aI trust you have found everything to your satisfaction here,a he said, indicating the schoolroom about them.

Breathe slowly. No, donat give in to panic. Donat faint. Donat faint!

aPapa.a Lady Pamela was tugging at the leg of his pantaloons. aWhat did you bring me?a Those intense dark eyes turned from her to look down at his daughter. He smiled, but the side of his mouth that Fleur could see, the scarred side, did not lift.

She felt a black terror, which had her gasping for air for a moment before she imposed control over her breathing again.

aWe had better go down and see,a he said, aor I am not going to have any peace, am I? Sidney grumbled about it all the way from London. I only hope you like it.a He held out a hand for his daughterasa"a hand with long, well-manicured fingers.

Slowly. In. Out.

aSidney is silly,a was Lady Pamelaas opinion.

aI shudder to think what Sidney would say if he were ever to hear you say that,a he said.

aSidney is silly, Sidney is silly,a she chanted, giggling and taking his hand.

Those dark eyes were on her again, Fleur could feel, though she kept her own resolutely on Lady Pamela.

aMiss Hamilton will come down with us,a he said, aand bring you back again before Nanny can send out a search party.a Fleur walked through the door ahead of him and along the corridor beside him to one of the twin staircases that flanked the great hall.

aMaaam?a he said at the head of the stairs, extending his free arm to her.

But she heard an inarticulate sound come from her throat, and she shrank farther away from him so that her dress brushed against the wall as they descended. He turned to listen to Lady Pamelaas chatter.

Fleur listened to the echo of their footsteps as they crossed the great hall, noted the smart way a footman sprang forward to open the double doors for them, felt fresh air and sunshine against her face, counted the marble steps as they descended them, and felt beneath her feet the cobbles of the winding avenue that led to the stable block.

She concentrated hard on immediate physical sensation. It was by far the best way to occupy her thoughts.

aWhere are we going? What is it?a Lady Pamela tripped along at her fatheras side, still clinging to his hand.

aYou will see soon enough,a he said. aPoor Sidney.a aSilly Sidney,a she said.

It was a puppy, a round, snub-nosed little Border collie with white fur about its nose and in a lopsided stripe over its head and about its neck. Two feet and its stomach were white. The rest was black.

It was protesting the fact that it had been placed in a makeshift pen with a pile of straw that it tripped on as it tried to walk. It was crying a loud protest, a demand for its mother.

aOhhh!a Lady Pamela withdrew her hand from her fatheras and stood staring speechlessly until she went down on her knees beside the pen and lifted the little bundle into her arms. The puppy stopped its crying immediately and licked at her face so that she wrinkled her nose and turned aside, giggling.

aSidney traveled from London with a clean face and nipped fingers,a his grace said. aAnd frequently with wet breeches.a aOh.a Lady Pamela gazed in awe at her present. aHe is mine, Papa? All mine?a aSidney certainly does not want it,a her father said.

aI am going to take him to my room,a she said. aI am going to sleep with him.a aHe is a she,a the duke said. aAnd your mother and Nanny might have something to say about a house pet.a But Lady Pamela was not listening. She was playing with her puppy and laughing as it caught at her fingers with its sharp little teeth.

Fleur kept her eyes on the child and the puppy, her shoulders back, her chin high, her hands clasped together as she felt him turn to her and his eyes pass over her.

aYou did not suspect?a he asked her quietly.

She could not move. If she moved a muscle, she would come all to pieces.

aYou did not suspect,a he said, and knelt down beside his daughter.

It was arranged that the puppy would stay in the stables until it had been house-trained. Pamela could visit whenever she wanted as long as doing so did not interrupt either her lessons or her rest. After that she would be able to take her pet into the house, provided it was never allowed to stray down onto the piano nobile to give her mother a fit of the vapors or to send Sidney into a roaring rage.

The duke remained in the stables as Fleur took his daughter by the hand and led her back to the house, chattering without pause. The puppy was the sweetest little thing. The Chamberlain children were going to be ever so envious when they saw hima"her. She was going to train it to sit up and beg and to walk at her heels. Wasnat her papa the most wonderful papa in the whole wide world?

