Dark Rider

Ten

"Very splendid," Lani said in an undertone to Cassie as they watched Jared move down the long line of servants gathered in the courtyard to greet him. "It seems the English may know more of ceremony than we do." She wrinkled her nose. "Though they could use a bit of color. What a somber collection. Do you suppose we could persuade them to trade those stiff, dark uniforms for a few decent sarongs?"

"I doubt it." Cassie chuckled as Bradford helped her down from Kapu. Bless Lani, for an instant she had actually felt a little nervous at this display of power and prestige. Cassie could barely remember the palaces and châteaus of France, but she was sure they could not have been as imposing as Morland. Still, Lani was right: this castle might be very grand, but their island was much more beautiful. Jared might be king here, but they were used to a royalty with its own set of customs. "Are you going to try?"

"Dear God, please don't," Bradford groaned, his glance going to an elderly gray-haired woman whose body resembled a plump partridge. "Mrs. Blakely dandled me on her knee when I was barely out of the nursery. I don't think I could become accustomed to her without her starched skirts and high collars."

"That's very selfish of you," Cassie said, smiling. "Think of her. How can her body breathe swathed in all that material? It's almost as bad as the gowns Clara chose for me."

"Impossible," Jared said as he approached them.

Cassie's smile faded and she instinctively braced herself. It was the first word he'd spoken to her since they'd left the dock. "Then you must approve of Lani's plan."

He frowned. "What plan?"

"Why, Lani thinks that sarongs would be much more appropriate garb for your servants."

"Not bloody likely," he said distinctly. "No sarongs. Not here. Do you understand?"

"Lani was joking."

"But are you?"

She turned away and changed the subject. "Where's the stable? I have to get Kapu settled."

He would not be deterred. "Were you joking, Cassie?"

"Perhaps. Your England is so cold, it's no wonder everyone bundles up." Her glance fell on a long, low outbuilding across the courtyard. "Is that the stable?" When Jared nodded, she started toward it, brushing aside the young boy who rushed forward to take Kapu's reins. "Don't bother going with me. I don't need your help."

"How kind of you to dismiss me," Jared said. "Will you go with her, Bradford? I'll escort Lani to her quarters."

"Delighted," Bradford replied. "I'm very proud of the horses in that stable, as I had a hand in choosing a good many of them. I think even Cassie will have to admit their excellence."

"Not if they don't wear sarongs," Jared said sarcastically.

Bradford chuckled as he moved after Cassie. "Good God, what a picture that brings to mind." He opened the door of the stable and stepped aside for Cassie and Kapu to pass. "I'm afraid we've irritated dear Jared. I've noticed a certain lack of humor in him since you appeared in our lives." He closed the stable door behind them and gazed at Cassie expectantly. "Well?"

"It's so… clean." An understatement: the stable was bright and well scrubbed; even the brass latches on the stalls gleamed as if just polished. The main stable area was enormous; spacious stalls accommodated at least thirty horses. Through an arched opening in the west wall she glimpsed a carriage room that was even larger than the stable.

"Jared believes that cleanliness keeps animals healthy. He's very particular." Bradford stopped before an empty stall. "Will this do? No horse on either side of him. Your Kapu isn't used to company."

"It will be fine." She led Kapu into the stall and began unsaddling him. The familiar duty was soothing, as comforting as the smell of horse and straw that surrounded her. Her sense of strangeness and tension began gradually to ebb away. "It's like a palace compared to his stable at the cottage. Thank you, Bradford."

"My pleasure." He leaned against the stall gate, watching her. "Exceptional animal. How fast is he?"

"I don't know. I've never timed him." She smiled over her shoulder. "We don't have horse races in Hawaii."

"Will you let me time him?"

She frowned. "Why?"

"Because I've an insatiable curiosity where horses are concerned. I have to know everything about them." He smiled coaxingly. "Please?"

She softened as she looked at him. Bradford had never been anything but kind to her, and it was a small thing to ask. "If you like."

"Tomorrow morning. Eleven?"

She nodded. "But it makes no difference how fast he is."

"It does to me." His smile was luminous. "Speed is part of the glory. Not all of it, however. There's nothing more beautiful in the world than a fine horse running like the wind."

She had a sudden memory of Kapu streaking down the beach, mane blowing, muscles bunching, gathering, gleaming with every powerful stride. "No, there isn't," she said softly.

