mine isn’t,’ he countered, with what could best be described as an evil leer, and, reaching out, he tugged the strip of material from her hair, allowing the auburn tresses to tumble about her shoulders. ‘All you need do is cling to my arm, and look at me as though you find me as delicious as that fruit tart you’ve just devoured with such relish.’
Although appalled at the mere suggestion, Katherine swiftly came to the conclusion that masquerading as a woman of easy virtue for a few minutes was a small price to pay in order to attempt to avoid a confrontation with a would-be assassin. Consequently she made no demur when Daniel slipped her arm through his, and proceeded to guide her across the inn towards the door, though she might have wished he had refrained from uttering a rather lewd remark in a carrying voice, the result of which induced several patrons to exchange knowing looks and several others to snicker behind their hands.
As they left the inn, still arm in arm, and began to retrace their steps along the street, Katherine was just beginning to think that the embarrassing little interlude had been entirely worthwhile when she clearly detected the sound of a door opening behind them. Before she knew what was happening, Daniel had her pinned against the stone wall of a house, and was smothering the squeal that rose in her throat by clamping his mouth down hard over hers.
For a few moments Katherine was too stunned by the speed of the assault to appreciate why he was behaving in this brutal and uncharacteristic manner, holding her so tightly that there was no possible hope of escape, and forcing an embrace upon her which was singularly lacking the persuasive tenderness she well remembered him displaying on that memorable night in Paris.
‘For the love of God, Kate,’ he muttered, dragging his mouth towards her left ear, and grazing her cheek in the process with the rough stubble on his chin, ‘don’t just stand there like a stock, girl! At least try to pretend you wish to bed me.’
A slight movement in the shadows succeeded in thrusting aside the last barrier of reserve. Reaching up, Katherine entwined her arms about his neck, and thought she detected a flicker of what might well have been surprise in his eyes before she took the initiative and forced his mouth down on hers in a kiss which began as little more than a mere meeting of lips, but which swiftly deepened as she instinctively parted her own, moving them back and forth beneath his. The fact that this was pretence, a mere show of passion for the benefit of inquisitive eyes, rapidly faded from her mind as a highly pleasurable but totally foreign longing began to spread swiftly through her limbs.
Without conscious thought she pressed her body closer until breasts, hips and thighs made contact with strong bone and well-honed muscle. They seemed to meld together so wonderfully, like two halves of a perfect whole, that she couldn’t say with any degree of certainty whether the sudden tremor that rippled through her, or the low earthy moan which followed, emanated from her or the man who a moment later brought an abrupt end to the intimate contact by almost wrenching his mouth away.
For several moments his breathing seemed faintly laboured, and there was a flicker of something quite intense in his dark eyes. Then he seemed to collect himself, and took a hurried step away.
‘Why, you’re a passionate wench, and no mistake!’ he announced, his strong teeth flashing in a sportive smile. ‘Come, take me to your bed, otherwise I’ll have you here and now!’
Like a cruel slap in the face, harsh reality returned with a vengeance, and was no less humiliating than the hearty smack he unexpectedly administered to the seat of her skirt, before linking her arm through his once more. Yet it took Katherine, still plagued by a wealth of unfamiliar sensations, several moments to come to terms with the fact that what had just taken place between them had been a sham, nothing more than mere pretence on his part. How she wished she could say with complete honesty that it had been likewise with her!
Wounded pride and bitter resentment was an explosive mixture. Yet Katherine steadfastly refused to give vent to her emotions and betray the fact that she was foolishly feeling unaccountably hurt by this display of seeming indifference on Daniel’s part to that passionate interlude which had just taken place.
It certainly did nothing to improve her state of mind when the sound of a footfall close behind suggested very strongly that her humiliation might all have been in vain, and she was just about to suggest that they should confront the stalker, when Daniel’s clasp on her elbow was suddenly increased and she was unexpectedly thrust down a side alley.
‘Await me at the far end,’ he ordered, releasing his grasp, and although she would have preferred to remain, she found herself automatically obeying the whispered command.
It was by now quite dark and Katherine, almost stumbling over the uneven surface, hurried along the narrow alley, not knowing whether it would offer a means of escape, and not caring very much either. She could not, would not, attempt to save her own skin and leave Daniel to face the threat of danger alone. She stopped and turned, clearly hearing the sounds of a scuffle, swiftly followed by a low groan. Then she almost cried out in relief, her former resentment completely forgotten, when she saw that tall, dependable being emerging from the gloom.
His grim expression, as he paused to slip an evil-looking knife inside the top of his boot, told her all she needed to know. He took no pleasure in taking a human life, of that she felt certain, and to do him justice he had done all he could to avoid the confrontation, so she chose not to ply him with unnecessary questions that would only add to his distress.
‘Needless to say we shall be unable to remain in this town overnight.’ He sounded quite matter-of-fact, but the flicker of anguish lingering in his eyes was unmistakable. ‘I doubt our friend back there came here alone. I very much fear there may be others about the place searching for us. Therefore we must resign ourselves to yet another night without any creature comforts.’
Katherine frankly didn’t care where they spent the night. A feeling of well-being, something that she had not experienced for several years, washed over her as they left the town and headed for the open countryside. As long as this man was with her she knew instinctively that she would never come to any harm.
Chapter Nine
Katherine awoke to find herself in unfamiliar surroundings yet again. Having had little choice but to lie on a dirt floor, with a thin pile of leaves beneath her, she had passed possibly the most uncomfortable night of her entire life. Yet she clearly remembered that, when they had quite by chance stumbled upon the woodcutter’s rustic shelter, she had been too tired to care where she had bedded down, and had fallen asleep almost from the moment her head had touched the ground.
Easing herself into a sitting position, she glanced about the rough wooden structure, which, boasting three sides only, was open to the elements at the front, and was surprised to discover herself quite alone. She immediately experienced a moment’s unease, not because Daniel was no longer propped in the adjacent corner, where he had settled himself the night before, but because she suddenly recalled that he had seemed strangely quiet, subdued almost, after they had left the small market town the evening before.
They had been obliged to walk quite some distance before they had chanced upon this shelter, nestling in the wood. Throughout the lengthy trek Daniel had not uttered above a dozen words. At first she had put his unusually subdued state down to the fact that he had been compelled to put a period to their stalker’s existence in order to effect an escape. That, however, could not account for the fact that he had seemed disinclined to be near her, to so much as touch her. Why, not once had he offered a helping hand over the rougher ground, which he had not hesitated to do earlier in the day. Furthermore, when they had finally discovered this shelter, he had settled himself as far away as possible from her, when it would have made more sense to have lain side by side in order to share bodily warmth.
Sweeping
