Deverell's Obsession: A Risqué Regency Romance Read Online Free PDF

or Africa have another set of berths downstream where the wharves can handle larger ships.”
    “All right then. She had passage on one of the merchant vessels.”
    “With sacks of fruits or barrels of wine?”
    “It’s not out of the realm of possibility, you know. When I first went to France, I was in a boat with chickens and…”
    Dev held up his hand. “Moving on…”
    “Oh all right.” She pouted and twitched a streamer of silk. “So what’s the plan, nephew?”
    “First, we must get her well. While she’s recuperating, I have a few avenues of inquiry to pursue.” He patted his pocket. “She had this on her when they found her, and she demanded it the minute she regained consciousness. I slipped it off her finger just before the doctor came, and told her I’d look after it until she was better.” He shrugged. “I’m not sure she believed me, but she was in too much pain to make a fuss.”
    He stood, reached into his pocket and then crossed to Bertie. “Seen anything like this before in your travels? Especially in the family?”
    Bertie took the ring into her palm and turned it to the light. The emerald darted green fire from its facets. “ Wheeoooo .” She whistled the word between her lips. “That’s one hell of a jewel she’s got here.” She squinted. “I’d guess between two and three carats of clear, pure perfection.”
    Knowing that when it came to jewelry, Aunt Bertie was an unacknowledged expert, Dev took her words seriously. “But it doesn’t look familiar.”
    “Hell, if I’d ever seen this stone before, I’d have remembered it without a doubt.” She turned it again, looking closely at the unusual setting and the gold around it. “It’s as if it’s embedded in the gold, with only the tiniest lip holding it there. Very beautiful work.” She sighed and handed it back to Dev. “No, I’ve never seen it. Sorry. No help there at all.”
    “It was a long shot, Aunt. Don’t worry about it.” He returned it to his pocket. “She had a note—my address was on it, which is how she ended up here. The note referenced a Lord Aubrey Elwyn. How about that? Does that ring a bell?”
    Bertie was silent for a moment, a finger against her lips, her eyes vague and lost in thought. “You know…” Her voice tapered off.
    Dev held his tongue. Bertie was most effective when left to act in her own unique way.
    “I believe I have heard that name.” She turned to him, her dark eyes flashing in the afternoon sunshine. “The Elwyns were intimates of the Earl of March, I think. Can’t recall Aubrey or any particulars about the family, but that’s not surprising. I don’t believe I met any of ‘em. Just heard them mentioned by some of the members in March’s club.”
    “Ah.” Dev blinked. “If my memory serves me correctly, the Earls of March are mentioned somewhere in our family bible. I’ll have to dig it up.”
    “You buried it somewhere?” Bertie grinned.
    “Yes. In my library. At the bottom of the darkest shelf. There are relatives in there that I don’t want to know about. I’m afraid if I accidentally speak their names aloud, they’ll appear on my doorstep in a puff of foul-smelling black smoke.”
    “Always knew you were going to be the brightest Deverell.”
    “Always knew you were my smartest Aunt.”
    They both shared a laugh, and then Dev sobered. “You’ve given me a couple of points to think about and perhaps investigate, so for that I’m very grateful. Now if you can tell me how we’re going to handle this delicate situation—my having a beautiful young woman staying in my guest suite unaccompanied by any adult at all—I’d be a lot easier in my mind than I am at the moment.”
    “Pish tosh. That one’s simple.” Bertie stood and fluffed out her trailing things with elegant gestures of her hands. “She is the niece of one of my oldest friends. Having lost her way when she landed her in London, she was lucky enough to mention my name and a good Samaritan