The Devil at Archangel (15 page)

beginning to know how Royalty must feel,' she said. It was intended

to be tart, but Theo obviously regarded the remark as a compliment to

his stage management and merely smiled at her.

'You'll get used to it,' he said casually.

She had to quell an impulse to tell him she had no intention of doing

anything of the sort, and hoped she did not look as out of place as she

felt. A quick glance around the surrounding tables reassured her

somewhat. The clientele were smart, and the jewellery worn by the

women also suggested wealth, but her own outfit stood up well to any

competition. Drinks were brought in tall frosted glasses —a mixture

of fruit juices, pineapple and lime among them, with something

pleasantly potent underneath it all.

'Planter's Punch,' Theo told her, lifting his glass towards her. She

returned the gesture rather awkwardly aware of speculative looks

from people sitting near them. Theo made a spectacular escort, she

realised, encountering some openly envious glances from some of the

younger women. She still felt thoroughly self-conscious, but it wasn't

quite the unpleasant sensation it had been. She sipped appreciatively

at her drink and returned Theo's smile.

'Would you like to dance ?'

'Presently,' she said.

It was only a small band, but they had a beguiling rhythm. She found

her foot was tapping to it almost in spite ' of herself. But at the same

time she didn't want to dance. She had an appalled vision of a

deferential space being cleared for Theo and herself on the small

circular floor, having to dance, the cynosure of all eyes from the

clustering tables. It would be like being on stage with the spotlight

glaring down.

Theo was glancing round him with lifted eyebrows. 'I don't know

where all these people come from,' he said in a bored tone, not

bothering to lower his voice. 'This place is going to become quite

unbearable if the situation continues. And this isn't even the season.'

He was looking beyond her and she saw his gaze sharpen. He gave a

muffled exclamation which she hoped she had misheard. His eyes

met hers angrily, then he got slowly to his feet with obvious

reluctance, and she knew without having to be told who was standing

just behind them.

'It's a small world.' Theo tried for a light tone and missed.

'It's a very small island,' said Dev Brandon. A waiter brought a chair

and he sat down without being invited. Christina felt her stomach

muscles twine themselves into a tight knot of tension. He looked her

over and smiled—if that was the way to describe a movement of the

lips that held neither amusement nor pleasure.

'A daiquiri, please,' he told the hovering waiter, and then sat back in

his chair with the air of a man with the whole evening in front of him.

Theo was furious and not bothering to hide it, Christina noticed. She

felt as if she had just woken from a nightmare only to find it was

actually happening.

Theo reseated himself sullenly. 'I didn't expect to see you here this

evening.'

'Naturally,' Dev returned blandly. 'But I do like to keep j an eye on my

investments.'

'So it is true.' Theo sent him a concentrated glare. 'Grand'mere heard

that you'd gone in with Frampton and Bellairs, but she didn't believe

it.'

'I'm glad to know she still has faith in me.' Dev's tone was openly

satirical. 'Even if it is only a baseless conviction about my total lack

of business acumen.'

'If you must know, even Grand'mere didn't think you would be so

totally disloyal to the Brandon name,' Theo s flung at him recklessly.

Devlin produced a silver case from his pocket and lit a cheroot,

watching Theo almost meditatively for a minute.

Then he said quite pleasantly, 'That, my dear Theo, is a subject on

which you are hardly qualified to comment.'

There were suddenly undercurrents to the conversation that Christina

could only guess at. Summoning all her courage, she intervened,

'Please—people are watching us.'

Dev's eyes flickered carelessly over her. 'Don't let it worry you. We're

thinking of advertising the Brandon feud in the brochures next year as

an added attraction. It's already part of the scenery as far as the locals

are concerned.'

'But I'm not one of them,' she said in a low voice. She glanced up and

met his gaze and saw an expression of faint surprise there.

'No,' he said after a moment. 'You're just along for the ride, aren't you,

honey girl. But you only have yourself to blame if it gets bumpy.'

'Leave Tina out of this,' Theo broke in aggressively, and Devlin

raised his eyebrows..

'Tina?' he queried, then shook his head decisively. 'No, not Tina.

Christy rarely, if ever—but never Tina.'

'What are you talking about?' Theo demanded. Devlin grinned

sardonically at Christina, and she felt the betraying colour rise in her

cheeks.

'A private joke,' he said lightly. 'Don't let it bother you, Theo.' He

lifted the glass the waiter had brought him to his lips. Above it, his

eyes watched Christina. She looked away hurriedly, disturbed by his

scrutiny. It was a good thing she had not been looking forward to this

evening, she thought helplessly. Oh, why of all the people in the

world had he had to be here?

The waiter returned. 'Telephone, Mr Brandon.'

She began to draw a sigh of relief, but it was shortlived. It was Theo,

not Dev, the waiter was addressing. Theo looked up at him

incredulously.

'For me? But who ...?' He bit back an imprecation, then got up,

scraping his chair, and followed the waiter.

Christina sat very quiet, hoping against hope that Devlin would take

the hint and go back to his own table or wherever else he had sprung

from. It was unnerving to have him sitting so close to her. The table

was too small for more than two people. His leg was practically

brushing hers. She would have liked to have moved, but she knew he

would guess the reason why and make one of his barbed remarks. It

was better—more dignified—to sit perfectly still and pretend he did

not exist.

'It won't work.' It was as if he could read her thoughts, damn him. 'I'm

in the mood to be entertained, Christina, and you're just the person to

do it.'

