The Prize (61 page)

The reminder was a
timely one. He was married now, but it changed nothing.

Hannah
knocked on
Virginia
's door. "Mrs. O'Neill? It
is Lady de Warenne, she is downstairs." The girl smiled uncertainly at
her.

Virginia had returned
from her failed attempt to say goodbye to Devlin and had instantly retreated
to her rooms. Grief had overcome her and she had sought her bed, trying to tell
herself that six months was not that long, and instead missing him more and
more with every passing moment. Fear had warred with her confusion. What if he
was injured, or worse, in the war he was soon to attend? And how could he go to
war against her country? Fortunately, her exhaustion was so great that she had
finally collapsed and fallen asleep.

She had awoken an
hour ago, feeling more composed and somewhat refreshed. She had bathed and
dressed, preparing to go downstairs and take a solitary dinner. She was pleased
that her mother-in-law had called; she was so acutely aware of Devlin's absence
and the house felt spectacularly empty.

She hurried
downstairs and found Mary seated in one

salon, sipping a cup
of tea. The moment she saw
Virginia
she stood, her gaze searching.

All of
Virginia
's composure vanished. She stood
there and felt the tears stream down her face.

"Oh, dear,"
Mary whispered, hurrying forward. "Whatever has happened, child?"

Virginia
turned away. "Forgive me,
I'm so sorry!" But this woman was too kind and she could not stop the
tears, no matter how she choked.

As if she were
Virginia
's own mother, Mary embraced her.
"Oh, I thought to find you happy today! Oh, please do not tell me he has
behaved despicably to hurt you again!"

Virginia
managed to shake her head.
"No, no, he has done nothing wrong—I mean, he left this morning and did
not say goodbye, but that is not why I am distraught. I miss him, Lady Adare, I
miss him terribly and I do not know how I can survive the next six months
until he returns!"

The two women stared.
Virginia
wiped her eyes, breathless and
shaking. "I am so foolish, I know."

Mary cupped her face.
"You are not foolish, you are in love, and that thrills me, my dear."

Virginia
bit her lip, her heart daring to
defy her and soar. "I
am
in love, my lady, more so than ever, I
think."

Mary smiled, pleased.
"Do not think too much of his hasty departure. Men can be such fools. I am
sure he was trying to be kind by not waking you at dawn, or there was some
other such nonsense in his mind. We will probably never know what he was
thinking. And Devlin is not romantic, not in the least—but I do think he loves
you. In fact, I am almost sure of it."

Virginia
was seized with hope. "You
think so?"

"He could barely
keep his eyes off of you during the wedding ceremony. I never saw a man so
mesmerized."

Virginia
thrilled. "I think he may
feel warmly toward me,

too," she
confessed. "But how will I get through the next six months?"

"Very
easily," Mary said. "You shall move into Harmon House, as it is
impossible for you to stay here alone. Rex will not leave for his next post
until after the New Year, and Cliff is staying in town for the winter. And then
there is Eleanor. She is your sister now and the two of you should become acquainted
before she returns to the Hinckleys at
Bath
." Mary smiled, her eyes sparkling.
"There is simply no other alternative, my dear."

Virginia
felt warmed to the bone. She
dared to take the other woman's hand. "You are so kind, my lady. May I
speak frankly?"

"Please
do," Mary said, the twinkle remaining in her eyes.

"I already feel
as if I am truly your daughter."

Mary hugged her,
hard. "But you are, my dear, you are."

"We seem to have
callers," Mary murmured wryly as they entered the grand foyer of Harmon
House.

Giggles and laughter,
all of it feminine and quite coy, sounded from one nearby salon.
Virginia
glanced at Mary in some
surprise.

"There has been
a parade of eager young women coming through this house ever since Rex and
Cliff arrived." She gave
Virginia
a look. "Neither one are
spoken for and they both have fine inheritances. But they are both randy sorts,
and instead of taking these young women seriously, I do believe it has become
a simple source of entertainment for them both, especially for Cliff."

Virginia
glanced into the salon where
they had held the wedding reception. Rex was darkly handsome in his army dress
uniform, yet there was little correct about him—his posture was indolent and
his dark eyes were distinctly bored as he listened to a plump blonde regale him
with some

                             
495

chitchat. His gaze
wandered repeatedly about the company and finally to the doorway where Virginia
and Mary stood. His expression brightened as it settled on them and he slowly
smiled.

