Read Online The Devil at Archangel by Sara Craven - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sara Craven
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structure was pretty near flawless, she found herself
thinking bewilderedly. He would have been beautiful if it hadn't been
for that very positive air of masculinity.
'Oh, nothing very much,' she said, striving to maintain her precarious
poise and hoping that he was not aware of her struggle. He seemed
very sophisticated for his age. 'We —we'd met before, you see.'
He looked up at her as if he was startled, frowning a little. 'When was
this? Does Grand'mere know?'
'No,' Christina admitted. 'I did try to tell her, but she was rather angry
with me at the" time, and she didn't want to listen.'
Theo smiled, but rather abstractedly. 'Poor Christina— J I may call
you that?—did she give you a hard time?'
Christina shook her head constrainedly. 'I'm—used to elderly ladies.'
'Well, I'm not angry with you, I'm all agog. When did you meet dear
Cousin Dev, and what did he do to annoy you?'
Christina bit her lip. 'As a matter of fact, he was—very kind,' she was
forced to admit. 'He came along quite by chance when I was on the
point of being—mugged, I suppose, or something worse—in
Martinique yesterday. There were three of them, but when he came,
they just— vanished.'
'And were you very frightened?' Theo asked gently. He was smiling
again, and his eyes were very brilliant as they held hers.
'Yes—terrified.' Christina relieved those tense moments in the back
streets of Fort de France with a shudder. 'I didn't know, you see, what
was going to happen.'
'And then along came dear Cousin Dev like Sir Lancelot!' Theo threw
back his head and laughed joyously. 'Dieu, I wish I'd been there!'
'He didn't behave in the least like Sir Lancelot,' Christina retorted
hotly. 'His attitude was most unpleasant. He treated me as if I
was'—she paused and a phrase of Aunt Grace's floated into her
mind—'no better than I should be.'
'Oh?' Theo watched her speculatively through his long lashes. 'Did he
try and get you drunk—or did he just offer you a night of sin aboard
his boat?'
'Nothing of the kind,' Christina said stiffly. 'And I didn't even know
he had a boat.'
'Oh, but he has—an absolute beauty. I'm wildly envious. But you'd
better be careful, sweet Christina. I'm told it's the setting he usually
uses for his seductions—that or his beach cabin.'
'I'm really not very interested in Mr Brandon's amatory exploits,'
Christina said coolly. She gave Theo an uncertain look. 'Did you say
he was your cousin?'
'I call him that.' Theo gave a negligent shrug. 'He's actually my
uncle—but I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate it if I started addressing
him as such. I might do it, though, to punish him—for being unkind to
you.'
'Please, no!' Christina was appalled. 'He—he just doesn't approve of
my being here, for some reason. Perhaps when he sees that I can work
with Mrs'Brandon, his attitude will change.'
'Did he know who you were in Martinique—when he performed his
daring rescue?' Theo inquired.
'No.' Christina shook her head. 'In fact he gave the impression he
thought my employer was a man.'
'How very piquant.' Theo's eyes danced. 'And so he comes sailing
peacefully home to find you here. He must have been most
disconcerted.'
'I don't really see why. After all, I was expected. My room was ready,
and you obviously knew I was coming.'
'Grand'mere sent a cable, naturally, but Dev wouldn't have seen it. He
doesn't live at the house, you see.'
'Oh?' Christina was conscious of a feeling of profound relief. Having
to share the same roof and meal table with a man whose every remark
seemed barbed had not been an enticing prospect. But maybe now she
would not have to see anything of him after all.
'You're glad?' Theo's voice, faintly teasing, intruded on her thoughts
and she coloured.
'I have no right to be anything of the sort,' she said frankly. 'I ought to
remember that he did rescue me.'
Theo yawned slightly. 'Well, don't let it keep you awake,' he advised.
'It may not have
thinking bewilderedly. He would have been beautiful if it hadn't been
for that very positive air of masculinity.
'Oh, nothing very much,' she said, striving to maintain her precarious
poise and hoping that he was not aware of her struggle. He seemed
very sophisticated for his age. 'We —we'd met before, you see.'
He looked up at her as if he was startled, frowning a little. 'When was
this? Does Grand'mere know?'
'No,' Christina admitted. 'I did try to tell her, but she was rather angry
with me at the" time, and she didn't want to listen.'
Theo smiled, but rather abstractedly. 'Poor Christina— J I may call
you that?—did she give you a hard time?'
Christina shook her head constrainedly. 'I'm—used to elderly ladies.'
'Well, I'm not angry with you, I'm all agog. When did you meet dear
Cousin Dev, and what did he do to annoy you?'
Christina bit her lip. 'As a matter of fact, he was—very kind,' she was
forced to admit. 'He came along quite by chance when I was on the
point of being—mugged, I suppose, or something worse—in
Martinique yesterday. There were three of them, but when he came,
they just— vanished.'
'And were you very frightened?' Theo asked gently. He was smiling
again, and his eyes were very brilliant as they held hers.
'Yes—terrified.' Christina relieved those tense moments in the back
streets of Fort de France with a shudder. 'I didn't know, you see, what
was going to happen.'
'And then along came dear Cousin Dev like Sir Lancelot!' Theo threw
back his head and laughed joyously. 'Dieu, I wish I'd been there!'
'He didn't behave in the least like Sir Lancelot,' Christina retorted
hotly. 'His attitude was most unpleasant. He treated me as if I
was'—she paused and a phrase of Aunt Grace's floated into her
mind—'no better than I should be.'
'Oh?' Theo watched her speculatively through his long lashes. 'Did he
try and get you drunk—or did he just offer you a night of sin aboard
his boat?'
'Nothing of the kind,' Christina said stiffly. 'And I didn't even know
he had a boat.'
'Oh, but he has—an absolute beauty. I'm wildly envious. But you'd
better be careful, sweet Christina. I'm told it's the setting he usually
uses for his seductions—that or his beach cabin.'
'I'm really not very interested in Mr Brandon's amatory exploits,'
Christina said coolly. She gave Theo an uncertain look. 'Did you say
he was your cousin?'
'I call him that.' Theo gave a negligent shrug. 'He's actually my
uncle—but I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate it if I started addressing
him as such. I might do it, though, to punish him—for being unkind to
you.'
'Please, no!' Christina was appalled. 'He—he just doesn't approve of
my being here, for some reason. Perhaps when he sees that I can work
with Mrs'Brandon, his attitude will change.'
'Did he know who you were in Martinique—when he performed his
daring rescue?' Theo inquired.
'No.' Christina shook her head. 'In fact he gave the impression he
thought my employer was a man.'
'How very piquant.' Theo's eyes danced. 'And so he comes sailing
peacefully home to find you here. He must have been most
disconcerted.'
'I don't really see why. After all, I was expected. My room was ready,
and you obviously knew I was coming.'
'Grand'mere sent a cable, naturally, but Dev wouldn't have seen it. He
doesn't live at the house, you see.'
'Oh?' Christina was conscious of a feeling of profound relief. Having
to share the same roof and meal table with a man whose every remark
seemed barbed had not been an enticing prospect. But maybe now she
would not have to see anything of him after all.
'You're glad?' Theo's voice, faintly teasing, intruded on her thoughts
and she coloured.
'I have no right to be anything of the sort,' she said frankly. 'I ought to
remember that he did rescue me.'
Theo yawned slightly. 'Well, don't let it keep you awake,' he advised.
'It may not have
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