Unmasked By A Devil (The Deville Brothers Book 5), page 16
He frowned. “Why did you not tell me?”
“I don’t know. I just didn’t.”
He studied her as if he could read what she was not saying.
“They may suspect, Monty.” Mary looked at her friend.
“I doubt that. I threw a lucky punch and then wailed loudly over the pain. People see exactly what they want, dear Mary. Fret not. But in future, do not hold things from me.”
“I won’t, I promise.”
Zachariel Deville was part of Alexius?
It was hard to believe the devil-may-care rake, who flirted with every woman he met was part of the elite force that made up Alexius.
“Are you sure he is a member of Alexius, Monty?”
“If you mean Zachariel Deville, then yes I am.”
It made her head swim. How often had he been put in a dangerous situation? Had his life been threatened?
“I have often wondered about the animosity between you and he, Mary.”
“We hate each other,” she said shortly. “There is no more to it than that.” Except that kiss.
“If you insist, but I think you doth protest too much, fair lady.” He pulled out a lavender-scented handkerchief and bowed. “And now I must get you back to your feebleminded, self-important, sister.”
Mary sighed. “She was actually pleasant to me briefly today. Of course it did not last.”
“I am amazed you have not trained her better, considering the harridan I know you can be.”
She pinched his arm.
“Shrew.”
“Pompous twit.”
“Mary, before we go, there is something else I want to tell you. Geraint told me he believes there is a traitor among Alexius.”
“No,” Mary gasped.
“Yes. I doubt anyone knows about you, but remain vigilant anyway, because we have no wish for that to change.”
“It is not I who am in danger, Monty, but you. If it got out—”
“It won’t. Now we must go.”
“Come, Aggie.” She collected her maid from outside the tent, her head reeling at what she’d learned.
“Brace yourself,” Monty whispered in her ear as they started walking back to her mother and sister.
“What? Why?” She shot him a look, but he was staring straight ahead.
Following his gaze, she realized why he’d said what he had. The Deville family, all of them, were coming toward them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Smile, act as if you have done nothing greater than look at satin. You’ve been acting for years, Mary. This need be no different.”
She sucked in a deep breath, then released it slowly.
“Good girl.”
“La!” Monty gushed. “So much handsomeness and beauty is coming toward us, Miss Mary Blake!”
She’d always admired his ability to turn off and on his silly persona. The man should really be treading the boards at Drury Lane—he would make an absolute fortune.
Zach was holding the hand of Forrest Howarth’s daughter, Ella. Her heart squeezed at seeing the way he smiled down at the child.
Monty’s fingers pinched her arm. The small sting of pain was just what she needed.
“And now if you will release me, I can get back to my family, Lord Plunge. I have told you the crimson is far too gaudy and yet you purchased it. One wonders why you needed me!”
She stepped away from Monty and then glared at him.
“Never ask me to select your fabrics again!”
“My heart is broken!” Monty fished a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it to his nose. “How can you say such hurtful things to me? That crimson is exquisite!”
“Problem?” Zach said.
“No. Excuse me, I must return to my family. That is twenty minutes of my life I will never get back,” Mary then uttered.
“Why are you being dramatic, Mary?” Beth asked.
“I am not being dramatic. But Lord Plunge insisted he needed a woman’s opinion on his fabric choice, and Phillipa refused, so I went.”
“You are never petulant either,” Dimity said.
Clearly in her haste to throw the Devilles off the scent, her acting skills had failed her.
“I am not feeling quite myself today. Forgive me, Lord Plunge.” She then dropped into a curtsey.
“Here.” Monty thrust a handkerchief her way. “This will help revive your flagging spirits, my dear sweet lady.”
Mary took the scrap of lavender-infused material.
“Are you well after your altercation last night, Lord Plunge?” Zach asked.
Mary shot him a look, but she saw no suspicion in his eyes.
“I was quite fatigued when I returned to my home, as was my cousin. But our spirits were revived after a good night’s sleep,” Monty said. “To be set upon like that by those ruffians was terrifying. Many thanks to you, sir, for your help.” Monty smiled at Zach.
“And your cousin? Is she here with you today?” Nathan Deville asked.
“No, Lucienne does not like fairs.” Plunge sighed theatrically. “She is resting today after the night’s activities. We shall share a light supper when I return home. But she has commissioned me to purchase her some sweets.”
“Well then, don’t let us hold you up,” Lord Raine said. “It would not do to have them sold out.”
Monty bowed deeply all the while waving his handkerchief about. He then rose and minced away with his two footmen in tow. The man could certainly make an exit.
“Would you like to walk with us, Mary?” Beth asked.
“I must return to my family first, Beth. I will see you later.”
Her friend frowned at her like something was not quite right, but she couldn’t place what.
“You want to return to your family?”
“I need to assure Mother I am all right.” She didn’t meet her friend’s eyes. “She asked me to do so when I returned from accompanying Lord Plunge.”
“I’ll escort you. It is not a place to walk about alone,” Zach said.
