With a heave of effort, Gabriel backed away from the raven-haired temptress; she did the same, both of them kneeling on the floor with its thin scattering of hay.

Her gaze locked with his; the girl's wary brown eyes tracked his movements as he rose slowly, moving carefully, not wishing to startle her again. He went instead to look after the kittens, giving her a moment to recover from their clash.

"You're pretty quick with that knife," he remarked, walking over with measured paces to see if there was any milk left in the bowl.

"Practice," she answered in a low, rather defiant murmur.

Fiery, this one.

"I take it Derek sent you."

"Derek?"

"My brother." He crouched down and pushed the black kitten and the gray tabby away from the bowl so the little orange one could drink some of the milk, as well.

"Your brother," she echoed slowly, tasting his words.

"The other Major Knight, my dear. The man who hired you to come here and, ah...serve me, I presume." His glance flicked over her body. He couldn't seem to help it.

"Oh, right. Derek," she answered with a vague nod. "Of course."

"He does tend to think he's amusing." Gabriel lowered his head, watching the kittens to try to keep his stare off her. "Unfortunately, it isn't going to work. You are beautiful, G.o.d knows, but you can go back to London or wherever it was that he found you, for I..."-He faltered, then redoubled his resolve-"I do not require a bedmate at this time."

A bedmate?

Sophia stared at him, her eyes wide, her whole body motionless with shock.

Was that what he thought she was doing here?

Zounds! He thought she was a hussy?

Her royal sire would be turning in his grave-and if Leon ever heard the cheeky blackguard imply such a thing, her old lion would pound him into the dirt!

Well, at least he would try. Even Leon might have a time of it with this one, she conceded, her gaze trailing over his formidable physique. The "gentleman-tenant" was a towering wall of muscle, six-foot-four at least, of pure iron. She could not believe she had attacked him and lived.

Still, she quickly realized that his explanation for her presence here was safer than the truth-especially since he claimed he did not need her "services" at this time.

Really, a girl could take insult at being so easily refused, she thought wryly.

"I see," she replied, playing her cards close to the chest. Heart pounding, she hid her astonishment, still not quite sure how to react.

He really was very mysterious. Who was he, and why would his brother send him a girl? she wondered. The most puzzling part, however, was his refusal.

Alexa said all men wanted s.e.x constantly, and she would know. Sophia shrugged it off and supposed she should count herself lucky.

Then his gaze flicked over her peasant disguise with a mildly pitying look that stung her royal pride. "You can keep the money," he said gently, "whatever my brother has paid you. I'm sorry you've wasted your time."

Her swift indignation over his low view of her gave ground to more practical worries as he continued. "I know it must have been a very inconvenient journey for you, coming all the way out here. Come," he said, gesturing toward the ladder. "I will pay your ticket for the stagecoach back to London. We'll need to hurry to get you to the coaching inn on time-"

"Wait!" she blurted out.

"What is it?"

She stared at him, tongue-tied. According to protocol, she had to stay put at these coordinates until her bodyguards found her!

Good G.o.d, she could not let him kick her out now. Those vicious creatures who had attacked her carriage last night might still be out there somewhere on the hunt for her. Last night, at least she had had the cover of darkness to hide her, but now it was broad daylight, and if she came across her enemies out on the road, she doubted her peasant disguise would be enough to save her. She didn't even have a horse now on which to escape them if they spotted her. She still had her knife, but this large fellow had just reminded her afresh that, as good as she was with a blade, sheer male strength could still overpower her.

He had been watching the play of emotion on her face and now a curious frown had spread across his own. "Is something wrong?"

"Are you so eager to get rid of me?" she countered, attempting a smile. Please don't kick me out.

She didn't dare go wandering down that country road alone. It would be extremely stupid to try it. She had to wait for her bodyguards to come and escort her on to the castle.

She was certain it wouldn't be long. Last night, her men had been routed by the ambush, but by now, they would have regrouped.

Staving off fear, she insisted to herself that everyone surely had come through the ambush all right. If it turned out not to be so, she would deal with it when they were all reunited and she knew the facts. G.o.d knew, if there had been casualties, she had enough practice at grieving. She ought to be an expert at that by now.

Alas, the keeper of kittens seemed all too eager to be rid of her. "I'm sorry, my dear. I'm flattered by your, er, enthusiasm, truly, but this is just one of my daft brother's practical jokes," he said in chagrin.

"You really find me that unappealing?" she exclaimed.

"No!" he vowed, sending her a searing glance. "It isn't that at all."

Sophia furrowed her brow. There had to be some way that this stubborn chap could be persuaded to let her stay for just a few hours.

Unfortunately, she couldn't tell him the truth.

Though he now seemed more trustworthy than he had at first, keeping her ident.i.ty a secret was one of Leon's strictest rules. Her guards were risking too much for her sake for Sophia to repay them by ignoring the procedures she had promised to adhere to.

Oh, dear. What was she to say?

He was looking at her curiously. "Are you that eager to...b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, Derek told you about the Kama Sutra, didn't he?"

"The what? No-I mean-that is to say-" Her cheeks blazed crimson. Oh, for heaven's sake!

"Because I don't do that sort of thing anymore. I mean, there's more to life than mindless pleasure, isn't there?"

Sophia wanted the earth to part and swallow her like one of Greece's countless little earthquakes. She cleared her throat and cast about for her dignity. "I a.s.sure you, sir, I respect your wishes and will do my best not to molest you. But you see, I only just got here, didn't I? And it's such a long, inconvenient journey back to London, as you said. I just woke up. I scarce know where I am." Lord, this conversation was a chess game. "Would you mind terribly if I stayed here, please, just for a little while longer? To make myself ready for the day?"

