Page 47 of A Wanton Adventure
He lifted a black, silky brow. “Why?”
She shrugged. “I’ve only been there one time. I’m intrigued at how infamous of a place it could be after meeting you. I’m starting to doubt the rumors.”
He smirked and leaned in. “Not all sin is evil. Vice can be enjoyed without it causing harm.”
“Can it?” she murmured, her heart hammering. Why did his words cause her to tremble?
Just then, Aunt Winifred walked through the door. “Captain Monroe’s friend is out here, ready to take us on a historical tour.”
Devons stepped back and winked. “Another time I will tell you about my club.”
“I would like that,” Diana said, surprising them both.
And she would, Diana realized, but now was not the time. She and Devons followed her aunt out the door, where a dapper, short slender man stood. He beamed when he saw them. “Hello. My name is Senhor Martim Costa. Captain Monroe is a friend of mine and I told him I would show you some of the history of my wonderful city while he does whatever captains do.”
“Lovely,” Diana said.
“Where will we be going first?” Devons asked.
“A place that tells the most romantic story in all of Portugal,” he said, holding a carriage door open.
Diana allowed him to assist her. She was then joined by Aunt Winifred, Mr. Spoor, Devons, and Costa himself. Once settled, he tapped on the carriage, and they lumbered down the street.
“Have you heard of Senhor Pedro?” Costa asked them all.
They all shook their heads, and he sighed, disappointed. “Of course not, but don’t worry, I will tell you about him.”
They all leaned in, excited. Diana glanced at Devons. Well, except for her travel companion, who sat with his ever-present half-amused expression. Diana wondered what it took for Devons to be enraptured or swept away by something.
“Senhor Pedro was the son of King John IV of Portugal, and even though he was married, he fell in love with another woman. Her name was Inés. He loved her desperately. Still, there wasn’t much he could do as he was tied to another woman for life. That is until his wife passed.”
“Did he marry her?” Aunt Winifred asked.
Costa shook his head. “His father was against them marrying and banished Inés from the court.”
“Horrible parents,” her aunt muttered, enthralled with the story.
Diana glanced at Devons. His half-amused expression was still there, but she noticed he, too, now followed the story closely.
Costa continued, “But Senhor Pedro’s love was too strong, and he chose to live with Inés in sin.”
“This is a rather salacious story,” Mr. Spoor said.
Her aunt shushed him, causing Diana to laugh. Costa smiled and said, “All the best ones are.”
The carriage came to a stop, and he jumped out. “Follow me to learn what happened to them.”
They entered a beautiful building, and hanging on the back wall of the grand hall was a tapestry of someone’s life. The lower part showed two large tombs within a monastery.
“So, they ended up together,” Diana stated.
Costa smiled gleefully, and Diana suspected he had told this story more than once. Devons stepped up next to her and said, “I’m guessing they did not.”
Diana frowned, disappointed.
“The king was so worried about his son’s relationship with Inés that he had her murdered. Senhor Pedro was outraged, but he could do nothing about it, so he waited until his father’s death.”
“He must have been quite an angry man,” Aunt Winifred remarked.
