To Tempt An Angel (Book 1 Douglas series)

by Grasso, Patricia;

  The bed was larger than her whole chamber at home, its canopy curtains, and counterpane matched and complemented the room’s wallpaper and paintwork. A thick blue, gold, and ivory carpet hugged the floor, and an upholstered chaise in a flowered print and two matching winged-back chairs perched together near the hearth. Following her instructions, a servant had set Jasper’s cage near the privacy screen on the opposite side of the room from the windows.

  Angelica rose from the bed. She wandered across the chamber to see the view from the windows, a rear garden and courtyard.

  “Hello,” Jasper called from inside his cage.

  Angelica crossed the room to let the macaw out. “Hello, Jasper,” she said. “Are you ready to eat?”

  “Eat,” the bird shrieked.

  Angelica rinsed her face at the washstand. Crossing to the dressing table, she saw that her brush and toilet articles had been placed there. She brushed her golden hair, weaved it into one thick braid, and then circled it into a knot at the nape of her neck. After donning her black gown again, she gazed at herself in the cheval mirror and decided she looked too pale. Pinching her cheeks gave them a hint of color.

  She’d lost her old life, her mother, and her father, Angelica thought. Now she’d lost the only hope she’d spied in years, Robert Roy. Oh, how that devious Campbell must have enjoyed his prank on her.

  There was one thing she would never lose—her desire for justice. She must never let others make her doubt herself or distract her from her revenge. She needed to hold on to the hatred. Here, at the Duke of Inverary’s, she was merely days or weeks from completing the task for which she’d prepared herself all these years. Neither Robert Roy Campbell nor anyone else would stand in her way. She’d come this far and would go the rest of the way.

  Angelica turned slowly in a circle and realized what was missing. Without her sisters, the chamber seemed empty. Thankfully, she still had Jasper to keep her company.

  “Come in,” Angelica called, hearing the knock on her door. She smiled when she saw her sisters.

  “Hello,” the macaw said.

  “Hello, Jasper,” Samantha and Victoria said in unison, and then laughed.

  “I was just thinking how much I missed you,” Angelica told them.

  “We missed you at tea,” Samantha said.

  “Isn’t this exciting?” Victoria exclaimed, pushing a fiery curl out of her eyes. “I never imagined that people lived in such luxury.”

  “My bed is bigger than our chamber at home,” Angelica said. “If you get lonely, don’t hesitate to crawl into bed with me.”

  “How hard the past ten years must have been for Aunt Roxie, who lived with this luxury until she used her money to keep us alive,” Samantha remarked.

  Angelica nodded and added, “Don’t forget Father and Mother.”

  “Strange, but I have trouble remembering what Mother looked like,” Samantha said.

  “I understand,” Angelica said, reaching out to touch her sister’s hand.

  “Aunt Roxie’s chamber is at the far end of the corridor near the duke’s,” Victoria said. “You don’t think that she and the duke—?”

  “Aunt Roxie has been without a husband for a long time,” Angelica replied. “Perhaps she’s lonely, too.”

  “Even dukes must get lonely sometimes,” Samantha said. After a moment of silence, she added, “We are supposed to pretend that we’re newly arrived from Europe. Our father died recently, and we’ve spent the past ten years traveling between Italy and France.”

  “We are exceedingly wealthy,” Victoria informed her. “Father recouped his financial losses.”

  “Unfortunately, our ship was pirated,” Samantha told her, “and we lost all our clothing and jewels.”

  “What a wonderful story,” Angelica said, laughing. She became serious when she told them, “Robert Roy is actually the duke’s son.”

  Victoria nodded. “Aunt Roxie told us. Shall we go downstairs now?”

  We’re meeting in the small drawing room before dinner,” Samantha said, already limping toward the door.

  “Come, Jasper,” Angelica called.

  “You’re taking Jasper to dinner?” Samantha asked in obvious surprise.

  “Jasper dines with us at home,” Angelica replied and gave her sisters a mischievous smile.

  Victoria giggled. “I can hardly wait to see Aunt Roxie’s expression when Jasper takes his place among the Quality.”

  The first thing Angelica noticed when she walked into the drawing room was an enormous birdcage, complete with perches, food dishes, and toys. The second thing she saw was the chamber’s understated opulence.

