The Devil Rogue (18 page)

Trembling with a multitude of emotions, one of which was rage at her father,
or whoever he was
, Angela knew she needed to get some fresh air
.
Either that or she was about to crumble into a puddle of humiliation, hurt, and despair
, right here, in front of everyone
.

If it were true
–
if she’d had an offer
of
marriage – possibly more than one, than she
’
d been
deceived
. She’d been
deprived of her right to have a family of her own
–
to escape
The Baron’s
cruelty long ago.

“Miss Hopkins,” Ian said, cutting into her thoughts
.
“May I escort you to the retiring room
now
?”
He could see she was not well, her face completely absent of color
.
It made her luminous eyes look larger and bluer than ever
.
A sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach
,
knowing that he was the one to have started the rumors
.
Could he have been so terribly mistaken?

“Please
. . .
I
shall
be all right.
I just need to take some air
.
If you’ll excuse me.”

She didn’t wait for his
response,
just da
shed
for the nearest exit.

Ian watched her go, understanding
her
need
to have
a moment alone
.
But he didn’t intend to leave her by herself for long
.
He was going to find out the truth even if he had to knock a few heads together to get it
.
There was something not quite right about this whole situation
.
He tu
rned his attention back to Ward
l
e
y, whose gaze was still locked on the path taken by Miss Hopkins
.

“What is your
story, Ward
l
e
y?”

Wardl
e
y shifted nervously, but then he straightened his shoulders and faced Ian
.
“I loved her, you know,” he said quietly
.
“She was sweet and kind
–
not someone I would expect to be involved in
–
well, never mind
.
N
ow she’s with you, Blackridge
.
”
His
expression turned
cold, his tone,
bitter
.
“Tell me, however did you manage it?”

“That,
my
friend, is none of your concern
,” Ian said in a low, warning voice. “A
nd since you missed your chance with her, you have no business sticking your nose
where it doesn’t belong
.
Now, if you’
ll
pardon
me, I’ll be on m
y way.”

H
e left Ward
l
e
y standing with his mouth gaping open like a fish
.
T
aking the same route Miss Hopkins had just a few minutes ago
, Ian intended
to find her and get her the hell out of here.

Angela stood at the far end of the terrace in a darkened corner,
her hands braced on the
smooth marble
railing for support
.
My God
!
What had The Baron done
?
Wardley had been about to say something else, and if it concerned her step-father, it couldn’t be good
.
She took gulping breaths of air until she was finally calm enough to breathe normally
.

“Well, girl, things aren’t so wonderful on the other side of the fence, are they?” her father said
with
that familiar
sneer
in his voice
.
“But I do hate to see you like this
.
It makes me want to help in whatever way I can.”

She just bet he did.

Angela
turned around to face him. “Hello, father.”
In no
mood to play his games
, she asked,
“What do you want?”

“I need to talk to you, girl
.
It’s important.”

“Yes, father,” she said
frostily
.
“We most certainly
do
need to talk.”

“The coach is parked not too far away
. W
e can cut across the lawn
. . .
avoid the crowd
.”
He gave her knowing smile.

“You just lead the way.”
Not wishing to spend one more minute at this party,
Angela
followed him off the terrace
and into the darkness beyond
.
There were a few things she intended to discu
ss with him, starting with Ward
l
e
y’s offer of marriage.

Ian reached the terrace in time to witness
Miss Hopkins
departing
with a
m
an
.
She walked with him across the shadowed lawn, off to find some secluded spot, no doubt
.
He stood, unmoving, watching her disappear into the night
.
It was too dark to recognize
the man
, but
she clearly
left of her own accord
.

Obviously, she intended to line up a new lover
.
Her claim to be a virgin was most likely another lie
, and the more he thought about it, the more
Ian
convinced himself that her
passionate
responses
had been
very un-virgin-like
.

