The Devil You Know by Victoria Vane Read Free Book Online

better.
    “Then I ask what would you require by way of incentive to al-
    low me to buy the paper? Would ten percent suffice?”
    “I raise my glass to you, my lard. It’s not often I find such
    like-mindedness in the nobility. I think we can do business for
    twenty.”
    “While I am eager to assist my friends, sir, I don’t readily ac-
    cept extortion. Twelve is my final offer.”
    “Then twelve it is.” With a broad smile, O’Kelly spit on his
    hand and offered it to DeVere.
    Diana rose from her
    ***
    bed at the clattering sound of carriage
    wheels and iron shod hooves on the cobbles below. Drawing
    aside the velvet drapes of the second story window, she peered
    down to watch the trio pull Reggie’s slumped form out of the car-
    riage. Shouldered between Ned and Hew, they half-carried and
    half-dragged him into the house. At first she deliberated going
    downstairs to meet them, but knew any conversation with Reggie
    in his current state of inebriation would be pointless.
    As proof of her wisdom, only moments later, muffled curses
    and snatches of drunken song assailed her ears through the dress-
    ing room separating his and her bedchambers. Relieved that he
    had at least arrived safely, she shed her wrapper and climbed
    back into bed. Yet sleep eluded her. Diana lay there wondering
    morosely if this was all she had to look forward to for the next
    twenty or thirty years.
    As a dutiful daughter, she had wed the groom of her father’s
    choosing, a genial country gentleman with a love of hunting and a
    strong penchant for claret, a man exactly like her own father. But
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    Victoria Vane
    unlike her mother, Diana had found little satisfaction in ordering
    her extensive household like a well-run regiment and in filling
    her days with a frenzy of domestic activity while her husband
    attended to his hounds, horses…and whores. She could only as-
    sume the latter. In the past few years, Reggie’s drinking and for-
    ays to races and hunting events had increased, while his visits
    to her bedchamber steadily declined, leaving her to imagine the
    worst. When he was in drink, Diana had learned to bolt her door,
    and eventually, he had ceased to molest her altogether.
    In recent months, they had rarely crossed paths at all and
    even then, had barely spoken beyond the polite civilities. Now
    at only eight and twenty, Diana was restless in body, withering
    in spirit, and growing daily more embittered by disillusionment.
    She pondered how her life might have been different, had she
    never wed at all and if she might one day find the contentment in
    widowhood that she had never known in marriage. She further
    speculated on how soon that day might actually come, a thought
    that shocked her and filled her with guilt.
    Of course, she would never wish any actual harm to Reggie.
    Yet years ago, she used to lay awake in bed until the wee hours
    awaiting his stumbling step up the staircase. Now she slept
    soundly whether he was at home or not. And when she imagined
    him not coming home at all, the thought no longer disturbed her
    peace. Try as she might, she could never seem to command any
    sense of grief or remorse.
    She wished things could have been different, but knew the
    relationship was far beyond hope of repair. She had entered the
    marriage with quiet optimism that in time, affection, if not love,
    would develop. But she now questioned whether she still had any
    capacity for love at all or if her heart had dried up altogether, leav-
    ing in its place just a hollow shell.
    Unable to sleep, but not desiring to disturb her maid, Diana
    donned her wrapper. Wondering if a glass of wine and a book
    might sooth her restlessness, she lit a candle and softly descended
    the stairs, thinking to seek both of these in DeVere’s library.
    DeVere gav
    ***
    e Ned a wolfish smile. “Repique.”
    “Blast it all! Ned threw down his hand. “I can never win
    against you!”
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    The Devil You Know
    “Far be it for me to discourage you from