They exchanged a glance of complete understanding.

Bradford nodded and straightened away from the gate of the stall. "I'll leave you to get him settled. I'll go see if Lani is comfortable and then meet you in the front hall of the castle in an hour. Will that be enough time?"

She shook her head. "I'll find my own way. Kapu may need me to stay with him." She began to wipe the stallion down.

"Well, promise you won't stay the night. There's nothing here that can harm him."

"If he settles well."

"Please make the effort. Jared's stable boys aren't accustomed to ladies occupying the horses' stalls. It will disconcert them."

She grimaced and didn't answer.

"I didn't think that would be a convincing argument." Bradford started to turn away.

"Wait!"

He glanced at her inquiringly.

"Which horse is Morgana?"

He smiled. "Ah, the Queen? I should have known Jared would have told you about her." He motioned for her to follow him. "Come see her. She's at the end of the stable."

Cassie gave Kapu a pat and left the stall. "He didn't really tell me anything about her." She had stopped him, afraid she would be drawn further into the net by confidences. She felt no such threat with Bradford and was curious to see the mare Jared had said was finer than Kapu. "Why do you call her the Queen?"

"You'll see." Bradford stepped aside and gestured to the horse in the end stall. "Her Majesty."

Cassie inhaled sharply and took a step closer. She was a truly beautiful bay, much smaller than Kapu, but every line of her body sang with beauty, strength, and power. She could indeed see why Bradford called her the Queen; she had never seen a horse with such a regal air. "Lovely," she murmured. She reached out a hand to touch the mare's muzzle, but Morgana shied away. "Good," she told her softly. "You have spirit and you're particular. I should have let you get to know me first."

"At least she didn't take your hand off at the wrist, as your stallion would have done," Bradford said.

"But she's not docile." Dear heaven, she was beautiful. "Will she let anyone but Jared ride her?"

"I've ridden her on occasion. When Her Majesty permits. She definitely has a mind of her own." He drew closer and held out his hand and, when Morgana didn't flinch, began to stroke her muzzle. "It's like sailing on a smooth sea. I imagine the ride on your Kapu is a world of difference."

"Yes." Riding Kapu was like harnessing a storm- exciting, a little unstable, but exhilarating power in every stride. "Very different. How long has Jared had her?"

"Four years. He got her as a foal from Sheikh Galen Ben Hassan of Sedikhan."

"Sedikhan?" She frowned, trying to place it. "I've never heard of it."

"Not many people have. It's a barbarous desert land very far from here." He smiled. "The sheikh also has his barbaric moments, but Jared and he hit it off. He has a magnificent stable, and horsemen always have common ground."

"And he bought her from this sheikh?"

"No, the sheikh wouldn't sell. Jared won him in a wager."

"What kind of wager?"

For the first time Bradford looked a trifle discomforted. "Just a wager," he said vaguely.

"What kind of-"

"No," he said with firmness. "Forget it. I should not have mentioned it. Such details are not for your ears."

She was tempted to pursue the matter, but it was evident he would not be moved. "I'm surprised he wanted a filly so badly."

"Look at her."

"As a foal she wouldn't have looked like this. There's nothing more awkward and disproportionate."

"Jared has infallible instincts where horses are concerned. Besides, he saw the dam. He knew Morgana would be a queen." He glanced at her sideways. "And fast. She's the fastest horse in England. There's not a man in the ton who wouldn't give his soul to own her."

"Jared told me he races her."

"Of course, Jared is a very competitive man. He enjoys winning."

She already knew that about him. "But does Morgana?"

He nodded. "Oh, yes, racing is bred in the horses of Sedikhan. It offends her royal dignity to be put in the same class as lesser beings, but she loves leaving them in the dust."

It was an amusing picture, and a smile tugged at Cassie's lips as she visualized the proud disdain of the filly. "I like her." She chuckled. "Not that she cares."

"She will care. Let her get to know you. She has a great heart."

But Cassie might not be here long enough for the magnificent filly to get to know her, she thought with a pang. A month or two and she might be in France or, if all went well, on her way back to Hawaii. Not that she regretted it, she assured herself quickly. She wanted nothing more than to be gone from here and return to her old life. It was just that the filly was extraordinary…

But not as wonderful as Kapu. Kapu was her own, her heart. She had no need for another horse when she had the stallion. When this was over, she would take him back to Hawaii and she would find him a mare worthy of him and start her horse farm. She wouldn't be-

A mare worthy of him.

