Page 22 of Buon Natale, My Wicked Rogue (Wicked Widows’ League #18)

Later that evening, Angela sat and stroked Natalia’s soft fur as the puppy sat on her lap.

They both watched the dancing flames of the fire in the hearth of the drawing room.

When the servant came to bank the flames, she had asked them to leave the hearth as it was.

Now, she held a cup of steaming tea with cloves and cinnamon and enjoyed the rich, spicy scent.

It had just turned Christmas Eve. Evan and her father had already gone to their beds. But she couldn't sleep.

After she and her father had exchanged Christmas wishes, the talk had turned to more serious, dangerous matters. She had held her breath as he related a tale of horror to her:

“I overheard my wife telling my son that you had married Ashington. She was so frantically worried that you were going to enact some sort of revenge for something that she’d done that had caused injury to Ashington.

My mind spun. They had said that you had declined to come to England. And now all of this talk.

“I waited for them to go to bed that night and for my wife to fall asleep. I went to her desk and read her letters and her diary. What I found shocked me. We married each other to please our families. After she gave birth to Edmund, the doctors advised against any further pregnancies, and so we didn’t even share a marriage bed after that.

We lived as strangers for a long time. We had our own interests.

But I never dreamed that she could hold such evil in her heart.

I never dreamed she could betray me in that way.

The worst conceivable way, attempting to deny a child of mine a visit with me, was bad enough.

But to actually hire someone to murder a child of mine? Unfathomable!

“She will pay, I promise you that. I am going to send her to my cousin’s modest estate in Ireland.

There, she will be kept as a prisoner in her rooms, without any independence or agency, for the remainder of her life.

My cousin will see to her clothes, food, and other basic needs.

We will tell others that she became mentally unwell and unable to care for herself or to be active in society any longer.

This necessary stretching of the truth is so there will be no scandal to touch you or my son or your children in the fullness of time.

My son is young, only sixteen, and he was misled by his strong-willed mother. ”

And when he had finished, his pale blue eyes were cold as ice.

This was her father, a spymaster, a man used to exerting his power of authority over those around him.

Evan had warned her that her father was a commanding, often overbearing type of man.

But for the sake of her safety and Evan’s, as well as any children they might have, maybe it was a very good idea that he would take care of his wife’s crimes.

Angela wasn’t too sure the English law would truly give her justice against an English-born duchess.

And then her father had told them of Mr. Abney, who had taken the money to intimidate Angela. He would be prosecuted for his crime.

But the most shocking news of all had been that Susan had betrayed Angela in one final, heartbreaking way; she had been contacted by Mr. Abney and given money to suggest someone local and dependable to do a task for the Duchess of Amesbury.

Susan had suggested her own cousin, Tom, to be the man who would have shot Angela if Evan had not stepped in front of her and taken the bullet himself.

That was why Susan had acted so strangely that day. She had confessed to playing a part in Evan’s plot the night of the masquerade. And now Angela knew why Susan had confessed at all. She intended to place a wedge between Evan and Angela. She had intended to send Angela running away from Evan.

But she hadn’t counted on Evan being wise to the dangers that lurked in the shadows.

He had wanted Angela to stay with Lady Wyndam, where she would be safe.

Susan hadn’t counted on Evan working hard to make sure that Angela felt emotionally safe and understood.

So, Angela had not had the emotion-fueled reaction that Susan had counted on.

Despite the way that things had started between them, since his declaration of love, Evan not only said words of love, but he also tried hard to love her the way she needed to be loved.

No one had ever done that for her before. Not in her whole life.

“You can’t sleep?”

She was startled and turned to see Evan wrapped in his dressing gown.

“You should be in bed,” she chided. “Today was a most straining day for you.”

“It was straining for us all,” he countered as he touched her arm and caressed her. “You should be in bed as well.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Besides, I missed you, and then I couldn't sleep either.”

That little admission warmed her inside and made her suddenly long to be back in bed with him. And yet, there was something that nagged at her.

“Do you know the thing that disturbs me the most? I cannot see any of me in him?” She frowned. “Did that sentence make sense? I see where I got the reddish lights in my hair but nothing else.”

“You don’t see it, in truth?”

“See what?”

“You have his strength of mind.”

She frowned more deeply and cocked her head. “I don’t think so, Evan.”

“You’re young, and you still lack some experience in life.”

Hearing someone say something like that about her might have rankled her, but he was older than her. She knew he was telling the truth. “Yes, I suppose you are correct. But I’ll never be anything like him. Oh Mamma Mia , he is so strong-minded that he is formidable.”

He smiled, and his green eyes twinkled at her. Was that humor at her expense? Yes, but she could see it was intended in the most affectionate way.

“What?” she asked, feeling a smile tug at the corners of her mouth, even though she didn’t understand what the joke was. But she could feel safe laughing at herself with him.

“Give yourself time, my love. When you are his age, you might be a little formidable yourself.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. And she had no wish to quarrel over the matter.

Even though she couldn’t see much of herself in her father, she was grateful that she had finally been able to get to know him.

Perhaps he would be a grandfather figure for her children, and their lives would be enriched by him.

Perhaps.

“Do you think you could sleep now?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I just keep thinking about everything.”

