Devil's Desire by Laurie McBain Page A

disbelief.
    Sir Jason shifted uncomfortably, wondering what he had said to cause the flicker of amusement on the Marquis's face.
    "I rode on ahead from London, and my coach and valet will follow at a more leisurely pace. They should be here at the inn tomorrow morning," Lord Trevegne answered uncommunicatively as he finished his meal off with a dish of creamy custard sprinkled with cinnamon.
    They continued to talk as the evening passed. Tibbitts poured out two big snifters of his best smuggled-in brandy, and presented them to the two men sitting in the big chairs before the fire, and added another log before leaving the room.
    They talked trivialities for a good part of an hour, discussing the merits of cockfighting, and who was the best pugilist in London and whether Napoleon would invade the sacred shores of England, until Sir Jason said suddenly, tired of the banalities:
    "I would have imagined that you would go up North with your ward, Catherine Bellington." Sir Jason paused for a moment as if in thought. ". . .No, it is not Bellington anymore is it? I do believe I heard somewhere that she had recently married, but I'm afraid I didn't quite catch the name of the fortunate bridegroom."
    "Yes, Catherine is now married, and I am not with her because I rather doubt whether the fortunate bridegroom would enjoy having me along on their honeymoon."
    "I had no idea that she was betrothed when she was in London. She is quite young, after all. We had an engagement to attend a theatre party when I was suddenly informed that she would be unable to attend because she had left London. No explanation, or reasons given. Leaving rather abruptly, almost spirited away, one might say," Sir Jason continued persistently, some demon driving him to say something he knew he would regret.
    "She was in some danger, not from the spirit world, but rather, from the fortune-grabbing outsiders who latch onto society," Trevegne said bluntly, taking a sip of brandy, his golden eyes narrowed and watchful as he stared at Sir Jason. "I merely removed a temptation from their reach. In reality it was quite unnecessary, because whoever might marry Catherine without my consent, would never set eyes upon her fortune—and that would have defeated his purpose also he would have had to deal with me—a guardian who takes his title quite seriously."
    "And what of Catherine, shouldn't she have been allowed to choose her own husband? What if she had loved some man in London, and he had loved her? It would not be only her fortune that a man would be   attracted to. She happens to be a very lovely young woman."
    "And what makes you think that Catherine did not choose the man she wanted to marry?" Lord Trevegne asked, surprising a stunned look on Sir Jason's face. "She has been in love with her husband since they were both in the school-room, and both were very anxious to wed. Catherine merely wanted a taste of London life before settling down in the country, and 'becoming a staid matron,' to quote her own words. Undeniably she is attractive, but I think we all know the names of those who would profit from such an alliance, and of their past records and reputations for trying to latch onto any heiress available. However, I fail to see what the conversation is about, since Catherine was never available, and certainly is not now that she has a husband."
    "As you wish, but hypothetically speaking, what if she did not want to marry this man; if she were in love with someone else? Would you have forced her into marriage, even if the man were repugnant to her?"
    "Had Catherine not wished to marry, then I would not have forced her to. However, the young man, Beardsley, was acceptable to me and to her, and lives on the neighboring estate, bringing the two estates together nicely into one property. It happens to be fortunate that they are in love, for eventually I would have selected some suitable young man for her future husband, had she not engaged her attentions elsewhere,