The Prince of Ravenscar (17 page)

Roxanne perked right up. “Ah, it's Devlin, what a lovely surprise. He must have ridden like the wind to get here so quickly. You stay close to Julian, and I will get Devlin to row me back out to the middle of the lake. Perhaps I can get him to remove his shirt, display his manly self to the sun. That would be fun. I don't see any horses. I suppose they must have walked here.”

Sophie laughed. “I hadn't realized, but do you know, Devlin is nearly Julian's size?”

“Mayhap he's a bit taller than Julian.”

Sophie said, “Oh, no, Julian is by far the taller. But, you know, Roxanne, that's only the outside. They really are quite different from each other.”

“As are we all.”

Sophie nodded. “I wonder how Julian would feel about stretching out without his shirt so I could, well—
hmm,
observe him.”

“That is rather shameless of you, wishing to see your older kindly uncle unclothed.”

Sophie laughed. “Only his upper parts, and only for scientific reasons.”

“Are you lying to your aunt, Sophie?”

D
evlin was wearing a wide-brimmed black hat.

Roxanne smiled widely as she stepped onto the dock, flung out her arms. “You are a glorious sight, Devlin—you look like one of those Puritan preachers I've seen in books. Shall you open your mouth and chastise us sinners? No? It is about time you got here.”

“I rode like the Devil,” Devlin said, and took her hands between his. “I came as quickly as I could—consider me Julian's protector, to ensure that base scoundrel Richard doesn't try to throttle him, or the baron, either one, truth be told. As for Victoria, who knows? As for Julian, he wasn't even at the manor to welcome me, didn't arrive until I was on my way to find you two. All out of breath he was, but he won't tell me why. Since he's more stubborn than Cannon, I'll never know in this lifetime.

“You and Sophie look in fine spirits. I see you managed to row yourself very competently, which means there is no reason for either of you to ask me to do the work.”

“But I should like to show you the magnificent water reeds on the other side of the lake,” said Roxanne. “Won't you row me back out, Devlin? I'm really quite fatigued.”

Devlin eyed Roxanne, lightly touched his finger to her cheek. “Young one, you do not dissemble well. Perhaps you'd best not try it again with me.”

“I am your age, and very nearly on the shelf. Indeed, my years are beginning to wear on me, since I am, indeed, really quite tired from all that rowing.” She began to rub her arms.

“Another Kean,” Devlin remarked to Julian, who was lightly stroking Cannon's neck. He had one eye on Sophie, and it wasn't a fond eye, Roxanne saw.

Devlin said, “I am the one who is fatigued, my dear. Julian and I both walked here, since some foul individual stole his horse, and he was, as I said, already fatigued from walking so quickly.”

“Where did you go?” Sophie asked Julian.

Julian gave her a harassed look. “Nowhere, only a walk in the home wood to think about things.”

He was lying, Sophie knew it to her stockinged feet. Did anyone else?

How can she know I'm lying? I know she does, I can see it in her eyes.
Julian had brooded, albeit in his cave, not in the home wood. It had taken him a goodly amount of time to walk from Hardcross Manor to his cave by the river. He hadn't ridden Cannon, he could be seen, his presence wondered at. No, he wanted no one to know where he'd gone. He'd had to see if his boyhood cave would be an acceptable hideout for smuggled-in goods. It was perfect. He had sat on the sandy floor, leaned back against a wall, and planned out his next and last smuggling run. Time to end it all.

It was a pity.

Devlin said, “I could not very well ride with him walking beside me, now, could I? So demeaning to Lord Julian.”

Julian strode up to Sophie, grabbed her arms, and shook her hard. “You stole my horse, damn you, after Bicker told you not to. You could have been thrown; you could have your damned neck broken.”

“I knew I could ride him, Julian, really, there was no danger. Stop looking at me like you want to drown me. And his whinny, it smote me. I felt sorry for him. He nearly begged me to give him some proper exercise. Really, we dealt very well together.”

“You twit, Cannon is
my
horse, not yours. What's more, he's mean as a drunken cutpurse. You deserve to be pulverized for this, Sophie.”