Fleur took the child back the way they had come, up the steps, across the great hall, through the archway and up the stairs, along the corridor to the nursery, where Mrs. Clement was waiting. Lady Pamelaas chatter increased in speed and volume for the benefit of her new audience.

aClasses are at an end for today, Miss Hamilton,a the nurse said dismissively.

Fleur walked to her room without hesitation, closed the door behind her, and leaned back against it, her eyes closed, as if by doing so she could keep out the world.

And then she went rushing across the room to the closet, where she leaned over the closestool and retched and retched until her stomach was sore from dry heaves.

aHIS GRACE THE DOOK has left London,a Mr. Snedburg reported to Lord Brocklehurst on a sweltering hot day in May. His face bore a distinct resemblance to a lobster. aTaking his secretary, Mr. Houghton, with him. That seems to settle the matter. He was the very man who hired Miss Fleur Hamilton, sir.a aIt must be her and that must be her destination,a his client said, watching with frowning disapproval as the Runner mopped at his face with a large handkerchief. aWhat excuse can I find for going there? You have not discovered the whereabouts of Lord Thomas Kent by any chance, have you?a aI have not yet turned my inquiries his way,a Mr. Snedburg said. aI can do so, but is it necessary, sir? If the young lady is wanted for murder, I can go down there posthaste with your say-so as a justice of the peace and a warrant for her arrest and haul her back. She will not escape from me, you may be sure. You can have her head in a noose and her feet swinging on air in no time at all, sir.a Lord Brocklehurst shuddered slightly. aFind Lord Thomas Kent for me,a he said, aor find me a way of appearing at that house without seeming to be a complete imbecile, and your job will be at an end. Iall do the bringing back.a aThen all you need to do, sir, is go down there and fetch her,a Mr. Snedburg said, wiping the back of his neck and eyeing the decanters on the sideboard with a decidedly wistful air. aYou donat need no excooses when the dookas governess is a murderer and a jewel thief.a aThank you.a Lord Brocklehurst fixed the Runner with a cold eye. aI shall do this in my own way. Bring me the information I want and I will settle with you.a aThere is to be a party at Willoughby Hall,a the Runner said, aby all accounts, sir. I shall get you a list of the guests and which of them are in London and have not left yet.a aAs soon as possible, if you please,a Lord Brocklehurst said, brightening. He rose dismissively.

aYou may depend upon it, sir,a Mr. Snedburg said. aAnd if Lord Thomas is in England, I shall ferret him out.a Lord Brocklehurst crossed the room to pour himself a drink when he was alone again, and stood with the decanter in his hands, staring frowningly at it.

She had to be Isabella. But working as governess to the Duke of Ridgeway? And hired by his secretary, who had sat at that agency for four days waiting just for her?

What the devil was going on? If Ridgeway or anyone else had laid a hand on her a His hand tightened on the decanter.

He was going to find her. She was going to see things his way if it was the last thing he ever accomplished. Now, of course, she would have little choice but to view things as he did. Not that he had ever wanted to threaten her. He had never thought it would be necessary.

Foolish woman. He had always been amazed by her stubbornness. He had not been able to understand her reasoning. Of course, women in love were never reasonable. And she had fancied herself in love with that milksop Daniel Booth. Though what Isabella had seen in a clergyman who was still only a curate, it was impossible to say. Long limbs, blond curls, and blue eyesa"he supposed they must be enough for a woman who did not know what was good for her.

He closed his eyes and thought of Isabellaas sunset-gold hair, felt his fingers twined in its silkiness, smelled its fragrance.

Damnation, but he had her where he wanted her now, and she would be made to see it. If he had to start threatening, then he would do so. A dangling noose did not make a comfortable mental image. He would make it up to her later.

IT ANGERED THE DUKE of Ridgeway, standing on the upper terrace outside his house early on the morning after his arrival and looking out over the park that was almost everything of home to him, to know that it was all to be invaded in two daysa time.

He loved to entertain at Willoughby. He loved to host concerts and grand balls when possible and to entertain his neighbors to dinner and cards or conversation. He even enjoyed having the occasional overnight guest. But he hated having a houseful of people who looked for nothing but gay and mindless entertainmenta"Sybilas type of people. And he had seen the guest list. This occasion was to be no exception to the general rule.

