A Family Affair (4 page)

Devlin Ross.

Chapter 3

“You scared me half to death, Your Grace!” She hissed with more anger than she felt, in an attempt to cover up the way her heart skipped a beat.

She could sense the tension going through him and could have slapped herself for so lightly giving up how aware she was of his identity while he, as she could tell from his probing gaze, didn’t recognize her at all.

She couldn’t help staring at him. He had been such a beautiful boy, perfect in every way. Like one of the Roman statues Grand-Papa Hannibal had placed in Chester Park’s garden.

Now, thirteen years later, he was even more beautiful. He oozed manliness, his tall, broad frame suggesting a muscular body hidden in the dark evening clothes. His black hair, combed in a windblown style, was the height of fashion.

His eyes were just the same, light brown, almost golden yellow, as they had been all those years ago. But all the warmth and laughter were gone, all emotions well hidden behind a cold, bored mask.

Or perhaps all emotions weren’t gone, as he was actually frowning at her. She knew she should be very upset that he did not remember her, but she had been merely five years old the last time they met, so if he had forgotten her it wasn’t so surprising, after all.

“I’m sorry I scared you,” he murmured in a low, smooth tone that sent tremors through her body.

Lord,
she had no idea a voice could be so affective. Her whole body was fluttering, and she had to brace herself so she wouldn’t lean toward him, begging him to hold her, kiss her, thrill her…

“I didn’t think you wanted to be found alone on the balcony, so I did what first came to me,” he continued, obviously satisfied with the way she responded to him.

The usual way women responded to him.

It was a pitiful thought, and she realized her reactions were just as pitiful.

“How kind of you, Your Grace. I thank you,” she said with all the serenity she could muster, and he gave her a smile that made her toes curl.

He was so beautiful her eyes hurt, looking upon him. His golden eyes burned her like fire and made her all warm, especially in her stomach. It was a strange feeling, something she’d never felt before.

When he made a small movement toward her, her heart flipped, and she felt like she had to drag herself out of a ditch full of quicksand before she could regain her ability to think.

Again.

She made a small curtsy, the sort one gave an elderly person out of respect, before she turned to leave.

He moved impressively fast. One moment he stood leaning against the wall, watching her leave, and the next she bumped into his chest.

Again.

“H-h-how...” she stuttered, losing all her ability to think.

Again.

It was quite frustrating that he had the gift of turning her into some blubbering idiot, too awed by him to know how to behave. She wasn’t used to feeling like this. Usually it was the men, too impressed by her dowry to remember how to woo a woman when they met her; it was never she who didn’t know what to say or what to do.

“Maybe,” he said, sounding slightly irritated, “I should make sure you are safely returned to your parents.”

She was impressed; he actually sounded sincere.

And he
was
irritated with her.

Somehow it felt better knowing she wasn’t the only one who was affected.

Having him escort her to her parents’ side could not be an option, though. She didn’t want to appear in the balcony doorway at his arm. What a scandal that would cause.

Even so, it would certainly put Charmaine’s nose out of joint. Fanny lingered at the fantasy for a moment, enjoying the vision of Charmaine in the throes of jealousy.

It would have been delicious to know everyone was talking about Fanny and Devlin and discussing their behavior.
Is there anything between them? Will there be a wedding?

Poor Charmaine. If she was secretly being courted by Devlin, she would suffer.
O joyous thought.

“How kind of you, Your Grace. I thank you,” Fanny repeated, silently cursing at being unable to think of something astoundingly intelligent and charming to say to him. It would have been so nice to overwhelm him with her wit, but she knew she would never pull it off; he affected her too much; she became a scatterbrained fool.

She swallowed twice and continued, “I can manage by myself, thank you. I can see where my companions are, and I don’t think it is such a good idea for you and me to walk through those doors together. Too much talk about nothing, you know.”

And, after another insulting curtsy, she put her chin in the air and left him standing there, his mouth wide open.