"Here?" He glanced around warily. "What, in the hayloft?"

"Yes." She nodded earnestly. "I won't cause any trouble! Y-you have my word."

"Why? Why would you take a job like this out in the middle of nowhere anyway? You can't lack for customers." He suddenly narrowed his eyes. "You're on the run, aren't you?"

"What?"

He moved closer. "Have you done something naughty, my girl? Is somebody after you?"

She blanched. "Of course not, why would you think such a thing?" she evaded. Of course, she had done nothing wrong, but someone was certainly after her.

If only she had some clear idea who!

The blue-eyed man was studying her shrewdly. Then he pointed at her. "You're a Gypsy, aren't you?"

"Yes," she a.s.sented. Whatever you say. Just don't kick me out of here yet.

Somehow, she felt safer just being around this large and solid man. The kittens seemed to feel it, too, tumbling around at his feet.

"I get the feeling you're hiding here." He folded his arms across his chest. "Have you committed a crime?" he asked softly.

Her eyes widened. "No!"

His piercing cobalt stare seemed to probe her very soul. "I won't harbor a fugitive from the law."

"I haven't done anything wrong!" Sophia exclaimed, becoming truly rattled.

He appeared unperturbed by her vehement denials. "Your people have a certain reputation, I'm afraid. As thieves," he clarified crisply.

"I am not that sort of-Gypsy," she a.s.serted in dismay. Only some sort of harlot for sale, apparently, in your view.

He scrutinized her for a long moment, his eyes narrowed. "Very well," he said guardedly. "I shall take you at your word. But you had better not be lying to me. If there is one thing I despise above all else, it is a lying female."

Oh, blast. Raking her fingers through her tousled hair, she heaved a large sigh and dropped her hands onto her lap again. "I understand. So, is it all right then if I stay here for a little while?"

If he would just leave, maybe he'd forget that she was here.

He frowned, studying her.

She held her breath as she waited for his answer, her heart pounding at the prospect of being forced out onto the road with unknown enemies after her blood.

"I won't cause any inconvenience-sir-I swear," she a.s.sured him, reminding herself to use a deferential tone like a humble country girl. She gave him a wide-eyed look of genuine desperation. "It's just that right now, I really have nowhere else to go."

Ah, d.a.m.n.

Those big brown eyes could have melted hearts of stone. Gabriel looked away.

Tossing her out on her shapely a.r.s.e, however, proved beyond his power.

"Very well," he mumbled. "Come inside and have some breakfast, then."

"No, that's all right, I don't wish to be a burden-"

"Have you eaten?"

"I...brought my own supplies."

"Really?" he asked in surprise, admittedly impressed as she nodded and reached into her knapsack, pulling out some hardtack wrapped in cheesecloth and then a bit of dried jerky.

Hm. Fancy that. Again, his brother had scored another point; Derek knew that Gabriel could not abide a helpless female. This one was as resourceful as she was plucky and independent. Devil take her, the unfortunate beauty tugged at his heartstrings.

Surely she deserved a chance at a more decent life. Was there nothing he could do to help her?

No girl ought to have to sell her body.

"What is your name, my dear?" he asked in a gentler tone.

Head down, she peered up at him from beneath her velvet lashes. "Sophia."

"Sophia, I am Gabriel Knight. But I take it you already know that."

"Yes. Your brother told me," she said with a businesslike nod.

"I don't need a girl to warm my bed, as I, er, mentioned, but if you're willing, my housekeeper could use an extra set of hands."

"Your housekeeper?" She blinked, then stared at him. "You mean, I could work here...as a maid?"

"Yes. Does that sound acceptable? No one's going to harm you here. And no one is going to use you," he added meaningfully. "You can return to the life you knew or stay here and try something else. The choice is yours."

Sophia stared at him for a long moment, her curling tresses tumbling over her shoulder as she tilted her head slightly to the side, contemplating his offer.

It seemed she had never dreamed of such a position.

He lifted his eyebrow expectantly, feeling better already about giving her a new chance in life.

She nodded slowly. "Thank you. I accept."

"Good," Gabriel replied, and when she lifted her head, they stared at each other for another awkward moment.

Strange, Gabriel thought. New to England, he still wasn't used to the range of accents to be found from London's East End to the rural hamlets, but to his ear, the girl spoke with unusual refinement for one of her cla.s.s.

Well, he thought briskly, tearing his gaze away, if she was to be his maid, then the matter was settled. No gentleman of any honor pestered his female domestics with his baser needs.

He cleared his throat, glad for the chance to do a good deed, though it would not be easy having her around to tempt him. "You will find Mrs. Moss in the kitchen," he clipped out. "She'll give you something fresher to eat than that hardtack, then we'll figure out where you will sleep. As for your salary-what do maids usually get these days, a shilling a week?"

She shrugged as though she hadn't the foggiest idea.

No doubt the poor young thing was used to living hand to mouth. For all her fresh-faced beauty, she had the wary look of a survivor. "Right. Well, we'll settle that later, then," he mumbled and started to turn away.

"Um, Mr. Knight?"

"Major."

"Pardon?"

"It's, er-oh, never mind," he said, abruptly remembering that he had left the military life behind. It had been his whole ident.i.ty for so long, but it no longer signified. "Just call me Gabriel. What is it, Sophia?"

Her chin came up a notch. "I'm sorry you don't want to bed me," she flung out in light defiance, betraying a trace of, perhaps, stung feminine pride. Or maybe testing him.