He loved the peace and quiet of his home almost more than anything else in his life. And that was to be shattered for goodness knew how long. Sybilas guests never knew quite when to leave once they had come.

He strolled across the terrace and along the side of the house to the lawns at the back and the kitchen garden and greenhouses.

What he would not give for his freedom, he thought in an unguarded moment, and immediately had a mental image of Pamela and her excitement over her dog, which she had insisted on calling Tiny, though he had explained to her that the puppy would grow. And he thought of her sleepy face and tumbled hair when he had gone to her the night before, not realizing that she would be in bed already. He thought of her warm clinging arms and her wet kiss and her question.

aYou wonat go away again, Papa?a aI will be here for a good long while,a he had assured her.

aPromise?a aI promise,a he had said, hugging the slight little body and kissing her. aGo to sleep now. I will see you tomorrow.a No. A child had a right to a secure home and two parents even if they were not model parents by any stretch of the imagination. He had been wrong to leave her for so long merely for the sake of his own peace of mind.

He drew to a halt. There was a woman strolling past the massive flowerbeds, where the house flowers were grown.

She was not quite as he remembered her. In fact, when he had looked at her the afternoon before, his first impression had been that Houghton had made a mistake and engaged the wrong woman. But it was she, of course. He had seen that on a closer look.

Whenever he had thought of her in the past weeks, he had pictured her as thin and pale, not at all pretty, only marginally attractive. There had been those long, slim legs, of course, and the shapely hips and firm, high breasts. But a basically unattractive womana"a gentlewoman down on her luck, he had guessed, someone he had felt obliged to help for some unknown reason.

He had helped her.

She was not as he remembered her. She had put on enough weight that her figure was now alluring even through the barrier of her clothes. Her face had color and a healthy glow. It was no longer shadowed and haggard. And her hair, which he had remembered as a dull, tired red, now glowed fire-golden.

Miss Fleur Hamilton, he had discovered the day before with something less than pleased surprise, was a startlingly beautiful woman.

In one way only was she as he remembered her. She was like a marble statue: cool, remote, unresponsive. She had spoken scarcely a word to him during their first encounter, though she had watched him every moment while he took his pleasure of her, he recalled. She had spoken not a word the day before. She had not even curtsied to him.

She had only shrunk from him, naked terror and revulsion in her eyes, when he had offered her his arm to go down the stairs. Why would he have offered his arm to a servant, anyway?

Donat touch me. His lips thinned. She could probably teach Sybil a thing or two about cringing.

He continued his progress toward her, and he knew before he came up to her that she had became aware of his approach, though she gave no visible sign and did not look his way.

aGood morning, Miss Hamilton,a he said quietly, stopping when he was still several feet away from her.

She looked back at him with that steady, direct look he remembered.

aDo you like the early morning too?a he asked. aI always find it the loveliest time to be outdoors.a aI will not be your mistress,a she said in a steady, low voice.

aWonat you?a he said. aPardon me, but did I ask?a aIt is so very clear,a she said. aI understood perfectly as soon as I saw you yesterday. I will not be your mistress.a aI understood that you had been employed as my daughteras governess,a he said. aI expect you to devote all your energies to that task, maaam.a aIt is disgusting,a she said. aYou are a married man. You have brought me here to live beneath the same roof as your wife and daughter. You expect me to spend several hours a day teaching your daughter. And you expect me also to be your whore here under such conditions. Is that why you paid me so well and fed me? So that I would be beholden to you? I will go back to the gutter where I belong, but I will not allow you to touch me again. You disgust me.a He was angry with the girl. Furious. How dared she? Accusing him of bringing her here to his ancestral home to teach Pamela so that he could sport with her among the groves and in the attics.

aLet me make one thing clear, Miss Hamilton,a he said quietly, his hands clasped behind his back. aI instructed my secretary to employ you because you were desperately in need of employment other than that in which you had chosen to engage. I was satisfied from his report that you had been employed in a suitable capacity. You are my servant, maaam, well paid and well looked after, I believe you will agree. I am not in the habit of consorting with my servants. I am certainly not in the habit of sleeping with them. When I need a whore, I employ one who offers her services for the purpose, and I pay her accordingly. Have I made myself clear?a She flushed and said nothing.

