“The doghouse would be too good for you.”
His lips twitched. Kind as his father made her out to be, she had spirit. “You’re right. I don’t suppose you’d believe I’m suffering from posttraumatic shock syndrome—”
“I believe it, but you’ve taken it to new depths. You’re more like your alter ego than I’d realized.”
“You mean one day I’ll join Lancelot in Hell?”
“If the armor fits.”
“How do you know I haven’t already been there?”
“I surmised as much. Only someone who’s been in hell would treat me the way you have.”
Her arrow found its mark dead center. His amusement vanished. “Is there no redemption?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it.”
He drew in a ragged breath. “I’m leaving your camera outside this door. If you choose to stay a little longer, I swear on my mother’s grave no harm will come to you from me.”
After a short silence, “Since I know how much your father loved her, I’ll take that into consideration.”
She knew how to deliver the coup de grâce. There were many sides to Andrea Fallon. She was the most dangerous kind of female.
“I’m sorry about your husband. I didn’t know.”
“I thought Lancelot was given special powers.”
He closed his eyes tightly for a moment. “I’ve done too many dark deeds and have forfeited most of them.”
“How sad.”
She sounded as if she meant it. It was then he realized he’d given too much away, a position he loathed to be in.
“I’m leaving now to spend the night with Papa. Don’t let my uncourteous behavior prevent you from making him happy. Should you disappear without explanation, I can’t promise he won’t go downhill.”
Much as he was hoping she’d relent enough to open the door so they could talk face-to-face, he had a gut feeling it wasn’t going to happen. He’d behaved like a bastard and was reaping the consequences.
“Dors bien, Andrea,” his voice rasped before he turned away and made a swift return to the second floor.
Disturbed by the memory of the way she’d felt in his arms when he’d kissed her, he realized it was going to be a long night …
Delighted by the morning sun that pierced the clouds and filtered down through the cathedral of trees, Andrea made her way to the opposite end of the lake from where she’d been reading the previous evening.
Maybe she would get lucky and one of the forest animals following an ancient game trail to the water’s edge would enter the site where she planned to take pictures.
After a good night’s sleep, which came as a surprise considering her tormented state of mind last evening, she realized the worst thing she could do was run away. Geoff wouldn’t understand. Since she couldn’t explain it herself, she’d decided to put yesterday’s experience behind her and behave like an adult.
Lance had proved to be a man with a scarred soul. Using the most elemental of ways, he’d set out to expose her for the loose, conniving female he believed her to be.
Where his father was concerned, his protective instincts were over the top. Combined with his innate distrust of women, he must have choked on that apology for his rough treatment of her. It was probably a first for him.
But coming from a family with a title and great wealth, he no doubt had reasons for his suspicions. Which he’d carried to the extreme.
Still, he’d returned her camera and had promised she would have nothing more to fear from him. She believed him.
As for her reaction to his virility, that wasn’t his fault. It was her own unchecked response to him Andrea feared.
She should have known there’d come a day of awakening when she’d realize she was alone again and vulnerable. Somehow she hadn’t expected it to happen here, or that it would be Geoff’s son who made her aware of her womanhood in a way no man had ever done.
Richard was the only man she’d ever slept with and he’d taken his time to get to know her before they’d become intimate.
Troubled by her thoughts that seemed to swirl toward one inescapable vortex, she looked for a fallen tree where she could sit while she waited for a deer or some such thing to appear.
In truth she was tired even though she’d slept well. Since eating part of an omelet earlier, she’d felt a trifle nauseous. These were signs of pregnancy, but that wasn’t possible. Since she’d had these symptoms before coming in contact with Geoff, she didn’t think it was flu.
What could it be except the result of her grief?
As soon as she returned to the States, she would need to find meaningful work and get on with her life. But right now the thought of making any decisions seemed too much for her.
She looked around. A few rabbits and squirrels scurried about, but the bigger animals were nowhere in sight. Maybe they’d ventured out at first light and were resting while they digested breakfast.
A short nap sounded like a good idea to her, too. Maybe she should go back to the château and come here later in the day. Even as the thought entered her head, she happened to notice something moving in the water toward her with the speed of a torpedo. Something long and sleek.
By the time she’d jumped to her feet in alarm, a dark head had risen from a cluster of lily pads in flower.
Her hand went to her throat. Lance!
While treading water he flashed her a white smile. “Good morning,” came that low voice in the heavy French accent she found so seductive.
Surrounded by the heads of pink and white water lilies, he made a picture of impossible male beauty. Appearing like this made him seem part of the enchantment of the place.
“I thought swimming across the lake would be the best way to announce I was coming. After our first meeting, the last thing I wanted to do was startle you again.”
Everything about him pulled the ground out from under her, but that was her problem, not his.
“You move like an animal and swim like a fish. If I see you fly, then I’m going to know Merlin haunts these woods.”
His blue eyes darkened with some emotion she didn’t understand. “Why not join me? I’ll show you one of the château’s secrets no one else knows about. You have to swim to it, but don’t worry. The lake’s not deep.”
Her heart lurched at the thought of being alone with him like this. “I’m afraid I didn’t bring a suit.”
“You have one now. Corinne, my father’s stepdaughter, keeps extras around for
