The Devil Rogue (30 page)

“I need to know
,”
Angela sai
d with desperation in her voice. “
I need to know that I
’
m not related
by blood to that miserable man.
”

“You may not like what you find,” Rosemary warned.

“Whether I like it or not, it would be the truth, and I’m willing to risk it.”

“Why not ask
Blackridge
for help
?
At least you wouldn’t be putting yourself in danger, dressing
up
like a man and sneaking into your fa– the baron’s house
?
There’s no telling what could happen to you out there, alone and unprotected.”

“I don’t want to ask for his help, I want to do this on my own
.
I’m fairly confident
he wouldn’t allow me to do this,
which is exactly why I don’t need a husband, or father telling me what to do.”

“Well, someone has to!” Rosemary
snapped angrily
.
“There’s a difference between being controlled by another and advice given out of concern
–
from someone who cares about you.”
Tears filled her dark eyes
. S
he turned her back to Angela, hastily dashing them away.

“Oh, Rosemary!” Angela cried, moving to her friend
.
Her arms encircled Rosemary from behind, her ch
eek
resting
against her back
.
“You are so dear to me
.
I love you like a sister
.
You are the only true friend and family I have ever had
.
I know you’re just concerned about me, but what else would you have me do?”

Sniffling, Rosemary placed a hand over one of Angela’s
.
“I could go with you, keep an eye out for trouble.”

“That’s a splendid idea
!
To be honest, I was a bit nervous about doing this by myself, but I didn’t want to involve you in something that might prove dangerous.”

Turning, Rosemary grasped Angela’s arms, her face beaming with excitement
.
“Count me in
!
A little danger won’t stop me from sharing this
adventure with you
. I
t will give us something to tell our grandchildren.”

Grandchildren
.
Angela’s mood was slightly dampened by the thought that she might not even have children, let alone grandchildren
.
If she didn’t marry, there would be no children
.
She could marry Ian
. S
he was already half in love with him
.
He’d asked her once
,
would he ask her again
?
Would his mother approve
?
She needed to find out who she was first, and then let fate take its course.

They waited until the household had settled for the night, sneaking down the back stairway, and then down the block to the corner
.
Rosemary was given the task of hailing a hackney
, the driver giving them a curious look
.
Angela supposed they presented a rather odd pair
–
a pretty young woman accompanied by an equally pretty young boy
.
She suppressed a giggle as they climbed in.

“
GIVE ME A
boost, I can’t quite reach the ledge,” Angela whispered
.
They were
crouched among
the
hedges below the window to
T
he
B
aron’s study.

“It’s a good thing I came along
.
You’re too short to even reach the window ledge
.
Why don’t you let me do it?”

“
Y
ou wouldn’t know what to look
for,
and you certainly don’t want to get caught.”

“Do
you
know what you’re looking for?”

“Not exactly,” Angela replied defensively
.
“I do know that I
’ll be looking for a
nything refer
ring
to my mother,
T
he
B
aron, or my real father
.
Maybe there’s some kind of document
that
proves who my real father is
,
something
T
he
B
aron has kept hidden all these years.”

“That would be too easy.”

“I know
,
but I have to start somewhere
.
Now, lace your hands together and boost me up
.
”
Angela placed her foot
in the cradle of
Rosemary’s cupped hands,
which were
linked together
at the fingers
to strengthen the bond.

As Rosemary straightened, Angela was able to grasp the edge of the windowsill, pulling herself up
.
Leaning forward, resting on her belly, she gently pushed at the window
.
Thankfully, it was unlocked and swung quietly inward on well-oiled hinges
.
She crawled over the ledge, landing on the soft carpet behind the closed curtains.

The room
was so dark
it made
no difference whether her eyes were open or closed
.
She had to blink hard, open
ing
her eyes wide just to reassure herself that they were, indeed, open
.
Cursing herself for not thinking to bring a candle, Angela drew a deep breath and parted the curtains
.
Deciding that crawling on her hands and knees
would be
better than cracking her shin on some unseen object, she slowly made her way forward
.
Even though she was familiar with the layout of the study, there was
still
the possibility that something
had
been moved.

