"You cannot possibly think to remain in England, Nicholas. Don't you understand? You will be killed."
"I am rather hard to kill, angel. This wasn't the first time I've escaped death by a whisker."
She could well imagine he had faced death before and no doubt enjoyed it. His casualness made her furious, as did his audacity. He had even come to the ball dressed as the infamous Captain Saber, a foolhardy risk that incensed her.
Aurora stared at him, torn between wrath and dismay. Devoid of gentlemanly trappings in his rakish pirate's garb, Nicholas looked the picture of a brazen adventurer, daring fate and laughing in the teeth of danger. Yet Aurora shuddered at the thought of what would happen if he were discovered.
"I am serious, you cannot stay," she pleaded.
"So am I – and I cannot leave just yet. Not when I came all this way just to see you."
"Well, you have seen me, so you may go."
"But we have a dilemma to resolve, sweetheart."
"Dilemma?"
He fixed her with his intense gaze. "What to do about our marriage."
Marriage. An unexpected sense of panic rose up in her. She was overjoyed to know Nicholas was alive, but it didn't necessarily follow that she was pleased to have him for her husband. His presence complicated matters dreadfully – especially since he couldn't even show his face without risking capture and death. Marriage to him would turn her life upside down, would shatter all her hard-won equanimity, would destroy the peace she had finally found. His very nearness sent her senses reeling -
Just then they heard laughter in the hall, and a couple walked past the library door. Aurora froze, deathly afraid Nicholas would be recognized.
"You must go," she whispered fiercely when the laughter died away. "Someone might see you. Might see us and perceive your disguise."
"I told you, being seen doesn't concern me."
"It does me."
"That is quite evident, faintheart."
"Nicholas…!" she said, losing patience.
"Perhaps you're right. A ball is no place for such a serious discussion. But we still need to talk about our marriage."
"Yes, of course. But not now."
"Very well, later." He raised her fingers to his lips and brushed a light kiss there. "I will find you after the ball."
When Aurora nervously withdrew her hand, he reached up to touch her cheek. She shivered with the same warm shimmering sensation his touch always aroused in her. The dark awareness in his eyes told her clearly he knew how he affected her.
She watched as he replaced his eye patch and once more became the dashing buccaneer. He went to the door then, and gave her a final lingering glance before disappearing from the room.
Aurora remained where she was, still feeling the overwhelming impact of his presence, still reeling from his startling revelation.
Her notorious husband of one night was very much alive. And she had no earthly idea what to do about it.
Chapter Eight
His kiss, his slightest caress, left me breathless and trembling .
Nicholas frowned as he sat in the darkened carriage, waiting for his wife to appear. Wife. It wasn't a term that sat easily with him. He had escaped hanging, only to find himself fettered by chains of matrimony.
Apparently he wasn't the only one averse to such chains. Lady Aurora hadn't seemed at all eager to acknowledge the legal bond they'd formed under admittedly desperate circumstances. His return had shocked her, but she was clearly more discomfited by the thought of being tied to him for life.
He was just as unnerved.
He'd frankly been tempted to ignore that major complication in his life. He could simply have remained in America and avoided dealing with the issue of his marriage, perhaps for years to come. And yet his conscience hadn't