when the history hadn't happened yet.
"I am an officer in His Majesty's Navy," he answered. "And, yes, I am a spy."
The bitterness in his voice did nothing to mollify her newborn hatred for him. "Why did you set me up?
What do you want me for?" Lord Philipston snickered lewdly, but she didn't pay him any attention.
Lewis gave his father an annoyed look. He was obviously finding the girl's humiliation amusing. He owed the man a debt of gratitude for allowing him to use Philipston House for this operation. He hadn't minded agreeing to his father's request to "be in at the kill," but now that the vixen was cornered his presence was proving obstructive. "Could you leave us alone, please?" he requested. "State Secrets," he explained as his father turned a dark frown on him. "My apologies, sir."
His father hesitated for a moment, then gave an annoyed nod. "You're cheating me of my fun, lad." He left the room, signaling the footmen to go with him.
Once away from his father's stern scrutiny, Lewis pulled up a chair and sat down facing the girl.
"Now, love, let's have a little talk."
"I'm not your love." She twisted the fingers of her left hand around the ring finger of her right hand.
She'd been making the nervous gesture quite a bit lately.
He sat back and tried to act relaxed. "Let's just pretend you are."
"Let's not. What's going on here, Morgan?" Her voice was as cold as iron, her expression about as hard.
He'd definitely been mistaken about the girl. He'd approached her thinking his job would be easy. He didn't know when it had gotten complicated, when she had gotten complicated. "You have a choice," he told her. "Cooperate with everything I want of you, or accept the just punishment for your crimes."
"Crimes?" she looked around her. "Breaking in here?" He nodded. She shook her head. "I don't think so. Where I come from this is called entrapment. You can't do this."
"You're a long way from Bororavia, Sara."
"I'm not from Bororavia, I'm from Minnesota." She ran her hands through her hair in sudden agitation.
"Oh, God, this is 1811, isn't it?"
"By the English calendar, it is." He supposed gypsies reckoned the time differently, if the wanderers reckoned it at all. Since he'd started studying them he'd been slowly discovering that they did everything differently.
She knew he wouldn't believe her if she told him she was from 1994. She needed the ring's help, but the ring felt like a dead weight on her finger. Find out what the man wants, she told herself. Work from there.
"You didn't con me into this mess just to send me to Botany Bay."
"Correct," he acknowledged. "But Botany Bay will be your destination if you don't fully cooperate."
"Cooperate with what?"
"My plans."
She got the impression he was embarrassed. Or that the plan was so secret even he didn't know what it was. She started in surprise when he said, "Marry me, Sara."
She stared at him in utter confusion. He was obviously out of his mind. Finally, all she could manage to say was, "In your dreams."
"It wasn't a request."
"But... why do you want to marry me?"
"I don't. It's necessary for my mission."
"And your mission is?"
"None of your concern."
She was so frustrated she wanted to hit him. She had never wanted to hit anyone in her life before, but the man had the ability to stir violent emotion in her. "An hour ago I loved you," she said. "I wouldn't marry you now if my life depended on it."
"It does."
The cold finality of his voice chilled her to the bone. She didn't have any choice. She hated not having any choice. It almost choked her to get the words out. It was him or the prison hulks. "I'll marry you."
The look of hatred on Sara's face warned Lewis that he wasn't going to have an easy time of it. "It's late," he said. "We should get some rest." In truth, he wanted the chance to spend the night in a decent bed between clean linen sheets before he had to resume his disguise. "Come along."
He had to take Sara's hand in a tight grasp and
"I am an officer in His Majesty's Navy," he answered. "And, yes, I am a spy."
The bitterness in his voice did nothing to mollify her newborn hatred for him. "Why did you set me up?
What do you want me for?" Lord Philipston snickered lewdly, but she didn't pay him any attention.
Lewis gave his father an annoyed look. He was obviously finding the girl's humiliation amusing. He owed the man a debt of gratitude for allowing him to use Philipston House for this operation. He hadn't minded agreeing to his father's request to "be in at the kill," but now that the vixen was cornered his presence was proving obstructive. "Could you leave us alone, please?" he requested. "State Secrets," he explained as his father turned a dark frown on him. "My apologies, sir."
His father hesitated for a moment, then gave an annoyed nod. "You're cheating me of my fun, lad." He left the room, signaling the footmen to go with him.
Once away from his father's stern scrutiny, Lewis pulled up a chair and sat down facing the girl.
"Now, love, let's have a little talk."
"I'm not your love." She twisted the fingers of her left hand around the ring finger of her right hand.
She'd been making the nervous gesture quite a bit lately.
He sat back and tried to act relaxed. "Let's just pretend you are."
"Let's not. What's going on here, Morgan?" Her voice was as cold as iron, her expression about as hard.
He'd definitely been mistaken about the girl. He'd approached her thinking his job would be easy. He didn't know when it had gotten complicated, when she had gotten complicated. "You have a choice," he told her. "Cooperate with everything I want of you, or accept the just punishment for your crimes."
"Crimes?" she looked around her. "Breaking in here?" He nodded. She shook her head. "I don't think so. Where I come from this is called entrapment. You can't do this."
"You're a long way from Bororavia, Sara."
"I'm not from Bororavia, I'm from Minnesota." She ran her hands through her hair in sudden agitation.
"Oh, God, this is 1811, isn't it?"
"By the English calendar, it is." He supposed gypsies reckoned the time differently, if the wanderers reckoned it at all. Since he'd started studying them he'd been slowly discovering that they did everything differently.
She knew he wouldn't believe her if she told him she was from 1994. She needed the ring's help, but the ring felt like a dead weight on her finger. Find out what the man wants, she told herself. Work from there.
"You didn't con me into this mess just to send me to Botany Bay."
"Correct," he acknowledged. "But Botany Bay will be your destination if you don't fully cooperate."
"Cooperate with what?"
"My plans."
She got the impression he was embarrassed. Or that the plan was so secret even he didn't know what it was. She started in surprise when he said, "Marry me, Sara."
She stared at him in utter confusion. He was obviously out of his mind. Finally, all she could manage to say was, "In your dreams."
"It wasn't a request."
"But... why do you want to marry me?"
"I don't. It's necessary for my mission."
"And your mission is?"
"None of your concern."
She was so frustrated she wanted to hit him. She had never wanted to hit anyone in her life before, but the man had the ability to stir violent emotion in her. "An hour ago I loved you," she said. "I wouldn't marry you now if my life depended on it."
"It does."
The cold finality of his voice chilled her to the bone. She didn't have any choice. She hated not having any choice. It almost choked her to get the words out. It was him or the prison hulks. "I'll marry you."
The look of hatred on Sara's face warned Lewis that he wasn't going to have an easy time of it. "It's late," he said. "We should get some rest." In truth, he wanted the chance to spend the night in a decent bed between clean linen sheets before he had to resume his disguise. "Come along."
He had to take Sara's hand in a tight grasp and
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