By Love Unveiled by Deborah Martin Page A

the first time, he wanted more than only a night with a woman. Her soft words about gardens and flowers had troubled his thoughts far too much during his recovery.
    He cursed his wayward thoughts. This unmasking was not about that. Yet he couldn’t seem to stop staring at her.
    “Are you quite done gawking at me, my lord?” she bit out.
    “No,” he said with perfect honesty. He turned her to face the sunlight that streamed through the multipaned window.
    “You have no right . . .” she whispered as he pushed the hood completely off her head, loosing her lustrous hair from its knot and allowing it to spill free.
    He caught his breath as the sun lit her face and tipped her tresses with antique gold. Lightly he trailed his fingers over one smooth cheek, marveling at the softness of her skin.
    She blushed then, so prettily that his pulse leapt. Damn her for being so lovely. There was too much at stake for him to let himself be tempted by a fair face. “It seems you have no need for the physician Milburn after all.”
    She stiffened. “You never intended to bring me to him anyway. Your offer was merely intended to unmask me, wasn’t it?”
    He shrugged. “Not entirely. But your tale of disfigurement rang false. How else could I prove my suspicions? I assure you, if you’d been telling the truth and accepted my offer, I would have brought you to Milburn.”
    After digesting that a moment, she glanced to the door. “Well, sir, now that you’ve satisfied your curiosity, I wish to leave.”
    Did she think he’d let her go that easily? She was hiding a great deal more than just her face.
    Before he released her, he must know what. “Actually, you’ve merely roused my interest further. You might, for example, tell me why you wear a mask in the first place.”
    “I don’t see how that concerns you, my lord,” she said, her palpable apprehension giving him pause.
    She seemed poised to flee, but he didn’t intend to let her slip away this time. Not without answers. “Everything concerns me. This is my domain. I don’t like having two strange gypsies roaming it, especially when one hides her face and lies about the reason. It makes me wonder what mischief she is about.”
    “I intend no mischief.” She tilted her chin up so that the light fell half across her face. “Isn’t it enough that I saved your life?”
    He ignored a quick stab of remorse. He had to learn the reason for her disguise, if only to ensure she wasn’t one of his uncle’s minions come to spy on him. Of course, if she’d worked for his uncle, why would she have cared for his wounds so skillfully?
    Yet there could be other, equally sinister reasons for her disguise. After years of dealing with lies and deceit, he knew better than to trust a stranger, no matter how lovely.
    “Have you committed some crime?” he probed, his tone deliberately intimidating. “Are you hiding from soldiers or the guard?”
    The fear that leapt in her eyes made him wonder if he’d hit upon the truth. Then she stiffened. “No, my lord,” she said, contempt lacing her words. “I’m hiding from noblemen like you who wish to devour women like me.”
    Her deft answer surprised him. She wasn’t easily cowed, that was certain. “What makes you think I’ll devour you?”
    “Aren’t you holding me here against my will? Haven’t you tricked me into returning to your manor? That’s proof enough that you intend me harm. Because of rogues like you, Aunt Tamara thought it wise to keep my face and form hidden. It was, and still is, my only protection.”
    His gaze strayed over her face and then her hair, which tumbled down her back like golden wheat spilling from a sheaf. “I understand why your aunt felt the need to protect you. But why do so by hiding your face?” He chose his words carefully, hoping to provoke her into revealing more. “Wouldn’t it have been better to find you a protector?”
    As her eyes widened, he smiled. “I see that you take my meaning.