  The small drawing room was bigger than the entire Douglas cottage. Crimson Spitalfields silk hung on the walls to the dado, complemented by diamond and octagonal shapes on the gilded ceiling. The carpet had been designed in large octagonal patterns of crimson, gold, and blue. The furniture was oversized mahogany, and there was an elegant Grecian couch upholstered in crimson velvet. A settee and chairs sat in front of the hearth, above which hung a portrait of a distinguished gentleman.

  “Hello,” Jasper shrieked.

  Aunt Roxie appeared scandalized. “You’ve brought Jasper to dinner?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Duke Magnus told her. “Macaws need companionship.” He turned to Angelica, saying, “Tinker has purchased several cages. Jasper will be pleased and you, too, I hope.”

  “Thank you, Your Grace,” Angelica said with a sunny smile. “I appreciate your generosity.”

  “I want you to meet my daughter-in-law, Venetia, and hope you’ll be friends,” Duke Magnus said. “Venetia, this is Lady Angelica, the Countess of Melrose, and her sisters, Ladies Samantha and Victoria.”

  Angelica turned her attention to the young woman who stood beside him. Venetia Emerson Campbell was a curvaceous brunette with a flawless face.

  “We are pleased to make your acquaintance,” Angelica said, speaking for her sisters. She had the sudden feeling that the other woman was eyeing her critically, looking for flaws.

  “I’m terribly sorry for your loss,” Venetia said.

  “Thank you, Lady Venetia,” Angelica said stiffly, noting that the other woman had failed to call her my lady, as befit a countess. “Losing our father was an unexpected shock.”

  “The earl’s death was sudden?” Venetia asked.

  “Riding accidents are sudden,” Duke Magnus said, giving Angelica a pointed look.

  Venetia blushed prettily. “Oh, I’d forgotten what you’d told me.” She looked at Angelica, asking, “And then your ship was pirated?”

  Angelica inclined her head in the affirmative. She didn’t like this woman but felt uncertain whether the dislike stemmed from her being an Emerson. The woman’s questions seemed designed to catch them in a lie.

  Venetia shuddered delicately. “I cannot begin to imagine how frightened you must have been.”

  “I understand you have a young son,” Angelica said, changing the subject. When the other woman nodded, she added, “I love children and look forward to meeting him.”

  “Hello,” shrieked Jasper.

  “I’m positive Colin will be intrigued by a bird that talks,” Venetia said.

  “Never put your hands near Jasper,” Angelica warned. “Macaws can bite the finger off a man.”

  “Is it safe to be near him?” Venetia asked, taking one step back.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Wherever did you get him?”

  I won him in a card game, Angelica thought. “Prince Rudolf purchased Jasper for me when we visited a carnival near Lake Como,” Angelica drawled, recalling a name she’d once read in The Times.

  “Prince Rudolf?” Venetia echoed, clearly impressed.

  Lying is fun, Angelica decided. “Rudy was such a sweet man, but I knew I could never be happy living in Russia.”

  Angelica glanced at Aunt Roxie. Bravo was etched across her aunt’s features.

  “A Russian prince proposed marriage?”
Venetia echoed again.

  Angelica opened her mouth to embellish her lie, but Jasper shrieked, “Hello.”

  “Hello,” said a familiar voice.

  Angelica turned to see Robert, magnificent in evening clothes, walking across the room toward them. Her heart ached at the sight of his dark handsomeness.

  “I’m surprised to see you,” Duke Magnus said.

  Robert inclined his head at his father but walked directly to Angelica. “I wanted to attend the countess’s first dinner in England,” he said smoothly, raising her hand to his lips.

  Angelica was stunned. Not only was Robert behaving exactly the opposite of what she’d expected, but he was lying on her behalf.

  “You’ve already met?” Venetia asked.

  “We met this morning in my father’s study.” Robert kissed Aunt Roxie’s hand and nodded at her sisters.

  Sacred sevens, Angelica thought, watching him perform. If the scoundrel thought to take up where he’d left off at the cottage, he had better think again.

  “Look at the beautiful bird Prince Rudolf gave Lady Angelica,” Venetia said.

  With laughter lurking in his dark eyes, Robert looked at Angelica and said, “Prince Rudolf must be a generous man.”