'I have nothing to say to you, Mr Brandon,' she told him coldly. He

smiled faintly.

'Then don't try. I didn't ask you to talk. I can find all the entertainment

I need by sitting and looking at you. You have a lovely body and

that's a very sexy dress.'

'I thought I was under-developed,' she flashed, and could have bitten

her tongue out.

He was laughing openly now. 'So that still rankles, does it? All right, I

take it back. You have, my dear Miss Bennett, the type of figure that

improves on intimate acquaintance. Will that do?'

'No,' she said, loathing him. 'It won't—and you haven't. Any intimate

acquaintance, I mean.'

'Well, we can soon rectify that.' He got up, reaching for her wrist and

pulling her to her feet. 'Come and dance.'

'I will not.' Bright spots of colour burned in her cheeks.

'It's either that or make a scene,' he said equably. 'And don't plead

your ankle as an excuse,' he added, as she hesitated. 'That was better

days ago, and you know it.'

Quivering with temper, she allowed herself to be led down the short

flight of wooden steps that led to the dance floor. Her body was rigid

as he drew her into his arms.

'Relax.' His voice sounded mockingly in her ear. 'I promise not to

rape you in front of all these people.'

'You wouldn't get the chance,' she muttered unwisely.

'I've had the chance.' His tone was very quiet, but there was a note in it

which made her whole body feel warm. And the dreadful thing was

that she could not even deny it. If he had gone on kissing

her—touching her that day at the beach house she would have been

his for the taking. She knew it—now, but it seemed that he had

always known it. She swallowed and stared icily at the lapel of his

jacket.

'And it is a sexy dress,' he went on in the same quiet voice. 'White and

silken. It's hard to know where the dress ends and your skin begins.'

Something seemed to be constricting her breathing. When she had got

it under control, she said, 'Please—don't say things like that. I know

you're only trying to embarrass me. Will you take my word for it that

you've succeeded and leave it at that?'

'You credit me with some strange ambitions,' he said in an odd tone.

'However, if you want to call a truce, I'm perfectly willing. We'll talk

about something else. When is your engagement to Theo going to be

announced?'

She was so startled that she forgot to move her feet and nearly fell.

'What are you talking about?' she demanded breathlessly.

'Isn't English your native tongue? I'm sorry.'

She could have screamed at him, but she held on to her patience.

'What are you insinuating—about Theo and me?'

'Nothing at all,' he said coolly. 'That is why you've come here, isn't it?'

The rhythm of the music changed. The beat quickened slightly. She

was no longer in his arms. They were slightly apart, and she was

moving mechanically to the music, its soft insistent beat seeming the

only reality in a world that had changed to quicksand around her.

'Well, isn't it?' His tone had hardened, demanding a reply.

She drew a long quivering breath. 'No. I've told you why I came. Why

won't you believe me? I—I didn't even know Theo existed until I met

him—that first day. Of course I'm not engaged to him. I hardly know

him!'

'I wasn't suggesting it was a love match.' The silver eyes were steel

hard as they looked down into hers.

'Then what ...?' she relapsed almost helplessly into silence.

'You told me yourself you were penniless,' he said softly. 'Maybe, in

your circumstances, marriage wouldn't be too high a price to pay to

become Mrs Brandon of Archangel.'

She felt her hands curl into fists at her sides. Behind the smiling

mask, she was cold and dead inside. When she spoke, she was

amazed by the normality of her own voice.

'You think, then, that I'm for sale?' It was quite amazing how much it

cost her to ask that: Yet why should she care what he thought of her?

Of all the opinions in the world, his should be her least concern. So

why then this hurt, like a knife twisting deep inside her?

He gave a slight shrug, his mouth twisting cynically. 'It's what my

aunt thinks that matters, and I hardly think she would have brought

you here if she didn't consider the bargain was made.'

'You're quite wrong.' She moistened her lips with the tip of her

tongue. 'But I suppose I can't altogether blame you for misjudging

me. Your aunt said that your—disappointments over the inheritance

had made you bitter. I don't suppose even she guesses how right she

is. I can quite understand why you don't want Theo to marry, of

course. What I can't understand is why you should think I'm. part of

some weird conspiracy to deprive you of Archangel.'

'Oh, I acquit you of that,' he said. That "weird conspiracy", as you so

aptly put it, began many years ago— before-»my aunt probably even

knew you existed. But it alters nothing. If you genuinely mean what

you say, then you'll get out of here and back to England as soon as

you can.

The drumming rose to a crescendo and stopped. Around them

laughing couples were dispersing from die floor and walking back to

their tables. Christina turned too, very conscious of his hand on her

arm.

'I've already told you that's quite impossible,' she said, her voice

shaking slightly. 'Now will you please let go of me—and leave me

alone.'

'You mean-—leave you to Theo,' he said, and there was a note

underlying his tone that made her shiver in spite of the heat of die

room. She lifted her chin defiantly.

'If that's what you want to think—yes,' she said. She wrenched her

arm free of his grasp with a strength she had not known she

possessed, and walked with unsteady legs up the steps and back to the

table.

She felt almost sick with nerves. What a fiasco this evening she had

not even wanted had become! She had left behind her an angry man,

and she had little doubt that another even angrier was waiting for her.

But here it seemed she was mistaken. When she got back to the table,

Theo was waiting, smiling and relaxed.

'You dance well,' he complimented her lightly. 'It was almost a

greater pleasure to sit here and watch you than join the hurly-burly

myself.' He paused and gave her a long, considering look. 'Are you