“Yes, again,” he insisted, and she was lost.
When she opened her eyes in the gray dawn to find herself sprawled on top of his magnificent body in the far too narrow berth, she told herself that she had done it all for revenge.
When they were dressed and had broken their fast, he took her up on deck. “We are only three or four miles from Castle Douglas,” he said. “Colin will take ye home. He’s gone tae fetch the horses. I’ll be back tonight or tomorrow at the latest. Angus will likely come with the fifty Douglases I requested.”
His face was closed this morning, and she had the distinct impression that he had already withdrawn from her. When Colin arrived she left Ram standing on the deck. Before she mounted, she spoke softly to Indigo and stroked her velvet nose. She told herself she wouldn’t look back. She did, of course, when she had ridden about a hundred yards, and she received quite a shock. The ship was no longer glistening white and gold. It had been repainted a shadowy gray in the night. It no longer bore the name Valentina, either. In place of her name was the word Revenge
She stared in horror. Did he guess she was out for revenge? Or was he too playing a deadly game? Perhaps he would never forgive her being forced upon him and he would have his revenge in his own time and his own way. She thought of her Aunt Damaris and felt chilled to the bone.
Chapter 23
“Now that I have a supply o’ oil paints, I can capture ye on canvas,” Colin said to break the silence as they rode to Castle Douglas with a packhorse holding the things they had brought from the Antigone.
“Yes,” she replied absently, her mind on other things.
“Tina, watch for badger holes,” he warned.
“I’m sorry,” she replied. “I was a million miles away. Forgive my rudeness. How do you go about painting a portrait?”
“We’ll ride out one afternoon. I’ll take my sketchbook. I try tae capture many different poses wi’ charcoal, then I select the best sketch an’ paint it from that.”
“That eliminates the necessity of having to pose for hours on end, I suppose?”
He nodded. “I have a retentive mind an’ an eye fer detail, which helps.”
She promised, “We’ll ride out soon before autumn sets in. Already the purple heather on the hills is turning to russet, and the ferns are turning to bracken.”
“The borders are beautiful at this time of year. Castle Douglas is just over the next rise.”
Before they got to the castle gates, Valentina’s quick eye saw a red paper flower upon a bush, and she recognized the sign instantly. They were made by the Gypsies, and she knew it had been put there by Heath. She dropped her riding glove, and when she dismounted to retrieve it, she snatched up the flower. The message read, “Haugh of Urr.”
In the bailey she instructed a young squire to carry the bolt of cloth and the tapestry to Ada, and she took the spices herself to Mr. Burque. By the time she reached the master bedchamber, Ada had ordered her a bath and was just unwinding the bolt of cloth. Tucked inside was the perfume, and Tina put a few drops in the hot water.
“This emerald velvet is the finest I’ve ever seen,” said Ada. “It must be from Veere.”
“Ada, you know everything. I hope there’s enough for a cloak as well as a gown.”
Ada eyed her as she stepped into the water. “I don’t know everything, but one thing I do know—you look like a sleek cat.”
“That’s because I’m filled with cream,” she said wickedly, sinking down with a sigh of appreciation.
Ada smiled. “When a woman becomes aware of her sensuality, even bathwater feels erotic.”
“Mmm, you are wise in the ways of woman, my prophetess!”
As a tingling sensation grew between her legs, Tina said shyly, “Ada, there’s something I’d like to ask you about, but—I … you may think it somewhat indecent.”
“If it’s something Black Ram Douglas did to you, I don’t doubt it,” she teased.
“Ada … he—put his mouth … down there.”
“I envy you,” said Ada bluntly.
Tina’s cheeks flooded with color. “I—I enjoyed it, but my God, how could he?”
“Some men do. The rare ones. You mustn’t worry that you don’t taste nice down there—you are young and tender and sweet. If you are worried, slip in the tip of your finger and taste yourself, just to be sure.”
“My God, Ada, I couldn’t do that!” she protested.
