‘No, they do not. Leadership with men like these is a confidence trick. It is much the same as the way a rider needs to convince a horse that is infinitely stronger and heavier than he that it must obey his commands and bear his weight.’
‘But you use brute force when leadership and personality will not work?’
‘Oh, yes. And, Averil, do not think I would have hesitated to turn you over my knee up there if you had persisted in questioning me.’
‘You would beat a woman?’ she bristled at him, outraged. ‘I cannot believe any gentleman would!’
‘I would if it was necessary, but you had the sense to yield.’ Was that the hint of smugness on his face? ‘It would have hurt you far less than that stone I was forced to throw at you.’
‘It would have been undignified to brangle about it.’
‘Certainly undignified, but the more I think about it, the more the idea interests me.’ His eyelids drooped, hooding his eyes, and she felt the change in the atmosphere like a shift in the wind. ‘You do have a most delightful posterior, my dear. It would be a pleasure to warm it, just a little.’
‘You promised …’
‘I promised I would not ravish you, Averil, but I said nothing about seduction. You are a serious temptation to a man who has few pleasures in his life just now. A challenge.’
‘Well, I am not going to become one of your few pleasures,’ she retorted, hauling the blanket tight around her chin. ‘Stop teasing me and finish telling me what you are doing over here on this island.’ The trouble was, she did not think he was teasing. She must face him down, behave as though such a thing was unthinkable. ‘What can you do from here?’
‘Wait for a signal. The source who first aroused my suspicions tells me that when the informant—let us not name names yet—has papers for his masters he sends out a brig from Hugh Town which meets a French naval brig beyond the Western Rocks. We take the Scillonian vessel, then we make the rendezvous. The thought of two prizes is a help in motivating the men.’
‘I see. I believe you.’ He bowed—an ironic gesture, she was sure. ‘So now I know the truth you can let me go. Obviously I will not betray you, you have my word.’
‘Let you go? My dear Averil, you must see that is impossible.’
‘Impossible? By why? Do you not trust me?’ Indignant, Averil swung her legs out of bed and stood up. She hauled the blanket around her, ignoring the pain in her shoulder. Luc’s eyes widened as she stormed up to him, blanket flapping, and she stopped to yank it tight. ‘Stop ogling!’
‘There is so much to ogle at when you do that,’ he said as he lifted his eyes, full of appreciative amusement, to meet hers. ‘You are an intelligent woman—think. Where are you supposed to have been since the ship went down?’
Luc moved around the table and sat on the far side as though to put a safe distance between them before he went on. ‘It is four days since the wreck. The navy and the local sailors have scoured the islands, checked every rock that stays above high tide. The population of the Isles is about three hundred souls—there is nowhere you could have been undiscovered and yet in as good a condition as you are now. So, what story do you tell?’
‘I—I do not know,’ she admitted. ‘Can’t I tell the Governor?’ He shook his head. ‘You think he might be implicated? Then I must stay here, I suppose. For how long?’
‘I expect to get the signal within the day, tomorrow at most. There is plenty for the traitor to report on, I imagine, and it would fit the timing of the leaks we could trace.’
‘And what now?’ She moved to shake out the clothes that hung in front of the fire. ‘These are almost wearable.’ The thought of being able to dress, to get out of this hut and away from the nearness of him led to another question. ‘Do the men know I tried to escape?’
‘No, and it would be dangerous for you if they did. Now, we wait and you and I will emerge looking as though we have been working up an appetite for dinner.’
‘I do not want you to kiss me again.’ Averil edged backwards, realised it was taking her straight to the bed and stopped, holding on to the other chair back.
‘Liar.’
Luc got up and stretched and she found she could not take her eyes off him. She had seen him naked—wasn’t that enough? Did she have to do what she accused him of doing and ogle him, just because he was a man? A big, virile, exciting … Oh, stop it!
‘Tell me why not,’ he said.
‘Because you are a hypocrite. You condemn the admiral for forcing that girl and yet you expect me to kiss you.’
‘Am I forcing you?’ He came round the table and sat on the edge of it, perhaps two feet from her. It felt far too close for comfort.
‘I have no experience of men. I do not know how to deal with the way you make me feel,’ she admitted. ‘I want to say no and somehow, when you touch me, I cannot. I must be very wanton,’ she said, looking away while she fought the blush that was heating her cheeks.
‘Not wanton, just sensual,’ Luc said. ‘Do you not like how it feels when we kiss?’
‘Yes, I do. And it is wrong.’
‘It is perfectly right,’ he countered and reached out to turn her face to look at him. ‘Natural.’