I, however, will not be travelling with you, her conscience whispered. Guilt gnawed at her stomach once more.
Leo nodded, apparently satisfied with her response, and an unsettling silence descended over them. She missed the easiness of their previous conversations. But that was before…
There was a part of her mind—and a small, secret part of her heart—that wanted to flame her fears and mistrust, to rage at the Murderous Marquess for deceiving her.
Her gaze slid sideways, watching as Leo chewed the meat of another apple. His long blond hair was rumpled and wind-blown, his shortly-shorn beard bunching with each movement of his strong jaw. And, even through the darkness, she could see the slight glisten of apple juice on his bottom lip.
Despite the many reasons why she should regret their tryst, Juliana did not. Discovering his withheld truth had hurt, certainly, but she must face the very bald fact that she was lying, as well, and had no grounds to punish him. And, of course, there was the delicious fact that bedding him had been achingly wonderful.
A yawn caught her by surprise, and she realized how weary she was. The piles of hay would be uncomfortable, but at the moment, she didn’t particularly care. With a soft groan, she reclined and closed her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Juliana.” Leo’s whisper cut through the silence.
Her eyes snapped open, and she gazed at his shadowy, stricken features.
“I wish that…” He chewed on his bottom lip, lapsing into silence.
What do you wish?
He sighed, and his breath fogged in the air before he shook his head. “I apologize, Juliana. I abused your tru—”
“No,” she interjected, her stomach giving an awful, nauseating flip. “Please, Leo. You do not need to apologize.” And,Lord, she couldn’t stomach hearing his regrets about their intimacies.
His pale blue eyes were stormy in the gloom, but he nodded once more and unfastened his cravat. Juliana’s gaze followed his movements, the gentlesnickof the material sounding loud to her ears.
“I don’t care to sleep in my cravat,” he explained.
An odd, noncommittal noise escaped her as she greedily took in the exposed skin of his neck. The man was too delicious by half.
The edge of his inked skin peeked out from behind his shirt’s collar, and Juliana spoke entirely without thinking. “Where did you get your tattoo?”
“On a small island in the Dutch East Indies. We spent days there, during which the rest of the crew had one done.”
“The rumours are true?” she breathed in astonishment. “You were a pirate?”
He nodded once, settling down beside her. “I was. Both Percy and I.”
Her heart stuttered, her curiosity suitably roused. She gazed at him through the shadows. “How did you come to be a pirate?”
The hay rustled as he shifted his position. “I was young, on a ship bound for Spain, and we were overtaken by pirates. I tried to fight, but I could scarcely hold a sodding sword. So I hid while the rest of the crew were murdered. The pirate captain found me while his crew were pilfering goods, and took pity on me. I was small, fast, and quick at learning, so he had me working the top—where the ship’s rigging and sails are.”
“You poor thing.” Sorrow for young Leonard tightened her chest.
He yawned. “Eventually, Percy and I managed an escape and found ourselves on an English naval ship. We sailed for a short time before coming ashore.” His lips pulled in a half smile. “But that is the tale of my tattoo.”
She returned his grin before they fell once more into silence.
Juliana ached, not only on her body, where there would undeniably be bruises, but also in her heart. She did not want this to be the last time that she saw Leo.
To the devil with prudence.Juliana curled into Leo’s heat, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder and sighing as his arms encircled her. Her heart told her to stay. Indeed, that was precisely why she was determined to go.
* * *
A cold draftof air encompassed Leo, and he shivered. He nestled further into his bed, then cringed at the ache in his back.
Snick.
Leo’s eyes popped open at the discrete sound.Juliana. Where is Juliana?The stall was still pitch dark, but it was clear that she was gone. Had she left to use a chamber pot?
