Read Online [Samuel Barbara] The Black Angel(Book4You) by Barbara Samuel - Free Book Online Page B

plan."
    "Yes?" She couldn't help smiling at his wish for prompts, and to her surprise, he smiled back as if in acknowledgment of his weakness.
    "What did your father tell you of my plans?"
    "Nothing, particularly. Only that you were ambitious."
    "I've been thinking that with the right influence, perhaps I might locate a seat for purchase on the House of Commons."
    "He did mention that. It's political power you wish to secure?"
    A shrug. "Aye. What else?"
    She considered. He was obviously well to do and did not need money. "But don't you already have a seat in the Irish parliament? Why would you wish to secure a seat in the English as well?"
    "A new mountain to climb, I suppose." The words were light, and Adriana knew instantly they were pure fabrication.
    "I see." They passed, single file, through a narrow bit of the path, and when he rejoined her, she said, "It is not an impossible task, though I doubt I will do much to further your cause. You keep assuming there is some value to my name, but all was erased—" She sighed. "—with the scandal."
    "Leave that to me," he said, and smiled.
    Perplexed, Adriana stopped for a moment. "What a puzzle you are." She scowled and moved on. "How came you to have such a fortune in such a beleaguered land, sir?"
    "Well, I can tell you it isn't the land," he said grimly. "With the trade restrictions against our natural crops, linen and wool, we've had to be clever to find a means of feeding our people. My father built a glassworks that has grown quite profitable." He gave her a sideways grin. "I seem to have a knack for business. In the past decade I've built two more sites, and we employ nearly an entire county."
    "Glass?"
    "Aye, crystal and china. The very finest. I'll have some sent to add to your table."
    Adriana realized suddenly that she rather liked him. Dangerous. "As you wish," she said, and determined to ignore him the rest of the day.

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Chapter 5

     
    Tynan dressed carefully and simply for supper. His man, Seamus, had brushed his coat and put a burnished gleam on his boots. "Wish me luck, Seamus, old man," Tynan said, tucking Julian's ring in the pocket of his waistcoat.
    "No good ever came of the English," the old man muttered.
    "Not yet," Tynan agreed. But he whistled as he moved through the passageways. His rooms were in a spacious corner of the keep, and he took the narrow, winding steps to a newer wing, mulling his plan for this evening's meal.
    A servant in the foyer directed him away from the simple room where the brothers had eaten this morning, and he entered a formal dining room. It was a dark room, a darkness exaggerated by heavy furniture in ebony and mahogany and even teak. Though long windows gazed toward the open expanse of lawns to the north, autumn was lull upon them, and with it, an early sunset. To offset the darkness, embroidery in bright colors enlivened the seat cushions and side-boards, and an enormous chandelier blazed overhead, all the candles in it lit. The light caught on the cut crystal, the fine place settings, and the snowy white cloth. Everyone but Adriana had arrived.
    "Good evening," Phoebe said warmly, coming forward.
    He bent over her hand. "Good evening."
    She smiled and directed him to a seat to the right of Julian, who nodded politely and without warmth. "Spenser."
    Gabriel held the other end of the table, which had been much reduced in size for the small group. Monique sat to her son's right, a red-patterned turban covering her hair. As if she felt Tynan's eyes, she swiveled her proud head and gave him a slow, calm nod, accompanied by the faintest of smiles, as if she understood his surprise. She seemed to occupy a strange position in this house—he'd thought her at first a servant, but she came and went as she wished. He wondered which side of the stairs she slept on.
    "So," Ophelia said, lifting a goblet of wine. "Will you entertain us with stories of your travels, brothers?"
    Indulgently, Julian smiled. "What would you hear, my