That’s true!” he replied, and felt his face grow hot. God! Was he blushing? He felt sick to his stomach at such weakness. Plenty of women had used that one-line gambit on him, fluttering their eyelids and pouting their reddened lips, and to bed the most beautiful of them he let them think it had worked. But he had never blushed at the remark.
“A war hero masquerading as a savage,” Rory teased.
“For a wager—all of it,” he blurted out, as if a confession was required of him.
“Yes, I thought that might be why. But those poor—wagtails and canaries—they don’t know that, do they? And the militia… I hope you aren’t out of pocket for their invasion? Or will your winnings cover expenses, too?”
“Clever.” His mouth twitched. “I’ll wager my breechcloth you know what perturbed means, too.”
Rory turned away to look out over the stage again; anything to stop him staring at her so fixedly. She was feeling quite faint. She told him what was happening, adding, “The captain has two of his men guarding the door, which is now closed. You won’t escape that way, if that was your intent?”
He tugged again on her lace and gestured with his thumb over his bare shoulder. “Door behind us. And it’s unlocked. What’s the gentleman with the sword doing now?”
“He’s put away his sword and is conversing with the captain.”
“Mr. Pleasant will be as grumpy as a kicked toadstool to have his performance upstaged. Wise of him to sheath his sword and not play the hero. He’s no coward but it would be idiotic to challenge men in uniform, particularly with such odds stacked against him.”
“A war hero would. You would. Nothing frightens you.”
For the second time in as many minutes, Dair was startled by such ready conviction. But he quickly recovered his sangfroid and inclined his head in acknowledgement, saying with a grin, “I will frighten them into submission. I doubt any of those boys have seen a Colonial least of all a native of that continent.”
Rory’s gaze flickered over his painted face, with its two braids dangling either side of his ears, and then across his wide shoulders, but dared not let her eyes drop any further, and quickly brought her gaze back to his face with its blackened eye sockets. That he was watching her intently was evident in his fixed stare.
“Yes, you will,” she said calmly. “And it wouldn’t require you to wear such an absurd disguise. You don’t look like an American Indian in the least.”
“Absurd? And how many American Indians have you—”
“I’ve seen etchings!”
An involuntary burst of laughter was quickly muffled when he clapped a hand over his mouth. He leaned in to her with a raise of his eyebrows. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours…?” But when she frowned, not understanding the inference, he sat back, suddenly uncomfortable and said with unusual brusqueness, “Next time I need to appear ridiculous I’ll seek your advice!”
“You don’t need my advice. You do quite splendidly on your own! Oh! Oh! Now that was rude of me! Forgive me!”
He grinned, watching her fluster and flounder her apology, cheeks apple red with embarrassment. He chuffed her under the chin, then pinched it affectionately.
“You, my sweet-mouthed delight, are nothing like Consulata’s usual coterie of female friends… I’m glad you threw yourself in my way.”
“Threw myself?” Rory gasped loudly. “ Threw myself ?” She did not know what else to say to such a startling accusation. She was saved further embarrassment and explanation when Dair put a finger to her lips to quiet her and jerked his head at the stage.
“Listen! Sounds like an argument. Female tearing strips off some poor fellow. It’s not Consulata. When she fires up it’s all Genovese and gestures! Who did you say was out there?”
“I didn’t.”
Rory peeked over the ledge, but she knew who owned the agitated voice without needing to do so. Into the startling diorama
“A war hero masquerading as a savage,” Rory teased.
“For a wager—all of it,” he blurted out, as if a confession was required of him.
“Yes, I thought that might be why. But those poor—wagtails and canaries—they don’t know that, do they? And the militia… I hope you aren’t out of pocket for their invasion? Or will your winnings cover expenses, too?”
“Clever.” His mouth twitched. “I’ll wager my breechcloth you know what perturbed means, too.”
Rory turned away to look out over the stage again; anything to stop him staring at her so fixedly. She was feeling quite faint. She told him what was happening, adding, “The captain has two of his men guarding the door, which is now closed. You won’t escape that way, if that was your intent?”
He tugged again on her lace and gestured with his thumb over his bare shoulder. “Door behind us. And it’s unlocked. What’s the gentleman with the sword doing now?”
“He’s put away his sword and is conversing with the captain.”
“Mr. Pleasant will be as grumpy as a kicked toadstool to have his performance upstaged. Wise of him to sheath his sword and not play the hero. He’s no coward but it would be idiotic to challenge men in uniform, particularly with such odds stacked against him.”
“A war hero would. You would. Nothing frightens you.”
For the second time in as many minutes, Dair was startled by such ready conviction. But he quickly recovered his sangfroid and inclined his head in acknowledgement, saying with a grin, “I will frighten them into submission. I doubt any of those boys have seen a Colonial least of all a native of that continent.”
Rory’s gaze flickered over his painted face, with its two braids dangling either side of his ears, and then across his wide shoulders, but dared not let her eyes drop any further, and quickly brought her gaze back to his face with its blackened eye sockets. That he was watching her intently was evident in his fixed stare.
“Yes, you will,” she said calmly. “And it wouldn’t require you to wear such an absurd disguise. You don’t look like an American Indian in the least.”
“Absurd? And how many American Indians have you—”
“I’ve seen etchings!”
An involuntary burst of laughter was quickly muffled when he clapped a hand over his mouth. He leaned in to her with a raise of his eyebrows. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours…?” But when she frowned, not understanding the inference, he sat back, suddenly uncomfortable and said with unusual brusqueness, “Next time I need to appear ridiculous I’ll seek your advice!”
“You don’t need my advice. You do quite splendidly on your own! Oh! Oh! Now that was rude of me! Forgive me!”
He grinned, watching her fluster and flounder her apology, cheeks apple red with embarrassment. He chuffed her under the chin, then pinched it affectionately.
“You, my sweet-mouthed delight, are nothing like Consulata’s usual coterie of female friends… I’m glad you threw yourself in my way.”
“Threw myself?” Rory gasped loudly. “ Threw myself ?” She did not know what else to say to such a startling accusation. She was saved further embarrassment and explanation when Dair put a finger to her lips to quiet her and jerked his head at the stage.
“Listen! Sounds like an argument. Female tearing strips off some poor fellow. It’s not Consulata. When she fires up it’s all Genovese and gestures! Who did you say was out there?”
“I didn’t.”
Rory peeked over the ledge, but she knew who owned the agitated voice without needing to do so. Into the startling diorama
Similar Books
