Delight Read Online Free PDF Page B

mouth suggested forbidden pleasures and a restrained sensuality.
    Both of which fascinated Rowena to no end.
    She glanced down at his big hand, clasping hers in a masterful hold. His grasp was confident, possessive, making her feel strangely feminine and fragile. Rowena had never felt feminine in her life. Gangly, awkward, stronger than the sons of the palace guards she played with. Rare was the man who did not make her conscious of her height.
    Annoyed, she realized she rather liked the feeling.
    The Highland plaid of raw wool the earl wore surprised her. Yet it did suit his dark rugged looks and made no secret of his strength. Rowena ' s father would probably approve of such a costume, respecting tradition. But in her mind she'd pictured the pirate in tight leather breeches and billowing shirt, cutlass in hand, swinging from a yardarm to snatch her from the jaws of danger, bellowing out swear words in one breath, declarations of undying love in another.
    She would be waiting for him in his cabin while he went off doing whatever it was pirates did. Possibly he would tie her with silken bands to his bedposts —Good Lord! Rowena thought, staring ahead with a grin. What imp of Satan sneaked these naughty images into her brain?
    She suppressed a wry smile at her silliness.
    There was an awkward moment as they reached the steep outer stairs to the keep.
    The earl seemed to hesitate. For an intensely pleasurable instant Rowena fancied he was tempted to carry her up the narrow steps in his muscular arms. Which of course was more sheer fantasy on her part.
    "After you, Your Highness," he said.
    Rowena sighed. The climb proved a trifle difficult due to the voluminous bulk of her velvet skirt, silk underskirts, and quilted petticoats. Still, she was glad she had changed from her rumpled garments in the cave.
    She hoped her tiara was still on straight.
    The earl called out only once. The black oak doors to the keep swung open as if by magic to admit them. Perfect, she thought. He was bo rn to command whether in a castle or on a pirate ship.
    She had to convince him to help her. After she convinced herself he was entirely trustworthy, of course.
    His low melodious voice sent a shiver down her neck. "My castle, as humble as it is, is at your disposal. "
    They climbed another flight of stairs and paused in a narrow torchlit passageway of the keep. The rough stone walls smelled of moisture und spilled wax. The earl fit the dark atmosphere, master of his surroundings, his shadow filling the small space. He turned toward her. His broad chest pressed against her forearm. Rowena ' s breath caught in her throat. Hildegarde and the others were still lumbering up the stairs behind them.
    He withdrew his hand.
    Rowena looked up slowly into his face, the black eyes, the rough-hewn features. She noticed the gold earring that glittered in his left ear. All the beaux at court wore earrings now. It could mean he claimed ties to his illicit past, or it could simply mean he followed current fashion.
    Frederic would soon be gone, hunting for warriors in the Highlands to take back to Hartzburg. She and Hildegarde would remain alone in this castle. Their wits, sharp as they were, would be their only weapon for the next fortnight.
    Against what? Was the Dragon a danger to her? Or was the minister's information false?
    "Well, " Douglas said, and then he waited, leaving her to imagine a wealth of meaning in the single word.
    Her heart gave an erratic flutter. Her whalebone corset threatened to squeeze the air from her ribcage. She seemed to shrink in the silence. He seemed to grow. Well, he ' d said, as if to add , "You are at my mercy now… "
    Rowena had been a dutiful daughter all of her life. She had done whatever her papa had wanted.
    And now, to save him, she was about to embark on a mission so scandalous it would have sent the poor man to his grave.
     
     
    D ouglas stayed at the princess's side like a shadow, determined to ward off any trouble before