“It is much to think about and much to grieve. I think it will take some time to place it all in proper perspective, my love. What bothers you the most besides your father?”

“Susan,” she said, feeling sorrow for her former friend despite the way she had betrayed her. “What will happen to her?”

“Susan will be charged with accessory to attempted murder and likely will be transported to Australia. Her cousin, who actually fired the weapon, will probably be executed.”

“It is so sad and so needless.”

“I could probably use the weight of my title and a significant bribe to have Tom’s sentence commuted to transportation to Australia as well.”

She raised her eyebrows. “You’d do that for the man who shot you?”

“I’d do it for you if the idea of him being executed disturbs you.”

She compressed her lips and then shook her head.

“It’s true that he didn’t kill either of us, but he intended to kill me.

I am not seeking any revenge on Tom. However, he was willing to kill someone for money.

That’s evil, and he might hurt someone else.

Then we’d both have that person’s blood on our hands.

If the law says he should hang, I’ll not dispute the matter. ”

Evan raised his eyebrows. “That’s a quick, firm, and well-reasoned decision that’s worthy of a duke’s daughter.”

She shrugged. “It is common sense.” Then, another thing occurred to her.

“I don’t understand why Susan would have done this.

I would have helped her in any way that I could.

” She chewed her lip for a moment while painful questions still burned through her.

“Did you ever send her the money for legal aid to help her regain custody of her son?”

His mouth twisted, and she could sense his mind working. “I’d have preferred not to tell you this.”

“Please tell me. It is worse not to have the answers. I’d rather have the answers, no matter how painful they are.”

“I felt sorry for Susan when I first approached her, and she told me about needing money to regain her son. I went and visited her father-in-law, thinking that I could negotiate something between him and Susan. What he told me surprised me. He said that Susan had left her son with them voluntarily and that they had tried several times to work out a more balanced relationship between Susan and her son. Yet, she continued to visit him only on holidays.”

She frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“I’ll tell you something that Tom told Radstock during the interrogation the day after he shot me.

Something that could explain her motivation to see you hurt.

He said that when Jacob Berry visited here in England, your late husband and Susan had a whirlwind romance of sorts.

But Susan was a flirt, and when she attempted to make Jacob jealous by flirting with his cousin, Jacob became enraged, not at the man, but at her, and he left England without saying goodbye to her.

And shortly after, he visited Italy and met you, then soon after that, he married you. ”

“Goodness, as you say, this is much to think about.”

“I am sorry that this has all turned out to be so painful for you. You deserved none of this. So many jealous, vindictive people were waiting for you here in England. I am surprised you’d want to stay here at all.”

She smiled at him. “It is not all bad. If I had not come here, I wouldn’t have met Lady Wyndam.

She is the dearest person, and I love her.

I have finally met my father, and while I should keep my expectations realistic, he seems to want to repair the past and build a new future with me.

But most of all, I met you, and you are, day by day, showing me how different love can be from my first marriage.

Even though we came together through deception, even though you are not the rake I initially thought you to be but a wily and scheming rogue, I understand your motives were pure.

” Her smile broadened; she felt it stretching the corners of her mouth. “I forgive you.”

He took her hand and placed it to his lips. “Thank you for forgiving me, my love. I love you with all my heart and soul. I will never willingly hurt you again. I will protect you and cherish you all the days of my life.”

“Since it is Christmas Eve now, I have a present for you.” She reached into the pocket of her dressing gown and pulled out a small package wrapped in plain paper and tied with a dark blue ribbon.

He took the package from her a little awkwardly, and she could tell that he wasn’t used to receiving gifts from women.

“I am your wife; I am allowed to give you gifts,” she teased, with her heart in her throat.

He untied the package, taking far too much time as she held her breath.

What if he didn’t like it?

He removed the paper and pulled out the silver pocket watch with its silver chain. He traced his finger over the fine engravings on the back.

What if he would have rather had his own watch, a new one?

“This was Mr. Berry’s watch?” he asked.

She released her breath. And she knew from the respectful way he’d said the name that he understood it was her father-in-law’s watch, not Jacob’s.

“Yes, it was.”

“I can’t accept this.” His voice sounded strangely thick.

“You’d rather have your own? Of course, you would, I will...” She reached for the watch.

He pulled away just a bit to maintain possession of the watch. “I know what he meant to you.” He paused to clear his throat. “I mean, wouldn’t you rather keep this?”

“No, I want you to have it. I want you to carry it with you and think of me and how much I love you, how much I value you.” She had spoken all of that in a rush, and she had to stop to inhale deeply, then she exhaled.

“Then someday, you will give it to our son. Not the heir but the second son, the one who will have to work harder to make his own place in life. And in that way, he will carry with him the strength and will of the two best men I ever knew.”

He put the watch down and enfolded her in his embrace, then put his mouth to hers, giving her a fierce kiss that sucked her breath away.

When he finally pulled his mouth away, he leaned and whispered in her ear.

“Thank you, my love, for your belief in me. I promise I will never willingly fail you, ever again.”

“You make me feel safe to love you, and I love you all the more for it.” Tears of gratefulness and joy welled in her eyes, and she hugged him as tightly as she was able to and whispered back to him. “Buon Natale , my wicked rogue.”