Angel's Devil (19 page)

James grinned. "And what am I to do?"

"Percival's threatening to have the boy horsewhipped if he doesn't
apologize, and now Helen's gone after Alcott with that wretched doll of hers.
Their parents are gone so I fetched Angel, but she only stands there laughing,
and now she's got that damned slobbering Brutus baying at everyone." He
threw himself into a chair.

James chuckled. "So that's what I was hearing." He had
wondered when his cousin would have enough of the highspirited Graham family,
and it seemed he'd just found out. "Simon," he chuckled, "you
have the temperament of a clergyman. You also have the rather short tolerance
of one, m'boy,'

"And you have the temperament of a wet cat and the tolerance of a
barmaid expecting a fat vail," Simon snapped back at him. James burst into
laughter, but his cousin scowled. "Lily tried to help, but only Jeremy
listens to her. She's the only one with any manners around here, I'm beginning
to believe." He flushed, then stood abruptly to pace.

"I'm pleased you like her," James said, sobering and watching
his cousin closely. "I thought perhaps I'd speak to her parents at the end
of the week." In truth the time James had painstakingly spent with Lily
Stanfred reminded him of why he generally avoided schoolroom chits. The lady
was beautiful in a classical, delicate way, and where Angel reminded him of a
fox easily outwitting the hounds, Lily was like a fawn, shy and timid and
needing to be protected. And, unfortunately, quite dull in comparison to the
spitfire With the large mastiff who refused to leave his thoughts.

"James . . . " Simon trailed off, then abruptly stood and
yanked the door open. "Go do something, will you?"

James strolled out to the stables to restore order. As he reached the
yard, he motioned for Henry and India to approach. Percival was glowering, a
rumpled lump of what must have been his hat on the ground beside him. The
mastiff stood several yards back, all four feet braced so it could bark at full
volume.

"Brutus, quiet," he ordered, and the dog gave a wag and
subsided, apparently agreeable to letting James take over. "What's all
this, then?" he asked.

"He says I can't ride India," Henry returned, jabbing a finger
at Percival.

"I said the beast was not a proper one for a young boy to be
riding, and that you should have lent him a more suitable mount," Percival
corrected. "The insolent whelp then destroyed my hat."

James crossed his arms, seeing Angel off to one side shaking with
laughter. "I did not lend Master Henry anything," he said flatly,
keeping his expression carefully stem. "He has proven his competence, and
India is his to do with as he pleases. If you touch either of them, I shall have
you
horsewhipped.' ,

"Hurray!" Helen seconded, holding Millicent aloft like a
trophy.

Percival Alcott looked rather as though he had just swallowed an
insect, and after a stunned moment he stalked off to the garden, likely to help
his brother kill more of the flowers. Henry dismounted and walked up to James,
leading India behind him.
               
.

"Is it true?" he asked softly, his eyes shining. "Is
India mine?"

James nodded. "Of course."

The boy stepped forward and hugged him around the waist. "Oh, thank
you, Lord James."

James returned the embrace. "On one condition."

" Anything."

The marquis put a finger under the boy's chin and tilted his face up, so
that he could look Henry in the eye. "Promise me that you'll learn how to
swim."

Henry smiled and nodded. "I promise."

James led the way back to the manor while the children retold the events
of the morning. He found himself once again cast in the role of their rescuer,
and while Simon glowered at him, he accepted their undying admiration and gratitude
good-naturedly.

"Angel, are you coming?" Simon queried.

Angelique lagged behind them, her attention on the stable yard.
"Where did Brutus go?"

James stopped. "He was over by the stable a moment ago."

"I'll be along in a moment," she said, and turned around.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Angel, he's as big as a cart. He'll turn up on his
own." Simon frowned and motioned her to accompany them into the manor.

She looked at Simon, her expression hurt. "I'll be right back,
Simon," she said firmly.

"Angel—"

"I'll help you look for him," James interrupted, unable to
keep silent, and started back down the path with her. In a moment the rest of
them, led by a scowling Simon, followed. They searched the stable and the yard,
but Brutus was nowhere to be found.

"You must have hurt his feelings," Angelique accused James.

He emerged from the pile of hay he'd been. digging through, and put a
hand to his chest. "Me? I only asked him to be quiet," he protested.

"You two are completely mad," Simon put in from the doorway where
he leaned with his arms crossed. "It's a dog. A large, loud dog. It has no
feelings."

James frowned at him. Simon knew perfectly well how fond Angelique was
of Brutus, and even if he believed it, it seemed a rather unkind thing to say.

"Brutus does too have feelings," Helen piped up, sticking her
lower lip out in a pout.

"Simon, it will never do if Brutus thinks you don't like him,"
Angel pointed out with a smile which to James's eyes was obviously forced.

"It won't matter, because Brutus will not be coming to Turbin
Hall."

Angelique gasped. "But—"

"I won't have that beast destroying half the Talbott family
heirlooms every time he wags his tail."

James thought that some of the Talbott family heirlooms could stand to
be destroyed, but he said nothing as he watched Angelique's stunned and hurt
expression. His cousin was a fool to deny Angelique the simplest of the
freedoms she so obviously craved, and if Simon wasn't careful he was going to
lose the most exquisite thing he'd ever had in his life. A small tear began to
gather in one comer of her beautiful eyes as she continued to look at his
cousin.

"Lady Angelique?" James said quietly.

She looked up at him, and it was physically painful to keep himself from
stepping forward and kissing the tears from her eyes.

"Yes, my lord?" she said, blushing slightly at his unguarded
expression.

"There's plenty of time to worry about where Brutus will be
living." He glanced again at his idiot of a cousin. "In fact, if your
parents don't wish to keep him, he may stay here at Abbonley, with me."

