'Not until just before dark,' it told her with authority, and neatly levitated the tray towards the door.
That decided her. First of all, she was not going to let Paul du Mond intimidate her into keeping to her rooms. And secondly, that poor horse needed company. She took an apple from the basket of fruit she now kept in her room, and slipped it into her pocket, then pulled on the warm walking-coat she had asked for when she found the lovely cloak Jason had supplied with her wardrobe to be dramatic, but entirely impractical for strolls through the woods.
There was no mistaking the fact that Sunset was looking for her; she caught sight of him before he spotted her, for the stallion was hanging about the house-end of the paddock, occasionally draping his head over the top of the fence to stare longingly at the house. And when he saw her, his ears went straight up, his tail flagged, and he actually whickered a welcome, pawing the ground and tossing his head a little as she neared.
She found herself smiling as she walked up to the fence. He put his nose into her hand immediately, and whuffed into it, without any hint of wanting to use his teeth on her. Stupid man. Poor Sunset probably just wants to bite him because he senses du Mond is not to be trusted. She scratched his brow-ridges, then moved her hand to scratch under his chin as he sighed in pleasure and tried to rest the weight of his head in her hands.
'You only love me for my apples,' she told him. 'It's pure cupboard-love, and don't think I don't know it.'
He whickered, as if agreeing with her, and she chuckled. 'It's all right,' she told him. 'You're so beautiful that it doesn't matter. That's what happens when you're beautiful, you know, you can do anything and people will forgive you because they don't want to believe that anything so pretty could be bad.' She sighed. 'But of course, when you're as plain as I am, they're perfectly willing to think you'd do quite vicious things out of pure mean-spiritedness. And every pretty girl is quite certain you are ragingly jealous of her, and envious of her good looks.' She reached into her skirt pocket for the apple. 'That was why they hung women as witches, you know', she told him. 'They were probably all plain and hadn't a chance in the world of getting a husband so they could be proper ladies, so of course they must have turned to the Devil for consolation.'
She fed him his apple, but he didn't seem disposed to leave when he'd finished it, so she lingered with him, scratching him and saying baby-nonsense into his ears.
'You're spoiling the brute,' said du Mond, startling her so that she jumped. That startled Sunset as well; the stallion jerked his head up, his eyes rolling wildly as he danced in place. Then he caught sight of du Mond, set his ears back and bared his teeth for a moment, then shot off across the paddock to the opposite side. There he trotted in a small circle, watching du Mond as if he expected the man to jump over the fence and beat him.
'You frightened him!' she said, taking care to put a little whine into it, and when she turned to face the man, she managed a little pout as well.
'Not I. That beast isn't afraid of anything or anyone.' Du Mond stared sourly after the trotting stallion. 'He just doesn't like me, and it's mutual. Animals should be made to earn their keep-people certainly are. I think he's a waste of money; if Jason isn't going to ride him, he should at least be sent off to stand at stud somewhere. With his lines, Jason could command enough fees to at least pay back what he's costing to keep.'
She blinked, and tried to think of an appropriately silly answer. 'I suppose so,' she said vaguely, 'But he's very pretty. I like seeing him here; he makes me think of all kinds of things that are wild and free. It wouldn't be the same if he was gone. Is having him here any sillier than having those birds in the conservatory?'
Du Mond simply shrugged. 'The birds eat the insects that get into the greenhouses, not that it matters. What you or I like does not matter, dear lady. It is what Jason Cameron likes that is important, and he does not want his precious horse out of his sight.'
Suddenly he was all charm, turning it on as if he were lighting one of the new electrical lamps. 'But I did not come down here to talk about Sunset; I came to find out how you were faring. Is Jason treating you decently? Don't be afraid to tell me if he isn't; he is inclined to run rough-shod over his employees unless I remind him that this is not a medieval castle and he is not a feudal overlord.'
She was startled to hear an echo of her own words to Cameron coming out of du Mond's mouth. It was positively uncanny; she'd have suspected he had been spying upon them had she not known he was in the city at the time. But she managed a weak laugh, and waved her hand. 'Oh, how could I not like this job? It is much better than having to teach two children! I have everything I want, and all the time I wish in which to read!'
Quick. Now is the time to say something that will make him disregard you. 'There's a lovely lot of books in the first case in the library,' she continued hurriedly. 'I didn't get much chance to read that kind of book when I lived at home, I-Father made me spend so much of my time studying.'
Du Mond gave her a peculiar look. 'You were going to the University to please your father?' he asked carefully.
She nodded, making things up glibly as she went along. 'It was what he wanted-I always did what Father wanted. He said if I was going to be a spinster I might as well be a scholar so he would have someone to talk to.'
She watched du Mond's eyes flicker as thoughts passed behind them, and tried very hard to read his expressions. He was making no attempt to guard himself with her, which argued that he already was underestimating her.
He's looking at my face-evaluating how plain I am, and thinking that I'm very obedient, very pliant, and don't
