"What is this?" George asked skeptically, accepting the packet of doc.u.ments.

"The deed to your home, in your name, all debt satisfied. The address is also there, where your furnishings are stored. I have also set about correcting the rumors about your financial straits. Your presence again in England confirms the falseness of the original rumors. If you have any further difficulty over this matter-"

"I will see to it myself."

"As you wish," Vincent replied, realizing he was insulting the man in implying that he couldn't handle the situation on his own. "I merely didn't want you to have to be bothered correcting what I set in motion, if I have overlooked any other effects it might have had."

"If you wish to make amends, do so by staying away from me and my family, so we can forget that you exist. What you did to me is moot, even somewhat understandable. What you did to my daughter-"

"Had nothing to do with this." "Do you really expect me to believe that?" "It's true only that had I not begun this, I wouldn't have met Larissa. But from the moment I saw her, I was smitten beyond anything in my experience. I'll admit I lied to myself. She was off-limits to me by normal means. I couldn't marry her because she was your daughter, the daughter of an enemy. Yet I couldn't not try to make her mine. So revenge became merely an excuse for me to ignore my own conscience in the matter."

"You're talking about an innocent child that you took advantage of!"

"I'm talking about the woman I love. She's a child only in your mind, sir. And had you not returned when you did, I would have tossed all my efforts to the wind to obtain the only goal that has any meaning for me now-I would have begged her to marry me."

George snorted his skepticism. "Convenient to say when you know she won't have you, that she despises you for what you did to her."

Vincent sighed. "Not convenient, merely late in the discovery. Even on Christmas eve, I hadn't yet realized just how much I love her. I had done everything possible to keep her in my house. I lied to her, misled her, just to keep her from leaving me."

"You admit that?"

"Yes. I was still convinced that marriage was out of the question, a betrayal, as it were, to my brother. But on Christmas morning she finally demanded to know if my intentions were honorable as she'd a.s.sumed or not, and if not, she was leaving me. I knew then that revenge was meaningless in comparison to losing her. But before I could let her know that, you arrived."

"You hardly sounded as if you had just come to that realization during our discourse."

"My anger with you got in the way."

"I will consider that fortunate for my family," George replied stiffly. "Now if you are finished, Lord Everett, I don't believe we have anything further to say."

"Will you allow me to see your daughter? She is owed an apology as well-"

"She is owed some peace over this matter, or don't you realize how devastated she was by your revelations. She is only just beginning to recover. Stay away from her."

CHAPTER 25.

Stay away from her? Vincent couldn't. He would have liked to have permission to approach Larissa, but with it or without it, he had to see her. But she didn't return to London so that he could.

George moved back into the London house, had their furnishings fetched and reinstalled, and filled the place with servants again. He'd been quite busy, taking care of normal business that required his attention after such a long absence, as well as visiting all those merchants who had panicked at the first hint that he had deserted England.

The reports that Vincent was receiving were that a lot of groveling was done by the merchants. Not unexpected of a merchant cla.s.s that depended on the goodwill of their customers. Whether George was forgiving or not was moot and of little interest to Vincent. The people he had following George were reporting basic actions, they weren't getting close enough to overhear conversations.

The empty town house was a home again by the end of the year, but a home without children; at least Larissa and Thomas hadn't returned to it yet. Vincent was beginning to worry that Larissa wasn't going to return at all, and because of him. Not an unfounded worry. George could have sent her word about their meeting and his desire to see her. Her absence in London could well be her response to that. Which was why, when Ascot left London, Vincent was not far behind him.

Portsmouth turned out to be the final destination. Vincent wasn't surprised. He'd actually had the inns and hotels searched there, being aware that was where the Ascots had lived prior to relocating in London. With no luck, of course. But a little information had been gathered about the Applebees before he knocked on their door the next day, so he knew these were old friends of the Ascots.

He wasn't denied entry. He might have been. But the Applebees' butler apparently hadn't been warned to turn him away. But then the Ascots probably hadn't expected him to show up in Portsmouth either. He still didn't hold much hope of actually seeing Larissa, though. She'd be told he was there. It would be her decision and likely a denial. But he got lucky ...

Larissa stopped halfway down the stairs when she saw Vincent being led to the parlor. The urge was to turn about abruptly. She didn't want to talk to him again-ever. But it would be cowardly to rush back to her room, and besides, her anger wouldn't let her do it. She wasn't numbed by shock this time. Her anger brought her down to the bottom of the stairs, where he had moved to the moment he saw her.

She was going to slap him, as hard as she could. An action worth a thousand words so there would be no mistaking what she felt for him now. But she didn't do it. Standing that close, she was caught by the golden glow in his eyes, then entrapped for several long moments as her body reacted in myriad ways to being near to him again.

