accommodating.'
'I even offered to pay him silver coins,' Jade announced. 'I'm a pauper now. Caine threw my cloak in the Thames, too. The coins were in the pocket.'
Christina shook her head. She paused at the corner to look back at Caine so he could see her displeasure. 'That was terribly ungallant of him, wasn't it?'
They rounded the corner on Jade's fervent agreement.
'What was the favor she asked of you?' Lyon asked.
'Nothing much,' Caine drawled out. He bent over to pull off his water-soaked boots. 'She just wanted me to kill her, that's all.'
Lyon let out a shout of laughter, but stopped when he realized Caine wasn't jesting.
'She wanted it done before morning,' Caine said.
'She didn't.'
'She was willing to let me finish my brandy first.'
'That was thoughtful of her.'
The two men shared a grin. 'Now your wife thinks I'm an ogre because I've disappointed the woman.'
Lyon laughed again. 'Christina doesn't know what the favor was, friend.'
Caine dropped his boots in the center of the hall, then added his socks to the pile. 'I could still change
my mind and accommodate the little woman, I suppose,' he remarked dryly. 'Damn, my favorite boots are ruined.'
Lyon leaned against the archway, his arms folded across his chest, while he watched Caine pull off his shirt. 'No, you couldn't kill her,' he replied. His tone was mild when he added, 'She wasn't really
serious, was she? She seems quite timid. I can't imagine…'
'She witnessed a murder,' Caine interjected. 'Now she has several unsavory men chasing after her, obviously intent on silencing her. That's all I know, Lyon, but as soon as possible, I'm going to find out every detail. The sooner I can solve her problem, the sooner I'll be rid of her.'
Since Caine was glaring so ferociously, Lyon tried to hide his smile. 'She really has you rattled, doesn't she?' he asked.
'The hell she does,' Caine muttered. 'Why would you think a mere woman could get me rattled?'
'You just took your britches off in the middle of my foyer, Caine,' he replied. 'That's why I think
you're rattled.'
'I need some brandy,' Caine countered. He grabbed his pants and started to put them back on again.
Christina strolled past him, smiled at her husband, and then continued on up the stairs. She didn't
mention his near naked condition, and neither did he.
Lyon thoroughly enjoyed Caine's embarrassment. He'd never seen his friend in such a state. 'Why
don't you go inside the library. The brandy's on the side bar. Help yourself and I'll see about your bath. God, you do smell rank.'
Caine did as Lyon suggested. The brandy warmed him a little and the fire he started in the hearth took
the rest of his chills away.
Christina left Jade alone once the tub had been filled with steaming hot water. She'd already helped her wash her hair in the bucket of warm, rose-scented water.
Jade quickly stripped out of her soggy clothing. Her fingers were numb from cold, but she took the time to remove her dagger from the hidden pocket in the lining. She put the weapon on the chair beside the
tub as a precautionary measure in case someone tried to sneak up behind her, then climbed into the hot water and let out a long sigh of pleasure.
She scrubbed every inch of her body twice before she felt clean again. Christina came back into the kitchen just as Jade was standing up. Since her back was to her, Christina immediately noticed the long, jagged scar along the base of her spine. She let out a gasp of surprise.
Jade grabbed the blanket from the back of the chair, wrapped it around herself, and then stepped out of the tub to face Christina. 'Is something the matter?' she asked, daring her to mention the scar she knew she'd seen.
Christina shook her head. She saw the knife on the chair then and walked over to have a closer look at it. Jade could feel herself blush with embarrassment. She tried to think of a logical explanation to give her hostess as to why a gentle lady would be carrying such a weapon, but she was simply too weary to come up with a believable lie.
'Mine's much sharper.'
'I beg your pardon?' Jade asked, certain she hadn't heard correctly.
'My blade is much sharper,' Christina explained. 'I use a special stone. Shall I fix yours for you?'
Jade nodded.
'Do you sleep with this by your side or under your pillow?' Christina asked very matter-of-factly.
'Under my pillow.'
'So did I,' Christina said. 'It's much easier to grasp that way, isn't it?'
'Yes, but why did you…'