She stared at Morgana, stunned. Where would she find a mare worthier of Kapu than Morgana? Perfection and perfection. Royal rogue and haughty majesty.

"What is it?" Bradford was staring at her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." It was a He. Something was very wrong. Now that she had seen Morgana, she would never be satisfied with another mare with which to breed Kapu. Well, she would have to be satisfied with a lesser consort. She knew she could not have Morgana. But, dear God, how she wanted her for Kapu.

"Don't compare the two," Bradford said. "They're both splendid in their own way."

He thought she was having doubts about Kapu's superiority and trying to be kind. "There's nothing to compare." She smiled with an effort and turned away from the mare. "I have to get back to Kapu."

"I suppose we aren't going to see you at dinner?"

"No, even if I return to the castle, I'll eat in my quarters from now on."

"I thought that particular social pretense was at an end." He paused. "Jared won't like it, you know."

"Then he doesn't have to feed me."

"I realize you eat and sleep horses, but I believe you'd find hay and grain a poor repast."

She reached Kapu's stall and resumed wiping him.

Bradford sighed as he moved toward the stable door. "I suppose this means Lani won't join us either."

"Lani makes her own decisions. You'll have to ask her."

"Oh, be assured, I will."

Cassie finished wiping Kapu down and threw aside the toweling. He wasn't as nervous as she had feared. Perhaps because he was so glad to get back on land. She stepped closer and laid her head against Kapu's mane. "It's a fine, lovely stall, but don't get too used to it," she whispered. "We don't belong here. We've still got to find our own place."

She heard a soft neigh from down the corridor. Morgana? It could be any of a dozen horses, but she instinctively knew it was the mare.

Kapu went still and his ears pricked forward.

"She's beautiful, boy. But she doesn't belong to us either. It's just as well she's too far away for you to see her."

But she felt an aching sense of loss as she remembered those beautiful lines, the proud lift of the mare's head. What a pair they would have made together.

The distant crunch of footsteps…

Cassie drowsily lifted her head from the straw. She had been just about to fall asleep when the sound had disturbed her. It was probably nothing. A young stable boy had come to check on the horses shortly before dark, but after she had sent him to his bed, there had been no one.

A soft jingle of bells.

It was coming from the carriage room.

A door slammed!

She sat bolt upright, her heart pounding wildly. It didn't have to be anything ominous. She knew nothing about castles, yet it didn't seem likely that anyone would be wandering about the stables in the middle of the night.

There's not a man in the ton who wouldn't give his soul to have Morgana.

Horse thieves.

It was certainly a possibility. If Morgana was considered such a jewel, then there would always be men who would pay to obtain the treasure.

She found herself rising to her feet even before she made a conscious decision. She would never let them have that beautiful filly. The mare belonged to Jared, and here she was treated like the queen she was.

Kapu neighed softly as she left the stall.

"Shh," she whispered. Her hand was shaking as she lit the lantern and took it down from the post. She had no weapon, but the heavy lantern might be used as a bludgeon. "I'll be right back.

Why was she whispering? If the intruders heard her, they might think they were discovered and flee. She moved toward the cavernous opening leading to the carriage house.

Maybe they were already gone. After all, a door had slammed. Perhaps they had taken whatever booty they had wanted and left.

Let them be gone, she prayed as she crossed the threshold of the carriage house.

The light from her lantern caused the dozens of coaches and phaetons to cast eerie shadows on the wall-giant monsters ready to pounce on her own shadow as she slowly walked down the long aisle.

A sharp metallic squeak.

She skidded to a halt. Where had it come from? Her throat was dry with fear as she called, "I know you're here. Where are-"

The door of the carriage on her left flew open!

She caught only a fleeting glimpse of a slim, boyish figure as it launched itself at her.

The breath left her body as she hit the floor.

Her assailant was immediately astraddle her.

She fought darkness and struck out.

He grunted in pain as she connected with his eye.

She rolled over, taking him with her. Now he was beneath her, and she reached for the lantern that had dropped from her hand. She lifted the lantern. If she could knock him out and then run to the castle for help…

"Blast it, wait! I give up."

