Read Online What the Duke Doesn't Know by Jane Ashford - Free Book Online Page B

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    Lord James departed very early the following morning, striding down the lane toward Oxford to hire a mount. Kawena watched him go from her bedroom window, a tall, handsome figure, moving with purpose and lanky grace. How she wished she was going with him! Over the months of her voyage, she’d become accustomed to managing for herself, to taking action when there was a task to be done. And so, she chafed at the idea that her quest depended on him now. But she had no way of finding the crew of the Charis without him. She’d had to concede that.
    Also, she would miss him. Over the last few days, as they’d talked and sometimes walked together, her tug of attraction had strengthened. He had the most…alluring sort of half smile, with one quirked eyebrow and light dancing in his eyes. And surprising hands. Roughened by years at sea, they had yet proved capable of fashioning intricate little creatures from folded paper. He’d learned it from an Asian sailor, he said, when a great typhoon trapped their ships in port for two weeks. A sigh escaped Kawena. You couldn’t help but imagine the delicacy of that touch transferring into…other areas. She’d found herself wondering, all too often, what it would feel like. They understood each other, too, shared the same reactions, or so it seemed to her. His absence would leave a large void in her days.
    He moved out of sight around the bend; Kawena turned from the window. Catching sight of her reflection in the dressing-table mirror, she marveled at her situation. Somehow, she had come to trust the man she’d planned to expose as a villain. Perhaps more than trust. And it had happened so quickly. Barely a week ago, she was waving a pistol in his face, full of righteous anger. Now, she was relying on his aid, regretting his departure. Was she a fool?
    Moving closer to the mirror to wind her long dark braids into the knot that English fashions required, she examined the possibility. Why had she changed? Did she have good reasons? It was partly the man himself. His behavior had changed her opinion. His initial reluctance to become involved in her affairs weighed as heavily as his eventual capitulation. He was no smooth-tongued rogue. And then, it was partly his family, too. Ariel and Lord Alan—particularly Ariel—had been so kind to her and so open. Their obvious respect and love for Lord James spoke for his quality. Yes, these were people who deserved trust. She was not mistaken in that.
    Downstairs, Kawena found Ariel at the breakfast table. Lord Alan, as usual, had already departed for his laboratory. Lord James’s empty place was a melancholy reminder.
    â€œIt’s market day in Oxford,” said Ariel as she came in. “I thought we would go and look at the stalls. If you like.”
    Kawena nodded agreement. She was hardly likely to refuse any request from her generous hostess, and she remained eager to learn all she could about England while she was here.
    They set out at midmorning, each with a basket over her arm. The July day was bright with a few high clouds scudding across the blue sky and a wind that made Kawena glad of her cloak, though sorry it was borrowed. “There has been so little rain since I have been here,” Kawena remarked. “My father says…said that England is a gray, wet country where the sky drips like Niobe’s rock.”
    Ariel laughed. “Like what?”
    â€œNiobe was an ancient Greek. I think. Who cried all the time.”
    â€œWhy?” her companion wondered.
    â€œI don’t remember. Father had so many stories; I get them confused.” If she’d known he would be taken from her so soon, she would have tried harder to remember them, Kawena thought. The familiar wave of sadness washed over her. It was less now than at the beginning, when she’d come running in response to the shouting and discovered her father lying still and cold. But it was still a sharp