Angel in Scarlet (Bound and Determined #4)(12)

Angela picked up her own tea and gazed with some relish at the tray of fabulous pastries. Her mother believed in a sensible tea of hearty sandwiches and sliced bread with butter. It was a rare day that Angela was presented with anything as delectable as the tray before her.

“Please help yourself,” Ruby said, choosing a cream-topped pastry of her own. “I have never believed in depriving oneself of what one truly wants.”

Angela chose a small cake covered in strawberries and bit into it. Lemon. Tart, tangy lemon. And the sweet of the strawberries. And something else, something…Brandy—was there brandy in the cake? She took another bite.

Ruby smiled. “That cake has you thinking of only one thing. I daresay there are many activities that will keep your mind focused.”

Licking her lips, Angela answered, “It is true that when I am truly focused, I am rarely distracted, but the rest of the time…” For some reason she thought of Colton and how he had watched her last night. Now, that had been focus.

“And I’ve lost you again,” Ruby said, a humorous note in her voice, “although this time I reckon that your thoughts are more along the lines of our discussion.”

“How did you know?”

“You get a certain look when you think of Lord Colton. It is part of why I agreed to help you.”

“You mean I look like I want vengeance?”

“It is far more complicated than revenge, and I believe that you know that.”

“I want vengeance, not revenge. Revenge is about passion. Vengeance is about justice. I read that recently and it summed up my feelings. But you are right. It is complicated, even if I don’t wish it to be.” She dropped her head and took another nibble of pastry.

Ruby put her cup down. “That is very well said, and I believe I understand what you mean. But should we go back to the beginning, to Colton’s leaving last night? Could there have been a reason he disappeared? Did he hear something? You mentioned that you turned away; why?”

Angela considered carefully. “I don’t know. I probably did hear something, but nobody was there. Surely he would have seen that? He was looking toward the party. I had my back to it.”

“Perhaps he was a little distracted by what you were showing him—and was then startled by the sound. Men do fear being forced into marriage.”

“It is possible—he certainly made sure to keep his distance from me—but it felt like more than that. If he was simply afraid of being seen, he only had to step into the shadows long enough to be sure he was not seen. He didn’t need to actually leave.”

“That is true. And perhaps he only meant to step back. Men are simple creatures, but that does not make them easy to understand at all times.”

“I am not sure I understand them any of the time.” And wasn’t that the problem? “At least, I don’t understand him. Every time I think I understand what Colton feels, he acts in a completely different way—just when I begin to trust him, he betrays me.”

“Well, let us examine what you do understand. My guess is that when you are sure of what he is feeling, you are not wrong.”

“But…” She had clearly been wrong about what he was feeling in the past.

“No, hear me out. You do not seem to be a careless woman or less than astute. I believe that most of us know what another feels, but we let our own desires overrule that instinct. If you believe that Colton felt desire, then he did. And from what you have said, there was some physical evidence to support your beliefs.”

The heat rose up Angela’s cheeks. “I think so. It was dark and hard to be sure, but…”

“I am sure you saw precisely what you think you did. It is rather hard to mistake—and I do not mean the pun. I know of very few men who would not have responded in such a fashion to seeing your bare breasts. And I am sure that Colton is not one of them. Plus I think the situation would have appealed to him greatly. He has always enjoyed risk, and to have you put aside your own fears to please him…Yes, the man would have responded just as you believe he did. I have no question that he was quite overcome by desire.”

“Then why…?”

Ruby reclined on her chaise. “I could give you a dozen answers. He didn’t want things to progress any further. He was unsure of his own feelings. He was unsure of you. He likes being mysterious. He was afraid to embarrass himself. He didn’t know what to say next. He suddenly remembered he had to be somewhere. But none of it matters. I don’t know and neither do you. The one thing I am sure of is that it was not a lack of desire. If Colton had felt a lack of desire, he would simply have stood there looking bored and perhaps made some sneering comment. I take it he did neither?”

“No.” And he absolutely had not looked bored. “It still makes no sense to me.”

“Hell, it may not even make sense to him. Have you never done something in a moment and not been sure later why you reacted as you did? Never wished you had acted differently?”

“I must admit that I used to act rashly with some frequency. I worked hard on changing that, but I have a hard time imagining Colton being so indecisive.” Angela played with a few remaining crumbs of sugar on her plate.

“It is the opposite of being indecisive. If he was indecisive, he would have dithered before acting. From what you say he certainly did not dither.”