Devils Bride

Chapter 7

Next morning, Honoria attended Sunday service in the church in the grounds, then strolled back with Louise Cynster. Tolly's mother thanked her for helping her son; Honoria politely disclaimed. With little encouragement, Louise spoke of Tolly and his relationship with Devil. Hero worship seemed the most apt description.

The object of Tolly's reverence had not seen fit to attend church. When the ladies reached the breakfast table, it was apparent he'd been there before them. Honoria made quick work of tea and toast, then headed upstairs.

Devil, she felt sure, would have gone riding. It was a perfect day-he would be out surveying his fields astride his cake-eating demon. Which should leave nearer precincts clear.

It was the work of three minutes to don her stylish topaz riding habit. Her clothes were the one item she'd always insisted lived up to her Anstruther-Wetherby background. She flicked the feather on her matching toque so that it draped rakishly over one temple, then headed for the door.

There was no one in the stable yard. Unperturbed, she entered the main stable. The stall walls were high; she couldn't see over them. The tack room was at the end-she stepped purposefully down the aisle.

A large hand reached out and hauled her into a stall.

"What…?" Warm steel encircled her. Honoria focused-and realized her danger. "Don't you dare kiss me-I'll scream if you do!"

"And who do you imagine will rescue you?"

Honoria blinked-and tried to think of the right answer.

"Anyway, you won't be able to scream while I'm kissing you."

She parted her lips and hauled in a deep breath.

By the time she realized that was not a wise move, it was too late-he'd taken full advantage. A vague notion of struggling wafted into her mind-then out, as heat, warmth and insidious pleasure burgeoned within her. His lips moved on hers, arrogantly confident; his tongue slid between in a deliciously languid caress, an unhurried caress that went on and on, until she was heated through. Honoria felt the fever rise-she tried to tell herself this was wrong-scandalously wrong-while every sense she possessed purred in appreciation.

She couldn't think or hear when he kissed her. She made that discovery when Devil finally raised his head; up until the instant his lips left hers, her mind had been thought-free, blissful in its vacancy. The sounds of the stable rushed in on her, compounding her breathlessness. Her bones had liquefied, yet she was still upright-then she realized it was due to him that she was so. He was holding her against himself; her toes only just touched the floor.

"Great heavens!" Blinking wildly, she lowered her heels to earth. Had she labeled him dangerous? He was lethal.

"Good morning, Honoria Prudence." His deep purr sent a shiver down her spine. "And where are you headed?"

"Ah…" Gazing, wide-eyed, into his too-knowing green eyes, Honoria marshaled her wits. "I was looking for a horse. Presumably you have more than one?"

"I believe there's a hoity, wilful mare that should suit. But where were you thinking of riding?"

"Oh-just out about the lanes." He was holding her too securely for her to pull away; she tried to ease back-his hold gave not an inch.

"You don't know this country-you'll get lost. You'll be safer riding with me."

Dispensing with all subtlety, Honoria reached behind her and tried to pry his arms loose. He chuckled and let her tug-all to no avail. Then he bent his head and feathered delicate kisses about her left ear.

Breathless, quite ridiculously flustered, Honoria glared. "Whoever called you Devil had the right of it!"

"Hully?"

Honoria blinked, directly into his eyes. "Mrs. Hull gave you your nickname?"

He grinned-devilishly. "She used to be my nursemaid. I was three when she christened me 'That Devil Cynster.'"

"You must have been a tyrant even then."

"I was."

A furious clearing of a throat spared Honoria the necessity of replying. Devil looked around, then released her, turning so he hid her from view. "What is it, Martin?"

"Sorry t'interrupt, Y'r Grace, but one of the flanges on the North Number One's split-Mister Kirby was a-wondering if you'd swing past that way. He was hoping you'd check the lay before he reset the blade."

The message made no sense to Honoria; she peered around Devil's shoulder. A workman, his cap in his hands, stood waiting in the aisle. She glanced up-and discovered his master's green gaze on her.