It was annoying that he should be as beautiful while looking totally dumfounded as he was otherwise.

The warmth of the crowded ballroom hit her, and it was only the thought of otherwise having to face Devlin that made her continue inside. She saw her parents at the other end of the ballroom, talking to some friends of theirs, and love filled her heart as she watched her handsome father give her beautiful mother a smile full of happiness and contentment. It wasn’t common for married couples of the
ton
to love each other. Most of the society marriages were more business affairs, arranged to join two noble families or for financial gain.

But her parents were exceptional. George had promised Fanny he would never force her to marry if she didn’t find someone she liked. If she wanted to die an old spinster, her parents wouldn’t argue with her. They wanted what was best for her, and a loveless marriage was not an option. A rather comforting thought to a mere eighteen-year-old nowhere near the spinster shelf.

As she stood smiling lovingly toward her parents, she suddenly realized the entire ballroom had turned quiet; even the music seemed lower. The dancing couples closest to her stood motionless, staring at her.

The smile slowly faded from her face as she felt a touch at her elbow. She glanced down, and the large manly hand holding her left arm lightly was no surprise.

She groaned, realizing who held onto her, and heard his chuckle in response. His grip became firmer when she tried to yank her arm loose, and she knew she was caught; she was too well-mannered to make her effort obvious.

With a sigh, she turned her head slightly and met his amused golden eyes. He bent his head closer to hers and his breath warmed her skin.

“As I said, I would be delighted to take you back to your parents.” His smile broadened at her scowl.

“Thank you, Your Grace, but there is truly no need for you to accompany me.”

“Truly?”

Fanny caught herself from rolling her eyes in frustration. “Yes, Your Grace, truly.”

“Why not?”

“Why not!”

She hadn’t meant to shout, but she was more than a little annoyed. He thought it was hilarious, of course, and laughed loudly. All the ladies in the crowd looked ready to faint, and Fanny probably would have been, too, if she had been less aggravated, as the joy in his face made him look so glorious, so radiant, so utterly magnificent…

“Why, look who the cat dragged in.”

The intruder bowed his head in an elegant greeting, and Fanny sighed with relief.

The orchestra started to play more loudly again, forcing the crowd to resume the dance, and Fanny ripped her arm loose to take a step closer to the stylish man before her. Not as perfectly beautiful as Devlin, more of a big and brawny savage, yet he was somehow so elegantly graceful.

“Rake.” Devlin smiled toward his friend with pleasure. “How nice to see you. I didn’t know you were in town, or else I would have called upon you.”

“Well, I normally don’t attend the early season. All the mamas, you know. But this little one wanted me to come, and who am I to tell her no.”

Devlin looked from Rake to Fanny and back again, and she could easily read his mind as all the laughter left his face and he became cold and rigid. Well, she thought, it probably was an easy mistake when you were a libertine and had no close female relatives to keep you informed.

It vexed her a little that he so easily managed to think of her as a potential mistress, but mostly she found it hilarious, and she couldn’t help but tease him a little.

She took another step toward Rake and laid a hand on his arm while batting her eyelashes at him.

“You are so good to me,” she said with a husky voice, and one of Rake’s eyebrows edged up.

“I am?” he answered, a bit uncertain of what she was up to. That she would play at being his mistress didn’t occur to him, as in his world Fanny was a little innocent girl who didn’t know anything about things like adultery and kept ladies.

All her uncles thought the same, and her mother had had a hell of a time getting them to allow her departure for London and her debutante season; she was much too young, they said. Like her father, they all thought of her as eight, not eighteen.

Thank God her Grand-Papa Hannibal had put his foot down and sent her along with her mother, or else she would probably have been at least thirty before they thought her ready for London.

So they all had followed her to London, to keep an eye on her, everyone but Grand-Papa Hannibal and her Uncle Charles, who preferred to spend his time in his church.

Her mother had rolled her eyes so many times her father had told her to stop before she had to live with endlessly rolling eyes.