His eyes narrowed. aI seem to recall having to tell you once before that when I ask a question I require an answer,a he said. aAnswer me.a aYes,a she whispered. She looked at him steadily, her chin up. aYes, your grace.a He inclined his head to her. aYou may continue your walk,a he said. aGood day to you, maaam.a He strode back the way he had come, the morning ruined by the heat of his temper and the turmoil of his feelings. But he was thankful for his years in the army, which had taught him the discipline of releasing his temper only through words.

He had wanted to take the woman by the arms and shake her until her head flopped on her neck. He had wanted to hurt her, to leave bruises.

He branched off from the terrace to cross a lawn that would take him to the lake. And he deliberately slowed both his steps and his mind. His experiences as an officer had taught him to do the latter, to think with icy logic rather than with white-hot fury.

If she had believed what she saida"and she obviously hada"then he must admit to himself that she had shown remarkable courage. He supposed that it would not be easy for a woman in a lowly and precarious situation to spit in the eye of a duke. And that was what she had done, figuratively speaking.

She had shown a moral outrage at what she thought he had planned. A whore with morals? But why not? There were any number of respectable women who entirely lacked them.

She had told him that he was disgusting. Was it just the behavior she had imagined him capable of? Or was it his person she had found repulsive?

He did not doubt that it was at least partly the latter. He had unclothed himself completely in front of her, something he had not done with any woman beforea"not since acquiring his wounds, anyway. And he had stood before her, fully visible to her all the time he had been coupling with her.

He had done it deliberately, he realized now, a release from all the pain and self-consciousness and degradation he had lived with for six years. He had wanted one woman to see him, a woman who could not afford to show revulsion or to refuse him.

And she had passed the test, courageous Fleur, whose eyes had not wavered from his despite the fact that for her it had been a far more momentous occasion than he had realized until it was too late.

Well, so she found him disgusting. Was it so surprising? And did it matter? She was his servant, one of countless many. He had given her employment because she needed it and would never have made a success of being a whore. He had done his part to atone both for his sin of infidelity and for his part in setting the girl on the road to degradation and ruin.

It did not matter. He had done his part and he would forget about her. If she did not do well as Pamelaas governess, then he would have her removed to one of his other estates as some other kind of servant.

He stood gazing down at the lake, willing his land, his home, to perform its old magic on his soul.

LADY PAMELA BACKED UP A FEW YARDS FROM HER puppy and went down on her knees while it tried to run toward her. She laughed helplessly as it tripped on the long grass and rolled over before getting to its feet and resuming its chase.

She picked up the puppy and fell over onto her back. She held it close enough so that it could lick her face, and continued to giggle.

Fleur did not have the heart to remind her pupil that they had come outdoors to paint and that she had had to do some pleading with Mrs. Clement in order to be allowed to bring the child out-of-doors at all. They had been granted only an hour. Lady Pamela so rarely seemed to enjoy herselfa"except with the Chamberlain children and except on the previous afternoon, when her father came home.

Fleur shuddered.

aYou see?a she said when the giggles had abated. aWe can see the pavilion on the island and reflected in the lake and framed by trees. You were right. It will make a very pretty picture.a aOuch!a Lady Pamela giggled again. aDonat bite, Tiny.a aOr perhaps for today you would like to paint Tiny rolling in the grass,a Fleur suggested.

aYes.a The child looked at her, bright-eyed. aIs she not funny, Miss Hamilton? Isnat Papa wonderful?a aVery definitely,a a voice said from behind Fleur. aBut what is this? A blank piece of paper and dry brushes? Grass in your hair, Pamela? And all over your dress? Whatever will Nanny say?a aShe will scold,a Lady Pamela said. aPapa, come and feel Tinyas funny nose. Itas all cold.a The Duke of Ridgeway passed Fleur and knelt down beside his daughter.

Fleur stood where she was before the easel and felt turned to ice. She had hoped not to see him for a long, long time after that morninga"particularly after that morning. She had felt utterly humiliated.

He had been furious. Every word he had spoken had been like the lash of a whip. She had been forcefully reminded of the fact that he had been an infantry officer with His Grace of Wellingtonas armies for several years. And she had believed that he spoke the truth.

