other realms. To unite against those dark forces.”
“Dumont is not one, Arthur. I promise you.”
His smile was grim. “I know that, Isabel. And I much appreciate the support you are offering.”
“I have men on their way, ready to defend you.”
That was a bunch of bullshit. She didn’t even know if she had men. But she was depending on the Lady to help her with that one.
“Your men have come already, Isabel. They are even now settling in.”
“They have?”
“You did not know?”
Isabel didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She wondered if the Sooner Schooner had carried some of them.
She swallowed. “They did, indeed, arrive ahead of schedule. My apologies if this is a burden for you.”
He laughed. “No burden at all. They have been nothing but a pleasure, according to James. They even brought something called a mas-cot.”
“Oh boy. They’ll have your men tailgating in no time.”
She saw his confusion and quickly shook her head. “I will have to go welcome them and thank them for coming shortly. But not before I hear what more you have to say.”
“To say?”
“Or maybe you don’t. I thought you had more than one passion.”
“Oh, yes. My passions.”
Once more he grinned in a way that truly made her melt and fire up at one and the same time. Something she had never felt before. Try to figure that one out, Dr. Phil.
“Yes, passions. We definitely need to get back on track here. I passionately want to keep peace between Gwen and me.”
Talk about your heart sinking straight to your toes. “I understand that, Arthur. And I believe you should. Salvaging your marriage should definitely be your first priority.”
Her necklace thumped.
“You misunderstand. I passionately want Gwen to be happy. That is not with me. She is much in love with Lance. I cannot stop them nor do I want to hurt them in this. Truly, I am most concerned that I cannot protect them as well as I need to do. I care about the two very much.”
“Even though they have—”
He leaned forward and put a hand to her lips. “They have followed their desires. Would I ask for a different outcome? Perhaps. But ’tis done, and cannot not be undone. Now I must secure their safety. And truth to tell, all will be well.”
Isabel ran her hand through her hair. “I honestly don’t understand.”
“’Twould be a horrid price both would pay if they are caught. I will try to guard against this to the best of my ability.”
“You are a good man, Arthur. With a big heart. We have a saying in my land. ‘What happens in Dumont, stays in Dumont.’ Unless you’re dumb enough to talk about it to every person you meet outside of Dumont.”
“I very much enjoy the thoughts of the people of Dumont.”
“As do I,” she said, which was a bit of a whopper of a lie, considering, hey, she didn’t know a single citizen of Dumont.
She took a last glug of her wine and stood. “Now perhaps I should go and greet my men.”
He took her hand. “You have not yet heard my third passion.”
“Maybe later, Arthur.”
“Please, it is short.”
She nodded and sat back down. In fact, she was ready to lie down. This drinking so early in the day was not good for her equilibrium. “Your third passion?”
He kept hold of her hand, running his thumb over her palm. For a moment he seemed to waver, but then he looked her straight in the eye. “To lie naked with you. To make love with you. To kiss you so passionately that ’twill make you dizzy. That is my third passion. And of the passions I have mentioned, ’twas not necessarily ordered properly. It just took me some time to build up the courage to voice this one.”
Thank the gods she was sitting, because sure as hell her knees would have caved on her. And for maybe the first time in her life, she was totally speechless.
They stared at one another for so long that the sun could have set and she wouldn’t have noticed.
Finally he broke the gaze and stood. “I should have not said such a thing. It was untoward.” He bowed. “My deepest apologies.”
Isabel grabbed his arm and pulled him closer as she stood, so they were face-to-face, body-to-body. “I bet you one of our horses that you cannot get me out of this contraption called a gown faster than Mary can.”
He grinned, then cupped her face. “Oh, Countess, how you underestimate me.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
OH, how Isabel had underestimated him. In every single way. Arthur had her gown off in record time, kissing her senseless the entire way.
“You’re good,” she said, as her gown dropped to the floor.
“I very much hope, lady, that you feel the same way in a while.”
Other than the gown billowed around her ankles, she was naked, and suddenly felt shy. She covered her breasts with her arms.
“Oh, Isabel, please, no. You are so beautiful.”
Isabel had no idea how the workings of men’s tunics, breeches or other stuff worked. She was only able to shed him of his outer vest before being at a total loss. “I’m afraid I don’t know what to do.”
Arthur, who’d been fixated on her body, went still and drilled her with his gaze. “Are you telling me you are still untouched?”
She had no freaking idea how to respond. She was at a total loss for words.
No answer. And it suddenly occurred to her that Viviane had promised her privacy at times like this. Great. Really fucking great.
“Does it matter?” she asked. “I just have no idea how to deal with men’s clothing.”
“It matters very much to me,” he said, looking and sounding angry.
He pulled her gown back up over her body. His heaving breaths no longer sounding full of lust and longing. They sounded full of an attempt to resume control of his body.
“Please tell me what’s so wrong, Arthur?” she asked, holding the unlaced gown around her. “What did I do?”
He picked up his vest, the only garment she’d managed to strip from his body. “I will not take away something that is the province of your future life mate.”
He headed to the door, shoving his vest back on with every stomping step.
“You wait just one minute, buster! Get your ass back here and talk to me.”
He turned back, just as he was about to switch the latch on the door. “What more can I say? I am not upset with you, madam, I am upset with myself. I deeply, deeply apologize for what I was about to do.”
