“You aren’t cruel!” Julia insisted. “And you’re putting in effort now. That’s all that matters.”
Was it?
Julia whacked Markham’s arm. “And Ididabduct him, by the way.”
“I don’t believe you,” Markham insisted.
“You,” Rayne replied, “have always underestimated your sister.”
“How dare you tell me anything about Julia.” Markham bared his teeth. “What could you possibly have learned in a fortnight? I’ve cared for her since she was a babe. I know you forced her into that carriage. She never would have gone willingly.” He snorted in disgust. “Shehatesthe confines of a carriage.”
Julia’s eyes went wide. “Markham, stop!”
Pictures of Julia pale and shaking flipped through Rayne’s mind. “Why?”
“Long rides make her usual nightmares even more vicious. They embody her worst fear—being trapped…unable to move.”
Rayne’s breath stalled mid-throat. Shadows seemed to creep out from the corners of the room. Julia’s face confirmed the truth. Suddenly, he understood just how far he’d pushed.
What I’d really like to do is to truss you up like this and then spend a very long, very leisurely day at play… Truss as in bind. Truss as in render immobile.
He stared at the dining table in horror.
“Your greatest fear, Julia?” Rayne found his voice. He’d been a monster. His heartbeat pounded in his temples. “Go with Markham and Clarissa. You don’t belong here.”
“You don’t want me to leave,” she insisted. “You said we’d learn as we go, remember?”
The drumming increased. “Persistence is your forte, not mine.”
“But Iloveyou,” she said.
Lud.Did life always circle?
Horribly, he was thrust back into his worst moment—Markham wore the same furious expression while Julia stared at him with the same unbearably pleading look. Again, he was hot and cold at once. Disappointed in himself and angry he’d been thrust into this impossible position.
“Why?” he demanded. “I’veneverbeen the man you thought I was. I’m never going to be the man you think I can be.”
“You think I thought you good?” Her expression turned malevolent—a look she could have only learned from him. “Honorable?”
He brushed aside his hair. “Your astonishment makes my mistake obvious.”
At least she hadn’t laughed.
He hadn’t destroyed all her kindness.
She stalked over—five feet of erupting fury, barely reaching the middle of his chest. “If you make me go, pirates aren’t good enough for you!” She held her diamond ring in front of his face. “Let no man put asunder.”
His throat dried. He fisted his hands to keep from touching her face. “You never make anything easy, do you?”
“Who saved me when I almost froze?” she demanded.
“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have needed to be saved.”
“Who earned the respect of the residents of Periwinkle Gate?” she asked.
“Even the devil himself would do a favor for a friend.”
“I can’t force you to see, to understand, can I? I can’t carry us both on my own. You asked me if I’d given up on love. No—but, damn you to hell, Rayne, I’m about to.”