"Tell Kirby I'll be there within the half-hour."

"Yes, Y'r Grace." Martin hurried out.

Honoria straightened. "What was that about?"

"One of the windmills is out of action."

"Mills?" Honoria recalled numerous windmills dotting the fields. "There seem to be a lot about."

Devil's lips twitched. He reached for her hand. "This is fen country, Honoria Prudence-the mills drive pumps which drain the land."

"Oh." Honoria found herself being towed down the aisle. "Where are you taking me?"

He raised both brows at her. "To find a horse. Wasn't that what you wanted?"

Ten minutes later, atop a frisky chestnut mare, Honoria clattered out of the stable yard-in Devil's wake. The notion of a surreptitious detour occurred only to be dismissed; he'd overtake her in an instant.

They left the park by a different route from that which led through the woods; beyond the park walls, the clack of windmills became noticeable, steadily increasing as they headed north. The mill in question was a large one; Devil dismounted in its shadow to confer with his foreman.

For Honoria, their discussion held little interest. As they cantered back to the Place, she took the devil by the horns. "Have you any idea who the 'highwayman' might be?" It seemed a clear enough question.

His response was a dissertation on the mechanics of fen drainage. By the time they reached the stable yard, Honoria had heard enough to verify the adage about Cynsters being as passionate about their land as they were in their other pursuits. She'd also gained a very firm idea of what her host thought of her interest in his cousin's murder.

The next morning, she watched from her window until she saw her nemesis ride out. Then she headed for the stables. The grooms saw nothing odd in her request that the mare be saddled again. When she passed under the arch leading out of the park, Honoria whooped with delight. Smiling inanely, she headed for the wood.

She ended going the long way around via the village. It was an hour and more before she finally reached the straight where Tolly had been shot. The mare seemed to sense the fatal spot; Honoria drew rein and slid from the saddle, tethering the horse some yards down the lane.

Brisk and full of purpose, she crossed the lane-the rumble of hoofbeats reached her. Halting, she listened; the unknown horseman was heading her way. "Damn!" She whisked about and hurried back to the mare.

She couldn't remount. In disbelief, Honoria looked right and left. The hoofbeats drew steadily nearer. In that moment, she would have traded her entire wardrobe for a suitable log; none was to be found.

The unknown presence was likely some local no more threatening than Mr. Postlethwaite. Honoria stepped to the mare's head and assumed a haughty, nonchalant expression. If she wished to stand beside her horse in the lane, who had the right to gainsay her?

The oncoming horse rounded the curve and burst into view. The rider wasn't Mr. Postlethwaite.

The black demon halted beside her; Devil looked down at her. "What are you doing here?"

Honoria opened her eyes wide-even wider than they already were. "I stopped to stretch my legs." He didn't blink. "And admire the view?" They were hemmed in on all sides by the wood. Honoria narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you doing here?"

Devil met her look, his expression implacable, then swung down from the saddle. Jaw set, he knotted the reins about a tree; without a word, he turned and strode to the spot where Tolly had fallen.

Honoria marched determinedly in his wake. "You don't believe it was a highwayman any more than I do-and it certainly wasn't a poacher."

Devil snorted. "I'm not daft." He shot her a piercing glance, then looked away, flexing his shoulders as if throwing off some restraint.

Honoria watched him study the ground. "Well? Who do you think did it?"

"I don't know, but we'll find out."

"We'll?" Honoria was perfectly certain he didn't mean her and him. "You're all searching, aren't you-you and your cousins?"

The look he cast her brimmed with masculine long suffering; his short sigh underscored it. "As you've so accurately deduced, it wasn't a highwayman; nor was it a poacher-Tolly was murdered. Behind such a murder there must be a reason-we're looking for the reason. The reason will lead us to the man."

