Forbidden Love Read Online Free PDF Page B

aware of a certain quiet watchfulness in his manner. He was waiting for her to make some outburst, which would provide him with an excuse to enforce his authority over her. Refusing to give him the opportunity, Roanna kept stubbornly silent
    Colin frowned, then shrugged. She was even more willful than he had thought, but he couldn't find it in him to condemn such spirit With his opinion of Norman women undergoing a rapid reevaluation, he contented himself with a grim reminder.
    "Don't forget what I said. Try to move out of that bed and I guarantee your exquisite bottom will be sore for a week!"
    He was gone before Roanna could do more than snarl at the blatant reminder of how familiar he now was with her body.
    The next few days passed very slowly. By the simple expedient of not providing her with any clothes, Colin made sure his orders were obeyed. Confined to the guest chamber, allowed to rise only long enough for carefully supervised baths during which half a dozen braziers were kept lighted despite the return of summer temperatures, Roanna quickly learned the true meaning of boredom.
    She slept as much as possible and ate the delicious meals provided to her, but there were still long hours of the day during which she tossed restlessly under the eye of one or the other serving women set to guard her.
    Finally taking pity on her, they suggested all manner of diversions. But Roanna had no fondness for the usual pastimes of a noble lady. She despised needlework, had a poor hand at sketching, and thought her inept assaults on the lute or harp should not be inflicted even on an enemy.
    The old woman who nursed her finally allowed her to help mix medicinal herbs. Since proportions had to be meticulously measured, she found some distraction in this task. But it was completed too soon, leaving her once more at loose ends.
    On the third day, Colin at last deigned to visit, his arrival brought a rush of male virality into what had been a purely feminine domain. Roanna had to force the smile from her lips by reminding herself that he was the cause of all her problems.
    As she barely acknowledged his presence, the serving women scurried away, after making sure their lord was comfortably seated and did not require ale or other refreshment
    Crouched in the center of the bed with the covers pulled up to her chin, Roanna looked him over warily. Sunlight filtering through the windows burnished his shoulder-length hair. The bronzed skin stretched tautly over his lean, hard body shone with health. Sharp lines were cut into his face, reminding her that though he was still a young man he carried heavy responsibilities. But his eyes betrayed not a shadow of self-doubt as he returned her gaze in full measure.
    Clad in a sweat-stained tunic that left his powerful arms and legs bare, he had obviously been working hard. The wide leather belt strapped around his slim waist held a longsword. On the other side, a dagger lay close at hand. She wondered if he had come from the training field, but resisted the urge to ask.
    Instead, she demanded coolly, "Have you dared to get in touch with my brother yet?"
    Colin took his time answering. He was content to savor the sight of beauty that had haunted his every waking thought and made his dreams endurance contests. She was even lovelier than the image indelibly burned into his brain. The brief smile he had glimpsed in those remarkable eyes made him long to soothe and please her. Wryly he reflected that a man would put up with a great deal to win this one's favor.
    His bland response gave no hint of the turmoil of his thoughts. "It took a while to arrange safe conduct for my messenger, but your brother now knows your whereabouts and my demands."
    Some of Roanna's bravado faded. Her shame at the worry she was causing her family had not eased. "W-what did you tell him?"
    "That you will be released when my cousin is safely returned, and that in the meantime you will not be harmed." More gently, he added, "I told