He mumbled and looked away at the river. He hated to have Helen ascribe a noble motive to his actions when they had only been self-serving. In a way, it was worse than when she had thought him an unfettered lecher in Scotland. At least that had some truth to it.
“I dinnae know ye were so rich, Jack Pike. Do ye own that grand London house as well? And live there all by yerself?”
“Yes. Does it change how you see me? Make me more attractive?”
“As if ye could be.” She snorted and he grinned. Then she smiled a little, too. “Nae, it dinnae change ye. Ye are so easy about money, I should have known. But to have yer looks and wealth, too. I’m surprised yer nae married already.”
Jack thought she was flirting with him after her compliment. “What’s to say I’m not?” he said teasingly and laughed and stepped off the dock onto land.
He didn’t hear her laugh, and suddenly, he noticed she was not walking alongside him.
He turned around and she was still standing on the little dock. What was that expression on her face? Was it horror? She suddenly turned and vomited into the water.
“Helen—” He rushed back to her side but she held her arm up, holding him off as she gagged and spat.
“Nae.” It was a strangled word. She wasn’t looking at him but down at the water as if she thought she would vomit again. “Tell me yer nae married, Jack Pike. Please tell me yer nae married.”
“I’m not.”
She finally raised her head.
“Ye promise?”
“Yes, I’m not married. I was joking.”
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and squinted her half-moon eyes at him and searched his face.
“I think something from breakfast disagreed with me. I’m nae used to all this rich food. And the boat ride. But I feel better now. I hope ye have something in that basket so I can rinse my mouth.”
“Yes.”
They walked off the dock together, her following him, him looking over his shoulder to make sure she was all right. Her face was pale but her gait was steady. She stared back at him, her jaw tight, her brow heavy.
He had not known someone could vomit out of jealousy. And he had not pegged her as a jealous type, wanting him to be wifeless, even as she pursued the duke. He shook his head. He didn’t know her. Not at all.
They joined Mags and Duncan and found a sunny clearing on the bank where they could sit.
But Helen did not sit when Jack offered her his hand and Duncan helped Mags lower herself to the ground.
“My dress.”
“Yes.” He spread his coat out for her and she sat on it, cautiously, holding her skirts up against her legs so they wouldn’t touch the ground.
Helen rinsed her mouth with the small beer but declined the sandwiches. “I’ll wait until we get back.”
Now Jack only wanted to get Helen alone. To take her into these woods he owned, to show them to her and the view at the top of the hill just as he had shown her his chest by the side of a mountain stream. And then he wanted to find a way to strip her dress off her and to cover and contain her with his own body. His possessive, savage countess.
He stood and held his hand out to Helen. “I’ll show you the rest of the property,” he said, not caring that he was being rude to Mags and Duncan.
But Helen did not take his hand. She stayed where she was, hugging her legs. “I’ll stay here with Mags. Show Duncan.”
So, the two men went off into the woods, Jack feeling disgruntled. And he knew Duncan must feel the same. The men separated from their women.
Jack made mention of the better air out here, far from the city.
Duncan huffed. “Aye,” he said, clearly thinking the air of Kinmarloch was much better. And it was. Jack knew that.
They got to the top of the hill, and Jack said he had thought of building a house here.
