Read Online Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens - Free Book Online

she can to help me."
    "I'm sure she will—which is precisely why she
won't lift a finger to help you to another position as governess."
    Stifling a snort, Honoria turned forward. "She
can't be that stuffy."
    "I can't recall her ever being described as
such."
    "I rather think somewhere to the north might be
wise—the Lake District perhaps?"
    He sighed—Honoria felt it all the way to her toes.
"My dear Miss Anstruther-Wetherby, let me clarify a few details. Firstly,
the tale of us spending the night alone in my woodsman's cottage will
out—nothing is more certain. Regardless of all injunctions delivered by her
put-upon spouse, Lady Claypole will not be able to resist telling her dearest
friends the latest scandal involving the duke of St. Ives. All in absolute
confidence, of course, which will ensure the story circulates to every corner of
the
ton
. After that, your reputation will be worth rather less than a
farthing. Regardless of what they say to your face, not a single soul will
believe in your innocence. Your chances of gaining a position in a household of
sufficient standing to set your brother's mind at rest are currently nil."
    Honoria scowled at the trees, drawing ever nearer.
"I take leave to inform you, Your Grace, that I'm hardly a green girl. I'm
a mature woman of reasonable experience—no easy mark."
    "Unfortunately, my dear, you have your cause and
effect confused. If you had, indeed, been a fresh-faced chit just out of the
schoolroom, few would imagine I'd done anything other than sleep last night. As
it is…" He paused, slowing Sulieman as they neared the trees. "It's well-known
I prefer more challenging game."
    Disgusted, Honoria humphed. "It's
ridiculous—there wasn't even a bed."
    The chest behind her quaked, then was still.
"Trust me—there's no requirement for a bed."
    Honoria pressed her lips shut and glared at the trees.
The path wended through the stand; beyond stood the stone wall, two feet thick
and eight feet high. An archway gave onto an avenue lined with poplars. Through
the shifting leaves, she sighted the house, still some way to the left. It was
huge—a long central block with perpendicular wings at each end, like an E
without the middle stroke. Directly ahead lay a sprawling stable complex.
    The proximity of the stables prompted her to speech.
"I suggest, Your Grace, that we agree to disagree over the likely outcome
of last night. I acknowledge your concern but see no reason to tie myself up in
matrimony to avoid a few months' whispers. Given your reputation, you can
hardly argue." That, she felt, was a nicely telling touch.
    "My dear Miss Anstruther-Wetherby." His
gentle, perfectly lethal purr sounded in her left ear; tingles streaked down
her spine. "Let me make one point perfectly clear. I don't intend to
argue. You, an Anstruther-Wetherby, have been compromised, however innocently,
by me, a Cynster. There is, therefore, no question over the outcome; hence,
there can be no argument."
    Honoria gritted her teeth so tightly her jaw ached.
The struggle to suppress the shudder that purring murmur of his evoked
distracted her all the way to the stable arch. They rode beneath it, Sulieman's
hooves clattering on the cobbles. Two grooms came running but pulled up short
of where Devil reined in his black steed.
    "Where's Melton?"
    "Not yet about, Y'r Grace."
    Honoria heard her rescuer—or was that captor?—curse
beneath his breath. Entirely without warning, he dismounted—by bringing his leg
over the pommel, taking her to the ground with him. She didn't have time to
shriek.
    Catching her breath, she realized her feet had yet to
reach earth—he was holding her still, firmly caught against him; another
shudder threatened. She drew breath to protest—on the instant, he gently set
her down.
    Lips compressed, Honoria haughtily brushed down her
skirts. Straightening, she turned toward him—he caught her hand, grabbed the
reins, and headed for the stable block, towing her and his black demon