Katherine sank into a chair. She could hardly think.Did she have two husbands?
Oh, God. Katherine looked toward the stairs. Up above, in their room, Liam now bathed. How fond of him she had become.
No. Not fond. And not just enslaved. Far more than fond, and far more than enslaved. Katherine knew that she was in love with him.
Katherine fought for calm, and failed. But despite her near hysteria, she realized that she could no longer hide on Liam’s island, pretending that the real world did not exist. She could no longer ignore her duty to her father,who was relying upon her to help him shift the scales of justice in his favor. The time had come for her to persuade Liam to ally himself with Gerald and his cause, no matter that she did not want to use Liam, no matter that she did not want any politics to become a part of their marriage.
No, she could no longer avoid her duty to her father, and she could no longer avoid the question of her own future—for the future had come to find her. Katherine ran to the stairs.
Liam was still in the tub, which had grown tepid now, when he heard her racing footsteps. His slight smile was instantaneous. He saw Katherine appear in the doorway, closing the chamber door behind her. His response to her was always the same—he marveled at her beauty, at her spirit, at her intelligence—yet with every passing day, his feelings became more intense.
He saw that she was distraught. What had her rascal father written to her? Liam had guessed that the tidings would not be good. He had not wanted to give her the letter. But he could no more deny her communication from her father than he could deny her any other thing. Liam sighed and rose to his full height, the water streaming down his hard body. “What is wrong, Katherine?” he asked softly.
She was very pale, and she swiftly came to his side, holding out a towel. Liam took her wrist before she could hand it to him. “What news has saddened you, sweetheart?”
Her gaze met his, her breasts heaved. She spoke in a rush. “Father is despondent. He worries about me. His cousin is usurping all that once belonged to him. If FitzMaurice is not caught by Perrot soon, it looks like he will be too powerful ever to be removed from Desmond.” She wet her lips. “I have never asked much of you. I ask something of you now.”
Liam was unmoving. His gray eyes were calm, watchful.
“I need you to help my father, Liam.” Katherine’s voice broke. “He is the victim of a grave injustice, surely you know that. Please, Liam. I beg you to help him.”
Liam took her hands in his. Very softly, he said, “For you, I would gladly commit such treason, Katherine.”
“You will do as I ask?” she cried.
“I am already helping your father,” he said very gravely. But he felt a stabbing of guilt—and fear. He had met with FitzMaurice but once, many months ago, but that had been enough. Since that winter meeting, he had supplied the rebel and his band of soldiers well. Well enough that their resistance to the British thrived. They had never been better fed, better armed, or better supplied.
Liam was well aware of how dangerous his plan was. To plot to raise a man up, in order to bring him down, was a fragile scheme indeed. It was fraught with weak points, could so easily fail. And if it failed, FitzMaurice would reign supreme in Desmond, and he, Liam, would have been instrumental in achieving that. Katherine would never understand. She would be shocked by his apparent betrayal.
“H-how?” Katherine stammered, clearly stunned. “When?”
Liam touched her cheek, the lobe of her ear. His smile was gentle. “Katherine, my very existence is political. I sleep, eat, live, and breathe politics. I do not want there to be any politics between us.” He tilted up her chin, looking into her eyes, and then he kissed her, half-soft, half-hungry. “I want naught but this between us, Katherine.”
She returned his kiss, then remained within his embrace. “Liam, I am so grateful. But what are you doing? Do you thwart FitzMaurice at sea?”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Ssh. I know you are very clever, Kate, but you should not dwell on politics. From afar, you have no hope of affecting them.”
She surprised him, for her hand moved to his face, cupping his cheek. Although Katherine was wildly demonstrative in bed, out of it she kept physically aloof from him.
“I think you have just flattered me,” Katherine said, her voice shaky. “Did you imply that if I were at court or in Ireland, I might be able to affect the actions of men like my father and FitzMaurice?”
He pressed her hand to his cheek, thenstudied her ravishing face. He did not tell that she already affected the fates of such men, because she had moved him to act in a conspiracy which, if successful, would shift all existing balances of power, and which would ultimately affect them all. Carefully but truthfully he said, “Kate, a woman like you could move mountains if she so chose.”
Katherine gazed at him, flushed. “My mother was such a woman,” she finally said.
“Undoubtedly you have inherited her tenacity, her intelligence, and her beauty.”
“I am not agreatbeauty, Liam.”
“The convent taught you modesty, but women who move men know their own worth. Modesty does not serve them well.”
Katherine’s brow furrowed. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because unlike your mother, you are naive and too innocent. One day, you may need every weapon at your disposal. Modesty will not help you then, sweetheart.” He was not sure why he had spoken so frankly, perhaps because he courted the gallows with his venture into treason. If he were ever caught and hung, Katherine would be left to fend for herself. He did not like that thought at all. “You are so seductive that men think of but one thing when they look at you. You can enslave any man that you choose. And once enslaved, that man will do your bidding, even against his own better judgment and his own self-interest.” He thought of his commitment to FitzMaurice. He thought of the Tower and the block.
She still stared, now appearing uneasy as well as upset. “I do not like the sound of this. And Liam, I have not enslaved you.”
He laughed. “No?” He pulled her hand down and wrapped it around his quivering manhood. “My cock has been swelling ever since you walked into the room and with every passing moment, continues to ripen.”
