She drew back from him, the intimacy lost. Then assuming a haughty expression, she clucked her tongue. 'Running with scissors, Scot?'
'One day, I'll tell you all about it,' he lied.
She huffed back to her spot on the floor and mouthed, 'Big' to him before plucking up another strawberry.
'Well, thank you for dinner and the ring,' Maddy said half an hour later as she rose to leave. 'Both proved agreeable.'
'Madeleine, the watch you've pocketed belonged to my father's father. You canna have that one, but I'd be glad to get you another.'
She jutted her chin up, digging for it and tossing it on the bed.
'And you managed to get that candle holder you were eyeing into your pocket, too?'
Deuce it, how had he seen her?
'Commendable,sionnach .'
'What does that word mean?'
'It means 'fox.' That's what you remind me of.'
'Do you know what you remind me of? A wolf in sheep's clothing. Tonight you've been more civil, but it's obvious to me that it's a strain on you. It's not your nature.'
'Aye, that might be true,' he said, surprising her with his honesty. 'I'm no' polite, nor am I one for wooing and compliments. I say what's on my mind whether a lady's in the room or no', but—'
'But if I look past the tarnished surface,' she interrupted in a saccharine tone, clasping her hands to her chest, 'there's a good man beneath? Just waiting for the right woman to turn him around? Tell that to Blue-Eyed Bea. She believes it again and again. I do not.' She put her hand on the doorknob.
'No, I was no' going to say I'm a good man. I canna make that claim. And I doona believe a man can change his nature. But I was going to point out that I'm likely the best you're going to get. I will no' ever strike you, you will never want for anything, and you will never have to back down to anyone again. There's a reason you have no' asked the Weylands for help. You're prideful. Why no' go back to England as their equal?'
'On the surface, this seems logical.' So why did she feel like she was about to pocket a scarf and a hidden gendarme was watching her every move? She suddenly narrowed her eyes, suspicion flaring. 'You've never asked me about my proposal, the one I told you I had waiting in the wings.'
'It was obvious to me that you had no' and would no' accept him if you were still living in poverty, and the last thing I wanted to do was remind you of another candidate.'
'No, I was ready to accept him, buthe refusedme . After waiting for so long, he was suspicious of my virtue.'
MacCarrick's brows drew together. 'Do you think I could possibly have something to do with that? Of course, I wrote him of my conquest.' When she remained unconvinced, he said, 'Which begs the question: Why did you keep him waiting?'
'I had a bad feeling.'
Instead of scoffing, he nodded and said, 'Do you have a bad feeling now?'
'I don't know.' She couldn't tell. She was exhausted, bewildered, and probably drunk. She didn't think she should believe him, but if she trusted her instincts…'I just need some time to think about all this.'Am I doing something to leave myself vulnerable? 'It's a big step.'
He ran his hand over his face. 'Then at least stay here. What happens if you get caught by those henchmen? They'll take you straight to their boss.'
'Inever get caught.' That wasn't true. She had been caught several times, but no one had ever made it to the police station with her in tow.
When she opened the door, he quickly rose, and his hand shot to her elbow. 'Going out into the night again? That is out of the question.' He seemed alarmed at the idea of her escaping him. 'Damn it, Madeleine, would it be so terrible to have a man take care of you? To protect you?'
Protect?She swallowed, the image of the ladies in the boulangerie flashing in her mind. Had the dream ever been this close…?
'I'm no' leaving Paris without you, lass.' Softening his tone, he said, 'You're going to be mine—I doona know what I have to do to effect that, but it must be so.'
Maddy knew men. They could feign love and affection easily, yet jealousy, when absent, was hard to conjure. She'd noted the look of rage on MacCarrick's face when the man had asked if he was done with her. She'd seen how swiftly he'd pulled his gun.
He was possessive already.So why am I so afraid of this? She could establish parameters to protect herself, limit her vulnerabilities.
De mal en pire. From bad to worse. Was she afraid to take this chance because she didn't trust him—or because La Marais had already beaten her?
Never.Fortune favors the bold.
And that's when she knew she was going to go along with this. 'I will consider your proposal.'
He exhaled and schooled his features, but she'd seen he was relieved—very much so.
'But I have some conditions….'
Chapter Twenty
'The hell we're no' having sex till we're married!'
'I'm in earnest, Scot. I won't make the same mistake twice.'
He'd just been fighting an overpowering sense of relief that she was staying when she'd thrown these ridiculous conditions in his face. 'I will no' question you about your past, and, aye, I'll be faithful to you. Fine, I agree to those conditions. As for your wanting to start a family right away—then, aye, God willing,' he baldly lied. 'I'll certainly do my part to contribute. But the fourth condition is unacceptable. I've a man's needs, and they will no' simply disappear during our engagement—'
She strode for the door. Why had he ever assumed this would be easy?
'Those are my terms,' she said without looking back. 'I think I'm being very generous.'
'So am I. The ring you're walking away with will keep you in apples for many a year.'
She turned to him. 'I don't evenlike you.'
'Yet I have it on good authority that you did once.'
Her lips thinned, and he wagered she was silently vowing to kill her friends. 'Worse, you don't even like me.'
He didn't bother denying it. He was feeling a lot of things about her, buta liking for her was not one of them. 'You're negotiating with me as if you have a leg to stand on. Where does a girl like you get the ballocks to risk losing a man with money and power who's willing to marry her? You've been ruined, remember? Most wealthy men would only accept a virgin. Since I relieved you of yours, this is your good fortune that I'm still interested.'
'I know that I'm not negotiating from a position of power—but I don't trust you. Ifiercely don't trust you.'
'Do you want this condition for leverage or because you fear me getting a bairn on you before marriage?'
'Both,' she readily admitted.
Seeing that she would hold firm on this for now, he said, 'Fine. I'll agree that we'll wait—if you vow to slake me in other ways, whenever I want it.' When she frowned at him, he said, 'I doona care how I'm satisfied—just that I am.'
'You're only saying that because you think you can seduce me to do more.'
That was precisely what he'd planned. He didn't like how she continued to anticipate his moves.
'It won't happen because I have no interest in you that way,' she added.
