He shrugged. “It was my duty to marry, and I didn’t seem to be the typeto fall in love. Phoebe Swinnamer is the sort of girl I was supposed tomarry ? well-born, well-dowered, beautiful and . . . perfectlyamiable.”
“Because she has been trained to be,” said Beth pointedly, knowing thatin that list of qualities she scored a round nothing.
He smiled at her and shook his head. “Not one of your failings, as weare both aware.”
“I am perfectly amiable,” retorted Beth, “unless I am given reason notto be.”
“You are a shrew,” said the marquess, amusement still softening hisface. “Don’t fly into alt about it. I’m coming to like it well enough.”With that he handed her over to her next partner, leaving Beth not alittle off balance.
Eventually, at four in the morning, the affair was over and Beth couldseek her bed. As she slipped between the sheets exhausted, she wanderedthrough memories of the evening, confused by it all. Moments of affinity,moments of strife.
As the maid walked toward the door, Beth asked, “Do you know anythingabout doves of Drury Lane, Redcliff?”
“No, miss. I’ve only been to London the once and never visited atheater. I suppose they have them in cages, for decoration like.”
“Yes. But it’s all very strange,” said Beth as she drifted off tosleep.
Redcliff happened to mention this strange conversation the next morningat the upper servant’s breakfast. She was surprised when Hughes, themarquess’s very proper valet, took her aside afterwards.
“If I were you. Miss Redcliff,” he said, “I would dissuade MissArmitage from speaking of doves of Drury Lane.”
“Why, Mr. Hughes?”
The man pursed his lips. “Let us just say that the White Dove of DruryLane is a particular favorite of the marquess‘. If you see what Imean.”
The maid flushed. “I do indeed. Oh, the poor dear! And who would putsuch a thing into her head?”
“Exactly what I was wondering. And so will his lordship if it comes tohis ears.”
Lucien, however, had forgotten Beth’s comment. He was more concernedwith other matters, and before he collapsed into bed he sat down andscribbled a note to Nicholas Delaney.
Dear Nicholas,
Deveril turned up at my betrothal ball I thought he’d fled withMadame, but he must have straightened things out with the authorities.Thought you should know. He’s just as nasty as ever.
L de V
He arranged for it to be dispatched to Grattingley, home of Nicholas’stwin brother, Lord Stainbridge.
He didn’t know why the intrusion of Lord Deveril made him so uneasy,other than the man was evil with very low and nasty tastes. It was anatural instinct not to want such a specimen within miles of one’s home,but there was more to it than that.
Deveril had been entwined with Therese Bellaire in her plot to trickNapoleonic sympathizers out of their money. Lucien had gained theimpression that Deveril also had had something to do with Eleanor Delaneyin the days when she’d been living with her loathsome worm of a brother.There was certainly no love lost between Nicholas and Deveril.
They had all assumed Lord Deveril had fled with Therese Bellaire toenjoy their ill-gotten gains and their shared taste for depravity. Hisreemergence raised worrying questions.
Chapter Eleven
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Beth rose the next morning feeling wrung out. Her head throbbed, hermouth tasted sour, and the negative aspects of the previous evening satsolidly at the front of her mind.
Why could she not act a prim and proper innocent? Perhaps she shouldtake lessons from Miss Swinnamer’s mama. Why could the marquess not seethat a fighting spirit and a little worldly wisdom did not make her atrollop?
She remembered what he had said about her being a shrew. He couldn’treally like a shrew. He couldn’t like someone he didn’t trust, and he hadshown on the terrace that he didn’t trust her at all.
She sighed bitterly. It seemed to be as he had said. Words once spokenhad a life of their own. They could not be unsaid. Every time Beth and themarquess were on edge, that dreadful evening on the terrace came back tohaunt them.
On top of her misery at this was her anger that he made no claim topurity of any kind and yet felt free to castigate her for some vague formof misdoing. She knew he was behaving according to his code, but thetemptation to lash out at him was tremendous.
