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she…it was ridiculous to have thought her unwed at her age. Or widowed, as the case was. To his question, she gave a tiny shrug of her shoulders.
    “He was my husband. And in the short time we had together, he was kind and generous. So yes, I loved him.”
    There was something in her answer that he did not like. It would have been more tolerable if she’d spoken ill of her late husband. If she had told a story of a cold, cruel man who cared little for his mate, it would have given him to use as leverage. He could have told her how she was better off without such a man. And if only she’d been regretful of her lost mate, perhaps the feeling of resentment growing in his heart would not be as strong. Silently he muttered to himself.
    You are such a fool, Gisborne. What right have you to envy a man you never knew?
    But then he thought of her soft little hands touching someone else…her sweet voice whispering in someone else’s ear. These last weeks, he’d grown so accustomed to her. At times he’d wondered what had first possessed him to ever wish her away. Now as he sat watching her, he imagined her gentle attentions being bestowed on another…and it sent a fierce wave of jealousy through him.
    Another man had already claimed her, when he’d been toying with the notion of keeping her for himself. It brought a deep scowl to his expression…and directed his questioning along a more inappropriate path.
    “Did he please you?”
    If she had leapt up and slapped him for such a question, it wouldn’t have surprised him. But his jealousy was stirred, and he had to know.
    What did he manage to do for you, Cassia, in just a fortnight?
    His eyes held hers, urging her to tell him what he wanted to know. But she turned her back to him. Her reply was cool.
    “That is hardly something to discuss with a man not my husband.”
    Husband . Just the mention of the word made him burn with envy. But in that same moment of spite, a sense of opportunity arose.
    A lovely, vulnerable woman like Cassia, left alone for all these years. It seemed so very improper. What she needed was companionship. And a little smirk rose in the corner of his mouth as he imagined what kind of companionship it was he could give her.
    Perhaps it was better that she was no simpering virgin. They were more trouble than he cared to tolerate. He’d occasionally thought about making her his own…and now that he knew there was no need to school her in matters of the flesh, the idea of having her was more enticing than ever.
    She would probably be more than willing. He recalled how he’d once imagined her submitting in fear to him. But now, that thought was almost laughable. She wouldn’t tremble with fear. Not her.
    She would tremble with a feeling much more profound and pleasurable. And if he had anything to do with it, she would soon lose any lingering memories she had of another man. He would be the only man she would think of from this day on.

Chapter 7
     
    She knew he was watching her, for she could feel the burn of his gaze.
    Lord, why must he look at me that way?
    It was so much easier to tolerate his evil glares, his looks of contempt. This heated stare she felt directed at her, his suddenly soft way of speaking, was almost too much to take. She could guess what he was thinking, the way he leering at her now. Knowing the look of lust in a man’s eyes, she couldn’t let it go on without interruption. Without turning to him she spoke as firmly as she could, despite the feeling of her heart beating fast.
    “You examine me, Sir Guy. Do you suddenly find something interesting in this lowly peasant?”
    There was a slight lingering moment before he replied. And when he spoke, the deep rumble of his voice was unnerving.
    “Perhaps I do.”
    She could sense his eyes looking her over. For a moment, she was incapable of forming a response, only able to wonder what he would say next.
    “But then again,” he added. “There is little else for me to occupy my