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her disappeared. Every bit of herself was washed away into bliss.
    Nicholas smiled as he saw her fade into sleep. He had thought she was not fully awake when she had gathered him to her. Still, this was a sample of the passion he had expected from his wife. Although he was sure she had not been cognizant of his identity, her reactions to his kisses were unfaked. Having sampled her lusciousness, he wondered how long he could wait for her to invite him to share her bed. It would not be long. He wanted Rebecca, as he had since that moment he had seen her in the church and had known that this beautiful woman was his.
    Getting himself comfortable on the hard bed, he drew her close to him. Her head rested on his shoulders, and her body reformed along his in sleep. Through the thinness of her frock, he could feel the lithe lines of her body. A lightning-hot bolt of desire raced through him as he longed to make love with her. Soon, he promised himself. Now he simply would enjoy her lying in his arms. With her warmth next to him, he dozed also.

Chapter Four
    Rebecca woke with memories of anguish and a ravenous hunger which seemed insatiable. Her brow furrowed as she looked around in confusion. It took several seconds for her to remember that she was on a ship bound for England. She wondered what had happened. Although she could recall coming aboard the ship whose name she could not remember, everything else was a bizarre collage of what was fact and the fantasy of a fevered mind.
    â€œNicholas?” she whispered. She needed someone. It did not matter that he was the man who had wrecked her dreams.
    Instantly, he appeared in front of her eyes as if he had materialized from thin air. His hand rested momentarily on her forehead. He smiled as he felt how cool her skin was. Quickly he bent to place a light kiss where his hand had touched. “How are you feeling, Rebecca? You have been quite ill.”
    â€œIll?” she questioned weakly. “Is that what has been happening? I can’t remember anything but bits and pieces of things I don’t think were real.”
    He slid his arm under her shoulders and raised her to take a drink of cold broth. For days, he had had a cup waiting for her when she finally awoke long enough to be hungry. Greedily, she swallowed the soup. She closed her eyes as he placed her against the pillows again. She was so grateful to him that she did not object when he sat next to her on the bed. Gazing up at him, she saw that his face was shadowed with the scruffy beginnings of a beard. It told her that he had been devoting himself to her care for several days.
    â€œHow long, Nicholas?”
    â€œFive days, sweetheart. I don’t know what it was that you contracted, but it nearly killed you.” He put out his hand to stroke her tangled hair. “You are getting well, and that is all that matters.”
    In a whisper, she said, “Thank you for saving my life. I guess that makes us even, doesn’t it?”
    â€œMy dear Rebecca, do not think of my crude nursing as an effort to even the balance of debts between us. I did not enjoy seeing you suffer in the depths of your fever. I did not like the idea of putting you in the stuffy darkness of the hold to die like some unwanted animal.” His eyes narrowed in the expression he wore when he was trying to delve deeply into a quandary. “Or is this your latest bid to convince me to release you from our marriage?”
    Shocked by his abrupt fury, she stated quietly, “I don’t care a whit about our marriage. What kind of marriage is it when a simple thank-you is twisted and thrown back into my face? Nor do I care a bit whether you helped me get well for kindness’s sake or simply so you could have me to abuse longer. I’m very fatigued. I would be grateful if you simply would leave me alone so I can sleep.”
    Her eyes closed. When Nicholas started to speak, he saw that she intended to pretend he did not exist.