Cassie froze in place. The voice had been furious, disgusted, and undoubtedly feminine. Slowly, she lowered the lantern and looked down at her attacker.

Green eyes glared up at her from a face as angelic as the ones in the pictures in Lani's Bible. Short pale-gold curls rioted around the girl's thin face. She looked a mere child-certainly no more than fifteen or sixteen. "Let me up!"

"Why should I? So you can attack me again?"

"I didn't attack you. I just jumped on you. If I'd attacked you, I wouldn't have let you get the best of me."

"You knocked the breath out of me."

"But I didn't try to hit you with a blasted lantern. Let me up."

"When you tell me what you're doing here. Are you one of the servants' children?"

She said defiantly, "It's none of your business."

"Then we'll stay here all night."

"You'll get bored or Jared will come for you."

Jared. If the girl was one of the servants' children, she would not be so familiar.

"Perhaps he's missing you already," the girl said. "Let me up and go to him."

"He knows where I am." She added, "And what is His Grace to you?"

"More than he'll ever be to a scraggly tart who pleases him only in bed." Her scathing glance traveled over Cassie's worn riding habit. "Where did he get you? London?" She shook her head. "His lady birds from London are much more comely. He must have gone directly from Tahiti to the dock and picked you up. I overheard one of Jared's friends say a man becomes desperate after long weeks at sea."

Unexpectedly Cassie found her anger lessening. The girl was helpless, facing an unknown threat, and still had the courage to spit defiance. In similar circumstances she hoped she would have done the same.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" she asked.

The girl set her jaw and was silent.

"Who are you?"

The girl didn't speak.

"Very well. I'll go ask Jared."

A sly expression crossed the girl's face. "Good idea. Go ahead."

And when she came back, the girl would be gone. Again she had a notion of vague familiarity. "After I find a rope to tie you up."

"No!" The girl hesitated and then said grudgingly, "My name is Josette."

"And your surname?"

"Get off me. You're crushing my stomach. You must weigh as much as Morgana."

"You know Morgana?"

"Of course I do." Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What were you doing creeping about in the stable in the middle of the night? Did someone pay you to bed Jared and then try to steal Morgana?"

"I'm not a horse thief. In fact, I thought the same about you. That's why I decided to search the carriage house."

Josette snorted. "You came after a horse thief with only a lantern? What were you going to do? Set him on fire? Not likely."

"Believe what you like. I'm not the intruder here. I have permission to stay with my horse." It wasn't precisely true. She had actually given herself permission. Oh, well, close enough. "And I'll wager no one gave you leave to be here tonight."

Josette frowned. "What's wrong with your horse? Is he sick?"

"He just feels a little strange. It's his first night here."

"And his last," Josette said fiercely. "Jared will toss you out of his bed and your horse out of his stable before you can blink."

"No, he won't. I don't occupy his bed." She grimaced. "And, I assure you, he would never let Kapu leave if he had his way."

"Kapu?"

"My stallion. I brought him from Hawaii."

"Where is that?"

"An island." When the girl still looked confused, she added, "Near Tahiti."

"Jared brought you from Tahiti?"

"No, I brought myself. And from Hawaii."

"And the other woman at the castle, too?"

It appeared the girl knew a good deal about what was going on at the castle. "How did you know about Lani?"

"Is that her name?" Josette shrugged. "Someone told me about the women who came to the castle." She said with deliberate cruelty, "She must be the pretty one."

"No," Cassie corrected. "She's more than pretty, she's beautiful."

"Then she's the one in Jared's bed," Josette said flatly. "He always chooses the best."

"The choice is not always the man's."

"Of course it is. Are you going to get off me?"

"Yes." She swung off the girl and rose to her feet. "You're no threat, and I can't waste any more time on you. I have to get back to Kapu. Do what you have to do in here and be gone. I need to get some sleep."

Josette looked at her in astonishment. "You're going to let me go?"

"I can't sit on top of you all night." She moved toward the arched opening leading to the stalls. "You were truly concerned about Morgana, so you're not a horse thief. I don't care if you steal every coach in this room, as long as you leave the horses alone."

"I'm not a thief!" She jumped to her feet and followed Cassie. "And that's a stupid remark. How could I steal a coach without a horse to pull it?"

Cassie found herself smiling. "True. Then you might not steal the coaches either."

"I don't have to steal. Jared would give me any coach I wished."

