“Must we?” Willa asked, dreading the very notion of it.
“At some point, yes. Eventually, Marina will need to enter society. We will have children who will also need to enter society. For that to happen, we cannot simply sever ties. We may even need to consider inviting your father and stepmother to dinner… with other guests as well, of course. Enough of them that we will all feel compelled to be on our best behavior. Not immediately, mind you, but perhaps in the future.”
“Fine,” she agreed. “I’ll get my pelisse and meet you in the foyer.”
She started to walk away, but he clasped her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it where his ring now rested. “It won’t be so bad. I promise.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
It was worse than she’d expected. For a person who’d lived her life very circumspectly, being whispered about, stared at, or blatantly cut by everyone they passed was an exercise in torment.
“I detest this,” she whispered.
“Detest it all you want to, love,” he replied. “Just keep smiling.”
“I cannot believe, of the two of us, you are giving advice about appropriate behavior,” Willa replied. “And the guards, are they really necessary?”
“Perhaps, perhaps not. But my dealings of the last few days with Alaric Munro have made me cautious. I think it best to err on the side of caution. It’s a novel approach for me.”
That did elicit a genuine smile from her. “So it is. But at least we’re nearing the end… aren’t we?”
“Just around that bend is the Brook Gate. We’re done with the lot of them,” he said. “I think we’ve seen and been seen quite enough for one day.”
Willa turned to look in the direction he’d pointed. A movement from the trees drew her eye, and she started to speak. But then she saw the flash and there was no time. She whirled, placing herself before him. There was a loud bang, and then she felt a burning pain spread through her shoulder and down her arm. It felt as if even her fingertips were on fire. She looked up, seeing the shock and fear on his face, but she couldn’t speak. Darkness was seeping in, claiming her, and she felt herself sinking into it, as if pulled down by heavy weights.
Death, she thought. She was surely dying. Her last thought was that one day with him had not been enough. Perhaps it was greed, but she wanted more.
*
Devil caught her before she fell to the ground, lifting her easily and cradling her against his chest. The guards had rushed off in the direction of the shot. At that very moment, they had tackled the man responsible, subduing him on the ground. He didn’t care; he could only think of the woman in his arms. Blood spread outward from the wound at her shoulder, on both the front and back of her gown. The ball had gone straight through, but if they didn’t clean the wound thoroughly and stop the bleeding, it wouldn’t matter.
Devil began to move, one foot in front of the other. By the time he reached the Brook Gate, he was running. Dodging carriages and other pedestrians, he reached the house, climbing the steps two at a time. Carlton opened the door and a footman went rushing past him.
“I’m sending him for the doctor, my lord. I’ll have clean water and bandages sent up,” the butler said, all but wringing his hands.
Devil didn’t stop to reply, nor did he waste the breath. He climbed the stairs to their chambers and placed Willa’s limp form on the bed. A maid appeared with a pair of shears, and he began quickly cutting away her clothes to reveal the wound. Her skin was pale and slicked with bright red blood. At the sight of it, he simply stopped. It robbed him of breath and thought.
“Let me tend her, my lord, while you sit,” the maid said. “I’ll get her cleaned up before the doctor arrives.”
Devil, unable to do anything else, just backed away. He watched as they cleaned the blood from her skin, as they placed a thick pad beneath her shoulder to absorb the blood and pressed another one atop it. They covered her with a sheet to preserve her modesty, something he himself had not given a thought to. They had just finished covering her when there was a knock upon the door and another maid came in bringing the doctor.
He was an older man, round in the middle and bald on top. He’d treated Devil in the past for injuries he’d sustained in various duels and brawls. The weight of the man’s disapproval was stifling as he walked in. “What have you gotten in to this time, Deveril? Diddle the wrong man’s wife, did you?” the physician demanded.
“Someone shot my wife,” he said. “And if she dies because you wasted time haranguing me, you’ll regret it.”
“Your wife?” the physician scoffed. “Didn’t think you’d ever be foolish enough to get one of those yourself! Let’s take a look at her.”
Devil stood back, observing. The physician crossed the room to the bed where Willa rested, painfully still.
“So they did. Shot her clean through. There’s not much to be done for it, I’m afraid. She’ll heal or she won’t. I can’t do anything for her.”
Devil stepped forward and the grasped the man up by his waistcoat. “You’ll help her. You’ll do whatever it takes, or so help me, if she dies, you’ll die with her.”
The physician sighed, his expression sympathetic. “My boy, not even you can defy death. Your bride is young, healthy, and it’s far better for the ball to have gone through than for me to have to dig it out. I can’t help her other than to offer my prayers… and those you shall both have. I am sorry.”
Devil let the man go abruptly and snapped at the maid. “Send for Whittinger. Perhaps my valet can do what you cannot!” As the girl scurried to do his bidding, he moved past the useless doctor and seated himself on the edge of the bed next to Willa. She never stirred. Reaching out, Devil touched her face gently, stroking the soft curve of her cheek.
“You genuinely care for her, don’t you?” the doctor asked, clearly shocked.
“Is that so difficult to believe?”
