Surprisingly, she wasn’t mad when she caught him, but invited him to sit with her on a nearby bench instead. “Do you know why I walk this path every morning?”
Devin still remembered, with vivid clarity, how she had looked that day. It was a chilly November morning and her breath had fogged before her. She wore a blue velvet cloak that matched the shade of her sapphire eyes and turned her fading, blond hair even more golden. As a man of twenty-five, he’d been rather smitten. Although she wasn’t still in the blush of youth, at over forty years of age, he thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes upon.
Since he had remained silent, she continued, a ghost of a smile on her full lips. “It was my husband’s favorite time of day. He would come here and ride every day that the weather would allow.” She looked down at her lap with a heavy sigh. “I regret that we were never blessed with children during our union, but alas, it was not meant to be. But I had always been able to deal with the fact I would never be a mother, so long as he was by my side. He’s been gone these past three months and I daresay I mourn his loss as acutely now, as I did the moment he took his last breath.”
“Death is difficult,” Devin had uttered, not sure what else he could say, other than he’d never even considered a future that included a wife and children of his own.
She’d turned to him then, and then after a brief pause, she fished into her reticule and pulled out a guinea. She brought forth his palm and placed it there, closing his fingers around the coin. “Thank you for listening to a sorrowful woman for a time. Perhaps if you meet me here tomorrow, I shall give you another gift.”
For weeks, that had been Devin’s new routine. Before he set out to relieve the wealthy of London from their precious gemstones and riches, he would go to Hyde Park and linger near the bench where he knew Annalise would soon arrive. Other than the first time when he wondered if she would actually arrive and did, they had started to gain a strangely unconventional friendship.
But one day that all changed.
He could tell Annalise was feeling more melancholy than usual, and that was when she’d confided in him. “I miss his warmth next to me, his arms around me in comfort. I know I must sound terribly silly, as most marriages within society aren’t a love match, but for me, he was all I ever wanted or needed.”
She had closed her eyes and it was the solitary tear falling down her cheek that clenched Devin’s heart. Without conscious thought, he set his hand beneath her chin and leaned forward, kissing her softly on the lips.
Her lids had fluttered open with a gasp and she had merely stared at him, before she made the most heartfelt request, “Again.”
This time he exuded a bit more pressure when he’d kissed her and she lifted her hands, clutching at his shoulders. When she pulled back, her breathing was as unsteady as his. “Would you be… averse to coming back to the townhouse with me?”
That day had been the most tender moment of Devin’s entire life. He would never forget the care and understanding that had coursed through him as they had made love for the first time. When it was over, Annalise had cried. Not because he had hurt her in any way, but merely because he knew her heart was breaking over her loneliness, and perhaps a bit of betrayal toward her buried husband.
Instead of meeting at the park, it became a silent agreement that he would meet her every morning in her bed, as opposed to the cold, hard bench. For the next several months, their relationship escalated into something deeper than friendship, but not love. Her heart was forever lost, and while she put on a brave face for society, Devin knew the darkest depths of her soul that she kept hidden from view. That is what he did his best to wipe away with his visits, and hopefully, bring the smile back to her face.
Life seemed to be going as well as it could for a common thief, but then Devin had made the mistake of crossing paths with Sir Isaacson. With the promise of a life free of crime, he’d coerced Devin into trying to retrieve something personal that had been stolen from him. In truth, it had merely been a ploy to remove Devin from his way so he would have a clear path to Annalise and her money without any impediments.
Devin could still see the torment in the lady’s eyes as he’d been taken away. He realized then that he’d broken her heart a second time and the guilt that had swamped him had nearly brought him to his knees. It was then he vowed never to steal again. If nothing else could honor her memory, perhaps it could be that.
While his life had been spared from the hangman five years ago, he could see the truth in Brooks’ eyes that she hadn’t been as fortunate.
“What happened.” It wasn’t a question, because he knew there was no use looking for her—other than in a cemetery.
“I fear it was a nasty spill down the stairs.” Sir Isaacson shook his head regrettably, although the smirk on his face told Devin all he needed to know. Annalisa’s death had been no accident. “I was surprised when she agreed to my suit in the first place, considering her strong, personal attachment to you, but then later I found out why, which was the reason for her untimely fall.” His lips curved maliciously. “I wasn’t about to raise another man’s bastard.”
It was as if the other man punched Devin in the gut, as the pain that followed was pure anguish.
Devin didn’t reply, but something must have shown on his face, because Brooks added, “Oh, yes. She was carrying your child, didn’t you know? You really should have been more careful.” He leaned closer, his nose inches from Devin’s. “And it seems as though history shall repeat itself once again. Dear Mrs. Hartford is quite well-to-do, I understand. She will make a lovely replacement, as it is past time that I married again.”
Devin knew not to engage, as it would only cause Brooks to feel as though he’d won, but he couldn’t resist saying, “I’ll see you in hell first.”
The sideways smile that followed was pure malevolence. “We shall see. I put you away once before, Blackmore, and although I failed to send you to the noose, I shall not fail a second time. I suggest you remain on your guard, for what good it will do.”
The baronet sauntered out of the room and Devin released a slow exhale, although his gaze never left his enemy’s back. Not only did he have a personal score to settle with the baronet for his betrayal and those five years in hell, but now he had another motivation—vengeance for Annalise.
Chapter 10
Constance was in her sitting room penning a letter when there was a knock at her door. She set down her quill and walked over to greet the visitor.
Her heart began thumping against her ribs when she saw Devin standing on the other side, but it was like that every time she saw him, which was why she did her best to avoid him, if at all possible.
In fact, she hadn’t seen him since Sir Isaacson had caught them in a rather uncompromising position. Thankfully, he’d saved her from having to stumble through an explanation as to why Devin had been lying in his bed on top of her, fully clothed or not. Instead, they had enjoyed a nice ride to Lady Hartley’s salon, whereas he’d taken his leave with a particularly chivalrous kiss upon her gloved hand. She’d never known the baronet to be quite so charming, but perhaps her mind had been clouded by men of Devin Blackmore’s ilk for too long, that she didn’t notice a gentleman of stature when he was right in front of her.
She clutched the doorframe as she addressed Devin. “Yes?”
His hands were shoved in his pockets, a considerable frown upon his brow. “I thought we might take a walk.”
She realized then that something must be weighing heavily on his mind, as he generally had some sort of seductive comment or look upon his face. In truth, he appeared rather torn over something. “Of course. Just let me grab a shawl.”