"Would he? Then you're very fortunate. Good night." She moved down the corridor.

"I think I'll come with you."

Cassie looked back to see Josette swaggering after her. The girl wasn't as small as she had first thought, but she was undoubtedly a youngster. No wonder she had thought her a boy. Her slim hips were lost in those rough wool trousers, and the blue shirt hid any hint of breasts.

Josette stopped, glaring at her. "Stop staring at me." She lifted her chin. "It's these trousers, isn't it? Well, I like them. I can't help it if you disapprove. I'll wear what I like."

Cassie's eyes widened, and then she started to laugh. She had said almost those same words to Jared. "I don't disapprove. A woman should always wear what she wishes. I assure you, on occasion I wear apparel that's much more shocking."

Josette was a trifle deflated. "Oh."

Cassie turned and resumed walking.

"What kind of apparel?" Josette was beside her.

Cassie shook her head.

Josette was silent a moment, then asked, "Is it interesting being a whore?"

"I'm not a whore."

"But you're not shocked at the question, either," Josette said shrewdly. "Why did Jared bring-Why did you come to Morland?"

"Because I chose to do so."

"That's no answer."

"I've not been getting many answers myself."

Josette scowled. "All right. Jared is my guardian."

Cassie looked at her in astonishment.

"You didn't know he was anybody's guardian." It was a statement. "That's no surprise. Jared doesn't like to let it be known."

"Why not?"

She shrugged. "There are reasons. Anyway, I attend Lady Carradine's School for Young Ladies except when Jared or Bradford is here. Carradine Hall's only a short distance away, and this afternoon when I heard they had returned, I decided to come home."

"Jared sent you a message?"

"No." She added quickly, "But he would have. Probably tomorrow or the next day. He truly cares about me. I just decided to come on my own a little sooner."

Cassie looked back at the carriage room.

Josette rushed on. "Oh, I didn't want to disturb anyone in the middle of the night. I was going to sleep in the coach tonight and see Jared in the morning."

"I see." She felt a surge of pity. She thought she was beginning to understand. The child clearly adored Jared, and he couldn't be bothered about her. "How did you get here from your school?"

"I walked."

"And how far is it?"

"Not far."

"Two miles?"

"Eight," Josette admitted. "What difference does it make? I wanted to do it."

The answer made perfect sense to Cassie. "Who told you that Jared had come home?"

"I have friends here," Josette evaded.

And the child would not betray the servant who had sent her word. Cassie was beginning to respect as well as admire the girl.

"But Jared would have come for me anyway. We're like brother and sister."

"I'm sure he would have," she said gently. "Go back to the coach and go to sleep. Do you need a blanket?"

Josette looked at her uncertainly. "You won't go running to tell him I'm here?"

Cassie shook her head.

A radiant smile lit the girl's face. "Good-Jared's temper is always better after a good night's sleep." A bit of bravado returned. "Not that it would have mattered."

"Good night." Cassie started down the aisle again. "I'll wake you before I go to the castle in the morning."

"Thank you." She fell into step with Cassie again. "I'll just go along with you. I'm not really tired."

"After walking eight miles?"

"If you don't want me, just say so," Josette flared. "I've no desire for your company. I only wanted to see your horse."

In spite of the challenging words Cassie realized she had hurt her. "Then stop quarreling and come see him. He's in the stall just ahead."

Josette strode toward the stall Cassie had indicated. "If Jared likes him, he must be fairly decent. Though you may have-Great God in heaven."

Cassie smiled with satisfaction.

Josette stood gazing at Kapu with an admiration near reverence. "Magnificent…"

"Yes." Then, as Josette stepped closer to Kapu, "No, don't do-"

Kapu was standing still, allowing Josette to stroke him.

"Don't worry, horses like me. Not as much as they do Jared, but they know I won't hurt them." She glanced over her shoulder. "What's his name?"

"Kapu."

"What a silly name. I'll think of one of my own."

"His name is not silly. It means 'taboo,' 'forbidden.' " Though it seemed the idiot horse was embracing the whole world these days, she thought crossly.

"Oh, I understand." She stroked Kapu's nose. "You wanted to keep him yours."

"I named him that because he's dangerous to ride, and it seemed a fair-" She met Josette's knowing gaze. "How did you know?"

"If I had a horse like Kapu, I'd want him to be mine alone." Her expression was wistful as she added, "It's important to have something of your own."

