contestants and their chaperones had begun to congregate. The sisters had yet to put in an appearance. He’d find it interesting to see if they’d jump right into whatever mischief they’d planned, or if they’d take matters more slowly.
They were after pirate treasure, of course. Jake had relayed to Dair the story of his first meeting with Miss Katrina McBride in Galveston, Texas a few years ago when she’d attempted to purchase an altar cross from Jake’s father’s estate. She’d had personal reasons for wanting to buy the artifact from Jean Lafitte’s booty. Jake had personal reasons for refusing her.
Now, after a bit of study and debate, Jake and Dair had concluded that the sisters’ attempt to participate in Jake’s bride search was their effort to gain access to Chatham Park and its famous collections. Dair wondered if attempting to steal a treasure from Jake Kimball’s estate would pacify Emma’s thirst for adventure. Or, would she prefer an adventure more intimate in nature?
Dair knew which choice he’d prefer.
The intensity of his own reaction surprised him. Though he’d grown accustomed to using women, as a rule he found the practice distasteful. In Emma Tate’s case, he found the idea…delicious.
Admittedly, he need not use her at all. She had no grand fortune to steal, no significant jewels to rob, and Dair didn’t steal from those of limited means. In all honesty, romancing her might complicate his own purposes. She might be the type of woman to fulfill his request simply from the goodness of her heart. Such people did exist. Just not in the crowd he’d been running with of late.
Nevertheless, Dair found the idea of romancing Emma infinitely appealing. After all, considering his prognosis, it might well be his last chance.
Seducing her would answer any lingering questions he might have about her appropriateness for the job. From his experience, a woman’s true character invariably emerged once she shared a bed with a man. Just because he suspected the hand of fate in this enterprise didn’t mean that Emma Tate was the perfect person for the job. He wouldn’t know that until he knew the woman, inside and out. The best, the quickest way to learn the information was to seduce her.
There, wasn’t that tidy?
Not necessarily true, he was honest enough with himself to admit, but justifiable. Once he’d confirmed her character and secured her loyalty, her allegiance, he could spring his question upon her. If he did it right, she wouldn’t refuse him.
Dair had every intention of doing it right.
So, how best to proceed? He spent a few minutes considering, then discarding various options before settling on a plan. Best to move forward with caution, he thought. First, he’d simply spend time with her, probing her wishes and desires for bits of information not to be found in the pages of any dossier. Then, armed with her likes and dislikes, he would formulate his seduction strategy.
A check of the mantel clock revealed that the time had come for the next scene in this production. Dair headed downstairs to spend the remainder of the day getting to know Emma.
She displayed a genuine affection for children and proved her claim that she enjoyed fishing during a contest with Jake’s niece Caroline at Chatham Park’s picturesque lake. When that was done, Dair and Caroline spent some time skipping rocks, until the girl joined Emma in picking wildflowers while he stretched out on a quilt beneath the warm afternoon sun. As Dair enjoyed the simple pleasure of watching a woman and child fill a white wicker basket with flowers of pink and blue, he mentally prioritized the other pieces of information he wished to learn.
Dair managed to lure Emma over to his quilt and he surreptitiously probed her opinions about various methods of discipline for children. Her answers to his questions suggested she was frugal, but not a skinflint; generous, but not extravagant; disciplined, but not heavy-handed. The
They were after pirate treasure, of course. Jake had relayed to Dair the story of his first meeting with Miss Katrina McBride in Galveston, Texas a few years ago when she’d attempted to purchase an altar cross from Jake’s father’s estate. She’d had personal reasons for wanting to buy the artifact from Jean Lafitte’s booty. Jake had personal reasons for refusing her.
Now, after a bit of study and debate, Jake and Dair had concluded that the sisters’ attempt to participate in Jake’s bride search was their effort to gain access to Chatham Park and its famous collections. Dair wondered if attempting to steal a treasure from Jake Kimball’s estate would pacify Emma’s thirst for adventure. Or, would she prefer an adventure more intimate in nature?
Dair knew which choice he’d prefer.
The intensity of his own reaction surprised him. Though he’d grown accustomed to using women, as a rule he found the practice distasteful. In Emma Tate’s case, he found the idea…delicious.
Admittedly, he need not use her at all. She had no grand fortune to steal, no significant jewels to rob, and Dair didn’t steal from those of limited means. In all honesty, romancing her might complicate his own purposes. She might be the type of woman to fulfill his request simply from the goodness of her heart. Such people did exist. Just not in the crowd he’d been running with of late.
Nevertheless, Dair found the idea of romancing Emma infinitely appealing. After all, considering his prognosis, it might well be his last chance.
Seducing her would answer any lingering questions he might have about her appropriateness for the job. From his experience, a woman’s true character invariably emerged once she shared a bed with a man. Just because he suspected the hand of fate in this enterprise didn’t mean that Emma Tate was the perfect person for the job. He wouldn’t know that until he knew the woman, inside and out. The best, the quickest way to learn the information was to seduce her.
There, wasn’t that tidy?
Not necessarily true, he was honest enough with himself to admit, but justifiable. Once he’d confirmed her character and secured her loyalty, her allegiance, he could spring his question upon her. If he did it right, she wouldn’t refuse him.
Dair had every intention of doing it right.
So, how best to proceed? He spent a few minutes considering, then discarding various options before settling on a plan. Best to move forward with caution, he thought. First, he’d simply spend time with her, probing her wishes and desires for bits of information not to be found in the pages of any dossier. Then, armed with her likes and dislikes, he would formulate his seduction strategy.
A check of the mantel clock revealed that the time had come for the next scene in this production. Dair headed downstairs to spend the remainder of the day getting to know Emma.
She displayed a genuine affection for children and proved her claim that she enjoyed fishing during a contest with Jake’s niece Caroline at Chatham Park’s picturesque lake. When that was done, Dair and Caroline spent some time skipping rocks, until the girl joined Emma in picking wildflowers while he stretched out on a quilt beneath the warm afternoon sun. As Dair enjoyed the simple pleasure of watching a woman and child fill a white wicker basket with flowers of pink and blue, he mentally prioritized the other pieces of information he wished to learn.
Dair managed to lure Emma over to his quilt and he surreptitiously probed her opinions about various methods of discipline for children. Her answers to his questions suggested she was frugal, but not a skinflint; generous, but not extravagant; disciplined, but not heavy-handed. The
Similar Books