  Angelica shrugged. “Unlike other men of his ilk, the prince had no ulterior motives.”

  Robert raised his brows and asked, “To what ulterior motives do you refer?”

  “Prince Rudolf wanted Lady Angelica to marry him,” Venetia spoke up. “Can you imagine she passed up the chance to be a princess?”

  “Moscow is very cold in the winter,” Angelica said.

  Robert fixed his black gaze on her. Slowly, almost leisurely, he let his gaze slide down her body, perusing every curve. “Ah, but cold nights incite warm cuddling beneath the furs,” Robert said in a husky voice, his gaze returning to hers.

  Angelica blushed a vivid scarlet. Flustered, she glanced at Venetia and was surprised to see the other woman staring at her, an angry glint in her eyes.

  So, Venetia wanted Robert? Full-bodied jealousy swelled within Angelica’s breast.

  The duke cleared his throat and said, “I believe it’s time for dinner.”

  Robert grabbed Angelica’s hand and hooked it through the crook of his arm. “Allow me the pleasure of escorting you, Countess.”

  “Thank you, my lord,” Angelica said. With Venetia in mind she gave him a sunny smile. “Come, Jasper.”

  Angelica was at a loss for words as they descended the stairs to the first floor. Robert had gone from seducing her to accusing her of entrapping him in marriage to kissing her hand. Trying to understand him was giving her a headache.

  And then Angelica spied the enormous birdcage in the grand foyer. “Another cage for Jasper?”

  “I believe you’ll find cages all over the house,” Robert said. “Father wanted your pet to feel at home.

  Angelica was surprised to find another birdcage in the dining room. From behind her, she heard Venetia saying, “We’re dining with a bird?”

  “We want the countess to feel at home, don’t we?” the duke said.

  Venetia did not reply.

  The dining room was like nothing Angelica had ever seen. The forty-foot table had been created in solid mahogany, as was the sideboard, and three, crystal chandeliers hung overhead.

  With place settings for seven, the dining table held a soup tureen and covered dishes. The service was Wedgwood, and there were silver knives and forks and spoons with ivory handles. A silver tea urn graced the mahogany sideboard.

  “Ah, seven place settings,” Angelica remarked, glancing sidelong at Robert. “My lucky number is seven.”

  “The bird isn’t actually going to sit at the table with us?” Venetia asked.

  “Of course not,” Angelica answered. She opened the birdcage and placed Jasper inside, where there were bowls of nuts, chopped green apples, and fresh water.

  Dinner at the Campbell mansion was a feast. First they were served tomato soup enriched and garnished with a swirl of cream and chopped green herbs. Cool raw cucumbers contrasted with cayenne pepper sprinkled on top. Next arrived mushrooms stuffed with garlic, shallots, parsley, and breadcrumbs and doused with olive oil. The two main courses consisted of succulent salmon cakes on a bed of sorrel, enriched with cream and beaten eggs and grilled lamb chops served with new potatoes, cauliflower, and carrots.

  “Your son isn’t joining us for dinner?” Angelica asked Venetia, trying to keep her mind off Robert sitting beside her.

  “Colin always dines with Mrs. Honey,” Venetia answered. “Mrs. Honey has been the Campbell nanny for years and years. As a young girl, she cared for Robert.” She was silent for a moment and then added, “Colin has begun to think of Robert as his father.”

  Angelica cast a sidelong glance at Robert, who was frowning at his sister-in-law. “I’m sure the marquess will be a wonderful father,” Angelica replied.

  “Dearest Roxanne, I’d like to plan a small party,” Duke Magnus said, changing the subject. “Would you like to help?”

  “I’d love to help plan your party,” Aunt Roxie drawled. “In fact, there is nothing I’d rather do more.”

  “Nothing?” the duke asked.

  “Almost nothing,” Aunt Roxie amended, giving him a flirtatious smile.

  “Do you think Prince Rudolf will follow you to England?” Venetia asked. “How exciting that would be.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Angelica asked, her gaze and attention on Robert’s long fingers.

  “Prince Rudolf won’t come for Angelica,” Samantha spoke up.

  “Broken-hearted, the prince left Italy,” Victoria added, and winked at Angelica.

