soft gaze traveled over her hair. “You saved my life.”
Her smile was tremulous. “You saved mine first.”
He made a noise of derision but an answering smile played at his lips. The smile faded as he caught sight of his bound wound. A grave stillness settled over him. One that grew as his eyes lifted to hers. They were frozen, flat. Winter lakes that chilled her to the bone.
“I’ve been a fool,” he said in the same frozen tone.
“What do you mean?” Dread crept along her spine.
His expressive mouth flattened as if tasting bitters. “For tonight. For bringing you into this life.” His chest lifted on a breath. “Miranda…” Weakly, he tried to touch her hand. She drew away. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Miranda straightened, ignoring the painful rhythm of her heart, and the way her hands shook. “Yes, of course. You should sleep.”
But Archer would not be so easily evaded. Pain and wariness bracketed his mouth as he spoke. “You shouldn’t be with me,” he corrected softly. “I—annulments are easy enough gained. Considering we have never…” He bit down on his lip hard enough to whiten it. “Well… as is the case, it can be done. Pick a house, wherever you want, in another country if it pleases you, and I shall set it up.”
A small chuff of air left her as she fell back on her rump. “Why?” she asked. “Why offer for me?” Her strength returned on the waves of anger. “Why bring me here, make me care, if you didn’t want me?”
“Not want you?” He lifted his head off the pillow. “Not want you?” His eyes flared in the firelight. “Christ, Miri, murder and knife-wielding assassins aside, you are the greatest adventure of my life.”
Archer’s words raced like wine through her veins, leaving her flushed and just a bit dizzy. As are you.
He leaned forward, wincing as he bent. “If ever a man wanted… I’m trying to keep you safe. Being my wife is not safe. And I was a fool to think it ever would be.”
They stared at each other in the resounding silence, then his head fell weakly back on the pillow. Frowning, he blinked up at the ceiling as if it contained some great secret.
“As for why,” he said slowly, “I was lonely.” His deep voice fell to something above a whisper. “I saw you in that alley, facing down two thugs with nothing save those little fists, and I thought, here is a girl who fears nothing.”
His eyes flicked to hers, and Miranda’s heart flipped over. “How I admired that,” he said. “So much so I did not want to leave. Later, when the loneliness got so great”—he sighed—“I thought of you again. Thought, this is a woman who won’t fear me.” He flicked a piece of lint off of the rug. “Who won’t run away.”
Miranda’s throat worked as she fought to speak. “How perfectly ironic,” she managed at last.
Archer’s eyes shot to hers, a frown pulling his lips.
“I was engaged to be married,” she said. “A little over a year ago. Did you know?” Of course he would not know; why would he?
He stayed silent, waiting. But something in his eyes flickered with unease.
Idly, she toyed with the fringe of the rug that covered him. “His name was Martin Evans.”
“The boy with whom you sparred that night.”
“Yes. Not that it matters, really.” Martin had long since stopped being that boy. She licked her dry lips quickly. “He left me. In the vestry of my family church on the day of our marriage. He said he’d rather live alone than pretend to live a life in love with me.” One hot tear ran over the bridge of her nose before she blinked the rest furiously away. She would not cry for Martin again.
She felt Archer move and turned enough to see his black fingers curling into the rug. “Any man who would leave you is an idiot,” he said.
Miranda gave him an admonishing look, and he had the grace to grimace.
“Was,” she corrected, after a moment. “Despite our dissolution, Father gave him command of a small ship for which he managed to find backers. They were to go to America to purchase tobacco. It was our family’s last chance at fortune. The ship never made land.”
Archer made a vague noise of condolence, but it did not sound like sorrow.
Her lips curled a bit. “I suppose fate knew better. He wasn’t meant for me.”
“No,” Archer agreed with conviction. They both looked away and were silent.
“In