The Temptations of Lord Tintagel by Bronwyn Scott

Author:Bronwyn Scott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-02-11T20:10:20+00:00

Chapter Twelve

She was alone and unprotected in the world. And she was counting on him. Inigo’s mind kept going back to this over dinner. She was looking to him to protect her, at least until she could protect herself. Her story this afternoon had tugged at every notion of honour and chivalry he possessed. That a child should be treated as she’d been treated, manipulated to offer favours to men so that her father could benefit financially... It was a horrible evil, insidious in nature because she blamed herself for it. Even now, in the peace of the private parlour, Inigo wanted to run a rapier through Gismond Brenley for what he’d done to his daughter.

This afternoon had changed things between them. His anger at Brenley was now on Audevere’s behalf. He wanted to fight for her. This was no longer about wanting justice for a dead friend or for those who’d been wronged by Brenley. It was intensely personal now in a way it hadn’t been before. He wanted justice for a living, breathing woman who could still be saved, unlike Collin.

Inigo sliced the remainder of the bread. ‘More?’ He offered Audevere the plate. The firelight of the private parlour did her all kinds of favours, casting her features in soft light, catching the gold streaks in her blonde hair. The intimacy between them in the carriage lingered here over dinner. Did she feel it, too? That they were becoming something more than they had been? Two people hurtling towards some as yet undefined conclusion.

She shook her head. ‘No, thank you. I’ve had enough. The stew was very good.’ She drew a breath, a little nervous. ‘We had a good first day. Do you think we were followed?’

They’d not talked of the journey itself, but perhaps it was time they did. He only had a few days to win her over. ‘I don’t think we were followed. The servants would have sent word by now to your father in Dover. He won’t be back in London until tomorrow at the earliest. That will give us a two-day head start on him. If he decides to pursue directly.’ Inigo thought that would not be the case. The threat posed by his letter would keep Brenley from rushing after them.

‘A head start to where? I don’t think we’ve established yet where we’re going.’ Audevere poured the remainder of the wine into his glass with a little smile that sent a shot of desire through him, his mind imagining her making that wifely gesture at their own dinner table, imagining her as his always. How could he not imagine such things after this afternoon? After listening to her story, after acknowledging how alone she was, how much she was depending on him whether she wanted to or not? The knight in him was left wanting to protect her while the primal man in him wanted to possess her, to claim her for all time so that no one could hurt her again. What would she say to that?

‘To Boscastle, Aud.

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