She did not reply. It was quite beneath her dignity to remind him that he had just said he was not a romantic. She lifted her chin and looked decidedly belligerent.
"Very impressive indeed," he said several minutes later, when they had picked their way around the lake and were standing almost against the dense trees of the forest behind them, looking across the water to the forbidding north wall of the castle, which rose sheer from it. The moon, directly above the wall, shed a solid band of silver almost to their feet.
Despite herself Diana was caught up in the glory of the scene. She had never seen it quite like this before. "It is beautiful," she said. "One can almost imagine a knight in full armor riding up to the drawbridge. There was a drawbridge once, before the causeway was built."
Lord Kenwood held her arm against his side, though he had felt her a minute before try to slide it way. "I wonder if knights brought their ladies out here on moonlit evenings," he said.
The glory was forgotten. "I am sure they did not." She was cross again. "They lived by a very strict code of chivalry."
"The code included a near worship of ladies," he said.' 'ButI have read that that worship often showed itself in the most physical of ways."
"I am sure you are mistaken, my lord," she said stiffly.
"Are you?" He spoke the words quietly, almost into her ear. "You think a woman's body cannot be worshiped? You think that as soon as matters between a man and a woman become physical, they also become ugly? I must beg to disagree with you.Most strongly."
He watched her swallow—a painful process—and look coolly from one end of the battlements to the other. Her arm was trembling with tension. He waited for her to master her feelings. He was in no hurry. No hurry at all. She looked more fragile andmore lovelythan ever in the moonlight. He felt that stirring of desire he had felt the first time he had touched her and she him.
She wanted desperately to break away and to run and run until she could find some air to breathe. He was looking steadily down at her, and she knew she could not look back. It was physically impossible to do so. But his arm was strong and warm against her own and against her shoulder. And there were the memories.
He was being deliberately provocative. He was trying to shock her. He was trying to seduce her. He was a rake, Ernest had said. And she would have known it even without being told.
''I think it hardly likely that any knight worthy of the name would have brought his lady out here for a clandestine meeting," she said. "You would cheapen an honorable code of behavior, my lord."
"Diana," he said, "you have been a married lady. Did the physical side of your marriage cheapen your relationship? You are hardly giving a complimentary picture of marriage, my dear. I think I have done well to steer clear of it thus far in my life."
Anger came to her rescue. She felt it rise in her, ready to explode. "You will not make a joke of my marriage, sir," she said. "You will not. I will defend Teddy's memory in any way I have to. And though it would be ridiculous to hit out at you because you could overpower me in a moment, I will do so, sir—I will do so if you say onemore uglything about either him or our marriage."
He released her arm finally, but only in order to rest his hands lightly on her shoulders. "I am sorry," he said. "I am truly sorry, Diana. I have been teasing you. I meant no disrespect for Teddy, whom I remember as a sincere and gentle man. And I meant no disrespect for your marriage. I am sure you would be a loyal and affectionate wife to any man you chose to accept as a husband. Forgive me?'"
His hands closed on her shoulders as he watched her struggle with herself, her eyes on her hands, which she held palm-up before her. He had to force himself not to pull her into his arms to comfort her. Damn it, he had hurt her when he had meant only to tease. And he was uncomfortable with feelings of compassion.
"Yes," she said.
The Marquess of Kenwood wondered where he had lost control of this particular situation. He turned from her and stooped to pick up a smooth stone. He sent it bouncing across the silver band of water stretching before them. And she watched him, concentrating on drawing deep and steady breaths.
"The countess is trying her hardest to throw you and me together," he said. "I will not ask if you have noticed. A blind man would have noticed. Have you tried to persuade her not to?"
''There would be no point," she said. ''Once my mother-in-law has her mind set on something, a herd of wild elephants would not change her mind. She would merely shoo them away."
"Do you wish she had chosen someone else for you?" he asked.
"I do not need anyone to help me in such matters," she said. "If I wish to take another husband, I will find one to my own liking."
"Husband?" he said. He turned from his fascinating task of bouncing stones and looked at her again. "What about a lover? Why rush back into marriage?"
Her stomach lurched. "Oh," she said, her anger returning and playing havoc with her breathing again.''I suppose you would be quite willing to fill that role, my lord."
This was better. She was quite irresistible when she was indignant. He looked at her consideringly. "I must confess,"hesaid, "that I have some very teasing memories. I just wish there were a few more of them, Diana.A few minutes more.Five.Perhaps ten.Yes, with you, almost certainly ten. They would have been sweet memories."
He could hear her draw a sharp breath as he took one step closer and brushed one finger beneath her chin.
"Very sweet, Diana."
"That is the only importance women have to you, is it not?" she said. She did not flinch or pull back, as he half expected she would. She stood very still and looked very directly into his eyes.
"The Creator in his wisdom divided humanity into two genders so that they might make love,'' he said, smiling into her eyes. "And we so often return the compliment by pretending that it is not so or that it is unnatural or undesirable for it to be so. Yes, I like making love to Women, Diana. I would like to make love to you—all the way.Every delectable inch of the way.But this is not a suitable time or place, is it? This is merely a very romantic place.Suitable for no more than kissing."
She still would not step back, even though he had moved closer still. And she still would not lower her eyes from his. He wondered idly, as he set his hands on her shoulders again and traced her jawline with his thumbs, what she was about to do, what was going through her mind. Would she respond to his kiss? Would she imitate a marble statue? Or must he be on his guard against one or two flashing palms?