"From what I heard, you haven't any clue as to what the reason might be." His glance, razor-sharp, touched her face; Honoria tried not to look conscious.

"Tolly lived a full life. While I'm going over the ground here, the others are quartering London-the balls, the hells-anywhere a Cynster might have been."

Recalling the assignments he'd delegated to his cousins, Honoria frowned. "Was Tolly particularly partial to cats?" Devil stared at her, his expression utterly blank.

"The catteries?"

He blinked, slowly, then his gaze, devoid of expression, met hers. "The salons. Of the demimonde."

Honoria managed to keep the shock from her eyes. "He was only twenty."

"So?" The word dripped arrogance. "Cynsters start young."

He was the archetype-presumably he knew. Honoria decided to leave that subject-Devil had stepped into the undergrowth. "What are you looking for? A gun?"

"Tolly didn't carry a gun."

"So?" Her version dripped impatience.

His lips thinned. "I'm looking for anything that shouldn't be here." He stopped and looked around. "The wind could have blown things either side of the lane."

It was a daunting task. While Devil tramped back the undergrowth close by where Tolly had fallen, Honoria peered and poked at the verges farther along the lane. A strong stick in one hand, she followed in his wake, prodded likely-looking clumps of grass and lifted leaf mold. Devil glanced around and grunted, then continued more swiftly, scanning the area as he went, leaving the finer details to her.

When they'd covered an area going back a yard from the lane, Honoria straightened and pushed back the feather trying to poke her in the eye. "Why do you think Tolly was in the lane?"

Devil answered without looking up. "I assume he was coming to the Place."

"Your aunt thought it likely he was coming to seek your advice."

He looked up at that. "You asked Aunt Louise?"

His tone had Honoria straightening to attention. "We were just chatting-she doesn't suspect anything." His censorious expression didn't alter; gesturing airily, she shrugged. "You said it was a highwayman, so it was a highwayman. Everyone believes it-even your mother."

"Thank God for that." With a last, saber-edged glance, Devil returned to his search. "The last thing I need is females interfering."

"Indeed?" Wielding her stick, she scattered a pile of leaves. "I suppose it never occurred to you that we females might contribute something?"

"If you saw the contribution my mother thought of making you wouldn't ask. She penned a note to the magistrate that would have made his hair stand on end-if he could have deciphered it."

Honoria flicked over a clod. "If we weren't left feeling so frustratingly helpless-set to one side and told to knit mittens-perhaps we wouldn't react quite so wildly." Swinging about, she waved her stick at him. "Just think how frustrated you would feel if you knew you, personally, could never achieve anything."

He looked at her-steadily-for what seemed a long tune. Then his features hardened; he gestured at the ground. "Just keep searching."

Though they searched both sides of the lane, they found precisely nothing. Remounting, they cantered through the fields, then through the gate into the park, both absorbed with thoughts of Tolly's death.

As they rode between the ranks of golden poplars, Honoria glanced at Devil. "Your aunt intends to give you the silver hip flask you gave Tolly for his birthday as a keepsake-he had it on him when he was shot." When he merely nodded, his gaze fixed ahead, she added somewhat tartly: "It seems the 'highwayman' forgot it."

That got her a glance-a warning one.

"Your aunt also mentioned," she plowed on, "that if he was in trouble, Tolly would turn to you first, as head of the family, rather than to his father or Charles. Do you think that the reason he was killed could be the same as his reason for seeking you?"

Devil's gaze sharpened; in that instant, Honoria knew triumph. She'd beaten him to that conclusion, and he thought she was right. He said nothing, however, until they reached the stable yard. Lifting her down, he held her before him. "Don't say anything to Maman or Aunt Louise-there's no need to start hares."

Honoria met his gaze with one of bland hauteur.

"And if you should hear or discover anything, tell me."

She opened her eyes innocently wide. "and you'll tell me whatever you discover?" His expression turned grim. "Don't press your luck Honoria Prudence."