Kathryn felt Daniel’s sudden tension. Despite everything that had happened, she pitied her husband. She knew how it felt to be scorned and ridiculed by your own father.
“You mean to go through with this?” Daniel’s face paled, and she saw the faint tremor in his hand when he picked up his fork.
“Of course. Did you think I would change my mind?” Sutcliffe shook his head. “You’re a fool.”
Daniel put his fork back down without taking a bite. “You’ll forgive me, then, if I decline the pleasure of dining with the lot of you. There are other places I’d rather spend my last two nights of freedom.” He gave Kathryn a wry, apologetic smile. Then he stood and exited the room.
Sutcliffe cursed under his breath and then turned his wrath upon Kathryn. “This is your fault. If you’d been woman enough to keep him at home, none of us would be in this situation.”
Kathryn sucked in her breath, but before she could say a word in her own defense, Talon stood up and threw down his napkin. “I won’t listen to this. I refuse to stand by while you belittle her.”
“You refuse?” Sutcliffe stood as well, and the two of them faced off, nose to nose. “Who are you to refuse me anything? Need I remind you that I hold the future of everything you care about in the palm of my hand?”
Fury sparked in Talon’s beautiful eyes, and Kathryn felt the tiniest fission of fear creep down her spine. This wasn’t the tender friend who’d offered her a shoulder to lean on and wiped away her tears. The stranger across the table was every bit as dangerous as the man who had sired him.
“You are an evil son of a bitch,” Talon muttered, spinning on his heels.
The moment Talon left the room, Kathryn got to her feet as well. She’d rather starve than stay here with her father-in-law. But when she reached the door, she turned and met his icy gaze.
“You may as well get used to dining alone,” she told him, shocked by her own audacity. “You’ve just insured you shall remain that way for the rest of your life.”
* * * * *
Talon went searching for Kate the next morning. He had a strange, masochistic compulsion to spend more time with her. Surely, once he got to know her better, he would see she was just like all the other women he’d known. Manipulative, conniving, uncaring of anything but her own needs and wants.
If he didn’t find a reason to dislike her, it would be almost impossible to do as his father commanded.
He found her in the library, pouring over a huge tomb of sea navigation. He knew the book well because one just like it had graced the captain’s cabin aboard his ship,The Western Sky. The book was an old friend and had guided him through many a storm.
He paused in the doorway, enjoying this chance to observe her. She twined a strand of hair around her finger as she read, an adorable wrinkle in her brow. The complicated sea charts probably looked like Greek to her.
He smiled and entered the room, shutting the door firmly behind him. She jumped and closed the book, looking like a child who’d been caught stealing from the cookie jar.
“What are you doing?” He crossed the room and leaned one hip against the edge of the table, looming over her. “What are you reading?”
She sighed, but he didn’t miss the hint of color that stained her cheeks. For some reason, she was embarrassed to have been caught reading. “It appears I shall be going to America, whether I like it or not. I thought it would be wise to find out as much about the land and people as I can.”
His gaze shifted from her lovely face back to the table. Beneath the navigational chart were various histories of the Americas. His regard leapt another notch. He’d never known a woman who liked to read. Never known one who could read, come to think of it.
“I like the way your mind works.”
She frowned, seeming truly upset. “Don’t tease me. Not about this.”
“I’m not teasing.” He leaned forward and stared into her troubled eyes, wondering why on earth she’d think such a thing. “Your intelligence is one of the most attractive things about you.”
She flushed and looked away, unable to maintain eye contact. “My father says an educated woman is nothing more than a harlot. At school, they taught us to read, but only for the purpose of writing notes and planning menus.”
The mention of Kate’s father made Talon’s blood boil. He hated the fact that such a heartless, unfeeling bastard had raised her. Once again he felt the strange urge to shelter her, to protect her from life’s harshness.
“If you were mine…” The words were out before he could stop them. Dangerous, treacherous words. He pulled away, a bit startled by what they made him feel.
“Go on,” she whispered, her eyes wide.
He laughed, a short, strained sound. “I would never discourage you from broadening your mind.”
Naked gratitude shone in her eyes. It was obvious no one had ever shown her any sort of encouragement. How very sad. He also knew she was beginning to care for him, and he wanted to warn her not to. Didn’t she know better than to wear her heart on her sleeve?
She blinked and looked away. “Do you know anything about the sea?”
