The Devil You Know (10 page)

“And if you lose?” DeVere observed his guest’s agitation with

smug satisfaction. At times like these, wielding his power was a

heady sensation.

“Then I suppose I shall have to appeal to you for some agree-

able terms of repayment.”

DeVere offered him an icy smile. “You take much for granted,

sir. My generosity is not without bounds. We are not kinsmen.

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Victoria Vane

We are not even friends, and your debt has already increased by

twelve percent, though O’Kelly surely would have charged you

twenty, his reputation for usury exceeding that of the Westmin-

ster Jews. If you are not able to settle your debt with me by the

end of the day tomorrow, the only terms I will accept will be your

property.” His lips curved at what remained unspoken.
And that

includes your wife.

Agitated and restless,
***

Diana paced her room until she thought

she would burst from anticipation. At half past three, while An-

nalee napped, she and Edward followed the same path she had

taken that morning to the stables where two of DeVere’s junior

grooms met them with a pair of saddled horses.

“My lord ordered it so,” the groom said. “The lady will have

a much better view of the field astride.”

“But what of my mare, Cartimandua?” she asked.

“My lord has already taken her to the down.”

“His jockey, you mean?”

“No, my lady, his lordship hisself rides the mare.”

“Does he?” After the groom assisted her to mount, Diana

turned to Edward with skepticism. “I thought it was
Hewett
De-

Vere who was such a noted horseman.”

Ned laughed. “Who do you think taught
him
? DeVere is the

devil on horseback. Though he is sadly lacking in discipline,

Ludovic is actually a man of many talents, Diana. When he ap-

plies himself to a thing, he’s a formidable force. Thus it’s fortunate

for the world around him that his passions quickly fade.”

“I see,” said Diana in bemusement. “He is a rather unusual

man.”

“Unusual? I might suggest
ungovernable.
”

“You mean a rogue.” Diana settled her skirts and took up the

reins.“It’s not that he’s without honor, Diana, but you must un-

derstand DeVere only follows his
own
code.” Ned gave her a

meaningful look and hoisted himself gracefully into the saddle.

“I hope you’ll take extreme care in any dealings with him. He is

ruthless and calculating when he chooses to be and has a strong

predilection to manipulate and exploit the vulnerabilities of oth-

ers—when it suits his purpose. He just can’t help himself. It’s not

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The Devil You Know

that he’s evil incarnate, or anything like that. It’s just he has low

tolerance for weakness, incompetence, or buffoonery.”

Diana lifted her brow. “You know I am no fool, dear Edward.

I take full responsibility for my actions and have already made

clear what I am willing and
not
willing to sacrifice. You are truly

like night and day, you and he,” she remarked. “I marvel that

you’ve maintained such a close friendship all these years.”

Edward shrugged. “We are enough alike in matters of import.

Though I may not approve of all his actions, how he chooses to

live is his business. I shall never meddle.” He inclined his head

to the verdant landscape in the near distance. “Shall we go and

watch the trials?”

“But of course!” Diana laughed and urged her horse into an

easy canter.

The afternoon had prov
***

en a glorious diversion. During that

brief period of watching the horses gallop across the down, Di-

ana’s spirits had risen, and her mind had cleared of any worry.

Hew had ridden DeVere’s stallion against DeVere on Cartiman-

dua, and the lithe little chestnut mare had certainly held her own,

keeping pace with the larger horse until the very last furlong

when he began to gain ground. Although Prometheus won by a

length, the horses were carrying unequal weight for size, which

had placed the mare at a disadvantage. Aware of this, DeVere was

suitably impressed with her.

“You were right. She’s got both speed and bottom,” he re-

marked upon dismounting and handed the horse off for hot-

walking.

“She was bred to run, my lord, and moreover, to produce

winners. If she wins tomorrow, you must help to ensure that I get

the prize money to clear Reggie’s debts, less what I owe you for

the entry fee, of course.”

“Perhaps I should remind you that your win is not assured,”

DeVere said.

“I know, my lord, but she has a good chance. You said so

yourself.”

“I’ll allow you that,” he agreed with a smile.

“I have one concern now,” she said. “Who will ride her?”

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Victoria Vane

“I have a very good man in Pratt,” he said. “He’s one of my

best grooms. I willingly place him at your disposal.”

“Then we are agreed, my lord?”

“Aye. Your mare will run.”

Diana unclasped her pearls and handed them to DeVere with

a satisfied smile. “Then mine was not such a ridiculous proposi-

tion after all.”

“Mayhap not, but mine was far better,” he added sotto voce
,

with a dark look that made her insides quiver.

The smile froze on Diana’s face. “There is something you

clearly do not yet understand, my lord. My virtue is neither for

sale, nor for barter—under any circumstances.”

DeVere answered with a cynical laugh. “My dear, there is

something
you
have yet to learn. In this world, everything and

everyone
has a price.”

Insufferable man!

***

Diana’s pulse pounded a furious drumbeat

in her head. She had never known anyone who could inflame her

to such a passion of pique as Ludovic DeVere. His arrogance was

intolerable, yet all of her senses seemed to spring to life in his

presence. He both taunted and tempted with his sardonic gaze of

the deepest blue, and the mocking twist to his sensuous mouth.

Wish as she might, she found him impossible to ignore, espe-

cially the fact that he wanted her. This knowledge and the visions

of him in her dreams incessantly plagued her thoughts. What

would it be like
just once
to be his lover? She knew she could never

act upon such a thing. She could never live with herself if she did,

yet he still preoccupied her mind.

