“Speak of the Devil and he appears,” Rafe said wryly. “And he does look rather furious, doesn’t he?”
Chapter 17
Thea shivered. Even though she stared at Ventnor—and yes, a rather furious-looking Ventnor—she could hardly believe he was there.
He did not belong here, in this strange place Brinkley End had become. He was too real. She could not even fathom how he had arrived. Perhaps he had appeared in a puff of smoke the moment Rafe spoke her name and ended their enchantment.
“Get up here now, Luxborough!” Ventnor shouted.
Thea and Rafe ignored him.
“You’re cold. Go inside and change,” Rafe said. “I’ll deal with him.”
He reached for her and she yanked her arm away. “Don’t touch me!”
Rafe hurtled back so fast waves washed around her. Another stone landed beside Rafe’s head, the water splashing his face.
“Would you two be so courteous as to have your lovers’ tiff some other time?” Ventnor called. “I demand you talk to me.”
For a long while, Rafe studied her. Then, with a sigh, he headed for the shore. Thea tried to follow, but her dress dragged against her and she slipped in the mud.
“Wait!” she cried. “My skirts.”
Rafe turned. “Do you need me to carry you?”
“I despise you right now.”
“Yes, but do you need me to carry you?”
“If you would.”
He waded back to her. “Put your arms around my neck.” She hesitated. Ventnor yelled again but neither paid him any mind. “It didn’t bother you a moment ago,” Rafe growled.
“A moment ago, I didn’t know you were a lying, betraying, deviously deceitful liar.”
“Exquisite sentiment from a woman who faked her identity, knowingly entered into a fraudulent marriage, and used my money to buy items to resell.”
“It’s only what you deserved.”
“Probably. Now put your arms around my neck so I can bloody well get you out of here.”
This time, she obeyed, and tried not to enjoy the feeling of being lifted out of the water and carried to the bank.
Ventnor sneered and shook his ebony cane at them. “You two disgust me. Canoodling in the water like a pair of stray dogs.”
“Stray otters, if you please,” Thea snapped.
Well, look at that. He no longer frightened her. Perhaps she was too hurt and confused and guilty to feel any fear. Or perhaps it was the effect of being in Rafe’s arms, which made her feel bolder and uncaring of Ventnor’s ire.
Even though Rafe was a devious, deceitful, beastly beast of a lying liar.
“Careful, Ventnor.” Rafe lowered Thea to the ground beside his discarded clothes. “Or you might find yourself taking a swim too.”
“Do not threaten me, you scoundrel.”
“Put that on.” Rafe tossed his coat to Thea. “Get inside and warm up. I’ll handle him.”
Water still trickling down his bare skin, Rafe shook out his breeches and yanked them on. Thea averted her eyes and fought her wet dress to shove her arms into the coat’s sleeves. She gathered the lapels under her chin, and tried to work out what was going on.
“Luxborough, you have made a complete mess of everything,” Ventnor said.
“Hmm?”
Ventnor pointed the silver knob of his walking stick at Thea. “That woman is not Helen Knight.”
“Hmm.”
“I sent you to stop Helen Knight from sneaking off to beguile Beau. You said you accomplished that by marrying her yourself, but you married the wrong woman, you blithering muttonhead!”
Rafe straightened and fastened his falls, looking as unbothered as Ventnor was riled. He shook the water from his hair and pulled on his shirt; it clung to his wet skin, but he didn’t seem to care. Thea looked from one man to the other, as confused as if she had walked onstage in the middle of a play, and she did not know what the story was, or who was the hero and who was the villain, or if she was the heroine or a hapless fool.
“You sent me off to do your dirty work and expected me to obey your commands. Who’s really the blithering muttonhead, Ventnor?”
“My heir is married to a shop girl because you cannot follow a simple instruction.”
Rafe started gathering up his boots and the rest of his clothing. “Your heir is married to the woman of his own choosing because he could no longer tolerate you treating him like a child.”
“You promised to keep Helen Knight away from Beau in exchange for the orchids.”
“I lied.”
“I want those orchids back.”
“Oh, go away, Ventnor.”
“I don’t understand,” Thea said to Rafe. “You seem to loathe him, but I thought you were allies. He’s your father-in-law.”