He had given her this post because he pitied her, not because he desired her.

And her first words to him had been, aI will not be your mistress.a Words spoken to the Duke of Ridgeway! Her employer. They did not bear remembering.

He got to his feet and turned to her while Pamela played on.

aYou brought her here to paint?a he asked.

aYes, your grace.a aAnd have not insisted that she do so?a aShe is very excited about her puppy this afternoon, your grace,a she said.

aWas it not agreed yesterday,a he asked, athat the puppy was not to interfere with lessons?a aYes, your grace.a She looked into the dark depths of his eyes and firmly quelled the terror that his height, the breadth of his shoulders, his black hair and hawkish features threatened to turn to panic. And she looked at the disfiguring scar, reminding her of the other marks on his body, which were far worse than just scars. aSometimes with young children, lesson plans ought not to be rigidly adhered to. We have talked this afternoon about the puppyas teeth and the reason for their small size and impermanencea"as with Lady Pamelaas. We have talked about the shape of the dogas head and of how it will change as it grows. I have explained how your grooms will train the dog so that eventually it can live in the house. We havea"a aI was not about to dismiss you, maaam,a he said, athough it was a good answer. What was the purpose of the painting lesson?a aI was going to describe Corinthian columns and pediments,a she said, glancing out to the pavilion, aand point out how everything is reversed in a reflection. But your daughter is five years old, your grace. Mainly I planned to allow her to enjoy the fresh air and to experiment with using her paints.a Her chin rose stubbornly. Let him reprimand her if he chose. The child had far too little spontaneity in her life.

aAnother good answer,a he said. aDo you specialize in them?a There was no reply to such a question.

aI suppose you have noticed,a he said, athat the temple is an exact replica in miniature of the central block of the house?a aExcept for the horseshoe steps,a she said, turning to gaze across the lake below them. aIs it the same inside too?a aVery like,a he said, aeven to the painting on the inside of the dome. But there is no gallery in the temple. It was built to be picturesque, as was everything else in the park, but it is used as a music pavilion during ftes and garden parties. And will be used by the orchestra at the ball in three daysa time. You have been told that you may attend?a aYes, your grace,a she said.

He turned to talk to his daughter. aLetas walk down to the wateras edge,a he said. aThe pavilion looks more imposing from there. And the bridge can be seen off in the distance, and something of the cascades. Carry the puppy, Pamela. She will never walk so far.a aBut it is time for us to go home,a Fleur said.

Dark eyes were turned on her. One lifted eyebrow. aWho says so?a he said.

Fleur felt herself flush. aMrs. Clement will be expecting us, your grace,a she said.

aNanny?a he said. aThen Nanny will just have to wait, wonat she?a Pamela went clattering down the slope to the lake without taking the path that curved around to it at a less steep gradient. The duke held out a hand to help Fleur down.

And she was in that tunnel again, darkness and cold air rushing at her. All she saw was the hand, the long beautiful fingers that had slid down between her thighs and pushed them wide and that had then opened her firmly, readying her for penetration.

He lowered his hand and turned from her. aJust take it slowly,a he said, aunless you are planning to take a swim.a And somehow she brought herself out of the tunnel and forced her legs to move so that she could follow him down the slope to the path below, where the puppy was bounding in circles, happy to be on firmer ground.

Another hour passed before they returned to the house. They strolled by the lake and climbed the bank again at another place. The duke described the various prospects to Fleur in a far more knowledgeable manner than Mrs. Laycock had done. The park had been laid out by William Kenta"aNo relation,a the duke addeda"for his graceas grandfather, replacing the straight avenues and the large flat parterre gardens that had preceded it.

aI believe my grandmother was outraged,a he said. aShe was a very proper eighteenth-century lady. She believed that the larger oneas formal garden, the greater oneas consequence.a He carried the puppy for much of the way, smoothing the soft down over its nose with one finger as it nestled against his chest and fell asleep. And he handed the dog to Fleur before chasing a shrieking Pamela across one wide lawn and wrestling her to the grass, where she lay laughing and flailing her arms and legs.

Both father and daughter looked somewhat rumpled by the time they stepped onto the terrace before the house.

aWill Mamaas guests be here soon, Papa?a Lady Pamela asked.