Good G.o.d, how could she still be attracted to him? How could she desire him still, when she despised him beyond reason? When his hand reached toward her cheek, her knees nearly buckled. His caress was imminent. It was going to destroy her resolve and make her forget, briefly, why she never wanted to see him again.

"Larissa-"

"Don't touch me!"

She jumped back, nearly tripped on the stairs. Her pulse was racing. That had been too close, her senses returning nearly too late to stop him.

"Don't touch me again," she repeated in a calmer, though scathing tone. "You use that as a tactic to bend my will to yours, but I'm aware of that now and won't be-"

"Larissa, marry me."

Moisture sprang immediately to her eyes. "You ask too late."

"I know, but to not ask would be one more regret to add to the rest."

She should have turned to leave then. She should have ignored the pain in his eyes that was ripping at her heart. That she couldn't bear to walk away from him yet infuriated her, and that came out in her tone.

"Nothing you can say will rectify what you've done, so why do you put us both through this?"

"Because I need to wipe the slate clean, and there are still things you don't know that must be confessed before I can do that."

"Your needs are no longer a concern of mine."

"Hear me out at least. It won't take much of your time. And I actually have more fuel for you to add to the fire, lies I told you, and why I did."

"I've already realized that just about everything you've ever said to me was a lie," she replied. "There's no need to confirm that."

"Hardly everything," he said with a sigh.

She had the feeling he wanted to caress her again. Was he experiencing the same pull that she was, which was almost irresistible? Very well, so perhaps he hadn't hated touching her, hadn't laughed at how easy it had been to seduce her. Perhaps this powerful attraction really was mutual. But that changed nothing. He had still used her to get at her father. He hadn't hesitated to trample the innocent on the path to his goals.

It was probably guilt that had brought him there. She understood why he might be feeling it now. But she didn't care. She was done feeling sympathy for a man who didn't deserve it. And a.s.suaging his guilt would only be a benefit to him. It would be nothing but pain to her, to hear it all spelled out, how he'd used her.

Yet the words came out before she could stop them. "Make your confession, but please keep it brief."

He nodded. He smiled softly. He had to stuff his hands in his pockets to keep from touching her.

"The lie began from the start. I brought you to my house because from the moment I first saw you, I wanted you. That had nothing at all to do with your father. He would have been easy enough to find at his office, once he returned. Fortunately, you didn't point that out when I mentioned needing an address so I could find him."

"I was too upset that night to think of anything," she said in her defense.

"That was rather obvious and to my benefit, because I was so taken with you, I wasn't thinking very clearly myself, so probably wouldn't have been able to come up with a better excuse to move you into my house. But it worked. You moved in. And then I faced the dilemma of how to keep you under my roof as long as possible, because I couldn't bear the thought of being denied even one extra day with you, when I'd already accepted the fact that our time together would be limited, and end, once your father returned. Keeping you without funds or the need for them was my solution to that."

"Need for them?"

"You had mentioned your brother would need a physician, so I had mine summoned for you. His visit wasn't an annual occurrence as you were told, he was there specifically to see to your brother."

"One kindness on your part doesn't excuse-"

"Rissa, that was no kindness, that was to keep you from selling any of your possessions to pay for a physician, which would leave you with coins in hand to find lodging elsewhere. To further insure that you wouldn't be selling anything, I invented that excuse to lock up your jewels. My servants are actually all quite trustworthy."

"Had I requested them back?"

"The key to my safe would have conveniently- for me-gone missing."

After that confession, it occurred to her to ask, "There was never a theft at the warehouse where our things were stored, was there?"

"No. I merely had anything of value there moved to a different location, in case you wanted to go there to see what was left. It would have all been returned to you, which was why I mentioned my own involvement in searching for the 'thieves,' so you wouldn't wonder at how easily the items could be recovered. Stealing from your family wasn't on my agenda."

"No, just thoroughly ruining us."

The bitterness in her tone was thick enough to cut, bringing a frown to his brow. "Are you deliberately failing to see that these are two unrelated issues?"

"Hardly unrelated when you managed to accomplish two goals with one-"

"From the moment you entered my house," he cut in, "your father was all but forgotten in my mind. I lived and breathed you. You consumed my every thought. Everything I did was done to obtain you. But I convinced myself that the only way I could have you was with the excuse of revenge. I couldn't have you by normal means, couldn't marry you because your father was my enemy-"

"He was never your enemy."

"At the time he was. In my mind he was. At least allow that what one believes is a truth for him for however long he believes it. I saw your father as being directly responsible for my brother's ruination, which also made him indirectly responsible for his death. Yet I was merely going to ruin him financially. I wasn't going to exact any harsher revenge. An eye for an eye, as it were. He could rebuild, reestablish. Albert was dead, or so I thought. Your father wasn't."

