"Too many rocks.
Craggy rocks, gray skies, biting wind, and glowering castles. Being in this unfriendly England was like being on another planet. "Are you coming, Bradford?"
He shook his head. "I think I'll see if I can find Lani. I'm surprised she didn't come with you."
Cassie smiled. "She discovered the library. She said she had never seen so many books. She may not come out for the rest of the time we're here."
"Good God, that may mean I'll have to stuff more learning into this noggin. What a coil." He lifted a hand in farewell and the next moment was galloping back toward the stable.
"Ready?" Jared asked. He didn't wait for an answer but kicked Morgana into a gallop and raced across the meadow in the direction of the cliff.
Cassie trailed behind, deliberately holding Kapu back, watching Jared. He and the mare were incredibly beautiful together. She had seen Jared on horseback only that one brief, explosive moment on the beach, and that didn't really count. Lean, tight grace and centaur strength merged with the high-spirited beauty of the mare. He effortlessly controlled Morgana yet used no force.
He reined in, glancing over his shoulder.
She nudged Kapu into a faster pace in response to the silent demand. Demand and response. In the hot darkness of the cabin she had become accustomed to meeting every need even before he voiced them, just as he had met her own. But now everything was different; she must break the habit. She deliberately slowed Kapu again as she drew near Jared.
He smiled crookedly. "Lower your guard, for God's sake. Every minute doesn't have to be a battle. I've no devious purpose at the moment. I just want to watch Kapu run. Is that so terrible?"
She could hardly object when she had lingered behind to see Jared and Morgana together. "No." She paused. "But it's your fault I'm on guard. You always make remarks… and threats."
"Very well, I'll curb my tongue."
The surrender was unexpected, therefore suspicious. "And your intentions?"
"Temporarily."
"Why?"
"I had a long time to think last night. It's not fair play to pursue you on unfamiliar ground. It annoys me exceedingly, but I believe I'm forced to give you time to grow familiar with Morland before I pounce."
It did annoy him. She could sense the barely leashed frustration beneath the mocking tone. She responded slowly, "Bradford said you were a just man."
"On occasion. I know it's a disappointment to realize I'm not completely lost to virtue."
He was right. She didn't want him to be honorable or just; he was robbing her of weapons to fight him. "You didn't seem overly virtuous this morning."
"I'm being patient, not foolish. I have every intention of seducing you to my way of thinking. I just promise not to snatch… for a while."
"Thank you."
He ignored the irony of her tone. "But I'll require something from you in return." He held up his hand when she opened her lips to object. "The opportunity to seduce. I won't touch you against your will, but you'll come to supper every night, and you must give me some portion of the day to persuade you to come back to my bed."
"I don't have to give you anything."
"Christ, you're stubborn. Can't you see I'm trying to make this easier for you?"
She looked away from him.
"Would you prefer threats? I can make it very uncomfortable for you at Morland. The master of the castle is also the master of the stable." His gaze went meaningly to Kapu. "What if I forbade you access to the stallion?"
Her gaze flew to him in alarm. "You wouldn't do that."
"Why not? Don't you think I'd do anything to-" He broke off, then said wearily, "No, I wouldn't do that to you. I'd find another way."
Yet he had discarded the one weapon that would have forced her to his will. He had known she would have yielded almost anything for Kapu. "There's no other way," she whispered.
"I'm wagering there may be one." He met her gaze. "Fair play, Cassie. You don't like to be bound by it any more than I do, but you can't turn your back. I'm giving a great deal, including Kapu, and asking very little."
If she did as he asked, it would be a way to be close to him without returning to that sensual underworld. She might be able to learn something that would help Papa. She felt a scalding rush of emotion at the thought. Betrayal. Betrayal of Jared.
Dear God, she should not be ashamed to think of her father at this moment. Why else was she here? "It's not going to change anything. Papa…"
He knew at once what she was trying to say. He smiled mirthlessly. "I didn't think it would. I'm not trying to seduce your soul, only your body. You claim the two are separate, don't you?"
"Yes." Yet in those last days on the ship she had begun to have doubts and had broken the bond. What he was offering now was time spent in a sunlit world. Surely it was the coupling that had been dangerous, the pleasure intoxicating. It was the blending of the darkness and the sunlight that she had feared. "I suppose we could… ride together."
"Not a splendid concession. It's difficult to seduce a woman on a horse." He pretended to think about it. "Though not impossible. And what shall we do if the weather is inclement? Never mind, I'll think of something."
It had seemed a small concession, but she was suddenly beset by doubts. "Perhaps I shouldn't…"
"Come on," he interrupted. "There's a cliff just ahead. Don't let Kapu veer off the path, or you'll find yourself falling a hundred feet onto some very sharp rocks."
"Kapu isn't stupid enough to fall off a cliff. I'll just show him the edge and he'll avoid the danger."
"Ah, how I envy those splendid instincts. But sometimes the thrill of dancing on the edge is worth the danger." He changed the subject. "You met Josette last night. What did you think of her?"
"It doesn't matter what I think." She paused. "Did you tell her why I'm here?"
"Yes. I could hardly keep silent when you told her to ask me. I didn't mention our intimacy on the ship, but I told her all about you and Lani… and your father."
"What did she… never mind. I don't want to know."
He answered her anyway. "She was shocked, of course. She was little more than a babe when I brought her to Morland and has only a vague recollection of her parents."
She veered away from the thought of the doomed Compte and his wife. "She said she was a comptesse."
He nodded. "Thanks to the terror, there was no one else to inherit. However, the revolutionary government confiscated the estate, so she has only the title."
If Papa was to blame for her parents' deaths, then he was also to blame for Josette's loss of her birthright.
If? The thought had come out of nowhere, and yet she knew it must have been lying dormant. It was the first time she had ever questioned his innocence, and she must not do it again. All she had to sustain her was her trust. "I'm sure you'll make certain she wants for nothing."
"We try." He grimaced. "But Josette's needs are for more than food and shelter. It was easier when she was a little girl running about Morland, caring only about the horses and her boat."
"Boat?"
He glanced at the vast gray ocean. "In case you didn't notice, we live by the sea. Josette has had a small sailboat since she was old enough to handle it. When she's not on a horse's back, she's sailing."
"She seems to spend more time penned up in this Lady Carradine's school than doing either."
His lips tightened. "It was necessary."
"Because you didn't wish to modify your lewd actions to make a home for her."
"Who told…" He shook his head. "Bradford."
"You should not have made her your ward if you wished to fornicate with all those women."
"I suppose I should have left her alone in France," he said sarcastically.
"I didn't say that. You told me once that every action has a response. Perhaps in some instances action also requires adaptation."
"Bradford and I didn't know anything about raising a young girl. We did the best we could."
"By letting her run wild and witness your debauchery."