“I have my maid. There is no need.”
“There is every need.”
She felt him take her hand and place it on his arm. He then held it there, securing her to his side.
“I will return soon,” he then told his family. “You all go on, and I will catch you up.”
Zach walked, and as Mary was attached to him, she had to move too.
“I do not need an escort, sir. I am not an innocent debutante.”
“You are hardly old, Mary.”
The muscles in his jaw bunched, but he didn’t speak. Simply navigated them around patrons. Aggie followed.
“Did you not sleep well last night, Mary?”
“I-pardon?” Her words came out shrill.
“You said you are not feeling yourself today. I wondered if it was due to lack of sleep.”
She looked at him and then away. His expression was still calm.
“My sleep or lack thereof is no concern of yours.” She would annoy him, that usually worked to get him off track. She’d been doing it for years after all.
“You are a friend. Of course it concerns me.”
“We are not friends. We are enemies!” Damn, she still sounded shrill.
“I do believe that hurts, Mary.”
Why was he mocking her and not arguing right back? She shot him another look, and there was absolutely no humor in his face. What game was he playing?
Did he know she was Madame Lucienne? Of course he didn’t. How could he?
No. Zachariel Deville was not a man to hold on to information like that. He would have confronted her by now.
“Mary, if ever you need me for any reason, you have only to send word.”
“Wh-what? Pardon,” she added quickly.
“I’m sure you heard what I just said.” He stopped and then turned her to face him.
“Why would I need you? I have a father and other friends who do not—”
“Who do not antagonize you like I do?”
“Exactly. Now I have no idea what this”—she pointed to him and then back to her chest—“is about, but it will now be put behind us.”
“It, being the kiss—”
“I said we were never to mention that again,” Mary hissed.
“I’m not sure I can follow your dictate.” His voice was deep, and she’d never heard that tone when he spoke to her before. Mocking, yes. Angry, definitely, but not sincere.
“Why not?”
His eyes held hers for long drawn-out seconds, and she could lose herself in the blue depths.
“It matters not,” Mary said briskly because that look had flustered her. “I see my mother and sister. Good day, sir.” She dropped into a quick curtsey. Rising, she hurried away.
His fingers wrapped around her arm before she’d taken two steps.
“You are not walking anywhere here alone.” The words were growled into her ear. He then pulled her to his side once more. She briefly felt the heat from his large body and then he released her.
“I can see them, there is no n—”
“There is every need. It can be a dangerous world we live in. Many would see a sweet young lady like you and wish to take advantage. I cannot allow that to happen.”
“Zach, stop this,” she whispered.
“What?”
“You being different. You c-caring.”
“I do care, Mary.”
She didn’t know how to answer that. Her insides felt fluttery, and her head wasn’t sitting on her shoulders correctly all of a sudden. Why was he speaking to her like this?
“You look lovely today, by the way. I like your new clothes.”
“I, ah, thank you. It does not sit well that your brother and his wife clothed me.”
“They can afford it. Gabe is ridiculously wealthy.”
Her laugh sounded high-pitched and bordering on hysterical. “I’m not sure you should be speaking to me about something like that.”
“We are friends, and friends talk about all kinds of things with each other.”
Why did she feel as if his words had a deeper meaning, as if he was trying to convey something to her?
“I don’t see how two people who have been as we are can be friends.”
They stopped just behind the table her family sat at, as yet unseen.
“Many things in life are changeable, Mary. Perhaps we are too?” He then released her, bowed deeply after impaling her with another intent look, and walked away.
“Dear Lord, what was that about?”
He was part of Alexius too.
She felt at sea suddenly. Like her moorings had been cut and she was drifting in an ocean of uncertainty.
He couldn’t know I am Madame Lucienne… could he?
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
If Zach had any doubts about Mary being Madame Lucienne, seeing her walking toward him with Plunge confirmed his suspicions. That and her nervousness. Mary was never nervous around Zach.
Not telling her he knew her secret identity in that moment was one of the hardest things he had ever done, and there had been plenty of challenging moments in his life. Especially since he’d joined Alexius.
“Well done,” Forrest said when he reached him. “You did the right thing in not telling Mary we know who she is, Zach.”
“I wanted to.”
“For now you must not. Confronting her here today would be unwise. When you do, it must be in private and hopefully with more proof and facts than we currently have.”
Forrest was right, Zach knew that, but he wanted to gnash his teeth at the delay.
“I have been giving thought to Mary and Plunge being part of Alexius. After all, you thought you heard a woman’s voice outside the church that time when we were searching for Ruby. Remember, you said you heard five knocks instead of four.”
“I know what I heard but struggle to believe there are women in Alexius. No man would allow it. Not us”—Zach raised his hand as Forrest opened his mouth to no doubt tell him what he thought of that statement—“but the king and Geraint would never countenance it, surely?”
“You are right, of course.”
“What possible reason could she have to be part of it and why?”
“Perhaps her father—”
“You think Lord Blake would allow his youngest daughter to step into danger because he is part of Alexius?”
