A Devil Named DeVere (The Devil DeVere)(57)

"I'll have the horses set to, miss. And by the by, my lady, ye might try the truth with the baroness. I've seen it work wonders on occasion."

She opened her mouth to protest, but Hew arrived in the vestibule. Pratt tugged his forelock with a nod to the captain and swiftly departed. Vesta, meanwhile, gave Hew her back.

"Vesta, please," Hew pleaded. "You must let me explain." He tried to claim her hand, but she spun out of his grasp.

"You explained everything very clearly to your brother only a moment ago. I did not coerce you! I only took you away from Diana so you could reason more clearly, but I see how mistaken I was. I will never wed you just because you think you compromised me."

"I don't just think I compromised you, Vesta. After three nights together, there is no question of it."

"Nevertheless, I free you of your obligation, so you have no fear of blemishing your status as a gentleman, Captain DeVere. Your precious honor remains intact."

"To hell with all that!" Hew threw his hands in the air. "I gave myself to you of my own volition, Vesta. I thought we had settled that. What you heard me say to my brother had nothing to do with us. I was only expressing my resentment of his underhanded meddling, but damn it all, let the ends justify the means. I need you." He knelt by her feet and took her hand in his. "I love you, Vesta. You have given me back my life, and I don't want to live it without you. Please say you will still be mine."

"Do you truly mean that, Hew?" she whispered, misty-eyed.

"With all my heart. Please let us be wed at once."

"But Papa—"

"Should be arriving any day," Lord DeVere supplied as he descended the stairs. "I confess I am impressed, Hew. I never knew that beneath that hardened soldier's veneer lay the heart of a poet. Such a touching display. I was almost moved to retrieve my handkerchief."

"Sod off, Vic." Hew glowered.

"Not my usual preference," Ludovic shot back. "Now if you lovebirds are quite finished, I have a pledge to keep. Let us depart for Upper Grosvenor."

***

"So you see, Aunt Di," Vesta explained, "Captain Hew is not to blame for any of this. It was completely my idea."

Ludovic sat back, studying the scene with an amused smile, a glass of claret dangling between his fingers, and one booted ankle crossed over his knee.

Diana looked aghast. "I can't believe it," she said. "What could have possessed you to do such a thing?"

"Does it really matter now?" DeVere interceded on Vesta's behalf. "They wish to wed, so it's all just water under the bridge."

"No, it is not!" Diana retorted. "I can only believe you contrived this!"

"Me?" he asked with feigned affront. "How can you blame me?"

"You have unduly exercised your influence over the poor girl, for Vesta is far too young to know her mind. She cannot possibly wed so soon. She hasn't even had her come-out, for heaven's sake! And you, Captain DeVere"—she turned blazing eyes on Hew—"I cannot believe you accept this situation with such aplomb when you had no interest in Vesta only days ago." Her gaze narrowed. "Indeed, I begin to think you as capricious as your brother when only a short while before, you were paying your address to—"

Hew flushed. "My apologies if my sudden turnabout offends you, but please, believe my feelings for Vesta are unwavering and true. And come what may, I promise to claim full culpability for my part in this escapade when Sir Edward arrives."

DeVere added, "At the risk of further affront to your injured sensibilities, madam, it matters not a whit what you think of me or my brother; it is for the girl's father to decide. And I can see no good reason for Ned to object to Hew."

Diana gave both DeVeres a resentful glare before capitulating. "Very well. I suppose there's nothing more to be done until Sir Edward arrives, but I think it would do Hew and Vesta both a great deal of good to take a few days to let passions cool and reflect upon this. Marriage should not be entered into frivolously. So I ask that you respect my wishes to refrain from seeing each other for a few days."

"But Aunt Di!" Vesta protested.

"She's right, my love," said Hew, squeezing Vesta's hand. "What are a few days when we have our entire lives to look forward to together?"

"May we at least have a moment alone?" Vesta pleaded. "Just a few minutes in the garden? Please, Aunt Di."

"What harm can there be?" Ludovic asked, glancing from the couple to Diana, who visibly bristled at him. He knew she didn't wish to concede for that would also place her alone with him. "Given my brother's eagerness to see the knot tied, I daresay any damage has already been done."

The younger couple colored and exchanged guilty glances.

"Five minutes," Diana said tersely. "Not a moment longer."

Vesta nodded and seemed to glow when Hew offered his arm.

"Edward will not like this at all," Diana remarked after the couple had departed out the terrace door.

"But he will accept it nonetheless," DeVere countered.

"I never could have pictured Hew and Vesta," she said. "But I daresay they seem to have grown fond of each other, which I suppose gives them as good a chance as any of making a go of it."