participating in any sort of . . . intimate act with you, but then . . .” Her next words caught in her throat.
“But then what ?” he snapped.
She forced the words out—words that spoke too much of the truth for her liking. “But then . . . you touched me . . . kissed me . . .” She wanted to say no more. Each day she went through the motions of living, unable to mourn her sister. Simply surviving, more dead than alive. She’d forgotten how to feel. She didn’t even want to. Yet this man—of all men—had inflamed her senses and jolted her body to life with such startling intensity, she still trembled in the aftermath. She’d rather cut out her own tongue than have to admit to him , “I didn’t want you to stop.” How she wished that was a lie.
“Really.” His voice was bland.
“Yes, really!” His skepticism was wounding when it shouldn’t be at all. How ironic that she had to convince him of something she wanted to deny.
It took everything she had not to give up this mad scheme and run. But she didn’t have that luxury. “You . . . overwhelmed me.” Sadly that, too, was the truth.
He placed his hands on his hips. “Why didn’t you sell the wine before you ‘tainted’ it?”
“We tried to do that at the market. The realm is in financial chaos, in case you haven’t noticed. We had no takers. I’ve been traveling for some time. I’d only met the young men I’m with today. The wine was theirs. The idea to do this was mine. I convinced them to barter some wine for some sleeping powders. They did just that, mixed it into the wine, and we devised a plan.”
His jaw tightened. Tensed, she wondered if he could hear the pounding of her heart.
“Why did you select us?” he asked.
“You were the first group of men we came upon who looked as though you had some coin to spare.”
His brows shot up. “You walked into a camp of men you knew nothing about?”
“Yes.”
“ Merde . Woman, are you mad?”
“No. Just utterly desperate. And out of choices. I had nothing to lose.”
“Except your innocence and your life.”
She gave a harsh laugh. “Why worry about my innocence if I am dead? And dead is what I’ll be without coin. Most of my family is gone. My home is gone because I didn’t have the money to pay our lord his taxes. What choice did I have?”
He studied her in silence. Her insides in frenzy, she prayed he believed her.
His eyes narrowed. “Those men you are with, did they know you were a virgin?”
“No!” She was intent on protecting her cousins, for she could see his ire rising once more.
“Did you lead them to believe you were sexually experienced?”
“I told them nothing about myself. They’re practically boys. Like me, they only resorted to this because they’re trying to survive. What would you do if you were in our desperate situation?”
He didn’t answer her, and his expression was unreadable.
He needs more convincing .
She quickly added, “This has been a night of firsts. I’ve never stolen or tried to steal before. I swear it. And I’ve never experienced . . . the things I experienced with you tonight. What happened between us was not a ruse. It was . . .” She looked away, unable to look in his eyes as she said, “Bliss.” How she wished that were a lie, too.
Still he remained silent.
It unnerved her. She forced her gaze back to his. His dark eyes gave nothing away.
She hadn’t come this far to lose the silver treasure. She wouldn’t. Couldn’t. She had to convince him to keep her with him—near the silver.
She pressed on. “I’m traveling to the town of Maillard. It’s but a three-day ride. I have a cousin there who is a schoolmaster. He’s the only family I have left.” There was no cousin in Maillard. She’d purposely selected the town because she knew it was en route to his point of rendezvous. “Send the young men away, if you wish. But let me stay with you. Please . . . take me to Maillard. Take me to my cousin.” That
“But then what ?” he snapped.
She forced the words out—words that spoke too much of the truth for her liking. “But then . . . you touched me . . . kissed me . . .” She wanted to say no more. Each day she went through the motions of living, unable to mourn her sister. Simply surviving, more dead than alive. She’d forgotten how to feel. She didn’t even want to. Yet this man—of all men—had inflamed her senses and jolted her body to life with such startling intensity, she still trembled in the aftermath. She’d rather cut out her own tongue than have to admit to him , “I didn’t want you to stop.” How she wished that was a lie.
“Really.” His voice was bland.
“Yes, really!” His skepticism was wounding when it shouldn’t be at all. How ironic that she had to convince him of something she wanted to deny.
It took everything she had not to give up this mad scheme and run. But she didn’t have that luxury. “You . . . overwhelmed me.” Sadly that, too, was the truth.
He placed his hands on his hips. “Why didn’t you sell the wine before you ‘tainted’ it?”
“We tried to do that at the market. The realm is in financial chaos, in case you haven’t noticed. We had no takers. I’ve been traveling for some time. I’d only met the young men I’m with today. The wine was theirs. The idea to do this was mine. I convinced them to barter some wine for some sleeping powders. They did just that, mixed it into the wine, and we devised a plan.”
His jaw tightened. Tensed, she wondered if he could hear the pounding of her heart.
“Why did you select us?” he asked.
“You were the first group of men we came upon who looked as though you had some coin to spare.”
His brows shot up. “You walked into a camp of men you knew nothing about?”
“Yes.”
“ Merde . Woman, are you mad?”
“No. Just utterly desperate. And out of choices. I had nothing to lose.”
“Except your innocence and your life.”
She gave a harsh laugh. “Why worry about my innocence if I am dead? And dead is what I’ll be without coin. Most of my family is gone. My home is gone because I didn’t have the money to pay our lord his taxes. What choice did I have?”
He studied her in silence. Her insides in frenzy, she prayed he believed her.
His eyes narrowed. “Those men you are with, did they know you were a virgin?”
“No!” She was intent on protecting her cousins, for she could see his ire rising once more.
“Did you lead them to believe you were sexually experienced?”
“I told them nothing about myself. They’re practically boys. Like me, they only resorted to this because they’re trying to survive. What would you do if you were in our desperate situation?”
He didn’t answer her, and his expression was unreadable.
He needs more convincing .
She quickly added, “This has been a night of firsts. I’ve never stolen or tried to steal before. I swear it. And I’ve never experienced . . . the things I experienced with you tonight. What happened between us was not a ruse. It was . . .” She looked away, unable to look in his eyes as she said, “Bliss.” How she wished that were a lie, too.
Still he remained silent.
It unnerved her. She forced her gaze back to his. His dark eyes gave nothing away.
She hadn’t come this far to lose the silver treasure. She wouldn’t. Couldn’t. She had to convince him to keep her with him—near the silver.
She pressed on. “I’m traveling to the town of Maillard. It’s but a three-day ride. I have a cousin there who is a schoolmaster. He’s the only family I have left.” There was no cousin in Maillard. She’d purposely selected the town because she knew it was en route to his point of rendezvous. “Send the young men away, if you wish. But let me stay with you. Please . . . take me to Maillard. Take me to my cousin.” That
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