If she could make her way to the desk, she could search for a candle
.
Hopefully, the light wouldn’t shine under the door, alerting one of the servants.

Hearing a faint sound, Angela froze in place, her ears straining to listen
.
All was quiet except for softly muted voices coming from another part of the house
. T
he servants, most likely
.
S
he began to move again
, h
er eardrums pul
sing with the beat of her heart
.
She made slow progress as she inched forward, the inky blackness pressing all around her
.
It gave her an eerie feeling, as though no one and nothing else existed except her
and the darkness
.

She stopped, sensing a presence in the room, the skin on the back of her neck prickling
.
Suddenly a hand came over her mouth,
aborti
ng a shriek of terror
.
Her heart
practically
beat
itself to death
in her chest like a frightened bird’s as a
muscled arm snaked around her waist, holding her tightly against a very hard, very large body.

“What do you think you
’
re doing, princess?” Ian whispered into her ear
, the warmth of his breath caressing the side of her neck
.

Angela sagged with relief
. I
t was only Ian, and not
T
he
B
aron, or someone else
equally
as dangerous
.
He removed his hand from her mouth, but
stayed
where he was, his arm still
keeping
her in a firm hold
.
The earthy scent that was so uniquely his invaded her senses as
they remained locked together in the dark
.
She could feel the hard ridge of his arousal pressing into her backside
, and as inappropriate as the circumstances were, she felt a fissure of wicked pleasure ripple through her body, coalescing in her loins.

“What is this you’re wearing?”
he
asked with bemused interest
.
H
e explored her contours with wicked precision, feeling along her sides, her stomach, her hips and buttocks, then up to cup her breasts.

Angela knew the exact moment he realized she was wearing men’s clothing, no longer confined by the layers of material required in a gown
. She
could hear his breathing escalate as it became clear
to
him
.
Her own physical rea
ction had been instantaneous when his body
had
c
o
me into contact with hers
.

“
They’re Phillips’ castoffs
,” she whispered. “
You wouldn’t expect me to climb through windows, and crawl around on my hands and knees in a dress would you?”

“What I’d like to know is
why
you are climbing through windows and crawling around in the dark, which is oddly arousing, I might add.”

“Is that all you think about?” Angela asked, her voice tinged with annoyance.

“When it comes to you I do
.
Now,
tell me,
what are you doing here
, hmmm
?”

What was
he
doing here
?
“I’m searching for information on my father.”
My real father
.
Angela decided now was not the right time for detailed explanations
.
His hands
were
on her breasts, softly kneading
. It
made coherent thought almost impossible
.
“And w
-
w
hat are
you
doing here
?
You scared me half to death!”

“Apparently the same thing as you
,
searching for information.”

He hadn’t moved from his position, the heat from his body warming hers to a dangerous degree
.
“
W
hat kind of information
could
you
be looking for
?”
Did he know
something about T
he
B
aron
?
It was difficult to focus her attention on anything other than her body’s reaction to the proximity of his
.
She wriggled in his arms
, snapping testily,
“Could you kindly
give me some room?”

He
groaned softly
, and then growled,
“What’s the matter, princess
—”
He
kiss
ed
the side of her neck
.
“
—
getting warm?”

Before she knew what had happened, Angela was on her back, Ian’s weight pressing down into her
, and then his mouth was
moving
over hers
.
In the total darkness, her senses
were
more acute,
amplifying every touch, every caress
.
She became completely consumed by the delicious sensations arousing her to a fever pitc
h, blocking everything else out
but the primal instinct to give in to temptation.

“I
never would have guessed
a woman in boy’s clothing
could
be
so
arousing,” he said hoarsely
.

He pressed himself between her legs, rocking against her in a rhythm that m
imicked
the act of
mating
.
Angela moaned
as he kissed her, his tongue delving into her mouth, plundering
like a pirate seeking
treasure
.

She’d
completely
forgotten where she was,
so
captivated
was she under Ian’s sensuous
magic
.
The weight and hardness of his body over hers thrilled her
. T
he way he rubbed and pressed against her body’s center ignited a white hot
flame that seemed to radiate slowly from her core, outward to her extremities.