Give All to Love Read Online Free Page A

is any of my … affair.” She saw anger flare in his blue eyes and added rather hastily, “It is only that I worry for you—lifting such a weight.”
    He grinned at that. “No cause, m’dear. Yolande weighs hardly anything.”
    Her brows lifted. She sat on the hearth seat and said in a brittle voice that should have warned him, “Does she not? I had thought her rather—fat.”
    His jaw dropped. “Fat?” he squawked. “Yolande?” He threw back his head and gave a shout of laughter, then sat down again, wiping his eyes and never dreaming how close he was to being thoroughly clawed. “Scamp! Fat, is it? Oh, Jupiter!”
    She smiled, revealing an amazing expanse of white pearly teeth. All clenched. “I was only … funning. Truly, she is lovely as ever.”
    Devenish said with faint nostalgia, “Yes. Quite the most beautiful woman I ever saw.”
    â€œAnd so— warm natured.”
    â€œIndeed she is.”
    â€œHow sad,” she said viciously, “that she chose another gentleman.”
    His smile died and his hands clamped very tightly over the arms of the chair, but he said nothing.
    At once, she was repentant, and with a muffled sob flew to throw herself onto his lap as she had done when she was a child, and cling to him, weeping. “Dev … oh, Dev! I am so sorry! Oh, why must I say such things? I don’t … mean it, you know I don’t! Only—I am sometimes … so afraid.”
    He recovered himself with an effort, and stroked the soft curls that tickled his chin. “Of what, my little one?”
    She shook her head, speechless, and after a moment he said quietly, “Josie dear, are you unhappy because we are going back to Devencourt? It is lonely and isolated there, I know.”
    â€œYes,” she said with a sniff. “It is.”
    He frowned worriedly. “I should have packed you off to a seminary for young ladies, where you would have made friends.”
    Appropriating his handkerchief, she gave a little kitten-blow of her nose, dried her eyes, and sat up, quavering, “How could you send me to a seminary, when I was a foundling, primed for the Flash House, and must have disgraced y—”
    She had felt him tense and now one hand clamped over her mouth and his eyes were a narrowed glare. “Do not ever say that again!” Her own eyes widened. He went on, low and furiously, “You were a sweet, unspoiled, half-starved victim of man’s greed and savagery when I found you.”
    Josie mumbled something and he removed his hand although his eyes still blazed at her.
    â€œAnd fought for me very bravely,” she said humbly.
    â€œNever mind trying to turn me up sweet. I kept you at Devencourt because—” he paused.
    â€œBecause—what, dearest?”
    He settled back again and, Josie promptly cuddling under his chin once more, stroked her hair absently, his thoughts turning backward. “Selfishness, pure and simple,” he said with a guilty frown. “Uncle Alastair was getting himself leg-shack—er, I mean, married. It was time for me to leave him in peace at Aspenhill and move to Devencourt. Besides which—”
    â€œBesides which, you were lonely and miserable,” she put in and, feeling him tense, went on forlornly, “Not that I could do much to cheer you, poor dar—Papa.”
    Devenish thought a good deal, but he said lightly, “You kept me so busy I’d no time to be lonely. What with your pranks and your creatures, and filling my poor house with oddities! I wonder my hair is not snow white.”
    â€œBrute!” She sat up at once. “You know perfectly well that you love every single one of them.” Her eyes became very tender. She leaned closer. “Every … single … one.”
    Again, he resorted to the death grip on the arms of his chair, but managed, “If you refer to