"Then I'm staying, too," Henry said stoutly. "To make
certain Brutus eats."

"Me, too," Helen chimed in. "And to make certain he gets
bread. Brutus loves bread."

"I shall remember that," James commented with a slight smile.

"That's kind of you, my lord," Lily put in unexpectedly.

"I have to admit, I agree with Simon. Such a large dog about makes
me nervous."

Angelique's lips twitched, and for a moment her expression became
amused. It seemed that neither of their intendeds wanted anything to do with
the mastiff.

"Well, it's a large house," James commented carelessly.

"I'm certain you and Brutus can manage to avoid one another for
the remainder of your stay here."

"That's rather unkind, wouldn't you say?" Simon said shortly.

James hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, quite. Apologies, Miss
Stanfred."

"Of course, my lord."

Angelique, though, was looking over at him, a question clearly in her
eyes. He could guess what it was. Did he still intend to offer for Lily
Stanfred, when he clearly found her so dull? Well, he didn't know yet. There
was still time to decide. And since Abbonley
was
such a large house,
they could probably manage to avoid one another as well for most of the time,
if they wished.

"Oh, I don't care who wants Brutus next year," Angel said.
"I just want to find him now."

"Jeremy and me took him walking down by the lake yesterday,"
Henry offered. "We saw rabbit tracks."

"He didn't want to come back to the house with us," Jeremy
noted.

James nodded and rubbed his hands together. "Well, it's as good a
place as any to start."

Immediately Angel stepped past Simon, who sighed and pushed away from
the wall to follow her. "Henry, show me where," she instructed her
brother.

The boy nodded and hurried toward the path. "This way," he
said over his shoulder.

Something touched James's hand, and he looked down to see young Helen
slipping her fingers around his palm. With a surprised grin he tightened his
grip and let the girl lead him down the path. Angelique turned to look behind
her, and smiled at him as she noted his companion. Before he could make any
comment, she and Henry disappeared into the woods. Simon and Lily lagged
behind, the two of them obviously reluctant to join the hunt.

In only a moment the three groups were out of sight from one another
along the twisting path, though every few minutes Henry or Angelique would call
Brutus's name.

"There were more tracks over here Lord James," Jeremy informed
him, and with a nod James led the children in the direction the boy indicated.

"Brutus!" He pushed through the bushes, the children spread
out on either side of him. Something tangled in the brambles caught his eye,
and he squatted down. "Jeremy, Helen, stop," he ordered, and the
children froze.

"Lady Angelique?" he called in a carrying voice.

"My lord?" came the response a moment later from some distance
away.

"Watch Henry. There are rabbit snares here." He turned to the
other two youngsters. "You two head back to the path the way we came, and
watch for anything that looks like this." He indicated the thin wire and
noose at his feet. An adult's foot was too large to trip one, but the children
could be hurt.

"We'll be careful," Angel's reply came. "Actually,
though, Henry said Hastings had told him there were bears in this area?"

James gave a short grin at the anxious tone of her voice.

"Not since one escaped from the carnival ten years ago," he
returned, watching as his charges carefully made their way back to the trail.

"Oh, Splendid."

Several minutes later he pushed into a small glade. Brutus sat there,
one paw caught in a rabbit snare. At the sight of James, the mastiff uttered
what sounded like a pained and embarrassed woof.

"You big lummox," he said affectionately, and knelt down to
free him. "I don't know how competent a guard dog you are, but your
hunting skills leave something to be desired." The skin above the
mastiff's paw was cut a little, but he'd had enough sense to sit and wait for
help rather than struggle and pull the wire tighter. James straightened and
ruffled the dog's ears.

Those same ears swivelled toward the east, and at the same time James
heard something that sounded very like sniffling. He wrapped his hand around
Brutus's garish collar and crept slowly forward. At the edge of a small
clearing he stopped, the mastiff quiet beside him .

“. . . cry, Lily," came Simon's voice, and James frowned. "But
this is so wrong," Miss Stanfred answered between
   
sniffles.
               
-

"We couldn't have known this would happen. It's not as though we
planned it.”

"I know, Simon, but she's my dearest friend."

At another sound James glanced quickly over his shoulder, but it was
only a breeze in the leaves. He had the distinct feeling that this was a
conversation Angelique should not be overhearing.

. Simon sighed. "I know. And . . . well, it's worse even than
that."

"What is it?"

"James," his cousin said shortly. "He's looking for a
wife, and for some damned reason he seems set on you."

"Me? No!"

James raised an eyebrow. Her reaction to news of his interest seemed
rather extreme, given that he had been polite and charming toward Lily Stanfred
from the moment 'he had set eyes on her.

"I tried to convince him that the two of you would never suit, but
how could I tell him that I've fallen in love with you? And how could I ever
tell Angel? She's so anxious for the two of us to marry."

"It would break her heart, Simon." Lily sobbed again.

"And you gave your word to marry her. Oh, it's hopeless."

"Nothing's hopeless, Lily, as long as I know
you love me."

"Of course I love you, Simon. From the moment we met, I've
known."

That was followed by more sounds that James immediately identified as
kissing, and he backed away from the clearing. His first, immediate inclination
was to charge in and hand Simon his fist for being so stupid as to find Lily
Stanfred more attractive than Angelique Graham. Only secondarily was he angry
that Simon would pursue Lily, knowing his own cousin intended to marry her. He
would be foolish to try to make his intentions toward Lily into something more
than what they were. If he wanted a proper wife there was a plentitude of
others to choose from, despite the peculiar bunch Angelique had rounded up for
him.