Devin watched Constance walk away with passion still simmering in his veins. If only she would have looked back at him.
Just a slight glance…
But—nothing.
“Do ye mind tellin’ me wha’ tha’ was all about?”
Devin finally turned his attention to Luke. “I don’t know what you mean,” he hedged.
The older man eyed him tolerantly, although he sat down in a chair by the fireplace where he picked up a book from a nearby table. Devin frowned, as he’d never known the man to read, let alone feign interest in anything remotely resembling a treatise on science. “I told ye t’ leave Mrs. Hartford alone.”
Devin clenched his jaw. “I believe she’s quite capable of taking care of herself, and making her own decisions,” he added for good measure.
Luke tossed the book aside and crossed his arms. His hard stare was direct and as bold as the beard on his face. “Have ye forgotten Granelli is still a threat? Do ye really want t’ drag ’er down into th’ mire?”
“I’m not doing any such thing,” Devin snapped.
“Then wha’ did I walk in on between th’ two o’ ye jus’ now?” Luke countered. “I may be older than ye, but I can still sense tension in th’ air an’ it was so thick ye could ’ave cut it with a knife.”
Devin said nothing, because if there was one person on this earth he couldn’t lie to, it was Luke House. He’d known him far too long to withhold the truth, but at the same time, he didn’t feel as if he needed to offer a full confession. Let him come to his own conclusions.
Luke frowned and then got back to his feet so he could be on more of an equal level with Devin. Standing before him, he said, “Ye’re jus’ as stubborn as ever, ain’t ye?” He shook his head. “Jus’ know that I won’t stand by an’ allow ye t’ take advantage o’ our lovely hostess. Ye’d do well t’ remember that If’n if it wasn’t for ’er, ye’d already be six feet under, and for tha’ alone I owe ‘er my loyalty.”
Devin snorted. “And you don’t feel the same about me any longer?”
Luke stepped even closer, until they were eye-to-eye. “I’ve known ye since ye were a wee lad in short pants, an’ I don’t ’ave t’ tell ye tha’ ye are th’ son I never got t’ ’ave. What I’m worried about is yer history wit’ th’ fairer sex. Constance is worth more than a quick tup, so if ye can’t keep it in yer trousers, then maybe we should pack up our things an’ move on now.”
Devin lifted a brow. “That seems rather hypocritical considering you were late returning because of a female friend.”
“Aye, I was,” Luke admitted. “But tha’ was a mutual affair an’ she knows nothin’ permanent will ever come from it. Wha’ do ye think ye can offer Constance? She ’as a chance t’ make a fresh start, somethin’ tha’ th’ two o’ us have only dreamed about.” He paused and finally shook his head. “Do ye really think ye can take tha’ from her jus’ because ye fancy ’er? If ye truly care about ’er, when all this business is over wit’ Granelli, ye ought t’ let yer angel go, no’ tie ’er back down t’ a world full of criminals and pickpockets.”
Those damning words hung in the air long after Luke departed. While Devin wanted to be selfish enough to keep Constance at his side forever, Luke had made a valid point. Constance had told him that her life had been difficult, and even though Devin didn’t know the particulars, he had a good idea of what kind of life she’d lived.
She had only returned to London now in the hope of making a better life for herself, and yet, Devin had pulled her back into the same lifestyle she had tried to escape. He knew that was why she kept holding part of herself back, even though there was a powerful attraction between them. He hadn’t wanted to open his eyes to the truth before, he’d merely wanted to hold on to his angel, but Luke had forced him to see it all more clearly.
While it might be like shoving a knife into his chest, Devin vowed that he would release Constance once Granelli was no longer a concern, because he finally admitted that she deserved someone better than him.
Chapter 12
The next morning, after a bit of tossing and turning, Constance woke up with a new resolve in place.
After Luke had gone missing the previous night, she realized that it could have been so much worse. While it had merely been a case of miscommunication, next time, they might not be so lucky. Granelli was still a threat, perhaps to all of them and not just Devin, and with his own gang at his disposal, she decided that it was time she sought out her own reinforcements.
No matter how long she had fought to put all of the former nastiness of her past behind her, it seemed that London was determined to draw her back into its evil clutches. To go on unproperly armed was only courting further trouble.
Thus, an eerie calm had settled over her. Madame Corressa had been silent for far too long, but it was time for her to dust herself off and get to work.
Setting out under the pretense of going to see the countess as usual, Constance directed the hackney to another destination.
As the carriage deposited her in front of the gaming hell in the East End, she stood a moment and observed the brick exterior. It had been exactly one thousand, eight hundred and forty-two days since Constance had stood at the threshold of Montfree’s. It was the day she had bidden her old life goodbye in London and embarked on a new adventure abroad.
She walked up to the plain, unassuming door and felt a slight tug at her heart. This moment was bittersweet in more ways than one. She had devoted her life to this place for so many years, even though the protectors she’d had were quite generous in their offerings. Well, most of them, at least. As with many of Grimm’s fairy tales, she had always considered her past as resembling that of “The Frog Prince.” She’d endured several toads along the way, but had yet to encounter the fictional, handsome prince.
The image of Devin flashed in her mind’s eye and she quickly pushed it aside. The Mysterious Marauder was certainly no hero and she was starting to think that she would never be anything more than a courtesan, some man’s mistress that he might parade about on his arm until the fine lines on her face began to deepen, whereas she would be cast aside in favor of a new mistress.
She ignored a shiver and raised her hand to knock on the hard wood.
Constance didn’t have to wait long before the door was opened and a familiar face appeared. “Hallo, Brutus. It’s been a while.”
