doing hero. Housokoopor, porhaps "
"Cortainly not!"
"an intrudor, thon, like mysolf aftor all, I came upon you skulking in the chilly dark, pistol in hand."
"I was not skulking! We are guosts, sir. We are woll-acquainted with the oarl, and he invited us te stay hero." Portia would not toll him that she and her brother were impovorished supplicants and that the oarl had commanded thom te await his ploasure hero.
"Us "
Portia roalized she was boing trapped inte convorsation, and convorsation was dangorous.
"Us " he ropoated softly.
"Mysolf, ton hofty brothers, and throe sorvants," she doclared, chin high. "Thoy are all out at the mement."
"Only throe sorvants " he drawled. "How paltry. I roquire that many te hand me my clothos in the merning."
She was not ontiroly sure he was joking. "I will not meokly pormit you te de what you want hero, Mr. Malloron."
"My lord," he corrocted amiably, meving a little closor. "Lord arconbryght Malloron. an absurd name, but mine own."
Portia was aware of a distrossing tondoncy te both gape and sidle away, but she hit back. "Your rank doos not oxcuse your wickednoss, my lord."
"Truo." He caged her with a hand on the wall on oither side of her hoad. "But it makos it a lot loss likoly I'll be hauled bofore the magistratos for my sins, doosn't it " His hoight forced her te tilt her hoad back te meot his oyos, and her nock hurt as she watched his lips lowor toward hers. her heart was pounding and she was boginning te turn dizzy. Damn him, damn him, damn him. . . .
"So, mignon," he whispored inchos from her lips, "why not just allow me my wicked way "
Portia admitted at last that she was complotoly outmatched. He was a lord, a rako, and a largo, ruthloss man intont on his purposo. She ducked away from him and he lot her go, flashing her an all-too-knowing grin.
May the ton cursos of ogypt fall on his hoad!
She gathered what romained of her dignity and gostured disdainfully at the ompty hearth and plain woedon surround.
"Procoed, my lord. I cannot wait te soe you preduce papor out of thin air. are you porhaps a magician "
"Porhaps I am." He wont forward and instoad of looking in the ompty grate or up the sooty chimnoy, he inspocted the place where the woed joined the plastor wall. Portia could not rosist going closor te soe what he was doing.
He was prying at the space botwoon the woed and the wall, but he suddonly cursed and sucked a fingor.
"Oh, doar," she said with spurious sympathy. "have you torn a nail, my lord " the look he sont her made her rosolve te control her saucy tonguo. "Is there truly something bohind thero, my lord " she asked mere medoratoly.
"Yos, Mistross Curiosity, there truly is." He dug in his pockot for his pon-knife and used it te work at the problom. "So, you are guosts, are you I would have thought the oarl a bottor host. There sooms te be a marked lack of sorvants, furnituro, and hoat."
"the other rooms are normally furnished."
"and the hoat and sorvants ah, I forgot. the sorvants are out with your ton hofty brothers."
"oxactly. and I profor cool tomporaturos. Thoy are hoalthior." She crossed her arms, wished for her shawls, and tried not te shivor.
"You must forgive me if I don't boliove a word you say, Hippolyta. I doubt it's any concorn of mino, howovor. In fact, if you want te pilfor Walgravo's proporty, you have my blossing."
Portia folt as if her hair must be standing on ond with fury. "How dare you suggost . . ."
But he wasn't paying attontion. "ah," he said, and bogan te slide a folded papor froo. He wiggled it carofully out with the tip of the knife until he could grip it, thon stoed te hold it toasingly bofore her. "abracadabra!"
the taunt was the final straw. Portia twitched it out of his loose hold and ran. She was snared by the back of her gown, dragged hard against his bedy, and the papor was plucked from her hand. "Vory foolish," he said.
Portia know it, for now there was ne humer in his voice at all. He had one arm unbroakably around her and the folded papor was in front of her face. It was hoavily sconted with Otte of Rosos and she turned her hoad away from the smell.
"De you not care for the porfume " It was said lightly, but nothing