Notorious by Nicola Cornick Page B

made to the Arctic with Alex when the ship’s company had become stuck in the ice and had been obliged to entertain themselves with theatricals through the long, dark winter, dressing up as women, playing the female parts as well as the male. That, Dev thought, would have been enough to drive any self-respecting Scotsman mad. Not that he was much fonder of the theater himself. In his case his aversion sprang from a visit some two years previously when he had had the ill luck to bump into a former mistress whilst in company with Emma and her family. It had been exceedingly awkward. Emma had quizzed himendlessly about it; who was the woman, when had he known her, how intimately had he known her, were there other mistresses of his she was likely to meet—to which the answer, unfortunately, was yes, there were plenty, but Dev had been wise enough to deny it—on and on until Emma had given herself the vapors and Dev had wanted to leap on the first ship that was leaving the docks.
    “Tonight it is The Plain Dealer by Wycherley,” he said, and saw Frazer’s mouth turn down even more. “Emma likes the theater.”
    Frazer made the sort of noncommittal grunt that nevertheless managed to convey perfectly his disapproval of a man obliged to attend social engagements at the bidding of his fiancée. Dev sighed. He knew exactly what Frazer thought of his fortune hunting. He knew that Alex and Joanna disapproved, too, if it came to that. None of them understood the demons that haunted him, though; the memories of a boy who, before Alex had rescued him from the Dublin streets, had scratched a living from any errand he could run simply to help feed his mother and sister. Chessie was the only one who had shared the bewildering experience of their father’s profligacy. Marrying Emma was a guarantee against such poverty and as such Dev thought it had to be worth the price.
    The evening, starting with so little promise, was quick to degenerate even further. Chessie had not been invited since Lady Brooke had said pointedly that it was a family occasion. Dev found dinner extremely tedious. Emma was in a scratchy sort of mood and ignored him, flirting instead with Freddie Walters but watching Dev to make sure that he noticed. Meanwhile his future mother-in-law followed her daughter’s lead by ignoring him and Dev was reduced to toying with his overcooked beef and making polite conversation with Lady Brooke’s elderly companion. His future, he knew, would be filled with endless nights like this. It was a thought Dev preferred not to dwell upon.
    At the theater the Duke and Duchess of Alton, Fitz and Susanna joined their party. This was something that Dev had not anticipated. He masked his initial astonishment to see Susanna at what had been described as a family gathering but he was astounded at how quickly she had insinuated herself into the Altons’ inner circle. He wondered if Fitz had petitioned his parents to allow Susanna to join them. It was not odd, Dev thought grimly, that Fitz would fall for Susanna’s artfully presented charms but it was strange that his parents seemed similarly enchanted. The Duchess was a high stickler when it came to rank and breeding, the Duke, unlike his son, surely too hard headed to fall for no more than a pretty face and captivating figure, even if they were accompanied by a fortune.
    “Good evening, Lady Carew,” Dev said, as greetings were exchanged. “What a surprise to have you join our family party this evening.”
    Susanna smiled. “It is no surprise to me, SirJames, that the Duke and Duchess have been generous enough to include me in their family circle.”
    Which, Dev thought with grim amusement, rather neatly emphasized the warmth with which Susanna had been welcomed compared with the frosty treatment he still received after two years as Emma’s fiancé.
    Susanna stepped past him to take a seat at the back of the box. Fitz immediately objected and drew her forward to sit beside him on the