“Looks like your pigeon has found another place to call home
.
”

Ian spun arou
nd
, ready to slam his fist into the face that belonged to that voice
.
Lord Bennett was
a man
Ian
counted among his
f
riend
s
.
Bennett
followed Ian’s escapades with amused interest,
openly
admitting that he aspired to
The Devil Rogue
’
s
level of
notoriety
.
And he was very close to his goal
.

But
what was
most interesting
about
the Earl of Bennett was
his
similar
ity
in looks to Ian,
although Bennett was
younger
by several years
.
Bennett
was titled, rich, and handsome
.
Ian often wondered if perhaps his father had sired a bastard, but as far as he knew, his parents
had been
quite devoted to one another.

He relaxed his fists, even though his frie
nd’s comment
had
struck a nerve
.
“Bennett,” he snapped
.
“
Don’t you have your own little pigeon to worry about, without bothering me?”
Ian wasn’t
in the mood to bandy clever quips back and forth with
his usual enthusiasm, something
he and Bennett
usually
enjoyed on a regular basis.

“Oh, she’s here, powdering her nose, or some such silly female thing,” Bennett said, waving his arm
in
dismissal
.
“Wasn’t that your mistress who just wondered off with some other gent?”

“Shut up, Bennett.”

“Maybe I should take over – show you how it s
hould be done, eh, Blackridge?”

Ian
’s temper, which was already boiling toward the surface, flared to life
.
He
pushed Be
nnett up against the balustrade.
G
rabbing the man’s lapels
in his fists
,
Ian
ben
t
him backward over the rail
.
“Lay one hand on
her
and you’ll be looking down the length of my sword,” he growled.

Bennett held up his hands
.
“It was just a joke, Blackridge
.
I didn’t mean anything by it
.
Looks to me like you’ve gotten in a little too deep with this one
.”
He strained against the force of Ian’s hold on him
.
He matched Ian in size and strength, but Bennett knew Ian was deadly with a blade
.
“
Besides, my interests
lay
elsewhere –
no pun intended,
”
he said with a grin.

Ian released him, a little shaken by his volatile reaction
.
“My apologies, Bennett
.
I don’t
know
what came over me
.
I was just so sure she was
—
” He’d been so sure of her innocence
. U
ntil she’d left with another man.

“Apology accepted, my good man,” Bennett said
, his mood remaining
good-natured
.
He was never one to hold grudges – against his friends, anyway
.
“I have the perfect solution
.
A brandy
in hand
and a beautiful woman
i
n your
lap
is always a good remedy at times like these.”

“I don’t think so,” Ian
said
distractedly
.

He couldn’t
for
get the
sight
of Angela walking away with that man
.
Perhaps he should have followed her – made sure she was all right
.
She’d been very upset
–
a prime target for some predator
without scruples. Someone
like himself
, or Bennett, even.

“What!” Bennett placed
a hand
dramatically over his heart
.
“
The Devil Rogue
himself is actually refusing an evening of drink
ing, gambling,
and women
?
It’s unfathomable.”

“I’m not in the mood, Bennett,” Ian said, intending to step off the terrace, and follow in the direction Angela had gone.

Bennett placed his hand on Ian’s arm
.
“You’re not going after her, are you?”
His voice was filled with
disbelief
.
“
Listen to
me
–
the last thing you n
eed is to find them in the act.
It would do you no good.”

“Of course you’re right, my friend,” Ian said
.
It would do him no good to see her in the arms of another man
.
“Go back to your lady
.
I’ll be fine.”

Bennett hesitated for a moment,
and then
gave Ian a quick nod, slipp
ing
back inside.

Ian’s
feelings of guilt and concern for
Angela
died a quick death
as he left the terrace in the opposite direction
,
in search of his carriage
.
He would wait for her back at the house, and when she returned, he would inform her of his decision to cancel their bargain.

IT WAS VERY
late,
at least
past one in the morning
.
Angela tried to be as quiet as possible, entering
Blackridge’s
house
at
the rear servant’s entrance
.
Thankfully, it was unlocked
.