Well, the incident was over. The girl meant nothing to her. This strange bond of familiarity between the two of them could not hold firm when tested by the information Jared would give the young comptesse.
She heard the slam of the coach door in the carriage room. Josette was settling for the night.
Cassie shivered and drew the covers around her shoulders. The early-morning chill was beginning to creep into the stable.
She should have made Josette take one of Kapu's blankets…
It was barely dawn when Cassie left the stable. She was only halfway across the courtyard when Jared opened the front door and stood watching her come toward him. He was without a coat, his shirtsleeves rolled up and his dark hair tousled. His appearance at this hour could not be a coincidence. He had been waiting for her.
Dear God, she did not want to face him now. She felt grimy and sleepy, and she was still suffering that odd sense of loss.
"I hope Kapu had a better night than I." Jared's gaze raked her face. "Or you."
"I slept." It was true that after much tossing and turning she had finally managed to snatch a few hours' sleep.
"I didn't." He smiled mockingly. "I sat in my chair in the library and waited for you to abandon your vigil."
"I told you I wasn't going to come to you."
"You malign me." He opened the door and stepped aside to let her pass. "I had no lustful motives… this time. I merely stayed to see that you found your way to your quarters. Morland has three wings and many chambers. It would have been very distressing to the servants to have to search for you if you became lost."
"I would have just waited on the doorstep until the household woke. Besides, I never became lost on the island. I doubt if I would here."
"But the island is your home, your territory." He smiled. "This is mine."
She didn't need him to remind her. Now that she was away from the familiar sights and scents of the stable, she was beginning to feel very much alone and far from home. "Will you stop boasting and show me where I'm to sleep?"
"I wasn't boasting, I was merely pointing out the similarities between-" His smile faded as he studied her. "I'm not going to lie to you. There are very few similarities between your island and England. You're going to hate it here." He paused. "Unless you let me help you."
"A bargain, I suppose?"
His lips tightened. "No, goddammit, what's between us is a thing apart. I brought you here and that makes me responsible for you. I don't want you hurt."
"I won't be hurt." She turned and started for the stairs. "Did you put me in a chamber close to Lani?"
"No, I put you in the chamber next door to me." He moved past her and up the stairs. "So close I may be able to hear you breathe. I think I'll enjoy lying in my bed and listening for every little sound." He looked at her over his shoulder, and his voice deepened to silken sensuality. "It will be almost like being beside you."
A wave of heat surged through her as she met his gaze. Blast it, this was exactly what he wanted her to feel. She gave him a deliberately derisive glance. "These walls appear too thick to hear anything but a cannon shot."
His lips twitched. "True. Too bad you noticed."
"And I want to be next door to Lani."
He preceded her down a long hallway. "Guests have no choice in their quarters here at Morland. Placing you near Lani might prove inconvenient later."
He meant when she changed her mind and came to his bed. "I can't foresee any possible inconvenience."
He stopped before a door. "I can." He threw open the door. "I can foresee an endless variety. So you'll remain here." He nodded at the brocade bellpull on the wall across the room. "Ring if you need anything. I'd say a bath is in order." He turned away. "I'll send you breakfast at ten. You were going to meet Bradford at eleven, I believe."
"He told you?"
"Of course, he knew I'd want to be there."
"I don't want you there."
"I didn't think you would. But I'll be there all the same."
"Then I won't let Kapu-"
"Yes, you will," he interrupted. "You promised Bradford and you won't break your word." He strolled to a door only a few yards away. "I'll see you at eleven."
Cassie watched the door close behind him before she shut the door of her chamber. He was always so maddeningly confident of his knowledge of her. She should deliberately stay away from the stables to confound him. No, that would be childish. Bradford would be disappointed, and she would not let Jared's actions force her into doing anything she would not ordinarily do. These weeks at Morland would be difficult enough without allowing him to confuse her in that fashion.
Her glance traveled indifferently around the chamber. She supposed it was considered very grand, with its canopied bed draped in burgundy velvet and the heavy, rich oak furniture and high ceilings, but she found little to admire. Houses were only a place to shelter when she wasn't in the stable or outdoors. The cottage had been just as adequate as this castle for that purpose.
But Jared was right-after the night in the stable she did need a bath and a meal. She moved quickly toward the bellpull across the room.
Eleven
Bradford was standing by Kapu's stall when Cassie arrived at eleven. Jared was not with him.
Bradford gave her a smile. "We'll have to wait a bit for Jared."
"I agreed to let you, not Jared, time Kapu." She entered the stall and gave Kapu a greeting pat before turning to the saddle in the corner. "If he's not here when I've finished saddling Kapu, we go on without him." She threw the saddle onto Kapu's back. "Or we don't do it at all."
He grimaced. "I believe I detect a hint of displeasure toward Jared. Has he particularly annoyed you recently?"
"It's rude not to be punctual."
"Jared is always punctual. Something unexpected came up this morning." He paused. "As I understand you might know. Josette tells me you encountered each other last night."
"Did she?" She fastened the girth.
"You upset her."
She didn't answer.
"But she liked you." He grinned. "But, then, I knew she would."
"Why? We have little in common."
"Because she's a comptesse? That doesn't matter. She uses the title only when she wants to protect herself. Tell me, when you met her didn't you feel-"
"I felt bruised. She jumped on top of me."
"You know that's not what I meant. Did she remind you of anyone?"
"Very well, she seemed familiar. I don't know why."
"Look in the mirror. She could be your twin."
She frowned. "What do you mean? We're nothing alike."
"Not on the outside. But you definitely should have felt a bond. I didn't know you at sixteen, but I'll wager that most of your responses were exactly like Josette's. She's constantly in trouble, defiant, eager, impulsive." He chuckled. "And if she were transported to your island, she would be wearing a sarong instead of those trousers that so horrify Lady Carradine."
It was true. Now that he had held up the mirror, she could see herself in Josette. No wonder she had felt comfortable with the girl so quickly. "Will Jared punish her for running away from that school?"
"I doubt it. He won't let her off easily, but Josette usually manages to persuade Jared to do as she wishes. She even persuaded him to name his ship after her."
The Josephine. Cassie had not made the association. "Then why does he make her go to that school? She doesn't like it."
He shrugged. "It's the finest in the county. Josette would hate the restrictions of any school."
Cassie shuddered as she remembered the threats to send her to a convent. She would have been as miserable as Josette if Clara had prevailed. "He should let her stay here. If she causes him trouble, it's because she's unhappy."