"So he is," she agreed absently.
"As your husband, he could forbid your having any connection with my sister."
Aurora raised a hand to her temple. Halford not only could forbid her, but no doubt would. "Even so… marriage to you is such a drastic step…"
Visibly schooling his impatience, Sabine forced his mouth into a semblance of a smile. "Perhaps you might be more amenable if I took a different approach. If I attempted to flatter you and cosset your sensibilities."
She stiffened defensively and shot him a glance. "My sensibilities do not require cosseting, Mr. Sabine."
"No?" For the first time his smile reached his eyes. "I didn't think so." Then he sighed and dropped his voice to a murmur. "I do regret having to propose to you under such distasteful circumstances. Ordinarily I would try to employ all my powers of persuasion, but I'm afraid I haven't the time to try to charm you. I wouldn't be lying, however, if I claimed to be utterly besotted by your beauty."
Aurora found herself staring at him, wondering if his admission was mere cajolery. Doubtless Nicholas Sabine had a ruthless charm that he could wield to lethal effect.
Taking a deep breath, she returned to the conversation at hand. "I cannot simply agree to marry you, Mr. Sabine. There are other practicalities I must consider."
"Such as?"
Such as the fact that Nicholas Sabine was not the kind of man she would ever willingly choose as her husband. She had never met so compelling a man, or one who had made such a forceful impact on her. There was a sense of danger about him, an intensity that was intimidating, if not frightening… although his ferocity now might be driven by his concern for his sister. "If I were seeking a husband, a pirate – an American one – would not be my first choice. By your own admission, you are a violent man."
"I don't recall ever making such an admission."
"What of the man Captain Gerrod mentioned? He said you nearly killed one of his crew while resisting arrest."
Sabine's jaw hardened, but he met her gaze unflinchingly. "A man was wounded, true, but at the hand of his own crewmate. I was unarmed when I was set upon by some half dozen seamen. When I fought back, one drew a knife, and in the melee, another fell against the blade. I saw what happened just before I blacked out. I suppose I was struck over the head with a bottle."
He raised his hand to his head wound, indicating the damage the bottle had done. Then his expression softened. "I understand why you would be reluctant to accept my hand. I'm a man about to be hanged as a pirate – not at all the sort a lady like you should be associating with." He laughed softly to himself. "Indeed, if you were my sister, I would not allow you within a mile of me. But in my own defense, whatever acts of privateering I committed, I did to save my father's legacy. Your countrymen are set on destroying everything he worked for, and I swore to him I would keep his empire flourishing under my direction."
His dark eyes were intense as he gazed at her. "My fatal mistake was in thinking I could elude the British navy on Montserrat. I was careless. It's ironic, actually. I had taken a room at a tavern and was preparing to call on Raven when I was recognized by one of Gerrod's officers. The same lieutenant whose life I'd spared a month earlier when I saved the Barton's crew from going down with their ship."
Aurora frowned. It had been a noble gesture to save an enemy crew, certainly, but that did not make Nicholas Sabine a saint. "Gerrod called you Captain Saber. That is hardly the title of a gentle man."
"Saber is a nom de guerre, merely that. Calculated to make the enemy consider twice before attacking my ships."
Her expression troubled, Aurora searched his face. "But you were charged with murder as well as piracy," she murmured.
"Regrettably men die in war, Lady Aurora," he returned coolly. "I make no apology for my privateering. And I assure you, Gerrod and his ilk are hardly innocents themselves. Any number of Americans have been killed by the British navy, some of whom were my friends. I've had crewmen, illegally taken by your press gangs, who were savagely beaten like animals, some who died in service – Sabine stopped himself and took a slow breath. His anger under control, he moved to stand before her, "My own past is not entirely spotless, but I have never been guilty of murder. And I have never shown violence toward any woman, ever. I promise you solemnly, you have nothing to fear from me."
No, Aurora reflected. Nothing to fear but what he made her feel. His mere nearness made her pulse race, made her skin warm and her body feel flushed with awareness.
"And keep in mind," he pressed, "the short duration of our union. Even if I were the kind of man you claim, you wouldn't have to suffer my company for long. I certainly can refrain from acting the savage pirate for the brief term of our marriage."
Aurora felt an ache in the vicinity of her heart. She couldn't believe this man would soon die. He radiated vitality and vibrant life…
"What you are proposing sounds so… cold-blooded," she said finally, grasping at straws.
He shook his head. "Think of it as a business arrangement. Ladies of your class commonly enter into such agreements."
It was not common for ladies to marry only to lose their husbands the next day, Aurora thought in dismay. "So you wish this to be a simple business arrangement?"
"Not precisely." She heard him draw a slow breath. "I should make my meaning clear, Lady Aurora. Our marriage would not be in name only. To be legitimate, it must be fully consummated."
Her gaze locked with his, searching. His fathomless eyes were steadfast, unwavering in their intensity.
"I want no question of the legality of our union," he said levelly, "or the possibility that it could be set aside. Your father is a powerful man, as is Halford. I don't care to see my efforts to secure my sister's future go for naught."
Her heart faltered in its rhythm as she understood his meaning: they would share a bed as husband and wife.
Taken aback, Aurora stared at him. She had seriously been considering his desperate proposal until he added that disturbing condition. The possibility of physical intimacy with this man unnerved her. The thought of giving herself to a stranger – But was that not what she would be required to do when she wed Halford? This man, no matter how intimidating, was infinitely more appealing than the aging duke. She felt her pulse quicken dangerously.
Sabine was still watching her. Holding her gaze, he took her hand and raised it to his lips. But instead of kissing her fingers, he turned her hand over and kissed the tender inside of her wrist. His lips on her sensitive skin felt like a brand and sent hot and cold shivers through her.
"Will you consider becoming my wife for a night, sweetheart? I think I can safely promise that you would not find your introduction to the marriage bed onerous."
Her breath caught in her throat at the images his promise conjured in her mind. That and the seductive sensuality in his eyes held her so spellbound, she couldn't reply.
His gaze dropped to her lips. "I regret I'm not able to court you as you deserve. A woman as lovely as you should have an equally lovely setting… moonlight, roses, whispered promises…" He leaned toward her, his breath fanning her lips…
When Aurora stiffened instinctively, however, he stopped. Instead of kissing her, he spoke in a velvet-edged voice. "I cannot believe you truly fear me, Aurora. Not a woman of your rare courage. I saw the fascinating change in you yesterday, from proper lady to avenging angel."