fortnight
ago."
"Stolen, you say?"
"Aye. And at a most inauspicious moment."
She eyed him with sharp perception. "Shortly after you arrived to take control of Scarcliffe?"
"Aye." The lady was quick-witted, Hugh thought. "I want it back. 'Twill go far toward
quelling the fears and uncertainties of my people."
"I see."
"If I return with the stone and a suitable bride, my people will understand that I mean to be
their true lord."
Alice looked distinctly uneasy. "You wish to wed me?"
"I wish to become betrothed to you." One step at a time , he reminded himself. He did not
want to frighten her off at this stage. Now that he had hit upon this scheme, he was convinced
it would work. But he needed Alice's cooperation. There was no time to search for another
bride. "For a very short period of time."
"But a vow of betrothal is very nearly as binding as a wedding vow," Alice protested.
"Indeed, some church scholars claim that it is equally binding and that there is no real
difference between the two."
"You know as well as I do that such scholars are in the minority. In truth, betrothals are
broken readily enough, especially if both parties are agreed on the matter. I see no problem."
"Hmm."
Alice was silent for a long moment, her brows knitted together in an expression of grave
consideration. Hugh could see that she was turning his proposal over and over in her mind,
checking for pitfalls and traps. He watched her, fascinated.
With a strange jolt of awareness, he realized that she reminded him of himself when he was
plotting stratagems. He knew exactly what she was thinking. It was an odd experience to
study her like this. It was as though he had a fleeting glimpse into her mind. A sensation of
eerie familiarity gripped him for a moment. He had the strange feeling that he knew Alice far
better than their short acquaintance warranted.
The knowledge that her wits were as sharp as his own and might very well work in much the
same manner left Hugh feeling disoriented. He was not accustomed to the notion that he
might have something so fundamental in common with another person, let alone with a
woman.
It struck him that he bad always considered himself as being set apart from others, removed
from their lives, detached and distanced from them even as he intermingled with them. He
had spent his life feeling as though he lived on an island while everyone else in the world
existed on the opposite shore.
But for a brief moment in time it seemed as though Alice shared the island with him.
Alice watched him with a shrewd gaze. "I had intended to enter a convent as soon as my
brother was safely launched in the world."
Hugh shook off the odd sensation and forced himself back to the matter at hand. " 'Tis not
uncommon for a lady whose betrothal has been broken to enter a convent."
"Aye." Alice offered nothing further. She was clearly engrossed in consideration of the
matter.
Hugh abruptly wondered if she would wear such a radiantly fierce expression when she lay
beneath a man in bed.
That thought made him reflect upon the matter of whether or not she had ever lain with a
man. Alice was three and twenty, after all, and Dunstan was correct. She was not what one
would term a shy, unopened rosebud.
On the other hand, she was no flirt, Hugh thought. Judging by the collection of stones, dried
beetles, and assorted equipment cluttering her study chamber, it appeared that her passions
were more easily inflamed by matters of natural philosophy than thoughts of passion and lust.
Alice folded her arms beneath her breasts and drummed her fingers against her arms.
"Precisely how long would this betrothal need to last to suit your purposes, my lord?"
"As to that, I cannot be precise, but I should think a few months would do it."
"A few months ."
" 'Tis not such a great length of time," he said smoothly. "By spring I shall have everything
under control at Scarcliffe." By spring I shall have you safely wedded
ago."
"Stolen, you say?"
"Aye. And at a most inauspicious moment."
She eyed him with sharp perception. "Shortly after you arrived to take control of Scarcliffe?"
"Aye." The lady was quick-witted, Hugh thought. "I want it back. 'Twill go far toward
quelling the fears and uncertainties of my people."
"I see."
"If I return with the stone and a suitable bride, my people will understand that I mean to be
their true lord."
Alice looked distinctly uneasy. "You wish to wed me?"
"I wish to become betrothed to you." One step at a time , he reminded himself. He did not
want to frighten her off at this stage. Now that he had hit upon this scheme, he was convinced
it would work. But he needed Alice's cooperation. There was no time to search for another
bride. "For a very short period of time."
"But a vow of betrothal is very nearly as binding as a wedding vow," Alice protested.
"Indeed, some church scholars claim that it is equally binding and that there is no real
difference between the two."
"You know as well as I do that such scholars are in the minority. In truth, betrothals are
broken readily enough, especially if both parties are agreed on the matter. I see no problem."
"Hmm."
Alice was silent for a long moment, her brows knitted together in an expression of grave
consideration. Hugh could see that she was turning his proposal over and over in her mind,
checking for pitfalls and traps. He watched her, fascinated.
With a strange jolt of awareness, he realized that she reminded him of himself when he was
plotting stratagems. He knew exactly what she was thinking. It was an odd experience to
study her like this. It was as though he had a fleeting glimpse into her mind. A sensation of
eerie familiarity gripped him for a moment. He had the strange feeling that he knew Alice far
better than their short acquaintance warranted.
The knowledge that her wits were as sharp as his own and might very well work in much the
same manner left Hugh feeling disoriented. He was not accustomed to the notion that he
might have something so fundamental in common with another person, let alone with a
woman.
It struck him that he bad always considered himself as being set apart from others, removed
from their lives, detached and distanced from them even as he intermingled with them. He
had spent his life feeling as though he lived on an island while everyone else in the world
existed on the opposite shore.
But for a brief moment in time it seemed as though Alice shared the island with him.
Alice watched him with a shrewd gaze. "I had intended to enter a convent as soon as my
brother was safely launched in the world."
Hugh shook off the odd sensation and forced himself back to the matter at hand. " 'Tis not
uncommon for a lady whose betrothal has been broken to enter a convent."
"Aye." Alice offered nothing further. She was clearly engrossed in consideration of the
matter.
Hugh abruptly wondered if she would wear such a radiantly fierce expression when she lay
beneath a man in bed.
That thought made him reflect upon the matter of whether or not she had ever lain with a
man. Alice was three and twenty, after all, and Dunstan was correct. She was not what one
would term a shy, unopened rosebud.
On the other hand, she was no flirt, Hugh thought. Judging by the collection of stones, dried
beetles, and assorted equipment cluttering her study chamber, it appeared that her passions
were more easily inflamed by matters of natural philosophy than thoughts of passion and lust.
Alice folded her arms beneath her breasts and drummed her fingers against her arms.
"Precisely how long would this betrothal need to last to suit your purposes, my lord?"
"As to that, I cannot be precise, but I should think a few months would do it."
"A few months ."
" 'Tis not such a great length of time," he said smoothly. "By spring I shall have everything
under control at Scarcliffe." By spring I shall have you safely wedded
Similar Books