Virginia
felt certain that he had broken
many hearts. She smiled in return and glanced at Cliff. He was not bored, oh
no. A gorgeous brunette woman, quite older than the three young ladies present,
had him in a corner, her heavily ringed hand on his arm. Cliff was leaning very
close to her, quite intimately, as she whispered in his ear, obviously
flirting. He might have been the youngest brother, but he seemed the most
sardonic and the most jaded. Suddenly he realized that new company was present;
he straightened without haste, and rather lazily took a single step back,
putting a more appropriate distance between himself and the brunette.

Mary said, low,
"That is Lady Arlette. She is widowed and
not
suitable for any of
my sons."

"I dare say
Cliff is rather fond of her."

Mary made a derisive
sound. "He is fond of her bosom and her penchant for discreet
affairs."

Virginia
had to bite back her gasp of
surprise. She glanced at Mary, whom she had never heard utter an unkind word.

Rex approached,
bowing. "The lovely bride saves the day." He smiled warmly at her.
"Has my ignoble and reckless brother taken to the high seas, then?"

Virginia
recognized the warmth he felt
for Devlin and she liked him very much. "Your noble and reliable brother
has set sail, indeed."

He laughed. "But
how could he leave such a lovely bride behind so quickly?" He gave her a
look.

Did he dare flirt
with her now? "My lord, I feel certain it was a most difficult
matter."

He bent and took her
arm, whispering, "I have no doubt. You must rescue me, little sister. I
should go mad if I have

to listen to another
marriage-minded maid prattle on about my medals and my honor."

She looked up at his
hard, handsome face. There was some annoyance in his eyes—and something dark
she unfortunately recognized. "Will you walk with me?" she asked.
"I long for a turn in the gardens." She wondered why he found female
pursuit so distasteful and what ghosts haunted him.

He gave her a wink.
"Of course." He kissed his mother's cheek. "I am escorting
Virginia
outside. You may think to rescue
Cliff soon." With that, he tucked
Virginia
's arm in his and they crossed the room and
stepped out onto the terrace. Once there, she felt his large body relax.

"Most men would
love to be so chased," she said.

He smiled a little at
her. "I am
not
most men."

"I doubt any man
in this family is like most men." She thought of Devlin and her heart
skipped.

He eyed her as they
strolled down the steps and to the frosted lawns, following a stone path there.
"That is very flattering...! think."

"I meant it as
flattery," she said.

"Yes, I am aware
of that. And how does it feel to be a married woman?"

Her heart skipped
wildly again. "I haven't changed—but then again, I have changed
completely. I suppose I make no sense."

He grinned.
"None at all. You are not what I would have expected Devlin to land."

Her brows lifted.
"Is that an insult?"

"No, it is
flattery."

They both smiled.

"I expected him
to one day settle for an heiress, the matter a strictly financial one. I-never
expected him to lose his heart to a little American orphan who once tried to
assassinate him from the deck of a ship while he was seizing it."

For one moment,
Virginia
was swept turbulently back in
time. She paused. "How did you hear about that?"

"The other night
we dragged him off to a club. A little bachelor's farewell fete. He waxed
rather eloquent when prodded. An interesting beginning—and apparently, an auspicious
one, as well."

"I hated him on
sight," she whispered.

"Did you?"
He stared.

She smiled. "The
truth?"

"If you
dare." He was no longer smiling.

"I was so afraid
I don't know what I thought or felt. But I knew from that first moment that I had
never met a man like him before—and that I never would again."

Rex de Warenne
grinned. "I am glad to hear it," he said.

There were two dining
rooms in Harmon House. The family gathered in the smaller one for supper, a
room with gold paper on the walls, a huge chandelier above, a long trestle
table set with gold candlesticks, gilt flatware, gold-and-white china and linen
and lace. Mary and Edward sat at opposite ends of the exquisitely set table,
formally dressed.
Virginia
found herself seated between Cliff
and Tyrell, with Eleanor, Rex and Sean across from them. The conversation ran
rampant around her, Eleanor conversing across Sean with her mother, Tyrell and
Edward discussing rents, Cliff and Rex the state of Napoleon's finances.
Virginia
smiled happily to herself.
Devlin had a wonderful family and she was a part of it. There was so much
warmth in the room that she could feel the affection between everyone present,
a vibrant, tangible thing.