Her light laughter threaded through his mind. “My father and Malcolm think you’ve been seeing too much of me…and I of you.” The corners of her lips twitched in amusement. “My father was quite shocked by your penchant for exhibiting yourself.”
Ashton chuckled. “Aye, your father said as much when he came to rebuke me. He thought you too fragile to view what I had displayed. Obviously he isn’t aware that we were living as man and wife before you left Belle Chêne.”
The rosy color deepened in her cheeks beneath his querying regard. “I couldn’t tell them, Ashton,” she murmured, lowering her gaze to her lap. “They would have made it seem like something dirty.” She released a long sigh. “Everything you have done is despicable in their eyes, and my father still blames you for taking Lierin from him.”
Ashton squeezed her fingers in gentle understanding. “He’s a troubled man, and despite myself I’m beginning to feel some sympathy toward him.”
Her love for him welled up, spilling over the walls of restraint that she had tried so hard to construct as she lifted her head and searched the tanned visage. “You’re a good man, Ashton Wingate.”
With a chuckle Ashton tossed his hat upon the far seat and gave her a doubting look. “Why? Because I harbor no malice for an old man who thinks he has reason to hate me? It’s useless to waste my resentment on him. I never knew of his fondness for whiskey, but it’s clearly taking its toll. He almost lost touch with the world when he cut his hand, and I realized, then, that he’s only a weak, empty shell of a man, worthy only of pity. My anger is better spent elsewhere.”
“On Malcolm?” she inquired in a small voice.
Ashton’s face hardened, and above the line of his jaw the tensing muscles vibrated, making ridges and hollows flex in his cheeks. “Now there’s one who is deserving of my hatred.”
Seeing the writhing turbulence of his animosity, she rubbed a hand over his arm soothingly. “Let’s not talk about him,” she cajoled. “Tell me of your plans. How long will you be keeping the River Witch here?”
“As long as I have to…or until you send me away.”
“I’ve already asked you to go,” she reminded him.
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the pale fingers while his eyes warmly probed the deep green crystals, finding there a myriad of emotions all wrapped up in love. “When your eyes tell me to go, my love, I’ll go. Not before.”
Lenore lowered silky lashes over the dark, translucent orbs, wondering if her yearnings were so visible. It seemed pointless to deny her love for him; it was not an emotion that could be easily set aside. He rested their entwined hands upon his thigh, and she sensed they shared similar cravings when she felt his thudding pulse. His free hand came to lift her chin, and his fingers slowly stroked her throat as he stared into her eyes.
“I want you,” he breathed in a husky murmur. He moved her hand, making her aware of his needs, and he saw the wide-spreading confusion come back in her face. She shook her head in an almost pleading gesture of denial, mutely appealing for mercy, and tried to pull free, but the name Lierin, sighing from his lips, stilled her weak struggles. He pressed her head back upon the seat near his shoulder, and she stared with helpless entreaty into those smoldering green-brown eyes as his face loomed above her own. His mouth lowered, opening and slanting before covering hers, and she lost herself in the wild, sweet pleasure of his kiss, all the while knowing this should not be. The side of her hand burned where it rested against his loins, and the awareness of his inflamed desires made her tremble. Murmuring words of love and passion, he pressed fevered kisses upon her throat and cheek and lightly touched the fragile eyelids that quivered downward to receive his featherlike kiss.
“I wander helpless through the night,” he whispered in agonized torment, “wanting you and knowing you are beyond my reach. My vitals roil in helpless frustration as I think of you up there in the house…and Malcolm between us, claiming you. Aye, I seethe when I think of him, and I realize how fiercely jealousy has taken root in me. It tears me apart when I see you with him. I beg you to have mercy on this wretched soul, my love. Leave with me now. Let me take you back home where I can love you…and cherish you….”
“Oh, Ashton, Ashton,” she moaned as tears welled in her eyes. “What would I be if I went back to Belle Chêne with you? Never knowing for sure whether I am Lierin or Lenore, I would be caught in an eternal conflict, wondering if I were committing adultery or just fulfilling my rightful place as your wife. This house here in Biloxi holds the key, and I believe it can unlock the secrets of my mind and free it from this turmoil. There are ugly things I see in visions, hateful things, and if I don’t find the answers for them, they will hound me to my grave. I yearn to give myself to you now; I do want what you want, but I cannot go with you without knowing myself…who I am, where I’ve been, and what I’ve done.” She removed her hand from his grasp and, placing it in her lap, slowly stroked it with her other, as if soothing her burning skin. “I must go back, and I think it would be well for us both if you take me home now….” She turned her face away to hide a fresh rush of tears as she added, “Before I yield myself to you.”
All too aware of the loneliness that would settle down upon him when they were parted, Ashton sought to persuade her: “Stay with me for a while more. Have dinner with me, and then I’ll take you back later.” She looked at him again almost pleadingly, and he smiled sadly, taking note of her reddened eyes, and relented. “Perhaps I ask too much of you right now. I know you are troubled.” He let his breath out slowly, attempting to cool his mind and body. “I’ll take you back. There’ll be another day when we’ll meet.”
Relieved by his acquiescence, Lenore sniffed and, with her handkerchief, wiped the brimming wetness from her lashes. He knew how to appeal to her senses, and he was so hard to resist, she had found herself in a quandary, wondering if she could. Even now she had difficulty forgetting what had just passed between them and the scalding heat that had seared her hand.
Ashton gave Hickory instructions and, leaning back in the seat again, indulged himself in the pleasure of watching her rather than the scenery they passed. “I’m letting some business associates here in Biloxi borrow the River Witch.” He saw her surprise and explained, “They’re planning a social affair, with all the wealthy people in the area being invited to the gaming tables.” Actually, he had initiated their interest, having seen how well the occasion would fit into his schemes and aid in his advancement toward a lasting seizure of the queen.
Lenore saw the sparkling gleam in his eye and could not resist an inquiry. “What has that to do with me?”
A roguish grin readily showed the contrast between his dark skin and white teeth. “You and Malcolm will be invited, of course.”
“Malcolm will never go on your steamer.” The very idea seemed preposterous. “He hates you too much.”