"Why are you telling me this when it doesn't pertain to me? You seduced me with no intention of marrying me. That pertains to me! Admit it."

"I have admitted it. I merely wanted you to know why I felt that I couldn't marry you, and why it finally didn't matter."

"I know why it doesn't matter. My father told me your brother isn't dead as you'd thought, He was your motive; now you have none. That doesn't excuse what pa.s.sed before."

"He told you that, but he didn't tell you I'd already realized it was over before then, before your father arrived Christmas morning. Or don't you remember what we were discussing just prior to his showing up?"

"I recall you saying you couldn't marry me because of my father."

"After that, Rissa. I realized during that conversation that you were all that mattered to me. I told you so; if you'll try to remember. The vendetta was over as far as I was concerned. I even tried to tell your father that nothing had been done that couldn't be rectified, but you interrupted with your interpretation of what I'd done."

When he was admitting to all these lies, what he was telling her now was to be believed? She'd be a fool to let him dupe her again, but then she was a fool for standing there listening to him at all.

"Are you done confessing?"

It was probably her stiffness that made him realize he was getting nowhere with her, that nothing would breach the sh.e.l.l of her bitterness. His expression turned so sad it nearly made her cry. But she wasn't going to relent, she wasn't. . .

"No, actually, you might as well know that I was in your room that night, the night you thought I was, awake, and driving myself crazy with wanting you. That silly story about sleepwalking was a lie. The locks were put on your doors because I couldn't trust myself not to enter your room again without permission."

"And what you told me of your past, to gain my sympathy?" she recalled. "All lies as well."

"Your sympathy is a wonderful thing, Rissa, and yes, I used it. But it wasn't necessary to invent a pitiful past to stir your compa.s.sion. Everything I told you of my childhood was true. I had merely never told anyone else about it before, because I despise pity." He smiled wryly. "Your pity I wanted, though. Your pity is such an amazing thing."

"Your lies were pointless."

"Excuse me?"

"I could have left at any time if I had really wanted to. Your lies wouldn't have stopped me."

"You had your brother to think of, not just yourself. You wouldn't have left without funds."

"No, certainly, but there were a few more valuables stored at my father's office that I never mentioned to you, a t.i.tled painting and several antique maps my father had intended to sell, but didn't get around to doing before he left. The maps would have fetched a nice price."

"And the painting is La Nymph."

She blinked. "How did you know that?"

His laugh was quite hollow. "A logical guess, since I happen to have been searching for that painting for a client for several months now, and it was known to be in the possession of a ship owner, just not which one."

"Why that painting in particular?" "Have you seen it?"

She frowned. "Actually, I recall my father rushing me out of the storeroom the last time I visited the office when he was there, because he didn't want me to see it. He mentioned something about it being inappropriate for innocent eyes, so I a.s.sumed it was a nude."

"Indeed, but a rather risque one by all accounts," he replied. "And my client will likely pay you a half million pounds for it."

She blinked again. "Is he out of his mind?" "No, just very eccentric, with more money than he will ever be able to spend."

"You're teasing me. I don't find that very nice under the circ.u.mstances, but then why should that surprise me?"

He sighed. "I swear I'm not. You know him well enough. It's Jonathan Hale who wants to get his hands on that painting so much that he's hired me to find it. Now I've found it. It's in your possession. I'm sure he'll be contacting your father about it just as soon as I tell him."

"Why would you tell him, when it will be a benefit to my father? You did realize that, didn't you?"

"If you would stop being suspicious of my motives long enough to think about what I've told you today, you'd have an answer to that. Have you never done anything that you bitterly regret now?"

"Aside from meeting you?"

He blushed, but continued relentlessly, "Didn't you tell me how you despised your father for moving you to London and regretted how you treated him for it?"

"You compare childish pouting to what you did to me?" she demanded incredulously.

"No, I am merely reminding you that none of us are perfect. We cannot always do as we aspire to; we too often act on emotions that shouldn't be released. I wasn't used to being controlled by emotions, Rissa. Good G.o.d, I was even under the foolish belief that I didn't have any, since so many years had pa.s.sed without anything provoking mine. Then I met you and I suddenly had too many emotions stirring all at once."

The golden heat was entering his eyes again. She began to panic. She'd managed to remain unaffected by his closeness this long, or at least to give that impression, but she didn't think she could withstand again being devoured by those seductive eyes of his.

"You've finished. Please go."

"Rissa, I love you. If you're never going to believe anything I say to you again, at least believe that."