She saw the pulse pounding in his throat.
Oh, dear,
he was very angry with her indeed. She supposed she deserved it, but still, she was a fine horsewoman. He should have trusted her; he should have—
oh, dear,
she had been a twit. She realized he was more scared for her than angry, scared she could have been seriously hurt. She lightly laid her hand on his arm. “I'm sorry, Julian, truly, it—it wasn't well done of me. I won't do it again. Will you forgive me? Will you not pulverize me?”

He eyed her, said slowly, “You think I'm being unreasonable? I'm not, it's just that—very well. You're forgiven.”

He lightly touched his fingertips to her cheek.
She was all right, thank the good Lord.
He said, “As for that other one, Devlin, standing there looking all angelic, I fancy she wants to stake you out beneath a bright sun, to see what will happen.”

Sophie rounded on him. “However would you hear such a thing, sir? It is absurd.”

“I have a working brain, Sophie. Also, your plan at the Marksbury garden party set up quite a fine spate of gossip, which reached my ears very quickly.”

“How odd,” Devlin said, frowning, “I didn't hear a thing.”

“I suppose that means more people than Sophie and I wish to see what would happen if your bare chest was exposed to the sun,” Roxanne said.

Devlin said, “I should not like that at all. Sun is the enemy.”

Roxanne said, “Nonsense. The warmth of the sun is delicious. Oh, dear, are you certain you must hide away from that glorious sun, Devlin? Let's just see about that,” and she grabbed the black hat off Devlin's head and raced back toward the home wood, her laughter wafting behind her.

Devlin sighed. “What do you think, Julian? Should I teach her some manners?”

“She will bring you low, Devlin, pay heed,” Sophie said.

Devlin ran toward the home wood.

“He is fleet of foot, isn't he? Now,” Julian said, “we're alone. Do you know, I thought Bicker would burst into tears when he saw me, swore to me he'd tried to talk you out of it, but she's ‘a headstrong little bickel, more stubborn than me long-sainted ma,' I believe he said.”

“So, this means you still haven't forgiven me. But it's true, Julian, Cannon was gentle as a lamb. He quite likes me.”

Julian handed her a carrot from his pocket. “Feed him, see if he bites off your fingers.”

Without hesitation, Sophie held out the carrot to Cannon, who licked it off her palm. She rubbed her hand on her skirt. “Ah, Julian, perhaps you could ride along beside me and give me pointers if Cannon goes into a snit?”

He placed both his hands around her throat. “No, I will not give you pointers. You will leave Cannon to me.”

“But—”

“You may not even lead Cannon about on a rope. I have decided you are brazen, ma'am, a baggage, and you want taming.”

She closed her hands over his. “Really? I'm all that? What is a baggage, I've always wondered.”

“But you understand brazen, do you not? And taming?”

“Brazen is nothing, but taming? Goodness, no, what does that mean? Does it involve whips?”

“Don't mock me, Sophie. I might stake you out beside Roxanne, because I imagine that is what Devlin is doing to your elderly aunt at this very moment.”

“No, impossible. Roxanne is wily, not to mention she is very strong. Devlin doesn't have a chance of besting her.”

A black satyr brow shot up. “A wager? Say, five pounds?”

“Done,” she said, and shook his hand. They left the horses eating lake grass and walked back to the home wood.

They heard shouts, laughter, then dead silence.

They stepped into a small clearing to see Roxanne on her back on the ground, Devlin's black coat beneath her, Devlin holding her wrists over her head.

Roxanne was laughing even as she jerked and pulled. “Let me go this instant, Devlin, or I swear I will annihilate you. I will leave you tied down in the sunlight for a fortnight.”

“That would give me an inflammation of the lung, given it will rain thirteen of the fourteen days.”

“Very well, I will throw you into a moat if I find a castle. Is there one hereabout? Does Ravenscar have a moat?”

“No,” Devlin said, released her wrists, and rose. He looked down at her, his arms crossed over his chest. He began to laugh. “I bested you very quickly, Roxanne. You tried your poor womanly best, but you didn't stand a chance, not against such a man as I. Do you admit I am your superior?”

“My superior? What does that mean? You're fast?”

