woman
up, distasteful as she was.
“Oh, yes. She’s an ambitious woman. Her political
aspirations were stifled after the death of her first husband. It seemed she thought I’d be perfect for molding
into the next prime minister. I suppose that avenue’s
closed to me now” He gave a self-deprecating snort to indicate how little he cared for that loss. “Still, I feel
compelled to warn you, if she gets scent of your claim to
legitimacy, or discovers I don’t have any fourth cousins
on my mother’s side, she’ll annihilate you”
“Why would you warn me? Wouldn’t you want that?”
Cate asked, turning to look at Giles’s profile, strong and
leonine in the spill of light coming from the drawing
room.
“It’s not honorable to feed the unsuspecting to the
wolves,” he replied without equivocation.
“Even if the unsuspecting person in question lays
claim to your domain?” Cate whispered, hardly daring
to breath.
“Even if,” Giles said solemnly. “Ethics and honor
don’t mean much if they are applied haphazardly simply to gain one’s benefit”
Cate thought there might be a message hidden in the
statement just for her. But she could not quite decipher
it any more than she could decipher the darkening
depths of his eyes. There was a sadness mirrored in
them that she did not comprehend.
He lifted a hand and gently stroked her cheek, a
half-smile playing at his mouth. “You’re an interesting woman, Cate. I would have liked to have known
you,” Giles paused for a moment and then added softly,
“without.”
Without.
The word quivered in the air between them, burgeoning with untold meaning. She knew what he meantwithout the complexities of the situation surrounding them. But what did it mean? Did it mean that he liked
her? That she could have had Spelthome and him without attacking his heritage? She searched his eyes for
confirmation of his thoughts but the vulnerable moment
had passed. He was all business again.
“You will attend the ball tomorrow night. I am certain Isabella will have something suitable for you to
borrow. It is, after all, only a country ball and gowns
don’t have to be as elaborate as in town. Sleep well.”
He bowed briskly and took himself back into the drawing room where the tea was finished and the guests
were preparing to retire to their rooms.
Cate stayed on the verandah, enjoying the opportunity to watch him from a distance. She had never met a
man of his ilk before, so committed to his sense of right
and wrong that he would not be tempted to stray from
his code, even when his very identity was on the line.
She had glimpsed a part of who he was beyond the
handsome facade and found the core of him as attractive as the outer layers he showed to the world.
She replayed the conversation in her mind, savoring
the insights, the kind words, the touch of his hand on
her cheek. She could hear the sound of his voice just as
surely as if he stood there saying the words she treasured, “I wish I could have known you. Without.”
“Rubbish!” Magda declared firmly, helping Cate out
of her dinner gown while Cate relayed the events of the
evening. “That’s what he wants you to think. He’s trying to soften you up, talk you into dropping your claims.”
She shook her head. “Men will promise a woman anything and when they have what they want, they’ll take
back their word”
Cate turned from the long mirror to face Magda.
“Other men, maybe. Not Giles. He’s different.” The intensity of her defense startled even her.
Magda threw up her hands. “It’s been one day and
already he’s charmed you. He’s no different than his father, I tell you. Celeste was swept off her feet during the
courtship and then dumped here in the country, forgotten entirely. You should know better. You’ve read the diary. Like father like son,” she warned.
“But he’s not his father’s son, literally.” Cate
shrugged into a satin wrapper and
up, distasteful as she was.
“Oh, yes. She’s an ambitious woman. Her political
aspirations were stifled after the death of her first husband. It seemed she thought I’d be perfect for molding
into the next prime minister. I suppose that avenue’s
closed to me now” He gave a self-deprecating snort to indicate how little he cared for that loss. “Still, I feel
compelled to warn you, if she gets scent of your claim to
legitimacy, or discovers I don’t have any fourth cousins
on my mother’s side, she’ll annihilate you”
“Why would you warn me? Wouldn’t you want that?”
Cate asked, turning to look at Giles’s profile, strong and
leonine in the spill of light coming from the drawing
room.
“It’s not honorable to feed the unsuspecting to the
wolves,” he replied without equivocation.
“Even if the unsuspecting person in question lays
claim to your domain?” Cate whispered, hardly daring
to breath.
“Even if,” Giles said solemnly. “Ethics and honor
don’t mean much if they are applied haphazardly simply to gain one’s benefit”
Cate thought there might be a message hidden in the
statement just for her. But she could not quite decipher
it any more than she could decipher the darkening
depths of his eyes. There was a sadness mirrored in
them that she did not comprehend.
He lifted a hand and gently stroked her cheek, a
half-smile playing at his mouth. “You’re an interesting woman, Cate. I would have liked to have known
you,” Giles paused for a moment and then added softly,
“without.”
Without.
The word quivered in the air between them, burgeoning with untold meaning. She knew what he meantwithout the complexities of the situation surrounding them. But what did it mean? Did it mean that he liked
her? That she could have had Spelthome and him without attacking his heritage? She searched his eyes for
confirmation of his thoughts but the vulnerable moment
had passed. He was all business again.
“You will attend the ball tomorrow night. I am certain Isabella will have something suitable for you to
borrow. It is, after all, only a country ball and gowns
don’t have to be as elaborate as in town. Sleep well.”
He bowed briskly and took himself back into the drawing room where the tea was finished and the guests
were preparing to retire to their rooms.
Cate stayed on the verandah, enjoying the opportunity to watch him from a distance. She had never met a
man of his ilk before, so committed to his sense of right
and wrong that he would not be tempted to stray from
his code, even when his very identity was on the line.
She had glimpsed a part of who he was beyond the
handsome facade and found the core of him as attractive as the outer layers he showed to the world.
She replayed the conversation in her mind, savoring
the insights, the kind words, the touch of his hand on
her cheek. She could hear the sound of his voice just as
surely as if he stood there saying the words she treasured, “I wish I could have known you. Without.”
“Rubbish!” Magda declared firmly, helping Cate out
of her dinner gown while Cate relayed the events of the
evening. “That’s what he wants you to think. He’s trying to soften you up, talk you into dropping your claims.”
She shook her head. “Men will promise a woman anything and when they have what they want, they’ll take
back their word”
Cate turned from the long mirror to face Magda.
“Other men, maybe. Not Giles. He’s different.” The intensity of her defense startled even her.
Magda threw up her hands. “It’s been one day and
already he’s charmed you. He’s no different than his father, I tell you. Celeste was swept off her feet during the
courtship and then dumped here in the country, forgotten entirely. You should know better. You’ve read the diary. Like father like son,” she warned.
“But he’s not his father’s son, literally.” Cate
shrugged into a satin wrapper and
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