The doctor made a harrumphing sound. “It is, indeed. For the longest time, I had thought you cut from the same cloth as your father. It seems I was wrong. I wish there was more I could do.”
Devil was beyond hearing him. The doctor left the room as Whittinger entered. The valet had brought his supplies and began applying the foul smelling unguent that he had always applied to Devil’s wounds.
“It is not typically used on wounds so severe, my lord,” the man explained. “I do hope that it will ease her pain and protect her from any fevers.”
“Then join the doctor in his prayers, Whittinger, for that is all any of us can do now.” To the remaining maids who had gathered in the doorway, he added, “All of you are dismissed for now. I’ll call if there are changes or if any of you are needed.”
There was a great deal of sniffing and sobbing along with a few muttered “yes, my lords,” and then Devil was alone with Willa and alone with his guilt. He’d put her in danger because he’d been focused on trying to remedy his tattered reputation. In an effort to assuage the gossipmongers, he’d placed her at risk.
Was this love? Was this anguished hell he found himself in what all of the poets spoke of? It must be, for surely nothing else could cause such pain.
“I am so sorry, Willa. I did this to you… with pride and shortsightedness. If you perish, it will be because of my impulsiveness, just as Alice did.”
Taking her hand in his, he held it gently, savoring the warmth of her skin and the life that still flowed with in her. “Please, don’t leave me,” he said. “Whatever you do, however hard you must fight to survive, I beg of you, do not leave me.”
Chapter Thirty
Willa awoke slowly. Her shoulder ached. In fact, her entire body ached. Blinking against the bright morning light, she found herself staring at the dark, rumpled waves of her husband’s hair. His head was laid next to hers on the pillow.
“Devil?”
He murmured and then sat up slowly, blinking at her. “You’re awake.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked.
“Becaus
e you’ve been unconscious and raging with fever for the last three days,” he said. “I had prepared myself for the worst. I believed you on the verge of death.”
“Three days?”
“You were shot while we were in the park by the man who had worked for Alaric Munro. He was determined to avenge himself upon me for his brother’s death,” Devil confessed softly. “I failed you.”
“You saved me, Douglas. The only person responsible for this is the man who shot me. And I don’t need to remind you that his brother would have done unspeakable things to me,” she said. “You put yourself at great risk to keep Marina safe from him, and from Alaric Munro. It may defy your very skewed vision of yourself but, in this instance, you are the hero. You are not responsible for any of this!”
“I should have known, should have suspected—”
“And you did, and that is why we still had guards with us in the park. Did they capture him?”
“He’s already been hanged.”
“For shooting me?” Willa asked.
“No. That got him arrested. He was hanged for his many other crimes. He and his brother had done horrible things, Willa. Truly terrible.”
“I see,” she said. “This man was a hardened criminal, one who had blackened his soul possibly beyond redemption, and you’re angry at yourself because you could not predict every action he would take?”
“I had not thought he would be a danger to you, Willa. I had assumed that if he was a threat to anyone, it would be me,” Devil said.
Willa reached for him, placing her hand on his cheek and feeling the rough growth of beard that had accumulated there while he maintained his vigil over her. “He was trying to hurt you, Devil. I saw him… I saw that he meant to shoot you, and I made a choice to put myself in front of you. The injury is the fault of the one who dealt it, and if you like, mine as well for putting myself in its path. But you are blameless in this instance.”
“Hardly that,” he said. “And if you ever place yourself in harm’s way again in an effort to protect my worthless hide—”
“You’ll what?” she demanded. “You’re a wreck because I was hurt at all. I hardly think you’ll take it upon yourself to beat me!”
“I may well turn you over me knee,” he warned. “Willa, in the three days I’ve sat here at your side, not knowing whether or not I would have the opportunity to keep the vows and promises I made to you, I—”
He’d broken off so abruptly, his voice thick with emotion. Willa stroked his face tenderly, savoring the heat of his skin and the prickly sensation of his unshaven jaw. “What is it? I’m well. Perhaps not overly energetic at the moment, but I will heal!”
“I love you, Wilhelmina. I love you when I didn’t know such a thing was possible. I thought love such as this was a myth, a thing for poets, authors, and painters. I didn’t think it was for me. I think the truth is that I was broken inside until you.”
Her heart thumped in her chest at his proclamation. It wasn’t something she’d dared dream of, though in her heart, it was the thing she’d longed for most. “And I love you. Do you honestly think I would have consented to marry you otherwise?”
“I had very persuasive arguments,” he pointed out with a crooked smile.
Willa laughed, but it ended on a pained wince.
“The doctor left laudanum. You should have some,” he insisted.
“Later. For now, I’d rather speak with you. Do you really think you forced my hand?” she asked.
“Didn’t I?”
“No. You did not. While your arguments were keen, we both know that I am more stubborn than you are persuasive. I married you because I wanted to. Your arguments simply allowed me to do so without sacrificing too much of my pride by admitting how much I wanted just that… because I love you, Douglas Ashton, Lord Deveril, against all reason and judgement. And possibly to the betterment of us both.”
He cupped her face tenderly, his thumb stroking along the underside of her jaw. “We are a pair of fools… besotted and bedeviled.”
