barricade yourself in your roomafter I made such a pompous ass of myself yesterday.”
“Who would refuse a jaunt around the island on a yacht like this?” she asked lightly. “Particularly anyone as sun-deprived as I am. Besides, being a poor benighted prisoner, I didn’t have much choice. You could have just thrown me over your shoulder and carried me on board willy-nilly.”
“I wouldn’t have done that.”
Was there a thread of hurt in his voice? It seemed impossible that she had the power to hurt a man as granite hard as Donahue. Yet he was one of the most boldly honest men she had ever met and so secure in his own manhood that he was unafraid to reveal vulnerability. She had found that out yesterday, to her intense disturbance.
Today he had been very careful to guard against making her uneasy in any way. He had been friendly, charming, and almost impersonal. The hours they’d spent on the yacht had been as golden as the sun pouring down on her right now. She had a sudden impulse to soothethe hurt she had so carelessly inflicted. “I was joking. I know you wouldn’t have forced me.”
“Good.” There was another long, peaceful silence. “May I ask you a question?”
She stiffened warily. “Perhaps.”
“Why did you marry him?”
“I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of Martin. He’s a very handsome man … quite beautiful, in fact.”
“Why
, dammit? You’re not a woman who looks only on the surface.”
“I was at that time in my life. I’m afraid I was regrettably naive for a woman of twenty-six. I was an only child and my parents had sheltered me far too much from the realities of life. I grew up thinking I could drift along in that same serene way for the rest of my days, and that everything would be handed to me on the traditional silver platter. Even my singing career was more of a pastime than a vocation.”
“Baldwin,” Clancy prodded.
“I told you I had the princess mentality. I was twenty-six years old and Prince Charming hadn’t bothered to gallop into my life. So Istarted looking for him.” Her lips curved in a bittersweet smile. “Martin appeared to fit the bill admirably. Nordic good looks, charisma, well educated, and he wanted to keep the princess in her ivory tower. It was obviously a marriage made in heaven.”
“You didn’t know about his illegal activities?”
“A princess can’t be bothered to look out the window of her tower except on very special occasions. Didn’t you know that? I thought he was in the import-export business.”
“He was, in a manner of speaking,” Clancy said dryly.
“I didn’t find out Martin was a criminal until just after we separated. I had been trying to hold our marriage together for the previous two years, but had finally given it up as a lost cause. My parents had been killed in a plane crash, and I suddenly discovered that there were such things as pain and responsibility in the world. Even a princess has to grow up sometime. I wanted to become a person as well as a wife and mother. Martin didn’t understandthat and tried to bolt the doors of the tower firmly in place. He refused to accept the fact that I’d finally outgrown my cloistered lifestyle. He still does, for that matter. He’s talked himself into believing that if I come back to him, everything will be the way it was.” Her voice lowered to a mere whisper. “Nothing can be the same again. Not ever. Not without—” She broke off and drew a deep, shaky breath. Her eyes opened, but she kept them fixed firmly on the horizon so that he couldn’t see their glittering brightness. “You can see why I object to you imprisoning me, Clancy. I’ve just managed to break out of one jail.”
“I wouldn’t be like Baldwin. I might want to keep you as my own personal harem girl, but I’m intelligent enough not to try to do it.” He paused, then added wistfully, “I hope.”
She hadn’t mentioned the child. Clancy studied her face, noting the fine-drawn tension
“Who would refuse a jaunt around the island on a yacht like this?” she asked lightly. “Particularly anyone as sun-deprived as I am. Besides, being a poor benighted prisoner, I didn’t have much choice. You could have just thrown me over your shoulder and carried me on board willy-nilly.”
“I wouldn’t have done that.”
Was there a thread of hurt in his voice? It seemed impossible that she had the power to hurt a man as granite hard as Donahue. Yet he was one of the most boldly honest men she had ever met and so secure in his own manhood that he was unafraid to reveal vulnerability. She had found that out yesterday, to her intense disturbance.
Today he had been very careful to guard against making her uneasy in any way. He had been friendly, charming, and almost impersonal. The hours they’d spent on the yacht had been as golden as the sun pouring down on her right now. She had a sudden impulse to soothethe hurt she had so carelessly inflicted. “I was joking. I know you wouldn’t have forced me.”
“Good.” There was another long, peaceful silence. “May I ask you a question?”
She stiffened warily. “Perhaps.”
“Why did you marry him?”
“I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of Martin. He’s a very handsome man … quite beautiful, in fact.”
“Why
, dammit? You’re not a woman who looks only on the surface.”
“I was at that time in my life. I’m afraid I was regrettably naive for a woman of twenty-six. I was an only child and my parents had sheltered me far too much from the realities of life. I grew up thinking I could drift along in that same serene way for the rest of my days, and that everything would be handed to me on the traditional silver platter. Even my singing career was more of a pastime than a vocation.”
“Baldwin,” Clancy prodded.
“I told you I had the princess mentality. I was twenty-six years old and Prince Charming hadn’t bothered to gallop into my life. So Istarted looking for him.” Her lips curved in a bittersweet smile. “Martin appeared to fit the bill admirably. Nordic good looks, charisma, well educated, and he wanted to keep the princess in her ivory tower. It was obviously a marriage made in heaven.”
“You didn’t know about his illegal activities?”
“A princess can’t be bothered to look out the window of her tower except on very special occasions. Didn’t you know that? I thought he was in the import-export business.”
“He was, in a manner of speaking,” Clancy said dryly.
“I didn’t find out Martin was a criminal until just after we separated. I had been trying to hold our marriage together for the previous two years, but had finally given it up as a lost cause. My parents had been killed in a plane crash, and I suddenly discovered that there were such things as pain and responsibility in the world. Even a princess has to grow up sometime. I wanted to become a person as well as a wife and mother. Martin didn’t understandthat and tried to bolt the doors of the tower firmly in place. He refused to accept the fact that I’d finally outgrown my cloistered lifestyle. He still does, for that matter. He’s talked himself into believing that if I come back to him, everything will be the way it was.” Her voice lowered to a mere whisper. “Nothing can be the same again. Not ever. Not without—” She broke off and drew a deep, shaky breath. Her eyes opened, but she kept them fixed firmly on the horizon so that he couldn’t see their glittering brightness. “You can see why I object to you imprisoning me, Clancy. I’ve just managed to break out of one jail.”
“I wouldn’t be like Baldwin. I might want to keep you as my own personal harem girl, but I’m intelligent enough not to try to do it.” He paused, then added wistfully, “I hope.”
She hadn’t mentioned the child. Clancy studied her face, noting the fine-drawn tension
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