Cassie glanced around the stable. "You surely have a horse here. There are so many."

"But none that I've won, none that-" She broke off. "You don't understand. Nobody does."

She had an idea she knew exactly what Josette meant. "None that you've had to coax and tend and fight the world to keep."

Josette nodded. "It's not that Jared's not generous. He even lets me ride Morgana. It's just that-" She turned back to Kapu and her tone became gruff. "You're right, Jared won't discard you as long as he thinks he has a chance of getting this beauty." She grimaced. "I shouldn't have said that, should I? Lady Carradine would say it's the height of rudeness."

Cassie laughed. "So would Lani, but not for the same reason. She claims if truth causes pain, then silence is better."

Josette didn't look at her. "Did I cause you pain?"

"No, I told you, neither Lani nor I occupy his bed. Your Jared cannot discard what he doesn't possess."

Josette heaved a sigh of relief. "Good, I really didn't mean to hurt you that time. It just slipped out." She changed the subject. "How fast is Kapu?"

"I have no idea. Bradford is going to clock him tomorrow morning."

"Can I be there?" Josette's face was alight with eagerness.

She smiled indulgently. "If you like. I don't see why it's so important. I don't intend to race him."

"Of course you will. Everyone races here. It's very exciting. What hour?"

"Eleven."

"I'll be here." Her expression clouded. "Maybe. If Jared isn't too displeased with me and sends me packing."

"Would that be so bad?"

"Yes." She added haltingly, "They hate me there."

She could not imagine anyone hating this urchin. In spite of her prickly nature and swaggering bravado there was something very appealing about Josette. "I'm sure you're wrong."

"What do you know? They hate me." She shrugged with a pretense of carelessness. "Not that I care."

"Why would they dislike you?"

"Because they're stupid and jealous." She added, "They say I'm a foreigner and the enemy."

Cassie looked at her in bewilderment. "Foreigner?"

"I'm Josette Brasnier, the Comptesse de Talaisar." She rolled the title off her tongue with flamboyant grandeur. "And a French comptesse is far better than any of their puny English titles."

Foreigner. Brasnier. French. The words whirled wildly in Cassie's mind. She had heard that name only once before, but it was one she would never forget.

"What's wrong?" Josette asked, stiffening.

The words were difficult to form, "Who was… the Compte de Talaisar to you?"

Josette frowned. "My father, of course."

The child. Cassie had been so stunned at the murderous implication against her father, she had forgotten completely about the child Jared's father had rescued from the soldiers. This must be the only survivor of the family Jared claimed her father had betrayed. "Danjuet."

"You've heard of my home?"

"Yes." The story Jared had told her was suddenly coming alive in the form of this young girl. She didn't want that past to come alive; she wanted to push it away from her.

"Did Jared tell-"

"I think it's time you went back to the carriage room," she interrupted harshly as she opened the door of the stall. "You may not want to sleep, but I do."

"What did I do?" Josette asked, bewildered. "What did I say to-" She broke off and then lifted her head proudly. "It's because I'm French, isn't it? You hate me because of that beast Napoleon. You're like all the others."

"No."

"You lie. It's because I'm not English. Why else would you change so quickly? I can feel you going away from me."

It would be easier to let Josette think that it was her French birth that offended Cassie-but she couldn't do it. She herself had been balanced too long between two worlds. "It's not because you're French. My father was French, and if anyone's a foreigner in this land, it's I." She didn't look at her. "Ask Jared."

"I'm asking you."

"And I'm not answering you. Ask Jared." She lay down on the straw, drew her blanket over her, and turned her back. "And after you do, I doubt you'll care what I think."

She could feel Josette's gaze on her back. She felt as if she had struck a puppy. Ridiculous. Josette was much more like a young tigress. When Jared told her that Cassie was the daughter of the man responsible for her parents' death, she would probably launch a lethal attack.

She heard Josette's soft exclamation and then retreating footsteps.

Go to sleep. Nothing had changed just because she had met one of the people who had shared that terrible experience at Danjuet. It wasn't as if Josette would ever have been a friend to her, anyway. She must make no friends here at Morland. She must keep everyone at a distance.

Yet Josette had not allowed her to distance herself; she had plummeted into Cassie's life and forced a place for herself. Almost from the first moment Cassie had felt as comfortable with Josette as if she had known her all her life.