“But happy. Or at least we will be,” she said. “Let’s leave London, Devil. Let’s go to the country where we can breathe, where can be ourselves far from gossiping, spiteful people.”
He nodded. “When you are well, we will do just that. But for now, I think there is someone who may need to see you awake and talking even more than I did. I’ll return shortly.”
Willa closed her eyes as he rose and walked away. Relief swept through her that her secret feelings for him were secret no more. That her feelings were returned was a wonder she could never have expected but rejoiced in nonetheless.
It took only moments for him to return. Marina walked beside him, her tiny hand dwarfed in his. Her eyes were wide and her lower lip trembled, but it was clear the little girl was trying to be brave.
As they neared the bed, he lifted Marina up and placed her on the bed so that she could crawl over next to Willa. “I’ll be back in a moment,” Devil said. “I think it would be good for you to have a moment alone.”
Willa nodded. “Yes, it would. Thank you.”
When he had gone, Willa reached up and stroked Marina’s hair. “I’m quite all right, you know? Hale and hearty as ever.”
The little girl stared at her wide-eyed for a moment. Then her gaze tracked down to the bandage that peeked out from the neckline of Willa’s nightrail. “He hurt you. The bad man.”
“A bad man, but not him… not the one who hurt your mother,” she explained. “There are lots of bad people in the world, unfortunately. But you’ll never have to worry about that. Your uncle and I will keep you safe, Marina. No matter what.”
“You won’t go away?”
Willa smiled at her. “I’ll never leave you. I’m your aunt now. I’ll stay with you always.”
“Mama went away,” Marina said softly, her lip trembling a bit harder now.
It broke Willa’s heart. The little girl was so terrified of losing those she cared for. It was as if Marina feared to trust that any of them would remain with her. “It wasn’t because she wanted to. Your mama was alone then. Your uncle hadn’t found her yet to be able to protect her from those bad people. I promise you, Marina, we will both be here for you for a very, very long time.”
The little girl laid down and pressed her face against Willa’s side. She shed a few tears, hiccupped a few broken sobs, and then simply slept. The whole while, Willa stroked her hair and rubbed her back. She loved that child with her whole heart, she realized, and would fight tooth, nail, and claw to protect her from anyone that might mean her harm.
“That’s a rather fierce expression you are wearing, Wife. Should I be alarmed?”
Willa looked up to see Devil standing in the doorway.
“Only if you mean her harm,” she said.
A smile curved his lips. “Never… because I love her, and also because I am wise enough to fear the warrior’s heart that surely beats within your breast.” He stepped deeper into the room, pausing at the side of the bed as he stared down at the pair of them.
“What is it?” Willa asked.
“Things I have never known until now,” he said. “Happiness. Contentment. Hope. What you’ve given me is beyond riches, and I shall spend the remainder of my days trying to show you just how grateful I am to have you here with me.”
Willa reached for his hand and tugged until he sat down beside her. “How is it possible that we have given one another the same gifts, my lord? I never imagined when I entered this house on that first day that this is where it would lead… fate has gifted us both.”
He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Fate it is. If I give you the credit, you’ll be intolerable.”
Willa grinned. “I’m sure intolerability is something you’re very familiar with.”
He stretched out on her right side, Marina still sleeping soundly on her left. “How is it that the littlest one of us takes up the most room?”
“It’s a question we will have many, many
years to ponder,” she replied.
Epilogue
Three Months Later
The carriage rolled along the country lane at a sedate pace. So sedate that Marina was jumping up and down on the seat in anticipation. Willa gave her a quelling look, and the girl stilled, but her lips were split into a wide and mischievous grin.
“I do not understand, Husband, why we have traveled in pace with the mail coach until we are less than a mile from Goringham Abbey and you’ve decided to slow the conveyance to a point that I could walk faster than this carriage now,” Willa commented.
“Because I don’t want you to miss the view. There is a vista as you near the abbey that is well worth the delay,” he said. “And Marina should get the best vantage point of her new home.”
The little girl bounced again then remembered she was not supposed to and settled more comfortably on her seat. Willa suppressed a smile. While Marina was not entirely out of her shell, she had made leaps and strides in the last few months. She’d also learned very quickly that for nothing more than a pretty smile or a batted eye, she could get whatever she wanted from her uncle. That had thawed her mercenary little heart greatly. It was the way of children though, and Willa was happy to see her behaving as other children would, no matter the situation.
“There,” Devil said and tapped upon the roof of the carriage. The driver slowed the horses even further until, eventually, the vehicle halted altogether. Devil alighted quickly. He reached back inside for Marina who went eagerly, more than ready to be outside in the fresh air.
He reached into the carriage once more, and Willa placed her hand in his. Her pulse quickened at even that innocent touch. Traveling to reach Goringham, with Marina always tucked between them in their beds at the inns where they had stopped, it felt as if their journey had taken months rather than days. She craved his touch more than ever, and she craved those perfect moments of intimacy when his body was joined to hers. Certainly the pleasure was not to be dismissed, but it was that closeness she desired above all. More so in the last few weeks.
A Rogue to Remember Page 22