After the mare’s cooling, Diana accompanied the groom and

Cartimandua back to the stables where he led her into her box and

then returned to the others on the down. Diana remained with her

mare. While she and Reggie employed a number of boys in their

stables, Diana had always enjoyed caring for her own mounts. It

was an old and well-loved habit. The smells of fresh hay, oiled

leather, and equine were a concoction that always soothed her

soul.Taking up a brush, she began stroking the sleek, chestnut

coat. While the horse contentedly munched her oats, Diana re-

mained enthralled with her thoughts of DeVere—until Reggie’s

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The Devil You Know

voice jarred into her ruminations, and the boar’s hair brush al-

most dropped from her hand. Her first impulse was to confront

him, but his peculiar speech gave her pause.

“We were so close,” Reggie said, clawing a hand through his

thinning hair. “So damnably close to our plans coming to fruition.

I was up at least a thousand at the Hazard table, but then my luck

suddenly turned south. Cogged dice, it was! The bloody sharps!

Half a dozen throws, and it was all gone. All we had hoped for

dashed away!”

We? Our plans?
Diana frowned. He was talking to his head

groom, James Johnson, and while she was obscured from their

view by her mare, she could clearly distinguish the two of them

through the iron bars of the box stall.

“But we still have the race,” answered Johnson. “While the

prize money won’t be as much as we’d hoped to gain, surely it

will suffice for a time. Were you successful with O’Kelly’s man?”

“Aye. The avaricious bastard. There was at least one hundred

pounds in gold coin and bejeweled baubles in that purse.”

Her purse! Her jewels!

“O’Kelly’s man will need to disappear to the north,” Johnson

said. “The Colonel is
not
a man to cross.”

“Precisely why we have taken particular care in our arrange-

ments, but the matter is settled,” Reggie said with a dismissive

wave. “What now of DeVere’s jockey groom? Have you made

contact with him yet?”

“Aye. Pratt seems a pliable sort. Given a bit of grease, he’ll

throw the race sure enough,” said Johnson.

“How much?” Reggie asked.

“Fifty quid should suffice.”

“’Tis near enough to keep him in the style of a gentleman for a

year. Tell him he gets half now and the rest after we win. You are

as sure of him as we are of the other?”

“Aye. More so. He risks nothing as his lordship’s horse is un-

tried and a long shot at best. ‘Twill be no surprise if they lose, and

the groom needn’t fear getting the boot.”

“Then that takes care of our two main competitors.”

“But there be six running. What if we don’t win?”

“There you go again! Don’t even think such negative thoughts.

You know our entire fate rests between your hands and that stal-

lion’s legs. Win that race for us and you win our freedom.”

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Victoria Vane

“You are certain about this, Reggie?” Johnson said. “You are

still willing to make the sacrifice?”

Their nefarious plan to fix the race had become clear, but Di-

ana found her bewilderment only increasing.
Sacrifice?
What on

earth were they talking about?

A pause followed. “Have I ever given you reason to doubt me

before, my dear?”

My dear?
She shook her head, disbelieving her ears. Why

would Reggie be on such terms of affection with his groom?

“Never,” Johnson answered.

“Good then. Don’t start now,” said Reggie.

“But you have so much more to lose than I.”

“No dearest,
we’ve
so much to gain,” said Reggie. His tone

had softened. He smiled tenderly and reached out a hand to John-

son’s shoulder.

“But your position, your estate—”

“Mean nothing to me, while
you
are everything. You must

always remember that, Jemmie. Win us the three thousand, and

we’ll be on the first packet to France and then on to Italy. Devil

take the hindmost.”

“Italy,” Johnson murmured, a note of wistfulness in his voice.

“Is it really so different there?”

“I have never been, but I have it straight from Thomas Patch

who makes his livelihood painting portraits of English gentlemen

on the grand tour, that none in Florence have ever looked askance

at he and Horace. In Italy, we’ll have no need to hide our love in

shame.”

Reggie cast a glance down the aisle in both directions. His

voice lowered and grew almost unrecognizably thick. “As to that,

are you quite certain we’re alone here?”

“Aye, but they’ll be readying the next lot of horses within the

hour to take to the down.”

“Will they, indeed? Then let us steal what time we may.”

They proceeded toward the empty boxes farther down and Diana

heard the door of one of them slide open and close again, thereby

muffling the voices. In a daze of incredulity, she exited her horse’s

box. Hugging the wall, she moved stealthily down the wide-cob-

bled aisle until she heard the low murmurs accompanied now by

panting breaths.

63

Rising onto her toes, she peered over the top of the wall, and

her stomach lurched. For between the iron bars, the truth of her

fraudulent marriage flashed before her eyes. Reggie had Johnson

in an impassioned embrace with their mouths melded in a lov-

ers’ kiss. The quivers of shock resonated through her in rivulets

that fast became a raging torrent when the latter released her hus-

band’s erect penis from his breeches and went down on his knees.

Stifling her gasp with her fist, Diana fled the stables before her

own legs buckled beneath her. She ran blindly back up the gravel

path. What a bloody fool she’d been! How could she not have re-

alized? She’d already known of Reggie’s unnatural preference in

the bedchamber, yet in her naiveté, she’d never fathomed that he

might secretly be a sodomite. It was a whispered abomination, a

crime against God and nature, a deadly sin preached from every

pulpit that warranted the Old Testament penalty of death. It was

nothing she ever could have foreseen touching her own life.

She reached the house, darting past the bewildered servants

and scurrying up the staircase to the sanctuary of her own cham-

bers. She only managed to close the door behind her when her

tremulous body gave way. Closing her eyes in shock and mortifi-

cation, she slid against the door into a crumpled heap, face buried