Well, the incident was over. The girl meant nothing to her. This strange bond of familiarity between the two of them could not hold firm when tested by the information Jared would give the young comptesse.

She heard the slam of the coach door in the carriage room. Josette was settling for the night.

Cassie shivered and drew the covers around her shoulders. The early-morning chill was beginning to creep into the stable.

She should have made Josette take one of Kapu's blankets…

It was barely dawn when Cassie left the stable. She was only halfway across the courtyard when Jared opened the front door and stood watching her come toward him. He was without a coat, his shirtsleeves rolled up and his dark hair tousled. His appearance at this hour could not be a coincidence. He had been waiting for her.

Dear God, she did not want to face him now. She felt grimy and sleepy, and she was still suffering that odd sense of loss.

"I hope Kapu had a better night than I." Jared's gaze raked her face. "Or you."

"I slept." It was true that after much tossing and turning she had finally managed to snatch a few hours' sleep.

"I didn't." He smiled mockingly. "I sat in my chair in the library and waited for you to abandon your vigil."

"I told you I wasn't going to come to you."

"You malign me." He opened the door and stepped aside to let her pass. "I had no lustful motives… this time. I merely stayed to see that you found your way to your quarters. Morland has three wings and many chambers. It would have been very distressing to the servants to have to search for you if you became lost."

"I would have just waited on the doorstep until the household woke. Besides, I never became lost on the island. I doubt if I would here."

"But the island is your home, your territory." He smiled. "This is mine."

She didn't need him to remind her. Now that she was away from the familiar sights and scents of the stable, she was beginning to feel very much alone and far from home. "Will you stop boasting and show me where I'm to sleep?"

"I wasn't boasting, I was merely pointing out the similarities between-" His smile faded as he studied her. "I'm not going to lie to you. There are very few similarities between your island and England. You're going to hate it here." He paused. "Unless you let me help you."

"A bargain, I suppose?"

His lips tightened. "No, goddammit, what's between us is a thing apart. I brought you here and that makes me responsible for you. I don't want you hurt."

"I won't be hurt." She turned and started for the stairs. "Did you put me in a chamber close to Lani?"

"No, I put you in the chamber next door to me." He moved past her and up the stairs. "So close I may be able to hear you breathe. I think I'll enjoy lying in my bed and listening for every little sound." He looked at her over his shoulder, and his voice deepened to silken sensuality. "It will be almost like being beside you."

A wave of heat surged through her as she met his gaze. Blast it, this was exactly what he wanted her to feel. She gave him a deliberately derisive glance. "These walls appear too thick to hear anything but a cannon shot."

His lips twitched. "True. Too bad you noticed."

"And I want to be next door to Lani."

He preceded her down a long hallway. "Guests have no choice in their quarters here at Morland. Placing you near Lani might prove inconvenient later."

He meant when she changed her mind and came to his bed. "I can't foresee any possible inconvenience."

He stopped before a door. "I can." He threw open the door. "I can foresee an endless variety. So you'll remain here." He nodded at the brocade bellpull on the wall across the room. "Ring if you need anything. I'd say a bath is in order." He turned away. "I'll send you breakfast at ten. You were going to meet Bradford at eleven, I believe."

"He told you?"

"Of course, he knew I'd want to be there."

"I don't want you there."

"I didn't think you would. But I'll be there all the same."

"Then I won't let Kapu-"

"Yes, you will," he interrupted. "You promised Bradford and you won't break your word." He strolled to a door only a few yards away. "I'll see you at eleven."

Cassie watched the door close behind him before she shut the door of her chamber. He was always so maddeningly confident of his knowledge of her. She should deliberately stay away from the stables to confound him. No, that would be childish. Bradford would be disappointed, and she would not let Jared's actions force her into doing anything she would not ordinarily do. These weeks at Morland would be difficult enough without allowing him to confuse her in that fashion.

Her glance traveled indifferently around the chamber. She supposed it was considered very grand, with its canopied bed draped in burgundy velvet and the heavy, rich oak furniture and high ceilings, but she found little to admire. Houses were only a place to shelter when she wasn't in the stable or outdoors. The cottage had been just as adequate as this castle for that purpose.

But Jared was right-after the night in the stable she did need a bath and a meal. She moved quickly toward the bellpull across the room.