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herself beneath such prim clothing and unflattering hairdos?” He paused and his eyes swept from her disheveled hair and flushed cheeks to her barely concealed breasts. “I’d guess your appearance right now is a lot nearer the real woman you are.”
Lacie gasped at his horrible implication, but he continued relentlessly. “Unfortunately for you, you’ve seriously misjudged your man this time. You see, I know that Frederick never relished—” He stopped suddenly and seemed to reconsider his words. “I’m no fool to be taken in by a con artist, no matter how pretty she is. You’re obviously the only one to benefit from this so-called marriage. There was no good reason for Frederick to marry you.”
“How would you know why he married me?” Lacie cried furiously. “Why is it so impossible to believe that he loved me? Or…or that I loved him? But then, you probably wouldn’t have the foggiest notion about such things!” she finished spitefully.
“Probably not,” he agreed, but his smile was hardly amiable. A shiver shook her and Lacie tried hard to calm herself as she cleared her throat nervously.
“I hardly think Sparrow Hill is such a prize that you would want it so badly,” she said in a strained voice.
“No? Well, there’s a lot about me that you don’t know. And if Sparrow Hill weren’t a prize,” he said sarcastically, “you wouldn’t want it either. Why not give up this foolish scheme? Give up your claim to Frederick’s estate?” He watched her closely. “I can make it worth your while.”
At those words, Lacie peered sharply at him. Was he trying to buy her off? Her eyes were a stormy gray as she returned his bold stare.
“There’s nothing you have that could tempt me to abandon this school.”
For long icy seconds their gazes remained locked in hostile battle. Then he slowly stood up and stepped out of the tub. Lacie’s eyes widened in shock at his naked, dripping body that now towered so intimidatingly before her. This was man at his most natural, man at his most powerful. All her anger fled as she stared helplessly at him. Mortification and awe, horror and fascination struck her speechless as he glowered at her.
“I’m offering you a way out—mark that well.” He leaned forward then and placed one hand on either side of her tub. Although she shrank back, she could not get away from his penetrating stare.
“You may have coerced Frederick—or perhaps sweet-talked him. But no fast-talking little conniver is going to cheat me out of what is rightfully mine.”
Their gazes seemed to remain locked endlessly. Then his head cocked slightly and his expression changed.
“There’s no reason why you have to be a complete loser in this, Lacie. As I said, I’m sure we can come to some arrangement.” His eyes moved slowly down to her lips, then further to the white towel, soaked and clinging so revealingly to her rounded breasts.
There was no mistaking the implication in his brazen stare, and Lacie was dumbfounded by the thought. How could any man be so despicable? How could he make so disgusting a proposal to her?
When his hand reached forward she flinched, but he only tilted her head back with one finger beneath her chin. “I suggest you think hard about my offer, because it’s the best one you’ll get. Otherwise”—he paused and his eyes roamed her pale, wide-eyed face—“otherwise, you will find yourself locked in bitter conflict with me.
“And Lacie”—he smiled wickedly and rubbed his thumb intimately over her full lower lip—“I fight dirty.”
Then he calmly pulled on his trousers, gathered up his shirt and boots, and with only an arrogant wink at her, quit the room.
5
T HE NIGHT PROVIDED NO solace; sleep eluded Lacie as she tossed on her bed, all the while trying desperately to think of a solution to her dreadful predicament.
She should never have undertaken such an improbable scheme, she told herself. She must have lost all reason. Yet she could
Lacie gasped at his horrible implication, but he continued relentlessly. “Unfortunately for you, you’ve seriously misjudged your man this time. You see, I know that Frederick never relished—” He stopped suddenly and seemed to reconsider his words. “I’m no fool to be taken in by a con artist, no matter how pretty she is. You’re obviously the only one to benefit from this so-called marriage. There was no good reason for Frederick to marry you.”
“How would you know why he married me?” Lacie cried furiously. “Why is it so impossible to believe that he loved me? Or…or that I loved him? But then, you probably wouldn’t have the foggiest notion about such things!” she finished spitefully.
“Probably not,” he agreed, but his smile was hardly amiable. A shiver shook her and Lacie tried hard to calm herself as she cleared her throat nervously.
“I hardly think Sparrow Hill is such a prize that you would want it so badly,” she said in a strained voice.
“No? Well, there’s a lot about me that you don’t know. And if Sparrow Hill weren’t a prize,” he said sarcastically, “you wouldn’t want it either. Why not give up this foolish scheme? Give up your claim to Frederick’s estate?” He watched her closely. “I can make it worth your while.”
At those words, Lacie peered sharply at him. Was he trying to buy her off? Her eyes were a stormy gray as she returned his bold stare.
“There’s nothing you have that could tempt me to abandon this school.”
For long icy seconds their gazes remained locked in hostile battle. Then he slowly stood up and stepped out of the tub. Lacie’s eyes widened in shock at his naked, dripping body that now towered so intimidatingly before her. This was man at his most natural, man at his most powerful. All her anger fled as she stared helplessly at him. Mortification and awe, horror and fascination struck her speechless as he glowered at her.
“I’m offering you a way out—mark that well.” He leaned forward then and placed one hand on either side of her tub. Although she shrank back, she could not get away from his penetrating stare.
“You may have coerced Frederick—or perhaps sweet-talked him. But no fast-talking little conniver is going to cheat me out of what is rightfully mine.”
Their gazes seemed to remain locked endlessly. Then his head cocked slightly and his expression changed.
“There’s no reason why you have to be a complete loser in this, Lacie. As I said, I’m sure we can come to some arrangement.” His eyes moved slowly down to her lips, then further to the white towel, soaked and clinging so revealingly to her rounded breasts.
There was no mistaking the implication in his brazen stare, and Lacie was dumbfounded by the thought. How could any man be so despicable? How could he make so disgusting a proposal to her?
When his hand reached forward she flinched, but he only tilted her head back with one finger beneath her chin. “I suggest you think hard about my offer, because it’s the best one you’ll get. Otherwise”—he paused and his eyes roamed her pale, wide-eyed face—“otherwise, you will find yourself locked in bitter conflict with me.
“And Lacie”—he smiled wickedly and rubbed his thumb intimately over her full lower lip—“I fight dirty.”
Then he calmly pulled on his trousers, gathered up his shirt and boots, and with only an arrogant wink at her, quit the room.
5
T HE NIGHT PROVIDED NO solace; sleep eluded Lacie as she tossed on her bed, all the while trying desperately to think of a solution to her dreadful predicament.
She should never have undertaken such an improbable scheme, she told herself. She must have lost all reason. Yet she could
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