Angel in Scarlet (Bound and Determined #4)(2)

Her mind jumped to that other moment, to that horrible moment, to hiding in the theater as he’d—

“Then you don’t want to actually marry him, you just want to make him beg?” Madame Rouge interrupted, rising from her chaise and strolling to the sideboard, her sapphire skirts swirling about her.

Angela let her gaze wander the chamber, trying to regain her equilibrium. It was a most elegant room. Several fine pieces of furniture, upholstered in deep-green brocade, filled the center of the space. A rich Arabian rug lay across the dark floorboards. A trio of small porcelain shepherdesses sat on an end table. Angela smiled; she rather thought her grandmother had the same pieces.

She did not answer the question. How could she when she still didn’t know quite what she wanted, just that she wanted?

“Would you like a glass of wine? I’ve a rather wonderful burgundy.” Madame lifted a decanter and filled a cut-crystal goblet. She paused before filling the next, her gaze fixed on Angela.

Wine? Would it be rude to say no? Angela rarely drank more than a sip at supper. “Thank you, that would be wonderful.”

Madame Rouge filled the second goblet and brought it to Angela before seating herself again and sipping at her own drink.

Angela held the goblet and stared down into the deep red. It was a very large goblet. It must hold three times as much wine as Angela was ever given with dinner. She took a sip. The rich flavor filled her mouth, the warmth of wine working its way down her throat. She took another sip. Wine was good for courage, wasn’t it?

Madame Rouge shifted and then drew her feet up under her, leaving a dainty pair of slippers with purple heels on the floor. Angela stared.

“You must forgive my poor manners,” Madame Rouge said. “I do know better, but when it is just us girls, I do like my comfort. You may do the same, if you wish.”

If she wished? She’d never even thought of such a thing. Her shoes did pinch her toes, but she couldn’t imagine taking them off in public. “I am quite comfortable already, but thank you, Madame.”

Madame gave a long sigh. “If we are going to even discuss doing this, you must call me Ruby. ‘Madame’ makes me feel quite ancient when used casually.”

“If you wish, Mada—I mean Ruby.”

Ruby leaned forward. “Now, I am afraid I must insist that you answer my previous question. Do you mean to actually marry the man?”

Oh dear, she’d been afraid it would come back to this. Her fingers clenched tight. “I don’t know. Mostly I think that I will quash his hopes and desires and be quite satisfied, but then sometimes I think I’ll marry him and then make his life a misery. But I am not so insensible as to not realize that is likely to leave me miserable as well.”

“Perhaps even more so. I do find that marriage tends to be less kind to women than to men. Men have more options open to them when things are not going well. Women end up trapped at home, alone. And that is far from the worst that can happen.”

Angela had certainly known enough women to know that was true. “I do know that,” she said. “Still, there is the temptation.”

Ruby nodded. “That I can understand, but you must remember to be sensible. A woman must always be sensible. You can decide later what your end goal is, but it is wise to decide what you want if you hope to achieve it.”

That did make sense. She had learned long ago that it was hard to make a decent decision when overwhelmed by emotion—and no matter how hard she tried to fight them, the emotions were there. “And wanting to make him mad with passion is not enough?”

That wonderful deep laugh echoed through the room again. “Filling a man with passion is the easy part; getting him to do what you want because of it, that is slightly harder.”

Angela was not at all convinced that filling a man with passion was easy—she doubted she’d be in her current predicament of wanting vengeance if it were. If Colton had felt any degree of passion for her, he would never have acted the way that he had, he would never have…Again she saw him standing on the stage, saw that woman…She shut that thought firmly away. She had determined never to dwell on it. “I will think on it.”

“Good. And now for the important part: Who is this man? And what did he do that warrants such vehement feeling?”

“I have to tell you who he is? Surely you don’t need to know that.”

“Each man is different. If I don’t know who he is, how can I tell you what he would like? And you must explain why you are so angry. I do not want to be involved if the gentleman is not deserving.”

“He is no gentleman—well, he is, but he certainly doesn’t act like one.”

Ruby leaned forward, her eyes intent and demanding. “I’ve known many men who fit into that category. Tell me which one you are concerned with.”

She forced the name to her lips, refusing to let his image form in her mind. “Lord Colton.”

“Ahh, Colton.” A slow smile spread across Ruby’s face. “I do see why he might drive a woman to madness, but you must tell me exactly what he has done to you.”

How had she not seen the question coming? How could she ever reduce the feelings of her heart into words? What had happened between them had been far more than words. Although Colton had certainly said a few when he told her he did not intend to pursue their relationship any further. “He led me on. He made me think he cared and then he told me that it had all been in my fantasies, that he’d never had any serious intentions toward me. I was willing to be the perfect wife, to…to forgive him anything, and he…I will just say that he made it clear that I was not enough.”