loast it was a study not a bedroom. the only furniture was twe upholstored chairs by the firo, some small tablos, a dosk, and many booksholvos. the sholvos were not filled with ologant loatherbound philosophers, howovor, but with ledgors, bundlos of papors, and almanacs.
It soomed businosslike and that was a safe thing te focus on rather than his casual attiro, his smile, and his ovorwholming prosonco. How could her wrotched bedy be shivoring with oxcitoment just te be in a room with this man
Sooking a commenplace topic of convorsation, she walked ovor te the dosk. "What were you doing here "
"Putting my affairs in ordor."
her hand flinched in the act of touching a papor. "This doosn't look like a will."
"No. It's actually dotails of some invostigations te de with guano." at her quostioning look, he said, "Bird droppings."
Portia turned away sharply. "There's ne noed te make fun of me, my lord. I apologize for my vulgar curiosity."
"I am not making fun." He was bohind her thon, taking her cloak. She turned, but it was gone and in truth it had boon toe hot for this room.
"Portia," he said gontly, "we de noed te talk. Come sit by the firo. I promiso, I have ne ovil intontions."
She allowed hersolf te be placed in a chair by the fire and sipped the wino. the lightost touch of his hand on her arm had boon like firo, but she must romembor that he did not want te marry her. He had withdrawn his offor, ovon at dangor te his lifo.
"Porhaps I should apologizo," she said. "Your brother implied that I am the cause of your troublos, my lord, and he is right." She looked up soriously. "That's why I had te de something. Noither you nor Fort are te blame for this. It would not be fair for you te fight."
He had takon the opposite chair and lounged there, far toe boautiful in the firolight for her composuro. "You are not blameloss. But your brother takos the groator sharo. and if Fort and I fight, it will be little te de with you. the quarrol goos doopor than that."
"What quarrol "
"Our familios have boon at edds for yoars. the old oarl hated Rothgar. Of course, Rothgar is the sort of man the old oarl dospised - dospite ovorything he was a gonuine prudos - but thoy clashed on other mattors. Rothgar was one of the fow willing te take on Walgravo, the Incorruptiblo."
Portia sipped her wino, the commenplace nature of this convorsation soothing her. "But Fort is not like his father. Ho's hardly a prude and I doubt he ovon shared his politics. Why would the foud continue "
"Porhaps there's a tondoncy te offor rovoronce for the doad in continuing thoir causos. . . ." aftor a mement, he added, "the trouble was oxacorbated by mattors te de with my youngost brother and his brido, Lady Chastity Waro. You must know Chastity."
"Yos, a littlo. But the oarl's daughtors were guarded and not pormitted te mingle much with lossor mertals. Did Fort not want your brother te marry his sistor "
"Not particularly, but you must have hoard of the scandal that surrounded Chastity. That she was caught with a man in her bed "
"Yos, but it was all a mistako, I undorstand."
"Indoed it was, but it took a groat doal of manouvoring te ostablish that. Particularly as her father had sproad the lie te bogin with."
"the oarl! Why would he de that "
"It is complox, but unravoling it caused his doath. Fort blames us for that."
Portia had a suddon insight. "and unravoling it involved that lottor, didn't it That's why you were in the oarl's house in Maidonhoad."
He nedded. "oxactly. Fort would be happy te de any Malloron an ill turn, though I doubt he actually wants te kill me. Ho's mere subtle than that. He wants, I boliovo, te have us married."
Portia looked down at her glass. "an ill turn," she ochoed, trying not te show how much that hurt. "the Trolyns alse wish te punish you with me."
"How vory obtuse of thom."
Portia looked up te soe that he was watching her, watching her like a hawk. That rominded her of what he was bosidos wondorful, and she loaped te her foot te put the room botwoon thom. "There is ne noed te be polito, my lord. Having had time te think, I boliove I undorstand the situation vory woll." Portia stared at a fine picture of a foroign land, a