  “That is too bad,” Venetia said. “Robert, would you care to accompany my family and me to Lord Murray’s ball tonight?”

  “No, thank you,” Robert refused. “I’m meeting friends at White’s.”

  “Adam St. Aubyn and James Armstrong?”

  Robert nodded.

  “Adam St. Aubyn is the Marquess of Stonehurst,” Venetia explained, looking at Angelica. “James Armstrong is the Duke of Kinross.”

  Angelica nearly choked on her lemon barley water. Two marquesses and a duke had been guarding her father’s grave the other night.

  “You won’t mind if I desert you for the evening?” Venetia said to Angelica. “My father and brother will be here shortly, and I’d love for you to meet them.”

  Angelica smiled politely but said nothing. She could hardly believe she was about to meet Charles Emerson, the man who’d ruined her father. She glanced at Robert, who was watching her intently, and then dropped her gaze to her plate lest he read the emotion in her eyes.

  After dinner, they retired to the small drawing room. Venetia went to her chamber to make final preparations for Lord Murray’s ball.

  “I took the liberty of having the servants bring your instruments here,” Duke Magnus said. “I hoped you would play for me.”

  “We’d love to play for you,” Angelica said.

  Closing her eyes in order to keep Robert out of her thoughts, Angelica placed the harp on her lap. Samantha with her violin sat beside her on the settee and Victoria with her flute stood beside them. The three sisters played a spritely tune, their melody evoking sparkling water, fingers of dancing sunbeams, and hummingbirds.

  Duke Magnus, Aunt Roxie, and Robert clapped when the three sisters ended their song. Aunt Roxie beamed with pride and called, “Bravo, my darlings.”

  “Bravo,” shrieked Jasper, making everyone laugh.

  Tinker walked into the drawing room at that moment and announced, “Your Grace, the Earl of Winchester and his son.”

  Angelica whirled in the direction of the door. Her breath caught in her throat, her heartbeat quickened, and her hands trembled with anticipation.

  “Easy, angel,” she heard Robert say.

  And then Charles Emerson walked into the drawing room.

  Chapter 7

  He wasn’t what she’d expected
.

  Bland in appearance, Charles Emerson was short and thin. The only hint of his villainy were his small brown eyes, which contained no expression, and his ingratiating smile as he crossed the drawing room to Duke Magnus.

  Men who groveled always proved untrustworthy, Angelica thought, scrutinizing his every movement.

  She slid her gaze to his son. Alexander Emerson was unexpectedly blond, tall, and well-built—the opposite of his father in appearance.

  With a sickeningly ingratiating smile, Charles Emerson shook the duke’s hand and flicked a disinterested gaze over her and her sisters. His blank gaze became an expression of surprise when he recognized Aunt Roxie, who offered her hand like a queen to a courtier.

  “Lady Roxanne, I am surprised to see you,” Emerson said, bowing over her hand.

  Aunt Roxie gave him a feline smile. “I’m sure you are, Chuck.”

  “Now, Roxanne,” he said with a smile that did not reach his eyes, “I dislike that name.”

  “I know,” she replied, making the duke smile.

  “Is Graham here, too?”

  “Graham passed away recently.”

  “I am sorry for your loss,” Emerson said, a suitably somber expression on his face.

  You don’t know the meaning of sorry, Angelica thought, but I intend to teach you that hard lesson.

  She flicked a glance at the son and was surprised to see him staring coldly at Robert. Why would Alexander Emerson hate Robert Campbell?

  “Charles, meet Angelica Douglas, the new Countess of Melrose,” Duke Magnus said, gesturing in her direction. “These two lovely ladies are her sisters, Samantha and Victoria.”

  “I knew your father well,” Charles Emerson said, turning to her. “Did Graham ever mention me?”

  “I’m sorry, but my father preferred never to speak of England after my mother passed away,” Angelica told him.

  “I can understand why,” Emerson replied. “Graham and I suffered an unpleasant experience. We lost a fortune in a business deal. Luckily, I managed to recoup my losses as, obviously, your father did as well.”

  “My father’s fortune passed to me,” Angelica said, feeling the strain of being polite to a man she would prefer to murder. “I never speculate in business, though I do admit a fondness for games of chance. I’m particularly partial to dice and love to see them roll across the table. One never knows what numbers will come up.”