But Devlin knew what she meant, and she could see how he withdrew. All the warmth that moments earlier had washed over her when he teased her was suddenly nowhere to be seen, and she knew if she didn’t tell him the truth now she would never have a chance to come near the real Devlin again.

But the question was, did she want to know him?

Her mind said no, he was everything she didn’t want in a husband—too beautiful and too adored, a true libertine from top to toe.

But something in her heart said yes. Maybe it was the little girl who finally had him close again.

Fanny didn’t know, and she didn’t care.

It was Devlin Ross and, courting Charmaine or not, he made her whole body react, and she wanted to know what it meant. So she hit Rake loosely on the chest, and said loud enough for Devlin to hear, “Uncle Rake, here I am trying to play the part of your latest love, and you so ungracefully spoil it.”

She thrust her lower lip out and made a face like a sulking little child, and Rake laughed.

“And you wonder why I didn’t understand what you were up to?” He turned to Devlin, who stood staring at Fanny, bewilderment written across his face. “Can you believe the chit? I mean, who would think she could be anything else but a debutante?”

As Rake laughed at his own joke, Fanny could see a small smile return as enlightenment washed through Devlin.

“Pup?” he asked, using the nickname he’d once given her.

“No.” She frowned at him. “It’s Fanny—or Francesca, if you prefer.”

Rake laughed and whacked Devlin in the back with a blow that would have knocked a smaller man off his feet.

“I had forgotten you called her that!”

Fanny rolled her eyes at her uncle, and he laughed even harder.

“Well,” he continued, “You were behaving like a puppy, always following poor Devlin around. And there we were, young and eager for a first roll in the hay, but you destroyed all our plans. We had our minds set for Sally Brown, the waitress at the pub, you know, who was known for taking on young men and introducing them into the adult way of life—for a small sum of money, of course.”

Devlin laughed, clearly remembering what Rake was talking about, and it itched in Fanny’s hand to hit him, just a little, to stun him and take the smug smile off his face.

But before she could decide if it would be worth it, her parents joined them and the moment was gone.

“Devlin, my boy!” George eagerly greeted the younger man, and Fanny bit back a smile as she noticed Devlin’s grimace as he silently endured another of the infamous Darling whacks. “I heard you were back in town and was hoping I would run into you sooner or later.”

“Lord Newbury.”

Devlin bowed his head politely, showing the Earl much more respect than as a duke he had to before he sent Caroline an appreciative glance. “My lady, you look just as lovely as I remember.”

“Thank you, Your Grace,” Caroline purred, not hiding how much she enjoyed the younger man’s open admiration. “Even though I know you are just being kind to an old woman such as I.”

“Oh, do stop begging for more, Caroline,” Rake chuckled and was awarded a sour look from his sister-in-law.

“I do
not
beg.”

“Oh, yes, you do. And not very subtly at all.”

Caroline turned to her husband and gave him a pointed look, ordering him without words to reprimand his younger brother, but George was too busy laughing to care about his wife’s silent suggestion.

“As you can see, things haven’t changed that much over the years,” Rake drawled to his friend, ignoring his misbehaving relatives. “Aside from a wrinkle or two, they all are much the same as they were fifteen years ago.”

“Fifteen years,” George sighed. “Has it been that long? And here it feels like it was yesterday you two rascals kept making our lives miserable.”

“Rascals?” Rake grinned mischievously, and Fanny had no problem imagining just how much misery he and his friend had created. She loved her uncle dearly but was not blind to his not-so-good side. As a grown man he could be a nuisance and had probably been hell to live with as a child.

Just as Lady Newbury opened her mouth, stern determination written all over her beautiful face, the music stopped and a new dance began.

Quickly, before the storm was unleashed, Devlin politely asked if he could take Fanny out on the dance floor, and her parents immediately agreed. Before she could say no, he grabbed her hand and nearly dragged her away from her relatives.