“Fast and strong, admit it; I had you on your back in an instant.”

“I don't believe this,” Sophie said, and raced to Roxanne, who was now sitting up.

“You're sitting on the ground. How can that be? Goodness, Devlin's coat is even under you. However did that happen? Roxanne, how did you allow this? I made a wager with Julian! You have lost me five pounds.”

Sophie gave Roxanne her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Five pounds, Roxanne. Perhaps I should have left you on the ground.”

“I think it's time for a bit of retribution,” Roxanne said, and jumped on Devlin. The momentum drove him to his knees, then, because he wasn't stupid, he twisted and fell onto his back, dragging Roxanne down to sprawl on top of him.

There was a moment of silence, then, “Help me, Julian. She will surely kill me, mayhap bite my neck, for she is endlessly curious. Look, she is eyeing my neck, licking her lips.”

Julian, laughing, lifted Roxanne off Devlin, set her beside Sophie, and stepped back. He held up his hands. “Don't either of you attack me, for I am innocent of any wrongdoing. Devlin, get up, you look ridiculous lying there, squinting at the sunlight pouring through the tree branches.”

Devlin jumped to his feet, found his hat on the ground, placed it reverently back on his head, and breathed a sigh of relief. “You're right. I felt such heat against my skin, building, building. It quite scared me to my toes.”

Julian held out his hand to Sophie. “Five pounds, if you please.”

Sophie looked at Roxanne, who was brushing leaves off her riding skirt. “How could you let him take you down? I told Julian you were strong—”

“You were proved wrong.” Julian held out his hand, then eyed her. “Are you telling me that you are suffering penury or you don't carry money on your person?”

“Neither. Both.”

“A gentleman always pays on a debt of honor, my child.”

“I will pay you, for I have honor, probably more than I deserve.”

Roxanne was pulling twigs from her unraveling braid, spilling bright red hair down her back and over her shoulders. She said, “Devlin was listening for my footsteps. When I stopped and turned to see where he was, he ducked behind a lovely maple. Mayhap I walked back a bit, to make sure he wasn't close, and he grabbed me from behind, threw me over his shoulder, and dumped me on the ground. In short, he ambushed me.”

“You were too curious this time, Roxanne,” Devlin said, considering. “At least you weren't out for blood—more's the pity.”

“But his coat was lying beneath you,” Sophie said. “Placing it just so—that takes time.”

“He had his coat in his hands when he grabbed me. He is smart,” Roxanne added, and pulled another twig from her hair.

Devlin lightly squeezed her arm. “Ah, not much muscle at all, Roxanne, it is disappointing. You weren't much of a challenge at all.”

Julian turned to see Sophie racing back through the home wood. She wouldn't dare. He waited until he heard Cannon whinny.

Devlin grinned. “You toy with her, Julian. I quite like that.”

Julian waited another moment, then he whistled.

When Cannon came trotting up to him a few minutes later, a red-faced Sophie racing behind him, waving a carrot, he said, “I believe it a fine idea if you and Roxanne were to have a nice walk back to the manor. I forgive you for taking him, but I believe a bit of punishment might make a powerful point.”

“You are not a gentleman, sir.”

He swung onto Cannon's back, then gave Devlin a hand to bring him up behind him. Cannon snorted. “You are no lightweight, Devlin,” Julian said over his shoulder. “No matter, Cannon won't have time to work himself up. We'll fetch Roxanne's horse for you.”

Sophie and Roxanne stood in the clearing until the gentlemen came riding back through. Julian gave them a silent salute. Devlin merely shook his finger at Roxanne. He called over his shoulder, “Your hair is quite beautiful all long and tangled down your back. All that sinful red.”

Roxanne lifted the pile of hair that hung down her back. She twisted it up, stuck it beneath her riding hat. She brushed her skirts again, straightened her jacket. “Well, Sophie, would you like to walk to that gazebo on the other side of the lake?”

S
ophie didn't go back inside the manor with Roxanne because she saw Victoria Langworth slip behind a maple tree. Why was she hiding? Surely she could not have taken Sophie into dislike; she didn't even know her.