Crawling into bed later, he cuddled Annis and murmured “Everything is in train, love. This nonsense will cease very soon, I promise.”
“What have you done?” she asked anxiously.
“Nothing yet, except set a trap. We will spring it on Thursday night.” He rubbed his hands over her appreciatively and gave her a squeeze. “Missed you,” he murmured, kissing her neck.
And when it is all over, I will tell her how much I love her.He had no doubt of his feelings anymore. He adored this woman. He just hoped nervously that his feelings were returned. An attack of insecurity assailed him at the thought, and he squeezed her tighter which made her yelp.
“Emrys!”
“Sorry,” he muttered.
She turned in his embrace and stroked his face and kissed him. “Thank you.”
“What for?” he said gruffly.
“For being my knight in shining armor. I’ve never had one of those before.”
“And you’ll have no other now,” he said somewhat forcefully.
“I know. I wouldn’t want anyone else, Emrys. No one can compete with you.”
He flushed, pleased.Perhaps my feelings are returned. But even if they are, I can’t afford to take them for granted, Caro loved me once, too, and grew out of it or got bored or... something. I can’t afford to let that happen with Annis. If she falls out of love with me, I don’t think I will ever recover.
He kissed her, anxious to ward off such dismal thoughts, and she kissed him back. Soon he was lost to the bliss that was Annis.
Four nights later, Viscount Ashford hosted a card party at his house in Cavendish Square. Five gentlemen were invited: the Duke of Troubridge, the Marquess of Ravenshaw, the Earl of Pendrell, the Earl of Tavistock, and a gentleman by the name of Gerard Newbury, lately of Bow Street, under the sobriquet of Baron Knightsbridge.
Chapter Thirty
Emrys watched theplay of the cards with his usual lazy air of inattention. In fact, his awareness was all on the man seated opposite him at the round table big enough to seat six comfortably.
Emrys reached out to play a trick with a casual flick of the card, and the candlelight caught the gleam of gold off the plain signet ring on his right hand. Annis’s ring, of course. The same one he had worn back to the Russian ambassador’s party and ensured that the so-called Earl of Tavistock got a good look at when he introduced himself to the young man.
The ring was clearly inspiring a certain fascination in Tavistock. He had difficulty keeping his eyes off it, just as he had the other night. Emrys was wondering how such a callow youth could have terrified Annis for so long. She had told him the first attack occurred seven years ago. Lawrence Redmayne would have been eighteen then, and not yet come into the title.Why had he left it so long to try again to get the ring from her? It didn’t make sense.
Annis was tucked away upstairs with Sarah to keep her company. He would send for her at the right time.
“You’re having the most damnable luck, Ashford,” remarked the duke.
“I am, aren’t I?” said Emrys, surveying his losses with a faintly bemused look.
“What will you stake next?” said Pendrell with a harsh laugh. “That ring?”
“I may have to,” said Emrys with a rueful smile.
Tavistock’s eyes flashed.Really, this is too easy.
Tavistock cleared his throat and said, “It’s an unusual ring, my lord. Where did you get it?”The bait on the hook!
“It belonged to my wife’s father,” he said, casually shuffling and cutting the cards.
Tavistock, in the act of taking a sip of brandy, changed color and choked. “Your wife?” he gasped, when he could speak.
Emrys, enjoying the tightening of his snare, said, “You wouldn’t have met my new wife. We were only married recently. She’s upstairs with the duchess. Why don’t I have the ladies join us for tea?”
Tavistock gaped like a fish, and Emrys rose to ring the bell. When Latham appeared, he ordered tea and requested that Lady Ashford and the duchess join them.
A few minutes later, the door opened, and Annis and Sarah entered the room. Emrys tensed. This was the bit he felt most uncomfortable about, for Annis didn’t know that Tavistock was here.Would she recognize him? Would he recognize her?It was vital for the verisimilitude of the situation that she react naturally, so he hadn’t prepared her. He expected to be fully raked over the coals for that later.