“I’m just stating that the idea has strength, and we cannot dismiss it. We have no idea what relationship Lord Blake has with his youngest daughter.”
Zach’s eyes narrowed as he looked at his cousin. “No, we cannot discount it no matter how much I have tried. The fact that Mary is Madame Lucienne tells me that nothing can be dismissed.”
“I know this is hard to understand, Zach.”
“My head hurts.” He pressed his thumb between his brows. “None of it makes sense, which is why I need to confront Mary.”
“Or Plunge?” Forrest said. “Perhaps he is the one we should crack first?”
“Like an egg,” Zach muttered.
“Why are you looking confused?” Gabe said. He moved to stand beside Forrest and stare at Zach. “More confused than you usually do.”
“It’s the Mary and Plunge thing,” Forrest said. “We were discussing the theory of them being part of ‘you know what.’”
“What?”
Forrest leaned in and tapped Gabe’s ring.
“Ah, I see.”
“For an earl, you are not terribly sharp,” Zach said.
“Sharper than you, little brother,” Gabe said. “And as you are weary and unsettled today, I will understand your foul humor.”
Zach sighed. “Very accommodating of you, big brother. And now I need to walk again. Preferably away from the Blake family.”
“That way then.” Gabe pointed left. Mary was seated to the right.
He took his niece’s hand again. “We need to view all the wonderful sights and purchase sweets so your teeth will rot,” Zach said. “You too, Adam. I must corrupt you also.”
“I’m coming,” Nathan said. “If there is actually going to be sweets in my future.”
“And me,” Daniel Dillinger, Abby’s husband, said.
“We will stay and watch over the others while you take the children and spoil them,” Michael said.
Zach raised a hand, and they began walking to the stalls and away from Mary. He purchased toffee and peppermint sticks. A doll caught Ella’s eye, so Daniel bought it for her. Zach then haggled over a dog carved in wood with the seller until they were both happy. He then gave it to Toby, which made the boy smile. He called it Lion.
“An excellent name for a dog in my mind,” Forrest said.
“Where is Adam?” Zach looked for the boy as Nathan did the same.
“There.”
Following his brother’s outstretched arm, he found Ruby’s brother surrounded by five young men. Zach started toward him, but Daniel’s hand stopped him.
“Move so they don’t know you’re there but are within hearing range,” Daniel cautioned. “He needs to be able to protect himself.”
“I hate that you’re right,” Nathan muttered.
“He’s going to get more of that kind of behavior,” Daniel added. “I’ll watch these two from here and purchase them more sugar to quiet them,” he said, taking Ella and Toby in hand.
Nathan and Zach moved close enough to hear what was being said but far enough back that they weren’t immediately noticeable if Adam didn’t turn.
“You can’t throw that ball and remain upright,” one of the men was saying to Adam. He then nudged one of Adam’s crutches with his foot.
Zach’s blood started to simmer, but he stayed where he was, waiting and ready should he be needed.
“You’re lame,” another said.
“But I have intelligence, I wonder if the same can be said of you lot.”
Zach snorted at Adam’s words.
“We’re intelligent!” One of the men howled in outrage. “And could beat you easily, gimpy.”
Zach muttered something under his breath.
“Would you like to challenge me to knife throwing, then?” Adam pointed to a target that had been set up in the rear of a tent before them.
“You’ll lose because you can’t balance,” one of the boys said.
“Were we ever like that?” Nathan asked him.
“No, but maybe with each other.”
They watched as Adam took money out of his pocket, and Zach had to stop himself from going to the boy to show his support and sending the others on their way. Adam had to be able to look after himself. Daniel was right.
The proprietor was more than happy to take their money and hand over the knives.
“And rescue comes,” Nathan said softly.
Zach looked left and then right and saw her. Mary was standing at the stall beside Adam, with her maid. Her family were a few feet away in discussion with the Trent family who had two sons and a daughter. One of the sons was of marriageable age, and Phillipa was gushing all over him.
“She is not stepping in. That will make matters worse,” Zach said. He also did not want those boys saying anything to upset Mary. He was angry with her, but that didn’t mean he would allow anyone to insult her. Which told him what? Nothing he cared to examine—that much he was certain of.
“Beth told me she and the others often go walking with Adam and Mary in the park and that he and Mary have become friends,” Nathan said.
Zach grunted a response but kept his eyes on what was playing out before the knife-throwing booth.
He’d never really been aware of Mary, but now he was, he saw her beauty. It wasn’t in the clothes—it was in her face and the way she carried herself.
Why did I not see her before? Because he’d been a blind idiot.
“Wait.” Nathan grabbed his arm as Zach began to move again.
“I won’t have her upset by those men.” Zach said the words before he’d given them thought.
“Really? Mary? The same Mary you have to apologize to at least twice a month for insulting?”
Zach ignored his brother. Looking at her, a sudden idea of how he could find out for certain if she was part of Alexius or not formed in his head.
