes that mirrored his own.

Robert knelt on bended knee in order to be at eye level with her. “Call me Daddy,” he told her.

“My wish came true,” Daisy cried, throwing herself into his arms.

Robert smiled. “What wish was that, sweetheart?”

“I wished upon a star for a daddy.”

“And now you have one,” Robert said. “If you climb on my back and put your arms around my neck, I’ll take you for a pretend pony ride.”