The Devil's Match (The Devil DeVere #4)(13)

“He does have lovely blue eyes,” Vesta said. “And I daresay he’s quite handsome for one so old. But I suppose he is the right age for you. You could be a viscountess, you know. But what a conundrum that would be! What should I call you then?” She gave Diana a puzzled look. “Would you be godmother, cousin, or sister?” Vesta clapped a hand to her mouth with another burst of mirth.

“Ludicrous!” Diana stood with a scowl. “I would never have such a man!”

“But why not, Aunt Di? Surely you could convince him. It only takes a bit of laudanum...” Vesta grinned and then suddenly grew serious. “Don’t you ever get lonely?”

“Of course not! I have you and Sir Edward—”

“and now Phoebe?”

Diana grimaced. “I doubt she and I shall ever become bosom beaus.”

“But what shall you do when Hew and I wed and I move away? What then, Aunt Di?”

It was a question Diana had not yet considered. Her life had been intertwined with Vesta and Edward’s for so long that it was hard for her to fathom a future alone. “I don’t honestly know, Vesta,” she replied. “Perhaps, I should come and live in town.” But that option would also mean she would inevitably encounter Lord DeVere. He had made his renewed interest clear. Wisdom and experience told her the sooner she put distance between them, the better.

“Have you never considered remarriage?” Vesta asked. “Don’t you miss”—she gave Diana a sly smile—”you-know-what?”

“I am sure I don’t know what!”

“Come now, Aunt Di,” Vesta cajoled. “Won’t you tell me? I found it positively lovely. In truth, I don’t know how I will endure it until Hew and I can be together that way again.”

“Vesta! A young lady should never confess such things!” Diana scolded.

“What? That we did it? Or that I liked it?” Vesta grinned.

“Neither! Both! Botheration! It’s never a proper topic of conversation for a young lady.”

“Did you not like it too, Aunt Di? Being one with a man? Please, tell me the truth,” she begged. “I have no mother to discuss these things with.”

Retrieving one of the miscellaneous fans that littered the room, Diana attempted to cool her heated face. “Yes,” she confessed with a great sigh, knowing that with Vesta, the sooner answered, the less need be said. “There was, indeed, a time, very briefly, in my life that I thought the joining of a man and woman was the most wondrous thing in all creation. But a relationship between a man and a woman must rise above the physical realm to endure, Vesta. A marriage should be based on more than passion and animal lust.”

Four years ago, in the depths of desolation, Diana had abandoned all caution and good sense by seeking comfort in the devil’s own arms. Giving herself up to a frenzy of passion, DeVere had taken her to unimaginable heights. She had experienced an intimacy of body and soul she had never known with another and had thought it a beginning of something more. But he had broken it off with callous indifference, incinerating her unspoken hopes to ashes.

“Wedlock should be founded on mutual respect and genuine affection. It is also helpful if you share one another’s likes and dislikes or at the least understand them.” All of which had been lacking with DeVere. She neither liked, trusted, understood, nor respected him, but still he had charmed and seduced her, body and soul.

“I respect and admire Hew immensely,” Vesta said. “And we have a surprising number of likes in common. There is much we will enjoy together—horses, hunting, hounds, and especially, you-know-what.” Vesta giggled.

“But do you respect him enough to obey him, Vesta? For when a woman weds, she is no longer a person in her own right. As Hew’s wife, you must permit him to guide you in all things. By law and nature, you will belong to him.”

“Hew would never be unreasonable,” Vesta said.

“How can you know that? You may have quite different opinions on what is reasonable—your manner of courtship, for example. I wonder, did Hew think drugging and kidnapping him perfectly reasonable?”

Vesta pouted. “The circumstances required drastic measures. He has since agreed that the ends justified the means.”

“How surprisingly conciliatory,” Diana remarked with a dry smile. “I’m simply pointing out that if you wed, you must allow him to govern you, or you will both be miserable.”

“But surely you did not always agree with Lord Reggie.”

“In over ten years of marriage, I deferred to him in all things...until his actions brought us to the brink of ruin. It was only then, when I knew all was lost, that I chose to make my own decisions. My dear, are you certain this is what you want?”

“Yes, Aunt Di. Above all things. Papa has agreed as long as we call the banns, and he even promised not to mortally harm Hew when he departed.” Vesta knelt beside Diana and clasped both of her godmother’s hands in a plaintive gesture. “Please, won’t you give your blessing, as well? Don’t you think Mama would have done so?”

“Yes, Vesta,” Diana reluctantly agreed. “Your mother was inordinately fond of Hew, and I am certain she would have been the most delighted of all. Of course, you both have my blessing.”

“Oh, Aunt Di!” Vesta threw her arms around Diana’s neck. “Then you must be my matron of honor! Uncle Vic will, of course, be Hew’s best man. To have both my godparents stand up with us will be a dream come true.”