imagination. âOur plan is not such a good idea. Tonyâ¦Sir Anthony is not a man to be trifled with.â
Sir Danny withdrew from her a few steps and considered her as a master would consider a painting. âSir Anthony?â
A gruff voice interrupted his scrutiny. âOur Rosencrantz holds Sir Anthony in awe, donât you think, Sir Danny?â
Rosie whirled around, and found herself facing Ludovic, who said, âWhy donât you ask our Rosencrantz why this Sir Anthony merits such respect?â
âI donât know what you mean,â she said.
âHe kissed you.â It was an accusation.
âHe kissed you?â Sir Dannyâs shaggy eyebrows drew together. âWhoâ¦he?â
âOur handsome host.â Ludovic spit on the ground, then wiped his hand across the back of his mouth. âI saw him. He kissed the fair Rosencrantz.â
âAs a man kisses a woman?â Sir Danny asked.
Ludovic wiped his palms down the sides of his jerkin. âMost certainly.â
âRosencrantz, is that true?â Sir Danny asked.
She cringed. She hadnât wanted to tell him. She hadnât wanted to tell anyone. Somethingâa fear they would point fingers and laugh, or accuse her of inviting intimacy, or just a sense of maidenly privacyâprohibited her confession. âSir Rycliffe mistook me for someone else.â
âSomeone he could kiss? Iâm quite confused.â
And Sir Danny did look confused, as confused as ever Rosie had seen him, but delighted, too.
âConfused?â Ludovic asked. âWhy confused? Sir Anthony Rycliffe obviously saw what few have guessed.â
Sir Dannyâs confusion and delight seemed to melt away; he assumed the suave facade he habitually wore. Rosie tried to take her cue from him, but she had to hide her suddenly trembling fingers behind her back.
âWhat is that?â Sir Danny stepped up and measured himself against Ludovic and came up ridiculously short. Sir Danny seemed not to notice, and ordered, âSpeak, knave. What is it you think Sir Anthony has seen?â
âDo you think I have no eyes?â Ludovic glared at Sir Danny.
âNay, I think you have no brain,â Sir Danny said.
Rosie said, âFor pityâs sake, Sir Dannyââ
Dannyâs voice only strengthened. âSir Anthony saw nothing. Nothing!â
âHe did, too, and I know what it was.â Ludovic stared pointedly at Rosieâs bosom.
With a flamboyant gesture, Sir Danny gestured toward the road that led away from the estate. âI tell you now to go. Take your lies. Leave us, leave the troupe. We donât need you, so get you gone.â
Ludovic stood, his hands dangling at his side, as hegazed first at Sir Danny, then at Rosie. He looked like a man fighting a battle with himself, a battle lost in the flames of a primeval fire. In a lightning swift move, he plucked Sir Danny off his feet by the front of his padded jerkin. Rosie grabbed for Ludovicâs arm, but neither her grip nor Sir Dannyâs kicking feet swayed the battered giant.
âUnhand me, sir!â Sir Danny demanded, and Ludovic shook him like a terrier with a rat.
His steel muscles flexed beneath Rosieâs fingers as she dug them into the flesh. âPut him down. Now!â Fear made her voice shrill. âPut him down , Ludovic.â She stomped one heeled shoe into his instep, and he cried like a beleaguered wolf and slammed his elbow onto her shoulder. She collapsed onto the ground, arm numb, collarbone pulsating from the impact, and Ludovic dropped Sir Danny.
âYouâ¦youâreâ¦did I break it?â Ludovic knelt beside her and reached out, but she scooted back with a whimper.
He froze, then stared at his hands, and he turned them over and over, like joints of meat on a grill. âCan you still see the blood on them?â
Ludovic had been a fanatic about keeping his hands clean, and sheâd
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