Devil's Daughter (Devil 2)

They heard her laugh as their father murmured something they couldn’t hear. Then he straightened and said, “Well, Adam, I see you have as much difficulty controlling our women as do I.”

“Sir,” Adam said, “I would as soon face down a hurricane.”

His father merely smiled, his fingers tightening about his wife’s hand. “With two such women, Adam, I am only surprised you were not delivered to me trussed up like a chicken.”

“You see, Adam,” Bella said to her brother, “I told you Father wouldn’t mind.”

“That I did not say,” the earl said, beckoning his daughter into his arms.

“Behold your women, Father,” Arabella said, giving him her most brilliant smile. “We are here to solve your problems for you. Surely you did not expect Adam would be your sole support.”

“Indeed,” the earl said, smiling lazily toward his son, “I suppose that even the best of us occasionally have need of a woman.”

“Bella,” the countess said, “I do not know if we have been complimented or insulted.”

“Bella I will insult, my dear,” the earl said. “You I will appreciate. So, daughter, you left a bereft Eversley to come adventuring?”

Arabella shrugged indifferently. “I forgot him, Papa, our second day out.”

“It is just as well. Eversley, for all his noble antecedents, would likely not do for you, I’m afraid. He is, I think, rather too . . . tame in his tastes.”

“Father,” Adam said abruptly, “have you discovered what has happened to our ships?”

“Perhaps, indirectly,” his father said calmly. “I will tell you about it after you have settled in.”

Adam seemed impatient, and his father added, “It has been over five months since I have seen your beautiful mother. Keep your sister out of mischief until dinner.”

Arabella watched her parents walk arm in arm from the library, her fair head raised to his dark one. “They are likely going to be silly and make love,” she said.

“What would you know about that, little chit?”

“I know a thing or two, Adam,” she said, grinning.

“Bosh,” Adam said.

“For instance,” she continued, her eyes downcast so he wouldn’t see the wicked gleam, “I know it begins with taking off one’s clothes.” She wrinkled her nose and paced about the library for a moment. “Eversley kissed me once. I hated it. His lips were all wet, and he tried to make me open my mouth.”

“Is that all?” Adam asked.

“It was quite enough, thank you. I kicked him in the shin.” Arabella saw a dangerous glitter in his midnight-blue eyes, and narrowed her own, deciding she had goaded him enough. “Really, Adam, I wish you would stop acting like a silly, overprotective man. I can quite take care of myself.” She was thoughtful a moment, then added in a spurt of candor, “I shouldn’t like to have taken my clothes off with Eversley.”

“Thank God for that. There’s quite a bit more to love than just kissing and quoting poetry, Bella, and taking off your clothes, for that matter. You should be careful of men who would try to take advantage of you.”

“And you know all about them?”

“A man learns some things early in life.”

“Well,” she said, her hands on her hips, “I believe I shall learn all about it too. The world is half women, Adam.”

“To my everlasting pleasure.”

Arabella gazed upward. “Do you think you’ll still want to do all that sort of thing when you’re older, like Mother and Father?”

Adam burst into laughter. “I will be older, but I will not be dead.”

Rosina, the housekeeper

, appeared in the doorway, and Adam finished under his breath, “This isn’t proper talk, Bella.” He turned swiftly to Rosina and gave her a big grin. “You are more beautiful than ever, signora,” he said in Italian.